Most people working full-time have thought work is taking too much of their time. If you’ve been there too, you probably know that this is especially true when you work in an office. It’s a bit different for remote workers since they have greater flexibility than in-office employees. But, what is the nature of this flexibility and what kind of benefits are we really talking about?
It is not a secret that one of the main pros of being a remote employee is getting to be flexible in several aspects. Moreover, many people prefer to work remotely because it offers a more flexible lifestyle. Today, we will dive into the details of flexible working and its benefits to remote employees. It doesn’t matter if you are a remote employee, thinking of becoming a remote employee, or just interested in the topic. Stick with us until the end to see!
Without further ado, let’s get started.
What Does Flexible Working Mean?
To understand how flexible working is a blessing for remote workers, it is better to understand the concept of flexible working first. In essence, flexible working is a working style in which employees control the working hours including for how long they will work, when they take breaks, which tasks they’ll complete at a given day and where to work.
For several reasons, flexible working is one of the most efficient working models if used properly. First, there is no pressure to be “working” within a given period of time. For example, an employee might want to take longer breaks or may think they work better at nighttime. This kind of preference might not always be available in an office environment. Even if it is, people might feel the pressure of complying with others and try to work in the same manner.
Spoiler alert, everyone has their own way of working and focusing. Forcing people to work in certain hours is not that efficient. Even if there is no physical “forcing” here, there is a social pressure over people to conform with others in a social environment. When people are offered options to choose from, they have the chance to choose the one that suits them the most. In flexible working, people are getting the chance to choose the optimal way of working for them, increasing productivity and giving them more time to focus on what they love to do apart from work.
Can flexible working turn into overworking?
One of the main concerns about flexible working is whether it leads to working overtime. This is an understandable concern since there are no specific working hours in flexible remote jobs. You might think that your boss may take advantage of this and will give you tasks to complete even when it’s past midnight.
If you think about it in detail, you will understand the dilemma. We mentioned that there are no defined working hours in flexible working, so what are the odds of working overtime? Your boss might send you a task in the middle of the night, but once again, you will be in control of your working hours. So, it’s up to you to complete the task or not.
Moreover, the logic behind flexible working hours is to “spare time for your work in your life,” contrary to the traditional working style where people spare time for their life in their work. You should have observed this yourself, but people always make plans by prioritizing their work. In flexible working, on the other hand, there is no such thing. You can integrate work into the lifestyle you want to live.
For instance, by just changing the way people work thanks to flexible working, many people complete their daily tasks earlier than usual and have more free time. Do you have plans for Wednesday evening? You can start working a bit late on Thursday, and finish later than usual. You see, there is no overworking here. It’s just about deciding when to work and under which circumstances. Now that’s flexibility!
Moreover, nowadays, more and more companies and employers are switching to a remote working model. This increased popularity has also caused an increase in the awareness about remote working and flexible working environments. As each day passes, more people become remote workers, new standards are being set, and people are generally more aware of the issues and problems around these concepts.
10 Companies with Flexible Work Hours and Remote Work
Now that we’ve discussed all the details of flexible work regarding what it is, how it can be beneficial for remote workers, and whether flexible work means working overtime, it would be a good idea to talk about ten giant companies that have adopted flexible hours and remote work. Due to the benefits of being a remote worker with flexibility, more and more people aspire to work with this model. For inspiration, let’s check the ten companies with flexible hours and remote work.
InVision
InVision is a company that focuses on digital product development and design. The company offers fully remote and flexible occupations and is fully aware of the new era that we are in. InVision has people all around the world, working from 20 different countries.
GitLab
GitLab is a company, which launched the first application that includes the whole software development lifecycle and offers flexible working opportunities. The aim of the company is to “deliver software faster and efficiently.” GitLab considers remote working and flexible working hours as their style by stating everyone can contribute, and the opportunities in the company are quite convenient.
Zapier
Zapier has been a leading company in the remote working world for quite a while now. The company focuses on creating tools for businesses to help them with their web applications. The company is also known for its guide, which aspires to help companies who want to switch to a remote working model. And of course, Zapier has employees all around the world thanks to the remote and flexible working opportunities.
SafetyWing
SafetyWing is another company aimed to provide “insurance for nomads, by nomads.” Like InVision, SafetyWing also has many employees from all around the world, thanks to its flexible working style. All the products in SafetyWing are designed and built by a fully remote team.
Workiva
Workiva is an enterprise software company, which focuses on solving problems of big companies with their problems regarding software. Over 1.000 employees of Workiva are working entirely remotely, with flexible working hours.
Hubstaff
Hubstaff is a company that creates workforce management and productivity tools that would help teams. The values of Hubstaff include “freedom,” by giving the chance of working from wherever and however their employees want to work, offering great flexibility to them.
Modern Tribe
Modern Tribe is a fully remote agency, and aspires to “build a braver, brighter, and better-connected world.” The company designs and creates applications, plugins, and websites to smoothen communication. There is a wide range of positions you can apply for in Modern Tribe to work remotely and flexibly.
Product Hunt
Product Hunt is a platform that aims to present the best new products out there. The platform includes many different remote positions with flexible working hours. Since the platform is quite broad and comprehensive, there are also positions in the office as well.
Gumroad
Gumroad is a platform that enables its users to become freelancers by selling what they create. In essence, freelancing is one way of working remotely with flexible hours, and Gumroad as a platform is entirely about creativity and giving creators what they deserve.
American Express
Perhaps the largest company on this list, and a name you are surprised to see here is American Express. But yes, American Express offers remote working opportunities. Recently, American Express switched to a flexible working model. Even though the company has 50.000 employees, this kind of shift was adapted nicely to the company. There are still full-time positions in American Express for sure, but there are also flexible and remote options as well.
Dell
Another well-know company that offers remote and flexible working opportunities is the famous technology and computer firm Dell. In fact, Dell started to offer remote working opportunities over a decade ago. There are still remote and flexible working opportunities in Dell.
How can a company switch to a flexible working arrangement?
What are the benefits of a flexible work schedule?
What are the biggest challenges of working from home?
Originally posted on November 24, 2021 @ 9:33 pm
