According to Careerbuilder.com’s 2009 U.S. Hiring Forecast, employers are increasingly incorporating flexible work arrangements for their employees this year. This renowned recruitment website found that 31% of employers polled are providing more adaptable work configurations.
Here are some specific responses.
- 48% are upping their companies’ telecommuting options.
- 70% are accommodating alternative schedules (come early – leave early, etc.)
- 40% are offering compressed work week (same hours, fewer days)
- 13% are allowing job sharing.
Additionally the poll revealed that 13% of employers have plans to add green jobs this year, which are positions focused on implementing environmentally conscious policies, procedures and technology usage to heighten sustainability.
For those of us keenly aware of the long growing trends toward virtual offices, these numbers aren’t surprising; they are affirming. The workforce of today is attuned to technology that allows people to be connected no matter where they are. The idea of being confined to a cubicle is becoming less common, as workplaces integrate technology that literally removes walls from the workplace. Companies today are open to modifying traditional scenarios as its clear their team members can be just as productive in non-traditional work arrangements.
And the trend toward going green is an offshoot of this evolving workplace. Not only are companies more proactively engaging environmentally friendly practices, they are innately improving—or reducing—carbon footprints by letting people telecommute and travel only when necessary. Less office space in use coupled with smarter green choices in how to run businesses is truly benefiting the environment and employees alike.
The Careerbuilder.com poll, conducted by Harris Interactive in the U.S., surveyed 3,259 hiring managers and HR professionals, all of whom work full-time and are not self-employed. These professionals are responsible for hiring employees who are not self-employed and who work full-time as well. Even so, these findings shed some light on trends beyond the corporate world, as more companies look to other creative options to hire the right people to get the work done.
Small businesses, start-ups and sole proprietorships are perhaps often more progressive in the adoption of advanced, adaptable work arrangements. Constraints of space and budget merit the necessity for invention of flexible options. Virtual offices and virtual staffing have proven a mainstay for companies of all shapes and sizes that are navigating a changing working world to not only survive but thrive.
Support companies such as Davinci Virtual have come to prominence in response to the needs of the modern working world. Whether a large company opts to offer extended telecommuting options or a start-up begins out of a home office simply because there are no funds for office space otherwise, virtual resources are making the scenarios completely viable, productive and affordable. With the support of virtual receptionists, virtual assistants or the availability of virtual office space across the country, companies can run seamlessly and professionally.
