Eighty one percent of women and 69 percent of men are more attracted to jobs with flexible work options. Of all age groups, millennials are the most likely to prioritise flexible jobs, with 70 percent favouring the benefit compared to just 47 percent of over 55s.

Not only can a flexible working policy lead to happier employees, it can boost productivity too.

Let people work at a time that suits them

With some studies suggesting that the average office worker does just 2 hours and 23 minutes worth of work each day, it’s clear that forcing employees to work a traditional eight hour work day isn’t always an effective way of ensuring an efficient output.

Further research suggests that while some workers are perfectly content working between 9am and 5pm each day, others are most productive when they work early in the morning. Some get the most done when they’re able to work late into the night, and others prefer to spread their working hours out over the course of a day with plenty of breaks in between.

With different people working best at different times of the day, allowing employees to choose their hours can give them autonomy over their day and enable them to set their schedule around their own approach to work.

So how can technology help? Here at Prism we’re passionate about helping businesses integrate flexible working policies with ease. We’ll introduce you to innovative cloud computing tools to make it easier for you and your employees to access business emails, software and files on the move. You’ll also have peace of mind that it’s all secured and backed up safely.

Improve staff engagement and motivation

Tom Neil, senior writer at ACAs said: “Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has shown that implementing flexible working practices can improve staff engagement and motivation.”

Natalie Pancheri, HR Policy Adviser at the London School of Economics (LSE) agreed: “The benefits of flexible working are well established, from increased employee engagement to better performance.”

Choose from a greater number of potential candidates

When you mention your flexible working policy within job adverts, you’re likely to have a choice between a greater number of candidates. After all, if a job hunter is struggling to choose between several promising roles, a guarantee that there’ll be flexible hours could give you a competitive edge.

This might not sound as though it’s directly related to productivity, but if you can fill job vacancies with talented employees quickly, of course your productivity is going to improve. You’ll be able to spend less time on recruitment, and more time on business growth. By filling job openings promptly, you can also reduce the likelihood that employees will become burdened with extra work and keep everything running smoothly.