Dive Brief:

• Justworks, a benefits firm, and SquareFoot, a real estate leasing company, released results of a research study showing that half of the employees polled said they would take a lower-paying job for more workplace flexibility, reports MarketWatch.
• Of the 314 small-business employees polled, 70% said flexible work schedules were very important, while a close 68% said flexible hours positively affected their teams.
• The study also showed that, while paid time off is a well-received benefit, it doesn’t drive performance. Although 44% of the respondents said they believe PTO is important, only 21% said they believe it drives their team’s performance.

Dive Insight:

The research showed that employees’ ability to set their own work schedules made the workplace a positive environment. The researchers said flexibility also was a growing consideration in the job hunt. More employers are turning to flexibility to improve employee wellbeing and even to better accommodate those set to go on parental leave or who have caretaking duties at home.

Despite flexibility beating out paid time off in popularity, a growing number of employers are offering PTO to boost recruitment and retention, too. For some, vacations can be seen as disruptive to a team's work, hence the growing interest in flexibility.