Many employers offering flexible hours, work from home, Fridays off: survey
Employers in Australia are implementing flexible work arrangements to address the so-called "summer slacking" among employees, but not all workers are able to take advantage of these policies.
Six in 10 employees across Australia said their employer has some form of summer flexibility, according to a new Dayforce poll. Among the most popular flexible policies are:
The report attributed the introduction of these flexible arrangements to "summer slacking," as 45% of employees say they are less productive during the summer months.
Another 39% said they tend to slack off when their boss is on a summer holiday.
According to the report, 76% of employees value flexibility in the workplace, but 88% of them are unable to enjoy the summer perks that their employers are offering.
Why? The respondents named these reasons:
For those who are able to enjoy these summer workplace perks, the survey found that 81% are still feeling negative aspects.
More than a third (34%) said they find it harder to get work done when coworkers are less available. Others said it's because:
Dayforce said organisations that want to maximise the benefits of flex policies should ensure that employees and managers understand these arrangements.
Employers should also understand how the organisation works so they can set up coverage strategies, according to the report, which also emphasised the need to monitor the progress of the policies.
"Regularly assess the effectiveness of the policies and adjust based on employee feedback and utilisation rates," the report read.
