SMEs benefit from offering flexible working

If your SME doesn’t offer flexible work options then top employees may look to switch to somewhere that does.

This is according to a new survey from Regus, which found that 92% of workers in SMEs, faced with a choice of two similar jobs, would choose the one that offered flexible working. And a third of respondents (33%) also stated that they would have stayed longer in their previous jobs if flexibility had been offered.

Regus CEO Richard Morris comments: “SMEs must think long and hard about the type of roles that they are offering to today’s professionals. The days of the fixed hours, fixed location job are becoming as outdated as the office fax machine. Flexibility is no longer seen as a perk, it is now a key differentiator for talented individuals.

“A flexible role is one where the individual has more control over where and when they are productive. Managers must get better at measuring on results rather than on time spent at a specified desk.

“There is also the current business climate to consider. The economic uncertainty requires business to be more agile and nimble so operating with a fluid and flexible workforce, using available workspace, makes real commercial sense.

“Put simply, those SMEs not thinking flexibly risk a talent drain.”

SME Publications/ SME XPO 2024