Flexibility is key for employees

In April, a study by CIPD found that remote working is likely to stay in the UK, with most of the 2,000 companies surveyed saying they plan to offer greater flexibility in where and when employees work. Two-thirds of the companies also said they are developing hybrid work models whereby employees are not expected to return to the office full time.

Working in the office has its perks for employees: it enables collaborative and creative thinking and the potential to build strong working relationships. However, the global pandemic has enabled us to re-evaluate our priorities and compare the value of office life against limited hours in a day.

At Blueground, we believe employees, where possible, should have the choice on where and how they work. Offering flexibility will ultimately lead to increased happiness, motivation and overall wellbeing, which is one of the best indicators of a company’s long-term success. Experiencing different locations and cultures also benefits the individual, as they get exposure to diverse individuals and work set-ups while broadening their cultural and societal perspectives.

As a company that enables flexibility, we have adopted a ‘work and live from anywhere’ policy through our new Blueground Nomads programme. Employees can work from the Blueground office as many days a week as they would like, work entirely from home or even adopt a fully digital nomad lifestyle – designed to entirely suit their personal needs.

Offering the flexibility of remote work is much more than just simply providing an alternative work set-up. We believe it will not only be table stakes for recruiting and retaining talent but also a statement of the value that an organisation places on its people and their needs.

Alex Chatzieleftheriou is chief executive and co-founder of Blueground