As we edge nearer to March 29th, Britain’s formal date for leaving the European Union, many questions remain over how the country will continue to compete on the global stage. With Brexit uncertainty continuing to dominate the news agenda, it’s become ever more apparent that whatever happens over the next few weeks will shape the course of the UK’s future, its businesses and its workforce for decades to come.
With many of the country’s vital industries heavily relying on skilled international workers to fill vacancies, employers are becoming increasingly concerned about restricted access to talent. When coupled with the wider sense of economic uncertainty, and the UK’s lagging productivity, it’s easy to see why business confidence in Britain is so low at the moment.
This means that employers need to find more creative ways of attracting, retaining and motivating workers, to ensure their businesses are fighting fit and can weather whatever storms are heading their way. The good news is that there’s a simple answer to this, which is by putting employee happiness back to the top of the agenda.
Flexibility is key for employee happiness
From my experience, I’ve found that the most effective way of boosting happiness and workplace morale is through flexibility.
By giving employees the flexibility to create their desired work life balance and choose the schedule that is right for them, employers will find themselves with staff members who enjoy their jobs, in turn becoming brand ambassadors for the companies they work for. The result? A happier working atmosphere, with motivated, productive employees who are more willing to stick around and ride out the turbulent times ahead.
Work that keeps the UK working
And we have the points to prove that flexibility is critical. A few months ago, Quinyx launched a study that examined the UK’s attitudes towards flexible working.
Our research found that 73% of the country’s workforce still face barriers when it comes to flexibility in their current work schedules, which in turn is having a detrimental effect on their happiness – both at work and at home. Specifically, 15% of respondents told us that a lack of flexibility makes them feel isolated from friends and family, while one in 10 said it was having a negative impact on their health and wellbeing.
And what’s more, our research showed flexibility is one of the key solutions to solving Britain’s productivity crisis, with nearly a fifth of respondents telling us that they would be more productive at work if given more flexible working opportunities.
So, if flexible working can make the UK’s workforce happier and more productive, why hasn’t it been suggested and implemented as a Brexit business strategy?
Breaking the inflexible impasse
The problem is that it still has a bad reputation. We’re stuck in an impasse in which employers associate flexible working with spiralling costs and scheduling nightmares – they see a trade-off between flexibility and financial performance.
But this is far from the truth. With the right tools and technologies in place, flexible working can be easy. By cutting down admin and allowing business leaders and employees to collaborate on a schedule that works for everyone, solutions like smart workforce technology can improve productivity, save time, reduce costs and boost employee happiness.
A stronger and more flexible future
Our research found that if calls for greater flexibility in the workplace continue to go ignored, British businesses could miss out on £12 billion a year by 2023. This a huge sum of money for the country to be unnecessarily wasting, especially in light of the cost and challenges of Brexit.
What we need moving forward is a change in mindset amongst UK businesses. The time has come to recognise that flexibility is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ for UK employers – but a vital differentiator in a rapidly changing and challenging labour market.
Yes, Brexit marks the biggest geopolitical shakeup for generations – but leaving the European Union doesn’t have to be the disaster that everyone seems to be preparing for. There’s an answer to retaining top talent and optimising an unproductive workforce during this period of uncertainty – and that’s flexibility: a vital, but simple, part of Britain’s Brexit survival guide.
By Erik Fjellborg, CEO & Founder, Quinyx
