By: Natasha Archary
Brandon de Kock, BrandMapp’s Director of Storytelling joins Gugulethu Mfuphi on Kaya Biz to talk about hybrid working and why many companies still adopt the work-from-home experience.
Flexible working conditions mean managing your workday mostly online and the question many employers ask is if working remotely is more productive.
The perks of working remotely during the pandemic included online meetings which you could attend from the comfort of your home, allowing you more flexibility to manage your work-life balance better.
Brandon says a lot of South Africans, not just those who are in corporate management, can perform their duties just as well from home.
“It turns out that hybrid work is surprisingly sticky amongst South African mid- to top-end earners.
Traditionally, work from home has mostly been the preserve of those who are self-employed.
There are, of course, jobs that are strictly bound to the workplace such as healthcare practitioners, retail store managers, manufacturing and hospitality employees, but many knowledge workers and corporate managers can do a lot of their work just as well from home.
It seems that the pandemic gave many more people the opportunity to experience work from home, and a lot of them like it.”
Brandon de Kock, BrandMapp’s Director of Storytelling
There have been a number of studies on the benefits of flexible working hours:
- Higher outputs
- Being sick less often
- Happier in their jobs
- Working longer hours
- Less stress
- Lower staff turnaround
- Increased customer satisfaction
- Improved competitiveness
There may be resistance to this (as with any) change, so here are some things to consider when planning on implementing flexible hours:
- Potential operating difficulties – additional costs
- Resistance from other managers
- Problems with schedules or shifts
- Communication issues
Set and document clear realistic expectations. The key to a strong relationship with work flexibility and your employee is to implement the change through proper channels and H.R policies.
Listen to the conversation on Kaya Biz:
Also read: Would you consider working on a cruise ship for a year?
