MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th January, 2023) Over three-quarters of managers in the United Kingdom are now more willing to allow flexible working arrangement than before COVID-19 in the belief that it can improve productivity of their employees, a University of Birmingham survey has found.
The Equal Parenting Project at the University of Birmingham surveyed 597 managers and found that 51.8% agree that working from home improves employee concentration, 59.2% agree that it increases productivity and 62.8% agree that it increases motivation.
"An even larger proportion of managers (76.5%) believe flexible working generally increases productivity," the pollster said.
The authors warned, however, that the emergence of surveillance culture to monitor employee productivity on flexible schedule could increase stress levels. Among the managers surveyed, nearly 80% said they felt surveillance at work meant employers do not trust their employees, and 64.2% of managers agreed that the use of surveillance methods increases their own stress levels.
Despite the trend for flexibility, according to the research, employees still must work longer hours to pursue a successful career. In 2022, almost 42% of managers said that long hours were necessary for career progress compared with 35.2% in 2021.
The authors provided a list of recommendations for employers and policymakers, such as including reports on flexible working into employers' gender pay gap obligations and making them introduce flexible work as a default option for new vacancies.�
