NO FLEX, PLEASE, WE’RE SKITTISH
Doubting the benefits of flexible work arrangements.

Your company may have gone to great lengths to create flexible work arrangements, but that doesn’t mean employees are comfortable with them. In a survey of more than 1,600 workers, Deloitte found plenty of concern that taking advantage of formal programs (such as telecommuting, flex-time, or part-time schedules) and informal programs (taking time off for personal activities such as errands or children’s events) would harm careers. What would make employees feel more secure? If executives were more open about their own needs and practices in this regard.

Getting employees to take advantage of flexible working arrangements can have side benefits. Deloitte found that 72 percent of respondents felt that if the boss were more transparent about their own need to take time off it could lead to a more productive workplace. The survey, conducted for Deloitte by Opinion Research, also discovered a link between such transparency and improved ethics, with 84 percent claiming openness contributes to a more ethical culture.