Young workers lead the flexible working movement

9 October 20198 October 2019 by Appoint Recruitment

How younger professionals are driving the flexible working movement. Also featuring some of the latest flexible work news…

Over the weekend, The Independent shared an interesting post titled ‘Young workers are leading the way out of the office.’

It describes some of the current business trends for young professionals both in America and Britain. This includes:

Changing jobs for improved work-life balance (as opposed to a title change or step up the career ladder).
Prioritising flexible work opportunities; allowing employees to focus on other needs, such as their children, hobbies, and pets.
In fact, increasing numbers of employees are actually ‘demanding flexibility’ in their roles.
Requesting benefits such as paid paternity leave, ‘generous’ holiday allowance, the chance to work remotely, etc.

A mixed response…

Some may perceive this as a push towards less work or softer working lifestyles. However, proponents argue that this approach says ‘I will work harder and/or more’ if you support a more balanced lifestyle.

The article cites a number of reasons why younger employees are driving this work-life balance focus:

They’ve been born into a highly technological world in which they can see other ways of working rather than staying at one desk for set working hours.
Other lifestyle choices, such as marrying and babies, are happening later meaning they are ‘more invested’ in their career path by the time they make these decisions and, therefore, know what they want to ask for.
Millennials represent the first generation to observe large numbers of women, including family members, live professional working lives. Many have also observed the challenges their parents have faced due to ‘inflexible employers or unstable jobs’.

The piece also raises the notion that more flexible work and other work-life balance improvements could benefit all working generations – saying ‘change the system so we can all succeed’.

Also in the flexible working news…

1/3 of flexible working requests are denied: a TUC poll has found that more than 1/2 of all UK employees are unable to work on a flexi-time basis and that a 1/3 of requests are being denied. Yet more than 1/4 of professionals (28%) are motivated to look for a new job that offers such working practices.
An MP suggests employers should have to ‘opt out’ of offering flexible working: MP Helen Whately is attempting to make flexible work the norm for all employers, unless ‘certain conditions are met’ and employers can ‘set out reasons why a job could not be done flexibly’. Whatley’s bill was approved to proceed to a second reading back on the 17th July.
More than 1/2 of UK employees say flexi work will be the ‘most popular’ employment method in the future: more than 1/3 would also choose to work flexibly rather than receive a pay rise. Almost 1/2 (47%) would already switch to a flexible routine if they knew they would receive regular pay.
Parents have less than 30 minutes of quality time a day with their children: our last post explored this issue.

Sustainability + staff retention

A focus on sustainability could increase employee retention rates for younger professionals…

Thankfully, topics such as recycling, sustainability, and climate are now well and truly in mainstream discussion. The public has voted the environment as the ‘third most pressing issue facing the nation‘ in a recent YouGov poll.

Brexit and health top the list. However, those in the 18 to 24-year-old age group actually place the environment as second behind Brexit (almost 1/2 of this group prioritise environmental concerns, versus 27% of the population as a whole).

So it’s not surprising to hear that younger professionals would like to see a greater environmental focus at work.

Exploring core priorities:

86% of Millennials (born from the early ’80s to mid-90s) and Generation Z (born from the mid-90s to mid-00s) would remain with their company longer if the business reported its efforts to reduce their environmental impact.

When considering a company’s wider corporate social responsibility focus, respondents would most like to see ‘Environmentally-friendly buildings’ (46%);

Health and wellbeing programmes (45%);

Charity partnership projects (36%).

The article also explores a number of priorities regarding the work setting itself.

Ideas for individuals, employers and managers wanting to do more to support sustainability…

Cultivating Capital has a list of 25 tips to help create a greener workplace. While an American post, it houses multiple ideas that could easily be adopted in the UK. Why not be the person that suggests some of these strategies in your business? Not only would this offer clear company benefits, yet it’s the sort of personal achievement that shines on your CV.

Business owners will also want to read all about the ‘environmental taxes, reliefs and schemes for businesses’ available via the gov.uk website.

For further inspiration, articles from the likes of the Telegraph and Forbes detail how some companies are achieving excellent environmental progress.

If your existing employer isn’t open to green initiatives, there may be another company that more closely fits your values. Don’t forget you can always ask more about an employer’s sustainability efforts and objectives during the recruitment process.

To explore openings in Bath and the surrounding area, please visit our jobs page. You will have the opportunity to ask more about recruiting companies if your CV is selected for possible submission. This is just one of the many benefits of working with an accredited recruitment agency.