Flexa’s CEO on what the workplace will look like in 2024

Each new year brings a range of feelings – excitement, apprehension, and curiosity for what lies ahead – and the HR sector is no different.

Molly Johnson-Jones, CEO and Co-founder of Flexa

As 2023 draws to a close, Flexa – an online platform for flexible job roles – has released data analyzing the most prominent trends from 2023 while also forecasting what’s to be expected from the next 12 months.

Flexa’s CEO and co-founder Molly Johnson-Jones has given UNLEASH an exclusive insight as to what she believes these trends mean, and how they will impact the workplace.

2023

Flexible roles increase job popularity

Unsurprisingly, job roles that allow employees to enjoy flexible working locations were found to be the most popular throughout the year.

However, Flexa found that employers are less likely to advertise fully remote roles and most likely to advertise roles that offer 3-4 work-from-home days per week – something that’s remained unchanged for the past twelve months.

“It’s interesting to see that demand for fully remote roles is starting to falter,” says Johnson-Jones.

“If demand for fully remote work continues to decline in 2024, we could see an end to the WFH-office debate which has divided employees and employers and made headlines since the pandemic.

“This doesn’t mark the end of flexible work. A blend of home and office-based work is a realistic and sustainable solution that creates more choice for workers – and that’s what genuine flexibility is all about.

“During lockdowns, most of us had no option but to work from home 100% of the time. Now, workers are embracing the idea that they needn’t choose between the two or remain at loggerheads with employers who have pushed back against fully remote work ever since the pandemic’s end.”

Hybrid work, therefore, offers a compromise that works for both sides. And Johnson-Jones expects that we’ll see demand for hybrid work increase over the next 12 months as people enjoy spending time with colleagues in person, too.

Working weeks got shorter

Four-day work weeks have divided the working population, with 50% of employees stating their preference would be to have a shorter week when asked in April 2023, and 48% stating the same in November 2023.

Various businesses, such as Mars, CoppaFeel, and Huel, have met employee demands by offering shorter working weeks through part-time roles due to the UK’s four-day workweek trial finding shorter weeks increased productivity, engagement, and happiness.

Additionally, 92% of the companies included in the study found a reduction in sick leave and burnout among employees.

“Employers who are in a position to offer 4-day weeks should seriously consider the benefits of doing so,” says Johnson-Jones.

“And those who go on to promote the benefits of shorter working weeks for their teams can also benefit from promoting their employer brand in the process. For employers who still feel apprehensive, a number of things can help make the move to a shorter week a smooth one.”

She continues to explain how different teams can take alternative days off during the week, or rotate responsibility for being on call if help must be always on hand for customers. Staff expectations should also be told to staff upfront, including what needs to happen during a 4-day week for the policy to be successful.

Likewise, companies can run a trial of the policy, collecting feedback from staff and managers on whether they found the change helpful and points for improvement, before committing to a shorter working week permanently.

“Employers who are still on the fence could consider a different style of shorter working week,” adds Johnson-Jones.

“Other options include a 4.5-day week – whereby employees work half a day less each week, usually taking Friday afternoons off – or a 9-day fortnight – whereby employees take one whole day off every other week.”

2024

Parental and fertility benefits will increase

Businesses such as Haleon, Aviva, and Abrdn, have implemented exceptional maternity and paternity policies to offer widespread flexibility for new parents and caregivers. And, according to Flexa’s report, employees will be expecting more from employers regarding parental leave, similar to how they are with flexible and hybrid working.

“Family-friendly benefits will continue to grow in popularity in 2024,” says Johnson-Jones. “Enhanced parental leave and fertility benefits are already becoming more widely available.

“The childcare crisis and ongoing threat of a recession will also see calls for workplace-supported childcare increase next year, including on-site nurseries and subsidized childcare.”

A more open-minded approach to flexibility

Typically, businesses have been taking an ‘all or nothing’ approach to flexible working, but Johnson-Jones says that this must stop if businesses want to cultivate harmonious working cultures. For this reason, she predicts that a blend of office and home-based work will work for both sides in 2024.

The realization that some flexibility – which is more sustainable, genuinely upheld, and wanted by workers – can be better than none is also helping to usher in a new approach to flexibility: ‘umbrella flexibility’. This is when employers offer one form of flexibility that covers a lot of different workers’ needs at once.

“An example of umbrella flexibility is that hybrid work might accommodate the needs of workers with health conditions and at the same time enable parents – who might otherwise rely on early start and finish times to switch commutes for school runs,” Johnson-Jones explains.

“In the same vein, 4-day weeks increase work-life balance and overall wellbeing for all employees and also offer workers who’d usually seek part-time roles a better-paid alternative.

“In short, rather than trying to offer every new benefit that springs up in 2024, employers will focus on offering the forms of flexibility that their teams most need and want.”