A new study in the UK shows that senior managers who are choosing when and how they work perform significantly better than their 9-5 colleagues do.
The study included senior managers with job-sharing and flexible working arrangements such as flex-time, reduced hours, and working at home. It determined the characteristics and personality traits most suited to flexible working and job-sharing, as well as the factors that make flexible contracts and job-share partnerships both effective and productive.
According to the managers of the flexible workers, 70% of the sample were perceived to be outperforming their full-time colleagues and their own previous full-time status in terms of output; 60% ranked very good/excellent at problem-solving and analysis; and 60% ranked very good/excellent at resilience in the face of setbacks. Flexible workers also scored higher on resilience, leadership, and commitment. Findings in relation to job-sharing were equally revealing: 70% of job-sharing executives were perceived to have 30% higher output over one person doing the same job; and job-sharers scored high on problem solving, teamwork, and flexibility.
Dr. John Knell of the Industrial Society, which co-commissioned the study, commented, “There have been two significant barriers to flexible working among senior managers. Firstly, employers find it very hard to believe that flexible working amongst their senior executives can work. Secondly, senior managers often regard making such a request as ‘career death.’ This research knocks both these misconceptions on the head. To show that work-life balance and high performance can go hand in hand will be a significant contribution to the work-life debate, but the research also has significant implications for working in a globalized 24-hour society.”
Based on a report from i-FM
