Flexibility: worth its weight in gold

Flexibility is fast becoming the new trend – and worth its weight in gold, or talent, if you’re a workplace. But my question is how many managers, or workplaces, understand this? Not just about how this “simple notion” can pay huge reward, but the cost if it’s not valued?

Recently I was travelling in an Uber. The driver – a young person in their 30s – had been driving on and off for several years. Curious, I asked what had attracted him to driving – and if this was a full-time or part-time role. They confidently replied it was a full-time role and that this type of work provided the things that were important to them.

First, was the flexibility: they could select their own hours, based on their commitments – in this case revolving around caring for aging parents, and their own families. Second, was the balance in the family: they and their wife’s co-sharing responsibilities were more even, because of chosen hours. Third, was freedom: the ability to move around, meet people, have interesting conversations, and manage themselves. Fourth, was the pay: very reasonable, even if they needed to adjust the schedule to work at peak times.

Now all of this might sound normal. Who wouldn’t pass up a job that offered these perks? But the most striking thing wasn’t so much about their “why” for being a driver, but what they were turning down.
This person was a qualified IT professional, who – when employed by their previous company – reported to be earning a considerable salary, enjoying their role, and managing a team, while working remotely. Until the company decided to update their operational policy to a non-remote work set-up, requesting all employees in the office.

In making the decision to opt out – i.e. leave the company – they expressed disappointment in management about losing quality staff, simply for the sake of face time in a building. They highlighted that for them, working in a physical office was counterproductive: too many distractions and interruptions to productivity. In addition, to how the costs of commuting – both in time wasted and cost – were not practical and made their lives, far more difficult than they were willing to accept. The outcome? They chose to stay in the market and stated would continue to wait for the right workplace and role that fit their needs.

Is this a case of wasted talent, or ‘entitlement’ around needs? Could this be considered admirable given their willingness to wait for the right fit, or foolish because they’re in the market by choice? Either way this isn’t an isolated viewpoint: it’s one shared by several of the millennial workforce.

There is a huge pool of millennial talent out in the world, who are committed to ensuring that they’re working in workplaces where they can show up as themselves, are in an environment where they can perform to the best of their ability. They want workplaces that are flexible enough so they can integrate their lives; supporting their needs, values and desires. And it appears that until this option is made available, this workforce will continue to wait in the market – not willing to settle for less than.