{"id":105,"date":"2017-11-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sageamptesting.wpengine.com\/en-au\/blog\/?p=105"},"modified":"2026-02-05T20:15:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:15:55","slug":"the-business-pros-and-cons-of-flexible-working","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/the-business-pros-and-cons-of-flexible-working\/","title":{"rendered":"The business pros and cons of flexible working"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe business pros and cons of flexible working\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-8 col-lg-4 entry-header__image\">\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"entry-header__thumbnail js-hero-section\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1064\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-590171259_super-1064x810.jpg\" class=\"entry-header__thumbnail-image\" alt=\"Home working\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-590171259_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-590171259_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-590171259_super-1536x1169.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-590171259_super.jpg 1675w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1064px) 100vw, 1064px\" \/>\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2017-11-16T00:00:00+11:00\">November 16, 2017<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"The business pros and cons of flexible working\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/the-business-pros-and-cons-of-flexible-working\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/author\/bryancollins\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/07\/Bryan-Collins.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Bryan Collins<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Can your organisation afford to ignore flexible working? As more embrace the concept, it\u2019s likely to become a key way to attract talent, boost morale, and reduce costs.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Companies that find themselves receiving more flexible working requests will need to give careful thought to the benefits and drawbacks involved. So from a business point of view, what are the pros and cons of flexible working?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pros\">Pros<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lower-office-costs\">Lower office costs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Having fewer employees in the workplace presents many opportunities to cut costs. There could be less need for computers and other office equipment, for example, and you could also reduce utility bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your business places a big emphasis on flexibility and innovative working methods, it might be possible to gain major financial and efficiency benefits from downsizing your workspace or adopting practices such as \u2018hot-desking\u2019 \u2013 where desks are allocated to individuals as and when required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-happier-staff\"><strong>Happier staff<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><mark class=\"highlight-and-share\">Work flexibility can help employees improve their work-life balance, which makes a big difference to workforce satisfaction.<\/mark> As well as being positive for staff, this is good news for the business because happy workers are more productive and less likely to take time off sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-appearing-progressive\"><strong>Appearing progressive<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How an employer comes across \u2013 to existing staff and prospective candidates alike \u2013 is critical to its success in attracting and retaining the best talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Providing flexible working arrangements helps convey the image that many are now looking for in their employer \u2013 modern, progressive, and concerned with the needs of its employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Free research report: The changing face of HR<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Seismic shifts in the way organisations operate, work, and manage their people are occurring. We surveyed 500+ HR leaders to discover how they are responding.<\/p>\n<p>Uncover insights on how to stay ahead and transform HR from a process focused function to a people driven business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-4ee0a038-cce7-4675-8f22-276fd668b27d\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download Report<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1261563841-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1261563841-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cons\">Cons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-making-the-right-judgements\"><strong>Making the right judgements<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many employers are likely to increasingly receive requests for flexible working over the coming years. Not every request can be granted, and the decision-making process can be complex and difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you find yourself dealing with conflicting requests, are there policies and procedures in place to guide your decision? It might seem rational to prioritise the needs of parents and carers when evaluating multiple requests for flexible working, but this could appear discriminatory against those without children or dependants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ensuring-ongoing-productivity\"><strong>Ensuring ongoing productivity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the big concerns many managers face with flexible working requests is guaranteeing productivity. How can you be sure someone who works remotely will be as efficient as they would be in the office?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is partly a communication issue, which leads into the next point \u2013 when people are working remotely or to flexible hours, their managers and colleagues might feel that clear, immediate communication is more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lack-of-contact\"><strong>Lack of contact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While today\u2019s technology can help remote workers stay in contact wherever they are, sometimes there\u2019s no replacement for straightforward, face-to-face communication. Something that may have been resolved quickly with a simple face-to-face discussion may take a lot longer via email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As work flexibility becomes more common across workplaces, the onus will be on managers and business leaders to ensure teams can still communicate and collaborate effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-in-conclusion\">In Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s no doubt flexible working has become more common and that trend is likely to continue. There are many benefits businesses and individual workers can gain, but it\u2019s important to be aware of \u2013 and take special action to avoid \u2013 the possible pitfalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With such a wide range of technologies, new working methods, and communication solutions available to employers today, there\u2019s no reason why flexible working can\u2019t be universally advantageous. However, it\u2019s crucial to think carefully about how you implement any new working methods, with the right policies and systems in place to guarantee positive results for the company and your employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Free research report: The changing face of HR<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Seismic shifts in the way organisations operate, work, and manage their people are occurring. We surveyed 500+ HR leaders to discover how they are responding.<\/p>\n<p>Uncover insights on how to stay ahead and transform HR from a process focused function to a people driven business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-4ee0a038-cce7-4675-8f22-276fd668b27d\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download Report<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1261563841-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1261563841-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-20ec4af6-53dd-41ab-81ed-95d438e3bb90\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1064\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-626184462-1064x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-626184462-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/tag\/employee-benefits\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEmployee benefits\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/tag\/workplace-flexibility\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWorkplace flexibility\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-1866 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-compliance category-strategy-legal-operations tag-business-continuity tag-payroll 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business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/digitally-onboarding-employees\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Image-1-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Image-1-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Image-1-768x499.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/04\/Image-1-1247x810.jpg 1247w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2020-04-17T14:35:58+10:00\">April 17, 2020<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">3 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\t4 tips for digitally onboarding new employees\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-1819 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-leading-people category-managing-people category-people-leadership tag-employing-staff tag-hr tag-people-company tag-recruitment tag-workplace-culture tag-workplace-flexibility business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/5-transformations-hr-operations\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-508065515_super-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-508065515_super-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-508065515_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-508065515_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2020-03-12T14:10:49+11:00\">March 12, 2020<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">3 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\t5 transformations to note in today\u2019s HR operations\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-1518 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-managing-people category-people-leadership tag-employee-benefits tag-hr tag-workplace-flexibility business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/the-four-day-working-week\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-508065721_super-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-508065721_super-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-508065721_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-508065721_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2019-08-23T09:04:45+10:00\">August 23, 2019<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">4 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tThe four-day working week: What HR and People leaders need to know\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-1070 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-managing-people category-people-leadership tag-employee-benefits tag-hr tag-people-company tag-workplace-flexibility business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/7-ways-to-boost-productivity-in-the-workplace\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/7-ways-to-boost-productivity-in-the-workplace_resize-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/7-ways-to-boost-productivity-in-the-workplace_resize-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/7-ways-to-boost-productivity-in-the-workplace_resize-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/7-ways-to-boost-productivity-in-the-workplace_resize-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2019-05-29T00:00:00+10:00\">May 29, 2019<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">5 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\t7 ways to boost productivity in the workplace\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can your organisation afford to ignore flexible working? As more embrace the concept, it\u2019s likely to become a key way to attract talent, boost morale, and reduce costs. Companies that find themselves receiving more flexible working requests will need to give careful thought to the benefits and drawbacks involved. So from a business point of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":282,"featured_media":439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_page_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_article_type":"","_sage_video":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"74","post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[90,74],"tags":[154,234],"business_type":[9],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[107,103],"imagine_tag":[42,65,40],"coauthors":[276],"class_list":["post-105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-managing-people","category-people-leadership","tag-employee-benefits","tag-workplace-flexibility","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-au","author_name":"Bryan Collins","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-590171259_super.jpg","imagine_tags":{"42":"Enterprise business","65":"HR and Payroll","40":"Mid-sized business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Australia","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/282"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=105"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=105"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=105"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=105"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=105"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}