Employees Forego Higher Wages in Favor of Flexible Work Schedules

Eighty-three

percent of
Americans believe telecommuting’s popularity is on the rise. With the
rise of smart phones, tablets and other mobile technologies, working from
home has never been easier. And never before have employees been willing to give up certain benefits
just to have a home-based job.

My
boss was less than enthused when I presented him an alternative work schedule which
requested flexibility and the ability to work from home. Not wanting to
rock the work boat, I hid my telecommuting lifestyle by forwarding my
office phone straight to my cell phone. He thought I was an exemplary
employee until a corporate tattletale let the cat out of the bag.  Let’s
just say my corporate career went downhill from there.

Work
for me was always a priority. I ensured
there was always at least one team member at the office to field questions,
interview candidates or attend meetings in the flesh. But truth be told, most
of that job —like many jobs in today’s world — could be accomplished from
anywhere, including home.

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The
comforts of working from home jobs are plentiful: taking calls in your
yoga pants, folding laundry while on a conference call and scheduling meetings around
your dentist appointment. The benefits
are so enticing to some employees, it might surprise you what they admitted
they were willing to give up when there truly is no place like home.

Flexible
work schedules and telecommuting options are growing in popularity among
employees as they look for ways to balance work and life like me. It’s
stressful to be in demand.

Employees
are feeling the stress, but so are smart and committed employees. You trust them. That’s the reason you hired them in the first
place. A recent study from Harris
Interactive sat down with employees just to get the skinny on the growing
importance of the flexible work environments. These employees are in desperate need of flexibility, and will give up
company perks to prove it.

• 17% of the 2,500 employees
  surveyed said they would give up a salary increase to have more work
  flexibility in their schedules.

• Employees who have
  flexible schedules work more and at varying times of the day. Fifteen percent of these same employees
  agree to give up vacation days.

• Working from home can
  be a solitary life. Employees leave
  the corporate dress and showering behind. Twelve percent of those surveyed would give up showering to
  telecommute. Gives another meaning
  to, “smell ya later.”

What would you give up for a flexible work schedule? 

It’s
interesting to note that among the survey responses is both the willingness to forego a salary
increase and surrendering half of allotted vacation days. These two items directly and indirectly
impact a company’s annual budget. When
looking for alternatives to an annual raise because of a difficult year, a
company might be able to retain its skilled workforce by offering employees highly
coveted flexibility.

For
me, my work-from-home schedule is dictated by my own wishes, by my family
obligations and client needs such as meetings (whether in person, online, or on
the phone). For me, my best work is done between the hours of 8 p.m. and
3 a.m. when the rest of the house is snoozing. It’s peaceful and I can focus on the task at hand with minimal
interruptions. Today’s working parents — especially women, need flexibility to have personal and professional balance. Being a mom is a 24/7 job and too many jobs don’t end at 5 p.m.
either.

What
would you give up if your company let you work from home?  I’d love to
hear your insights.