Does your company offer flexible work environments to attract top talent? If so, your business is at the forefront of the growing movement to provide employees with greater freedom when it comes to where they work. It’s not the right fit for every industry, but many business owners report benefits that outweigh the challenges of managing remote workers.
The concept of “work from anywhere” is not new, and neither is the practice of working from home. Before COVID-19 upended the world in 2020, approximately 6 percent of the U.S. workforce occupied full-time remote positions. Up to 22 percent worked part-time from home in hybrid roles, according to a 2019 Bureau of Labor Statistics survey.
When the global pandemic arrived, leaning into flexible work environments offered a lifesaving solution to businesses with shuttered physical stores, and whose industries permitted that shift to remote work. These included professional occupations and office-based businesses that could more easily pivot to cloud-based team collaboration software, such as those provided by Microsoft and Google Workspace. As a result, nearly 70 percent of full-time employees in the U.S. worked remotely in May 2020 – and Zoom calls connected far-flung workers from Baltimore to Bali.
The prevalence of flexible work environments redefined common business practices with lasting effect. Video calls, adaptive work schedules and flexible work environments all grew quickly in popularity. Employees have cited a variety of reasons for embracing remote work:
- Improved quality of life
- Increased productivity
- Enhanced focus and fewer distractions
- Decreased mental fatigue or burnout
- Reduced time and resources spent commuting
Today, the option to work away from the office has many employees prioritizing flexibility over higher wages. A Washington Post poll in May 2023 found that 55 percent of fully remote U.S. workers said they’re willing to take significant pay cuts to continue working from home, the coffee shop, a coworking space or elsewhere!
For business owners, this national interest in flexible working environments presents an interesting opportunity. The high demand for such flexibility is an advantage to companies that offer this option and want to attract and retain top talent. You’ll be able to command applications from the best and brightest, all over the world.
Organizations around the world have also reported the following benefits to providing the option to work remotely or in a hybrid arrangement.
- Greater productivity
- Improved morale and satisfaction
- Increased retention
- Reduced employee turnover
- Expanded hiring talent pool
- Stronger company culture
- Decreased tardiness and absences
- Improved collaboration
- Enhanced agility and adaptability
How a PEO Partner Can Help
Do flexible work environments make sense for your business, products and services? A professional employer organization (PEO) like Integrity Employee Leasing can help by streamlining your back-office administrative and workforce management needs. That means taking care of time-consuming tasks such as payroll, workers’ compensation, state and federal reporting, human resources services, employee benefits and much more. That frees up your time to focus on adapting and growing your business.
Compliance is another key strength that a PEO partner like Integrity brings to the table. Nationally certified and highly qualified, our professional team keeps careful track of ever-changing regulations in every state where our clients do business. This proactive approach ensures they won’t experience steep penalties for missing the mark. And we are quick to alert our clients to new developments that might impact their business.
Integrity also provides companies with helpful tools and resources, such as our payroll processing software. “It can be accessed anywhere, as it is web-based and can be used on any mobile device. We also offer an app feature for employees to see paycheck stubs, access their W2s, request PTO time, and more,” explained Jayme Waters, director of sales at Integrity Employee Leasing.
Finally, there’s your company culture to consider. Being able to balance work and family life has always been important to Integrity – it’s why we created a company culture that supports our employees and their wellbeing. It’s also why we’re so passionate about helping business owners establish and grow a thriving corporate culture for their business.
Integrity’s experts often provide in-depth training for management and executive-level teams to help revitalize company culture and provide solutions to workforce problems. We are also experienced at shaping and establishing the type of corporate culture that will provide a solid foundation for those who embrace flexible work environments.
If you are interested in flexible work environments and want to explore payroll and workforce management solutions that support your business goals, Integrity Employee Leasing is well-equipped to support your vision. Call (941) 625-0623 to schedule your consultation today.
