67% would consider quitting if their work situation became less flexible

67% would consider quitting if their work situation became less flexible67% would consider quitting if their work situation became less flexibleFlexibility and choice over their hours, workspaces, and where they will work are the hot-button issues in todays office.Workers prioritize flexibility in their working hours and especially value the ability to choose work-from-home arrangements, the 2019 Staples Workdistributionspolitik Survey found. Theyre even willing to quit a job if their work-from-home agreement changes.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreNearly 90% of the 1,001 office workers surveyed believed more flexibility in work arrangements and schedules would increase morale. However, only 34% of their employers actually had work-from-home policies in place.Still, people found a way to work around those lack of policies 64% of employees said they worked remotely at least so metimes.Being open to remote working situations and policies is super important, Chris DeMeo, Vice President, Staples Brand Group, told Ladders. Still, he cautions that rules should be put in place. If youre a company who is doing that, I think its good to have a formal policy in place so that theres a common set of expectations.For employers, providing flexibility is good business, as it influences employee retention 67% of employees would considerleaving their jobif their work arrangements became less flexible.Open offices still an unpopular choiceOpen offices remain a bummer 52% of respondents said an open office layout was full of distractions. Forty-percent reported that their office space was justtooopen.Workers wanted work-life balance and a healthier (and less noisy) life at work.Work is no longer a formal or physical place, said DeMeo. What happens at work impacts what happens outside of work. Operating more holistically within that context is important especially as we con tinue to see very much a candidates market. To be attractive to the best talent, and to retain top talent, we need to be operating with that mindset.Flexibility and choice the two things workers craved can be enabled inside the workplace by changing the physical workspace, said DeMeo. The wide-open office could stay, allowing for collaboration, but also be adapted to give workers quiet spaces and room to breathe.Creating workspaces that allow people the flexibility to work collaboratively and effectively in more of an open environment, but then also giving them the choice and the flexibility when they need dedicated focus time to have an identified space where they can sit down and really focus on a task. Theres been a pretty strong pullback against wide-open workspaces. So having the flexibility for the way I need to work today with what my work environment provides is an important element of choice for employers to consider for their employees.Overall, as the surveys respondents indicated, employers are doing something very well, and lagging behind in other areas.Employers are doing the best at acknowledging they need to change, said DeMeo.The lag is in the creation is in workspaces designed for the modern way of work flexible workspaces. I also think theres a lot of progress that needs to be made around being inclusive and supporting employees that may have a disability.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people