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What we do and don’t know about flexible working and productivity

The evidence suggests that good flexible work has a positive impact on productivity, but more research would help prove the link. Here’s what we know – and what else we need to find out.

By Emma Stewart, Co-Founder Timewise

flexible working productivity

Does flexible working improve productivity? That’s the question I was invited to consider by wellbeing specialists Carnegie Trust UK, for their collection of essays, Can Good Work Solve the Productivity Puzzle?

The short answer is yes, from what we know, but we need to know more. I’ll explain why below; if you’re interested in the longer answer, it’s chapter 15 in the collection.

So what do we know? Well, there is some (limited) data on the link between flex and productivity. A 2014 survey by BT found that the productivity of flexible workers increased by 30%. Similarly, a YouGov survey from 2015 suggested that 30% of office workers felt their productivity increased when they worked remotely. And in a study of flexible workers undertaken by Cranfield University[1], over 90% of managers said the quantity and quality of work improved or stayed the same.

Additionally, there is an argument for flexible working having an indirect impact on productivity, due to its direct effect on other workplaces issues. Flexible working has been shown to boost talent attraction, retention and progression, and drive inclusion and diversity. It also delivers better work life balance, with the knock on effect of supporting mental and physical health and wellbeing.

It’s therefore not a huge leap to assume that if you’re working fewer days a week, or in a job that fits with your life, you are likely to be more engaged. Or that working from home, with fewer interruptions, can increase your output. Or that hanging on to experienced, knowledgeable staff will help the whole team succeed.

Does this mean we should all move to a four day working week?

Certainly, these assumptions have contributed to increased interest, and trials of, the four-day working week. A key early example of this, Perpetual Guardian in New Zealand, ran a pilot which they say revealed a 20% increase in productivity. And a number of companies in the UK have followed suit.

However, as I’ve explained in detail elsewhere, introducing a four-day working week isn’t just a schedule tweak. In frontline and shift-based sectors, such as teaching, retail or manufacturing, it is hugely complicated to introduce – or only possible to do so at a prohibitively high cost to the business.

So if the four-day working week isn’t the answer, what is? I believe there are two big steps we need to take if we’re to use flexible working to solve the productivity puzzle:

  1. We need to make flexible working more widespread, by designing more, properly flexible jobs. That means government-level investment into testing and catalysing new approaches, particularly in these harder-to-flex frontline and shift-based sectors. We invest in technical innovation to support economic growth in this country; it’s time we invested in job design innovation too.

  2. We need more research into the impact of flexible working on productivity. The data we have is not sufficiently up to date or wide-ranging; we need to do more to prove the link, particularly at a sectoral level. Having more different models in place, as a result of the investment mentioned above, will help get that in motion.

At Timewise, we’re already on this journey. We’ve led a number of research projects exploring innovative flexible options, in complex sectors such as nursing, teaching and retail. Right now, we’re piloting flexible working in the construction industry, and investigating the role that flexibility can play in supporting returners and older workers.

But to really embed this work, we need more social partnerships between business sector bodies and agents for change, backed by government and industry investments. That’s the way to take productivity to the next level, whilst delivering a happier, healthier workforce.

Published January 2020


[1] Cranfield University/Working Families 2008: “Flexible Working and Performance”

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