Pro’s and Con’s of Agile working

What makes agile working so popular? And has this new way of working also disadvantages?

Agile working isn’t that new anymore and so a lot has been written and talked about it, also called flexible working or the new way of working. The term is used to denote work time, anywhere. It is not just working from home, but also working on the road, in public areas and in flex-workplaces. Agile working is not only popular in business; also more and more municipalities embrace this form of organisiong work. But what makes this form of work actually so popular? And are there any disadvantages to agile working? 

Agile working working: the advantages and the disadvantages

Benefits

There is a reason for nothing agile working being so welcomed by many organisations. This form of organising work has many advantages, the main of which is listed below:

Less office space

A physical work place costs about €10,000 per year. When your organization changes to flexible working, there are fewer work stations needed. You can use it to make a significant saving.

Higher productivity

Research by Intermediar under 1100 highly skilled employees shows that 77% say that at home they are able to concentrate better. In addition to this 78% of the employees work more effectively at home. Employees with that adopt the new way of working, therefore often get more work done in a shorter time.

Better work-life balance

The balance between private time and worktime is improved. For example, parents can get their children from school much more easily without becoming stressed out by finishing of the last bits of work must quickly. Or employees may choose to go to the gym for an hour during the daywhen it’s quiet, because they can continue to work in the evening. The above research by Intermediar stresses this: four out of five employees will find the work-life balance improved considerably.

Work perks 

Especially the new generation of workers like having the opportunity to work from home. They are like no other prepared for the opportunities and the benefits of flexible working. Younger workers find an employer often more attractive when the possibility to work at home is offered and have the appropriate facilities.

Disadvantages

As with any form of or solution agile working doesn’t have benefits alone. There are also drawbacks to working from home or other locations:

Social isolation

Some employees come into isolation when they solely work at home. This can be prevented by not allways working from home, but for example 1 or 2 days a week at home and the rest of the days in the Office. This will help maintain staff sufficiently to keep in touch with colleagues.

Not for everyone

Flexible working is not the right solution for all employees. Someone who is a busy home situation or who does not provide a good work place can create at home, will be more productive at the Office. Give employees the choice to work at home; It is not required.

Difficult separation work and private

Although the work and life balance is improved, it can be difficult for employees to work. Since when does the work and starts private? Make clear agreements with yourself and your colleagues. For example, determine when you should and should not be contacted. So are you sure you can separate work and family better.

Too little social contacts

Because more employees working from home, they come less in contact with each other. This can be prevented by for example one fixed day per week to maintain the physical work, so everyone is together and from each other informed. Another solution is to provide the right ICT facilities an office furniture Glasgow, so that employees keep contact with each other when they work from home and have the right ergonomic furniture.

The mentioned advantages and disadvantages can of course vary from organisation to organisation. What are the advantages and disadvantages for your organisation, you may want to decide that yourselves.