A third (30 per cent) of employees said they’ve left a job because it didn’t offer flexible working options, according to a new survey by FlexJobs.
The survey, which polled more than 7,000 workers, found 80 per cent would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible working options and 52 per cent said they’ve tried to negotiate these arrangements with their employer.
“In a tight labour market, companies cannot afford to ignore the value employees place on having flexible work options, but leaders also can’t dismiss the very real bottom-line impact offering flexibility has on their employees’ productivity and retention rates,” said Sara Sutton, founder and chief executive officer at FlexJobs, in a press release.
Read: Editorial: Employers, flex your flexible working muscles
The survey also found 65 per cent of respondents said they’d be more productive working from home than in a traditional office environment. The reasons included fewer distractions (74 per cent), fewer interruptions from colleagues (72 per cent), reduced stress from commuting (70 per cent) and minimal office politics (64 per cent).
Among survey respondents, 71 per cent said they’ve telecommuted at a former job, while 82 per cent said they know someone who telecommutes. The option is the most in-demand type of flexible working arrangements, at 76 per cent, followed by flexible schedules (72 per cent), part time (46 per cent) and freelance (39 per cent).
Some 44 per cent of survey respondents said a job with flexibility would have a huge improvement on their overall quality of life, while 53 per cent said it would have a positive impact. Three-quarters (78 per cent) said a flexible job would allow them to be healthier, including eating better and exercising more. And 86 per cent said they’d be less stressed if they had a flexible job.
Read: Flexible working has positive affect on employee well-being: survey