The Pros and Cons of Flexible Work Schedules — What to Consider

Flex Index

With 51% of US companies offering some degree of work location flexibility, there has never been a better time to pursue flexible work. Yet, with new opportunities also come new expectations. In this post, we’ll guide you through the different types of flexible work, the industries offering flexible options, and the potential advantages and disadvantages you should weigh before the job search. That way, you can find the right opportunity for your personal and professional needs and be on the same page as your employer.

What is Flexible Work?

In building the Flex Index, we found that companies rarely share the same definition of ‘flexible work’ and have varying flexible schedule policies. To help with this, we created a definitive guide to flexible work terminology. 

We define ‘flexible work’ as: 

"An arrangement where a worker is empowered to alter certain conditions of their work (i.e., work location, hours, or type) away from the traditional norm."

We use the following terms to describe the different potential flexible work arrangements for employers:

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In some cases, flexible work might also refer to different employment type opportunities (part-time, freelancing, or contracting), or an alternative work schedule with flex hours instead of eight continuous hours. So, even if you think you have a clear idea of what an employer means when they say ‘flexible work’, you should always ask potential employers about their flexible work policy to ensure you’re aligned.

Industries with flexible work opportunities

Flexible work opportunities are increasing,  and certain industries have been quicker to adopt—but they’re not always the industries you’d expect.

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Take Financial Services. Despite large banks coming out strongly against flexible work, the Financial Services industry has been steadily expanding their flexible shedule policies. This is especially true with smaller companies which are 3X as likely to be Fully Flexible.

Other non-obvious industries leading the way in flexibility include Insurance (ex: Kemper) and Professional Services (ex: Perficient). Unsurprisingly, the Technology industry offers the most work location flexibility, with 80% of companies reporting as Fully Flexible (ex: Airbnb).

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Advantages of flexible work

The advantages of flexible work tend to build on one another, but also depend on your level of discipline and work engagement. Here’s what you can generally expect:

1. Increased productivity when and where it makes sense

Before flexible work, knowledge workers were generally tied to a 9-5, Monday through Friday schedule in an office. That often meant powering through less productive times of the day or attempting to achieve deep work despite disruptions. A major advantage of flexible work is structuring your day according to the day’s priorities, which increases your productivity. 

If you’re working from home, you can tackle the deep work that requires more focus, avoiding the distractions of colleagues. And if you’re more productive at a certain time of day, you can align your most important work to that time instead of trying to distribute your work equally across eight hours back to back. When something comes up, you make the call on when and how to address it.

2. Maintain a better work-life balance

Knowledge workers with flexible schedules find they have better work-life balance and report less burnout. perhaps it’s because they can avoid factors that take a toll on their well-being — like being stuck in traffic or congested public transit, working through important events or appointments, or feeling pressed for time and energy when it comes to other activities. With a more flexible schedule, you may feel like you no longer have to choose between your career and your personal life. 

Without a commute, you might have more time for chores or activities that otherwise get put off. Parents with flexible work schedules can benefit by getting more quality family time, whether attending an after-school event or pausing to caretake. Or, if you feel like you’re starting to drag during the afternoon, you can take a walk or re-energize with a homemade snack.  

3. Build discipline and communication skills

Though it might seem counter-intuitive, flexible work requires a lot of structure to succeed. Working flex hours in different locations means you must be a strong communicator, so everybody knows what’s happening on a project and what you’ve contributed to keeping work moving. It also means colleagues can trust you to deliver work by the deadline and that you’re on task even if nobody is watching you. You might also level up your skills in collaboration tools, which are only becoming more relevant with the uptick of flexible work and digital transformations. More freedom comes with more responsibility; if you can take it on, your career can greatly benefit.

Potential disadvantages of flexible work

Though there are many advantages to flexible work, it might not be for everybody or for where you’re at in this moment. Here are some potential disadvantages of flexible work arrangements to watch out for.

1. Vague boundaries around work and personal time

Though flexible work can offer greater work-life balance, it also can go too far in either direction. If you get distracted easily, have poor time management, or aren’t engaged with your work, your daily priorities can elude you if you push your flexibility too far. Conversely, turning off work mode might be hard if your living and working space are one and the same, if you don’t have hard starts or stops to the day, or you’re already overworking.

If you share your space with roommates or family (especially young children), they might not respect or understand your boundaries. Make your work hours and spaces clear so you don’t get interrupted and avoid the perception that being home means you’re “not really working.”

2. Team coordination and communication complexities

Even with great apps and tools, miscommunications can happen if teams and employees aren’t equipped with clear communication guidelines and norms or aren’t in the habit of following them. Without daily in-person rapport, it might be harder to interpret colleagues and their messages correctly, causing interpersonal conflicts or work slowdowns as you try and gather more context.

Scheduling conflicts can also arise depending on how distributed your team is and what degree of flexibility everyone has. This might mean making sacrifices so everyone can participate or taking many things into consideration just to have a brief sync. And while you might have your own flexible schedule, if your clients follow a more traditional one, you do too, to some degree.

3. More isolation, less bonding

Though there are tons of asynchronous and virtual team-building tools and activities, they can’t fully replace in-person interactions, leaving remote workers sometimes feeling isolated or disconnected. This can be especially tough if you work from home full time.

If you’re newer in your career, working fully remotely can potentially impact opportunities to network or get meaningful mentorship, so you need to go the extra mile in seeking out these opportunities and managing your relationships.

4. A less-than-ideal work environment

Being responsible for your own work environment can benefit some, as everything can be according to how you want it. However, flexible work might not be a great fit if your workspace setup isn’t conducive to productive, professional work (e.g., inadequate wifi, interruptions from housemates, your desk is your bed). 

While many employers offer remote work stipends, they might not cover everything. If you’re a freelancer or contractor, you’re likely on your own (and you need to be well-versed in documenting tax-deductible business expenses). So make sure you have the right setup, and have thought through what it entails.

Optimize for the work environment that’s right for you

In 2019, it would have been unthinkable for most US companies to offer some level of flexibility on where employees work. With more and more companies moving to flexible work setups, workers now have far more autonomy to choose a role and employer that offers them the right level of flexibility.

One thing is clear: the US and the world are still very early in this flexible work journey. Weighing the advantages, and potential drawbacks, of flexible work is a crucial first step in understanding what you hope to gain and how you will set yourself up for success. Once you do, you can use the Flex Index to help you find your next flexible work opportunity.