Question

What are some obstacles to creating a flexible workforce? What are the benefits?

Answer 1

Obstacles are:

Working from home can seem perfect for an employee. It is, however, often difficult for other family members to respect or even completely understand the fact that you are employed and not able to do 'other things' even if you are physically at home. Other than if you were in the workplace, you would not be able to meet for a meal, do housework or run errands for friends!
A high degree of self-motivation requires working from home. To procrastinate and delay getting down to work is all too easy. And no one watching over your shoulder, half of the day is gone before you know it. This will then lead to extra hours in the evening catching up on lost work hours, while you should be spending time with relatives.

You can be at your desk by 7 am, distraction free and even in your pyjamas if you want to, whereas working alone from home can mean you can miss out on the excitement and innovation of working with others. You will feel both uninspired and lonely by losing out on the motivation, camaraderie and overall energy of working as part of a squad. In turn, that can have a knock-on impact on your morale and even your job quality. Studies in the USA have found that there is a greater chance of experiencing depression for an individual living at home. Don't forget how much you could enjoy those birthday cakes or end of the week drinks that make up so much of the social side of work.

Benefits are:

Working from home or even in a co-working room will significantly minimise time and costs for commuting. A decreased commuting (maybe because your flexible schedules encourage you to switch out of peak hours and thereby reduce your travel time) may also have a rather beneficial impact, such as reducing stress and lateness.

Flexible employment will mean lower expenses and overheads for the boss, as less office space and infrastructure is needed and commuting expenses for workers are lower.

By mitigating tension and reinforcing commitment, flexible work conditions may improve employee well-being. A confidence boost assists with absence levels and can increase efficiency. Different operating hours and the extended use of technologies may also mean that your company will give customers or customers longer hours, facilities or a wider variety.