'I think it should definitely be a consideration for HR professionals'
There is an emerging cohort of employees who are planning to resign due to a lack of flexibility, according to a new report.
This group, dubbed as "flexiters," may be the next post-pandemic threat to employers amid retained preference for flexibility that's resisting mandatory office-return push worldwide.
In Australia, people2people Recruitment discovered that 55% of employees would consider leaving their current role if their current flexible perks are cut. This includes removal of remote work and/or flexible hours.
Should HR be worried?
Catherine Kennedy, managing director of people2people Recruitment, said HR should be concerned about the emerging group.
"In the long term, I think it should definitely be a consideration for HR professionals or HR practitioners," she told HRD.
In the current climate, however, it's "less likely" that employees would leave, she said.
"I think right now there's a little bit of uncertainty in the employment market so I don't know that a lot of people would necessarily leave because of a lack of flexibility.
Preventing 'flexiters' at work
But before this flexibility-driven exit happens, Kennedy noted that employers can prevent cases of flexiters in the workplace by understanding the needs of the workforce.
"I think it’s basically understanding what is important to your employees around flexibility, because sometimes it doesn't necessarily mean working from home," she said. "It might mean adjusted work hours. There's also compressed week, so you do longer days that have less days."
This is critical as 45% of employees are not satisfied with their current level of work flexibility, while more than 70% said they want to work from home, according to people2people's research.
Finding middle ground around flexibility
The challenge with this is finding the middle ground that would satisfy employees' flexibility demands and employers' business needs, Kennedy pointed out.
"That's what people are asking for and there has to be a point where it has to meet the needs for business as well," she said. "I think the hard thing for HR professionals is to understand what the needs of the business are, understand what employees need, and try to find the middle ground."
According to Kennedy, employers and employees alike need to be reasonable in their flexibility demands in the workplace.
"I think what both parties need to bring to the discussion is an understanding that it needs to be mutually agreeable," she said.
A successful flexible work plan
Employers also need to have an open mind if they want their flexible work plan to be successful.
"Keep an eye open mind to lots of options so… flexibility doesn't just mean working from home," Kennedy said.
"I think the other [advice] would be - this is very relevant for HR professionals when working with leaders in the business - is to get leaders thinking about what the key outcomes they need from their team.
"If you've got really real clarity around objectives and outcomes, it's easier to manage flexibility within that. I think you could start clear it can be more than people."
Implementing a successful flexible work plan would then deliver a lot of benefits for employers, according to Kennedy.
"Probably the biggest benefit is that you will have an engaged and happy workforce. And they're going to be more productive when they're engaged and they're happy," she said.
"You are also much more likely to have a higher retention level of your staff. So, there's just a heap of benefits from that."
