The labor markets have hardly ever been so tight, according to a recent study by Manpower. More than ever, companies need to go to extremes to retain existing employees and attract new talents. But how do you do that as a company?

In addition to good remuneration, investing in the well-being and work-life balance of employees is an absolute must. This not only provides an important advantage in the War for Talent but also reduces absenteeism, increases productivity and increases employee involvement. Certainly, with the new generation of employees, the right work-life balance is of great importance. More and more employees no longer want to lose valuable time every day in traffic jams, with all the frustration that comes with it. Why should they work at the head office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. when modern technology allows them to work virtually anywhere and at any time?

Only the output counts

A recent survey by Protime and SD Worx shows that no less than 83% of British companies allow their employees, or certain groups of employees, to work in one or more forms of time or location independent work. Flextime scores the highest (65%). These include sliding working hours, where employees can deal smoothly with the start and end time of their working day. With another form of flextime, employees can choose to stop a little earlier, so that, for example, they can pick up their offspring from school in time to resume their working day after the children's bedtime. Teleworking, for example from home or at a coworkingplace, is now allowed by 37% of companies.

With another form of flextime, employees can choose to stop a little earlier, so that, for example, they can pick up their children from school in time to resume their working day after the children’s bedtime. Teleworking, for example from home or at a co-working location.

Increasingly, we also read reports about companies that allow their employees to take as many holidays as they want. The underlying reasoning is always the same: entrepreneurs have understood that only the output counts, and not the hours we spend in the office. Those who allow their employees the freedom to choose their own working hours and location will undoubtedly attract a lot of applicants and avoid talents leaving the company.

Technology and trust

This ‘work revolution’ was largely made possible by modern technology. But that’s not all; an open corporate culture and trust in employees are also necessary to make working independently of hours and location a success story. Online tools for time and attendance registration already enable 2 out of 3 European companies to allow their employees to work flexibly. These are certainly not only systems that keep track of when someone is at work, but also modern tools that link time registration to productivity. These register what an employee does, giving him or her more autonomy to plan his or her work and consequently have more control over his or her time.

With the advent of flexible working methods, the modern time clock will therefore become even more important in the future. For example, personnel planning can be adjusted in a timely manner if the workload is too high. Because if no one keeps track of how much you work anymore, you easily run the risk of a burn-out...

Written by: Protime
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