A new study by Harvard Business Review claims that working non-traditional hours can have detrimental effects on employees’ motivation. It found that when people are working outside the traditional work day, their sense of intrinsic motivation decreases. Despite the overwhelming preference for flexible work, the study also revealed that this type of work can have surprising challenges. Let’s explore this further.
Since the COVID-19 Pandemic hit in March of 2020, former office employees became work from home employees. What did they find? There are many advantages to flexible work arrangements. They can help employees be more productive and avoid getting distracted by their work. They can also help working parents find a balance between their work and home lives. That wasn’t all, though.
Working flexible hours can also lead to feelings of burnout. According to the study’s authors, employees might start to feel resentful about their work when they are not able to spend time with their family.
To avoid this issue, it’s important that leaders regularly remind their team members about the benefits of flexible work arrangements. This can help them feel less resentful about working non-traditional hours. Aside from this, it can also help employees implement the shift into a more balanced work schedule.
Working flexible hours are also beneficial for employees as they allow them to set their own schedules. They can also help them keep focused on their work and avoid taking on more leisure time.
The main advantage of flexible work hours is that it allows employees to set their own schedules. This eliminates the need to lengthen the workday or take on more leisure time. It can also help employees maintain a more balanced work and leisure schedule.
Working from home, or having a flexible work schedule has a multitude of benefits. Like anything, those benefits also come with drawbacks.