work from home

Work culture isn't quite what it used to be, and workers have taken note. A 2013 study from LearnVest found that more than half of the workforce wants flexible scheduling. However, companies aren't quite rising to the occasion.

Recent research from the Families and Work Institute found that 67% of companies are allowing employees to occasionally work from home (almost double since 2008). Companies have even become more accommodating to employees who need to tend to personal matters during work hours, such as sick children or home appointments. And this is all certainly a move in the right direction. However, companies are still lacking in long-term flexible scheduling options.

In fact, there has been a decrease in companies offering perks such as job shares, sabbaticals, or part time options. Only 18% of companies are open to job shares today, compared to 30% in 2008.

“[Companies] may be more reluctant to offer long leaves because they don’t have the financial margin to cover that,” Ken Matos, senior director of research at the Families and Work Institute, told the Wall Street Journal. “And they may be using day-to-day flexibility to compensate for the extra work people are doing when you have a smaller staff.”

To retain high performers, it is vital for companies to accommodate for the growing need for flexible work. The ability to telecommute, even just once a week, can do wonders for employee happiness.

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