Flexible working arrangements as introduced during the Covid-19 crisis are not only good for employees but also increase productivity and have business potential, the United Nations said on Friday.
In the first report focusing on work-life balance, the UN International Labor Organization assessed the effects of working time, working hours and working time arrangements on staff well-being as well as business performance.
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“This report shows that if we apply some lessons from the Covid-19 crisis and carefully examine the way working hours are structured, as well as the overall length, we can create a win-win, improve business performance and work-life balance,” Jon Messenger, lead author of the report, said in a statement.
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The report examines the crisis response measures governments and businesses are using as the pandemic spreads, aiming to keep organizations going and workers at work.
It found that a greater proportion of workers on reduced hours helped prevent job losses.
And it determined that the “large-scale implementation of telework” taking place around the world “will not only change teleworking but also the nature of work, most likely for the foreseeable future.”
Flexible working hours are good for business
The Covid measures provide strong evidence, the ILO said, that giving them more flexibility in how, where and when they work can be positive not only for them but also for businesses, including through productivity.
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On the flip side, limiting flexibility increases costs, including due to increased staff turnover, the report found.
“There is a lot of evidence that work-life balance policies offer significant benefits to companies,” he said.
The ILO emphasizes that teleworking and other flexible working arrangements help preserve employment and encourage more employee autonomy.
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But he said regulations, including a so-called “right to disconnect” policy, were needed to prevent negative effects.
According to the report, far from everyone in the global workforce works a standard eight-hour day, or 40 hours a week.
More than a third work more than 48 hours per week, while 20 percent work less than 35 hours per week.