Dive Brief:

• Thirty percent of respondents in a FlexJobs' annual survey said they've left a job for not offering work flexibility. The flexible jobs site said flexible work options ranked higher than healthcare, retirement benefits, vacation time and paid parental leave as important factors for respondents when they consider a job.
• The top reasons respondents wanted flexible work schedules were work-life balance (75%), family (45%), time savings (42%) and commute stress (41%), FlexJobs said. Additionally, 16% of respondents are looking for a new job because they want flexibility. The majority of respondents (80%) said they would be more loyal to their employer if it offered job flexibility, and more than half said they have tried to negotiate flexible work with their employer.
• The type of flexible work respondents wanted most were 100%-remote work, flexible schedules and part-time schedule, FlexJobs said. More than half of respondents said job flexibility would have a positive impact on the quality of their life, and 78% said it would allow them to be healthier.

Dive Insight:

The results from 2019's survey echo many of FlexJobs' findings from 2018. In both surveys, 100%-remote work and flexible schedules were the top in-demand work arrangements for respondents. The job site noted that, since its first survey in 2013, work-life balance, family, time savings and commute stress have remained the top reasons workers opt for flexible work.

People want job flexibility for various reasons, but most motives studies have identified ⁠— from less stress to more time with family ⁠— basically equate to increased happiness. For example, a 2018 study by university researchers showed that employees with work-life balance are happier on the job and less likely to quit than those without it. And with a growing need among employees to balance work and personal time, flexible work may soon become the norm, other studies have indicated. An IWG survey released in April found that 74% of respondents saw flexible work schedules as a standard benefit, while 80% said they would choose a job that offered flexibility over one that did not.

In the most recent FlexJobs survey, work-life balance even tied with salary as the top incentives for respondents when job seeking, but employers might gauge current employees' desire for flexible work before deciding to offer it as a retention and recruitment strategy. HR departments should draft policies that establish guidelines and set expectations if they decide to explore this perk.