What used to be an unusual privilege for the select few is now a common arrangement in the workforce — flexible hours and conditions are fast becoming the norm for any job that can be done on a computer, whether you’re holding a full-time or part-time position.

Soon, stepping inside the office will be an option, or only for occasional team meetings and company events. Work flexibility has seen a rise in productivity, employee well-being and bottomline for many companies worldwide.

Whatever the arrangement, flexibility for employees should ultimately not compromise their productivity as well as their team’s or create any delays in the workflow of the entire company.

So how exactly would a flexible work arrangement look like between employer and employee?

Flexible Schedule

As with the decline of standardised education, corporations now also realise that there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all schedule for employees.

A flexible schedule allows you to arrange your daily work window into shifts or days that work for you. For example, instead of a company’s standard 9am-5pm, you could request to start later, from 10am-5pm; or extend your lunch break and work from 9am-1pm and 3pm-6pm.

Some employers may even agree to let you pick your work days so that you could have three days off a week. For instance, you could work from 9am-7pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays; and get Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays off.

A flexible schedule can also be situational. More and more employees are demanding flexibility that allows them to customise their schedules based on their needs at the time — such as on days when they have a long medical appointment, an urgent family event, or an activity at their child’s school that they need to attend.

Flexible Number of Hours

Flexible number of hours indicate the number of hours worked, where employees can choose to reduce their hours from the standard 40-hour week and opt for customized or part-time schedules.

For example, a parent tasked with sending and picking up a child from school may prefer to work from 9am-3pm. An employee deciding to do their master’s degree or pursue a dream culinary course may only be able to work 3 days a week.

Flexible Location

Flexible hours ultimately mean that you can also be flexible about your location — whether temporarily or throughout your tenure.

While most use this opportunity to work from home and be close to family — others even prefer to change up the scene and take up a table at a co-working space, a cafe, or even outside the country while they travel. A strong WiFi connection, minimal distraction, and laptop space are the main criteria!

Provided that your location doesn’t impair your productivity and you remain reachable and communicative, the ability to choose your own “office” is perhaps the best advantage of all. This also eliminates stressors and time-consuming activities such as rush hour commutes, office politics, and sitting for long hours at your assigned desk.

On top of that, having to determine and manage your own schedule and environment also strengthens your entrepreneurial spirit, which can be good for your professional growth as well as your employees’.

Imagine what life could be like if you were free to choose where, when and how you work! Gigple is making that vision a reality — by matching qualified professionals with leading employers that are hiring for flexible and remote positions. Create a free profile on Gigple to get access to available flex jobs and get noticed by companies seeking expertise in finance, business and strategy, sales and marketing, branding (UI/UX), and technology.