Flexible working hours and unlimited free time at the company

According to a survey conducted among 597 managers by experts from the Universities of York and Birmingham, managers are now more optimistic about flexible working than ever before. Three quarters see flexible working hours as a productivity enhancer, and 62.5% see flexible working hours as increasing employee motivation. At the same time, the survey noted the emergence of invigilation – according to ⅓ of the managers, their employers used monitoring software and/or monitored email. According to ⅘ of the respondents, this is a sign that employers may not trust their employees. Almost ⅔ of the managers admitted that using surveillance methods at work exacerbated their stress.

The Walt Disney Company joins employers growing impatient with pandemic-related labour standards. The company authorities have told employees working hybrid schedules that after 1 March 2023, they must come to the office four days a week instead of three.

From 16 January this year, Microsoft will offer unlimited time off to all US employees paid for work performed at regular intervals (so-called salaried workers) as part of a “modernisation” of its leave policy. Previously, the company’s employees could take four weeks of paid leave each year plus an additional week every six years. The new Discretionary Time Off (DTO) scheme means that employees will no longer have to keep records of or accrue leave days.