London, Ontario—Flexible work schedules have become popular and are here to stay post-pandemic but claims that the traditional 9 to 5 work week will vanish are premature, according to a recent survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals. 

 

When given options of different work schedules, one-third of jobseekers say they prefer working an 8-hour workday with a flexible start time, but a similar proportion say they prefer a traditional 9 to 5 work week. Only 1 in 5 (18%) prefer a compressed work schedule (such as a 10-hour 4-day work week). 

 

 

While employers recognize many employees and job seekers want flexible work schedules, and many are providing that flexibility, most employers (69%) have concerns—including decreased productivity (28%), delayed communications (26%), difficulty meeting deadlines (24%), increased distractions (23%), the inability of employees to collaborate (23%) and meeting scheduling challenges (23%).

 

Productivity, however, does not seem to be impacted by flexible work arrangements, with 9 in 10 hiring managers (90%) reporting employees at their company are productive, and more than one-third (37%) say employees are very productive. If given the ability to design their own schedules, a majority of hiring managers say employees would have about the same level of productivity (59%) or even be more productive (27%). Job seekers agree and say their productivity would be about the same (46%) or even higher (47%).

 

“In markets where there is a high percentage of manufacturing, assembly, and warehousing companies for example, flexible work schedules and work-from-home are the exception since it is very challenging for a company to offer that flex to some but not all their employees. Rather, companies are slipping back into that comfortable routine of the typical 9 to 5 five days a week. I believe that companies that offer flex options to their employees while still expecting a physical presence in the office, are in a better position to appeal to both groups of workers,” said Michael Elliott, multi-franchise owner of the Express - London, ON and Kitchener/Waterloo, ON franchises.

 

“Despite the return of some segments to the workforce, businesses are still desperate for workers, and figuring out what incentives work best for employees at individual companies is key,” Express Employment International CEO Bill Stoller said. “If production can remain high while offering flexible scheduling options, it may be worth it to try.”

The Job Insights survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15, 2022, among 506 Canadian hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in Canada who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 4.6 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. 

 

The omnibus survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals from Dec. 13-15, 2022, among 1,050 adults ages 18 and older. Data are weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income and propensity to be online, to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 3.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

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At Express Employment Professionals, we’re in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 579,000 people globally in 2022

and more than 10 million since its inception. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com/CA.

 

The London, ON Express office is located at 300 Dundas St and serves the greater London region. Local businesses and applicants are encouraged to visit www.expresspros.com/london or call (519) 672-7620.

  

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment  

International. Founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing franchisor 

supports the Express Employment Professionals franchise and related brands. The Express franchise brand is an industry-leading, international staffing company with franchise locations in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.