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The pandemic has forced many companies to take a new approach to working systems and given their employees more flexibility . Scott Erwin , CEO and Founder of HireHand , explains the benefits of keeping staffing flexible post-pandemic and the future of workforce management software .

HE PANDEMIC HAS been

One positive outcome from the COVID-19 crisis has been a significant , perhaps overdue shift around working life . The pandemic threw our usual practices into disarray . It has made us more dependent on technology and has accelerated Digital Transformation , highlighting working systems that were really rather archaic and inefficient .

Not least , COVID-19 has opened a world of flexibility , allowing workforces from almost every sector greater opportunities to fit their jobs around their personal lives . It has been transformative for many , enabling those with other responsibilities such as childcare or ageing relatives , much needed relief from working set hours week in , week out .

What have the effects of all the disruption had on productivity ? Surprisingly ( for some ), there seems to be little evidence suggesting that workers have been less productive since having the opportunity to work more flexibly . Quite the opposite . Flexible working and giving the employee the option to choose working patterns actually reduces the likelihood of staff burnout , cultivates a loyal , engaged workforce , boosts employee retention and morale . Job positivity is good for business , for productivity , as well as for profit .

Still – thanks to the success of the Coronavirus vaccine roll-out in the UK supporting the easing of lockdown restrictions – plenty of companies are looking at a return to ‘ normality ’ post-June 21 or possibly earlier .

THERE SEEMS TO BE LITTLE EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THAT WORKERS HAVE BEEN LESS PRODUCTIVE SINCE HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK MORE FLEXIBLY .