BOULDER, CO. – 30 percent of workers have reported leaving a job because it did not offer flexible work options, 16 percent are currently looking for a new job specifically because of work flexibility issues, a new report contends.

With this insight, it’s not surprising, the report said, that 80 percent also said they would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible work options. More than half (52 percent) of workers have tried to negotiate flexible work arrangements with their employer.

“In a tight labor market, companies cannot afford to ignore the value employees place on having flexible work options, but leaders also can’t dismiss the very real bottom-line impact offering flexibility has on their employees’ productivity and retention rates,” said Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs. “The flexible job market is currently very robust, so flexible job seekers are also feeling empowered to seek jobs that are more compatible with their life. In fact, 80% of job seekers say they are confident in their flexible job prospects,” Sutton concluded.

Key Findings Regarding Employee Productivity:

  • 65 percent of workers think they would be more productive working from home than working in a traditional office environment
  • Fewer distractions (74 percent), fewer interruptions from colleagues (72 percent), reduced stress from commuting (70percent), and minimal office politics (64 percent) are the top reasons people prefer their home office. 
  • Only 8 percent would choose to go to the office during traditional office hours when they need to optimize their productivity

Interest in Remote Work is High:

  • 71 percent have telecommuted in a job before
  • Of those who telecommuted in 2018, 19 percent telecommuted more this year than last year
  • 82 percent of respondents know someone who telecommutes
  • 100 percent telecommuting is the most in-demand type of flexible work arrangement (76 percent), followed by flexible schedules (72 percent), part-time (46 percent), and freelance (39 percent)
  • Less than 5 percent worry a lot that a flexible work arrangement will hurt their career progression

About Today’s Flexible Job Seeker:

  • Wanting to travel (54 percent) is the primary reason for working, after paying for basic necessities (75 percent) and saving for retirement (60 percent)
  • Work-life balance and salary (73 percent) tied as the top two factors people consider when evaluating job prospects
  • Since 2013, work-life balance (75 percent), family (45 percent), time savings (42 percent), and commute stress (41 percent) have been the top four reported reasons people seek flexible work
  • Flexible job seekers are educated, with 69 percent having at least a bachelor’s degree and 28% having a graduate degree
  • They are also experienced in their career, with only 13 percent entry-level
  • A range of audiences are interested in flexibility, such as working parents, entrepreneurs, people living in rural areas, introverts, caregivers, military spouses, and more

Health and Happiness:

  • 44 percent said a job with flexibility would have a huge improvement on their overall quality of life and 53 percent said it would have a positive impact
  • 78 percent said having a flexible job would allow them to be healthier (eat better, exercise more, etc.) 
  • 86 percent said they’d be less stressed if they had a flexible job

For the full list of survey findings, conducted in July 2019, please visit https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/survey-flexible-work-job-choices or contact Kathy Gardner at [email protected]