When you put on your future glasses and gaze into the months and years to come, what do you see in terms of your office job?

Do you think you’ll be in the same place you are now? Do you hope to have moved on to a higher-paid position? Or, do you hope that you’re working in a more flexible way?

One of the biggest trends over the last year or so, and one which looks set to continue and become even more in demand, is the ability to work flexibly. 

This might mean working from home all the time or some of the time, changing your hours from full time to part time, or vice versa, it might mean working flexitime, or it could mean going completely remote and working from anywhere in the world you see fit. 

Flexible working has a range of benefits for businesses and employees, and whilst it’s true that a business doesn’t automatically have to grant a flexible working request, they do have to consider it seriously and give a very good and solid reason for turning it down. In order to retain high quality employees and attract new talent, more and more businesses are seeing the benefits of offering flexible working opportunities.

However, does that mean that flexible working is automatically going to be for everyone simply because it’s likely to continue gaining popularity over the coming period of time? Of course not. Everyone is different and some people may find that they thrive far better in a standard office environment. 

The contemporary office is a safe place, somewhere you can work with your colleagues and collaborate on ideas, and somewhere you’re unlikely to ever feel isolated. Motivation is also not usually a problem in a space such as this.

The same cannot be said for flexible working arrangements. 

The Big Motivation Issue

Without a doubt, the biggest issue with flexible working is self-motivation. 

When you’re used to having your manager a short distance away and your colleagues all around you at their office desks, it’s not hard to find the motivation to get on with your work. Sure, some days you might struggle more than others, but overall, you get it done because you literally have no choice. However, when you’re working away from your regular office chairs, it can be hard to summon up the self-motivation when other things seem to be more attractive. 

For example, when you’re working from home, the temptation to start cooking dinner early or to finish up chores can be overwhelming. There is also the issue of your friends calling around for coffee simply because they know you’re home and they haven’t quite grasped the idea that you’re busy working. All of this can make working from home in particular very hard to do at first. The same can be said for remote working - if you’re travelling and trying to work at the same time, you're going to be distracted by all the wonderful sights you could be seeing!

However, the bottom line is that whether you have a flexible working arrangement in place or not, you are still an employee and you still have work to be done. If that work isn’t completed, you simply aren’t going to get paid and you’re going to find yourself quickly without a job. In the current economic climate, that is not a situation you want to be inviting into your life.

The good news is that finding motivation is easier when you learn how to manage your time more effectively. If you can do that, flexible working might be the option you’ve been looking for.