Survey reveals Scottish employees hope flexible working is here to stay
More than half are considering asking their employers after lockdown.
Most employees in Scotland hope flexible working will continue beyond the pandemic.
That is according to new research out today by Flexibility Works, one year since the country went into its first lockdown.
Around 55% of workers told a survey they are considering asking for more flexibility when restrictions lift, while more than a quarter (27%) say they’ll definitely do this.
Around three quarters (76%) of business leaders and managers claim flexible working was also key to their survival during the pandemic.
But more than half (51%) of homeworkers missed social interaction with colleagues.
Alan Burns from Ayrshire is the executive director of construction firm City Building, which has around 2,000 staff members. He said: “Working flexibly helped to keep our business going during lockdown and our people adapted very quickly. Now there is a real desire to keep some of our flexible working arrangements, such as more blended work locations, and different shift-patterns on-site.
“We recognise the benefits of developing ideas and problem solving as a collective, and we will continue to work with our teams to ensure we continue delivering for our customers.
“Ultimately, we had to put more trust in our workforce during Covid, and we intend to continue this going forward.”
Nikki Slowey, co-founder and co-director of Flexibility Works, said: “The pandemic forced many of us to work differently and it’s often been incredibly tough, whether you’ve been working, living and sleeping in one room, or juggling work with home school or caring responsibilities. Fortunately, we’ve discovered some unexpected benefits too. Flexing where - and when - we work has helped us to show employees and employers that we can work in different ways, and it has helped businesses continue to deliver for customers despite the pandemic disruption.
It comes as a campaign is started called #FlexForLife to encourage and support more Scottish businesses commit to greater flex for their workers long-term.
Nikki adds, “We’ve seen that our old ‘9-5’ office week is no longer fit for purpose. So we’re asking employers to work together with employees to co-create new ways of working. Managers don’t need all the answers, and teams often come up with the best solutions, if you ask them. Flexibility helped us weather the pandemic but now we should embrace it for life.”
More information can be found here.