Many factors come into play when HR leaders sit down to plan their Employee benefits package. Can we afford it? What should we offer, and to who?

From an employee perspective, one perk stands out among the rest: Workplace flexibility.

Gallup's 2017 State of the American Workplace reports that employees are demanding more autonomy and control over their working lives.

More than half, 53%, say a role that provides greater work-life balance is “very important”. And 51% say they would change jobs for one that offered them flexi-time.

What’s clear is that the rigid, traditional workplace structure – simply being seen at your desk from 9-5 –is no longer working for employees who want recognition and support of their lifestyles outside of work.

Being Flexible can take many forms: remote work, reduced hours, or a compressed working week.

Yet there are practical concerns from a business perspective; about productivity and engagement of employees who don’t have as much ‘face time’ in the office.

Exploring this, Stanford Economics Professor Nicholas Bloom carried out a working from home experiment at Ctrip, a 16,000-employee Chinese travel agency.

He found that home working led to a 13% performance increase, attributed to less distractions, and the increased expectation of producing results.

Clearly, working from home can be beneficial, both for businesses and individuals.

So here are three things to check off when creating a flexible – and productive – work culture:

Focus on results

Buy-in is required for a flexible workplace. Educate managers and leadership on the productivity, retention and satisfaction gains to be had. Help them make the psychological shift towards results-based performance, rather than who is simply visible.

Check the wider culture

Many of employers’ concerns about flexible working may actually connect to deeper issues. Low morale and engagement on site will of course spill over into any flexible working arrangements. So address the wider culture in your workplace to ensure working from home doesn’t become hiding at home.

Consider everyone

For many, flexible working is still considered a special privilege for select groups. But in the modern workplace, with multiple generations and varying needs, consider everyone; not just people with families. Millennials value a high degree of autonomy over their working conditions, and semi-retired employees may also benefit from a more flexible arrangement.

For more trends, watch our State of the Industry webinar.