Flexible working shows promise in talent, productivity, engagement, and more

Digital disconnection and flexibility in the workplace could increase the productivity of the companies by up to 25%.

This is highlighted in an analysis carried out by the consultancy Kaizen Institute, according to which, what a priori may seem like a concession of the company in favor of its employees, instead becomes a greater labor conciliation of the same and a greater use of working hours.

This increase in productivity, combined with the family-professional balance, translates into an increase in satisfaction and a reduction in absenteeism and staff turnover.

For greater flexibility, efficiency and use of the working day, Kaizen Institute recommends:

• Assign tasks that require more mental effort in the early hours of the day. People are not equally productive throughout the day; 80% recognize that their performance is higher in the morning, and in turn, progressively decreases with the amount of hours spent at work.

• Eliminate phone distractions and email notifications. Instead, reserving predefined time slots lets individuals stay on task without having to constantly switch gears, pick up a new line of action, and build up efficiency again. Eliminating the multitasking paradigm increases productivity.

• Suppress inefficient meetings. These consume high percentages of workers' day-to-day time and force them to have long and unproductive working hours. Stronger meetings should focus on coordination of activities, analysis of indicators, and discussion of actions to improve the workplace, with a duration of fifteen minutes max.

• Create standards to find the simplest, simplest and safest way to perform a task. This eliminates having to overhaul the entire process, providing maximum value to obtain greater productivity on a day-to-day basis.

Víctor Rodríguez, Manager of Kaizen Institute Western Europe, comments:

“Companies must concentrate on what really adds to their value, and not create an environment where employees can only warm their chairs. Telecommuting is a great option, since the change of transportation is eliminated and can be translated into more productive hours and greater satisfaction on the part of the employees.”

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