In the old days, when someone spoke about work, it meant sitting in an office and working from 9 am to 5 pm. These days, things are different with many jobs offering their employees flexible working hours allowing them to fulfill any commitments they have planned.
The introduction of flexible working hours has allowed people to make a living from anywhere around the world according to their own time. And this has created a lot of opportunities for people from all walks of life to earn an income at their home. For instance, think about work-at-home moms and students who could now earn while they study.
The emergence of services like Howtowrite.CustomWritings.com has been a game-changer because they can help with college writing while a student focuses on working. Whether it is full-time working fixed hours or part-time work flexible hours, there are pros and cons to each.
This article will look at the difference between flexible and fixed working hours as well as which of the two is superior to the other. The one which a person goes for is all down to circumstances and preference.
The Benefits of Flexible Working Hours
1. Freedom
When someone is working flexible hours, they can pursue various interests like taking up another job, going on holiday, working, spending time with family, taking up a new course, and more.
Since they are in charge of their schedule, they can have a good work-life balance which many people struggle with. When one has no control over their personal and professional life, they can be stressed and have less time to deal with personal matters.
2. No commute headache
When you have flexible work hours, you can avoid traveling to work during peak or rush hours. This allows you to save money on car expenses, fuel expenses, and traffic stress, and it allows you to have more time for your work too. And this also means you will be able to work stress-free, without commute headaches.
3. Flexible hours help with employee retention
According to this study, 80% of employees said that they would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible work options. The study also found that 52% of respondents have tried to negotiate flexible work arrangements with their companies.
This is common sense. When you’re able to work flexible hours, you get to arrange when to work and when to spend time in other areas of your life. You have better control over those who work fixed hours.
The Drawbacks of Flexible Working Hours
1. Distractions
When you are working with flexible hours, it is easy to be distracted especially if you are working from home. A person can become less productive because the focus is lost, and they are not managing their time properly.
2. No interpersonal relationships with co-workers
Since one doesn’t have a fixed work schedule, it can be hard for one to forge relationships with their co-workers. There is little to no team building or bonding making it harder for one to establish any sort of rapport with the people they work with.
3. Extra bills and more work for the admin
When a company allows employees to work outside or beyond the normal 9 AM – 5 PM, added expenses can incur. This is because companies usually cover direct work-related expenses, such as utility costs and internet bills which is what any business may not want.
The HR and administrative departments will have extra work on their hands because they have to create a schedule to suit the flexible-time employees’ needs without slowing down the business operations. Monitoring how they perform can be tricky for managers, supervisors, and team leaders.
The Benefits of Fixed Working Hours
1. Better coordination
Employees that see each other every day and have a fixed schedule can forge better relationships. This is because they get to spend more time together and don’t just see each other every once in a while, which allows for better interactions among employees and colleagues.
2. Easy to keep track
Since full-time employees work the same hours all the time, keeping track of their performance and areas they need to improve in is much easier on management compared to flexible hours employees. Things such as training and team meetings are easier to coordinate because there’s a high chance everyone will be present plus it is easier to supervise them. Motivating employees who work full-time is easier than those working part-time.
3. Easy to focus
Team goals, easy scheduling, and high productivity is also an advantage fixed working hours have over flexible hours. Since everyone has fixed work hours, a company can save money on costs, and project deadlines are not missed constantly since everything goes at a good pace.
Plus, when you have a good work environment, it helps improve your productivity and ability to focus. When you work from home or from a local café, things can go out of hand. This is especially true if you have kids at home or you have to work in noisy surroundings.
The Drawbacks of Fixed Working Hours
1. No flexibility
Since the schedule is fixed, you don’t have a lot of time to do errands, pursue other hobbies, grow personally or attend classes which can be detrimental to your personal growth. Work-life balance will be harder to achieve because 5 out of 7 days in a week are spent working. You will have less time for other areas of your life.
2. Fatigue, lateness, and absenteeism
When people are overworked, they will miss work due to tiredness, illness, or being stuck in traffic. Traveling to and from work every day for 5 days a week can start to feel like an inconvenience for some. If one has an emergency to deal with and they are not granted permission, it can leave them feeling demotivated which can affect their productivity.
3. Can be hard to attract employees
When people see that the job they are applying for locks them in place for hours, they might be put off by it. These days people are learning about flexible hours jobs because of the freedom these roles bring which allows one to not miss out on errands and other commitments. It can be harder to attract employees, especially the younger generations who are well-connected to the social media world.
Final thoughts
When it comes to choosing between working flexible hours and fixed, you have to consider a few things. For example, consider your work environment. If your office provides a great working environment like Google, more people will prefer to go to work in the office with fixed hours.
And you also need to think about your willpower and self-discipline. Not everyone can work anywhere and any time they like because some people lack self-discipline, and they need accountability from colleagues and superiors.
At the end of the day, both working flexible and fixed hours jobs can be productive. It depends on the nature of the work and the person’s commitment to the work.
