Four in five men dislike rigid working hours
Four in five men would prefer more control over their working hours.
Timewise, a consultancy company which advises businesses on implementing flexible working, surveyed 3,000 UK adults, including the employed, part-time workers, and jobseekers. The survey found that 90% of employees dislike the strict nine-to-five day.
It found that full-time workers of both genders want the flexibility to reduce commute times, increase leisure or study time, and to assist with childcare.
Instead of the traditional nine-to-five, many employees would prefer to have the flexibility of working from home on some days, working part-time at the same hourly rate, or working a different set of hours across several days.
Recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) supports these findings. The ONS said recently that 1 in 10 Britons now believe they are “overemployed,” meaning that they are working more hours than they want.
This group of people would be willing to take a pay cut to work fewer hours, and they now outnumber the “underemployed”—those who desire to work more hours but struggle to get them.
The survey results show that younger workers are most concerned about the issue—over 92% of working 18–34 year olds in the survey wanted flexible hours. However this contrasts with 88% of 35–54 year olds and 72% of those aged 55 and above who are interested in a less rigid work day.
Timewise said there were not enough jobs advertised as being open to flexible working.
“Working-time autonomy improves both employee and firm productivity,” writes Michael Beckmann. “Working-time autonomy is also likely to increase an employer’s attractiveness to employees, as indicated by sharply declining turnover rates.”
“Getting flexibility right will be an imperative for employers who want to attract and keep the best possible people at a time of skills shortages,” said Timewise Joint Chief Executive Karen Mattison.
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