Flexible working hours can benefit companies and workers

Flexible work schedules, such as those that were enforced during the covid-19 pandemic, can bring benefits to companies and workers, including higher productivity and better work-life balance, according to a study by the International Labor Organization

The International Labor Organization (ILO) report "Working Times and Work-Life Balance in the World," released this Friday, looks at different working time arrangements, including shift work, "on-call work," concentrated schedules, and average hours of work/day arrangements.

The study reports that in 2019, more than one-third of the world's workers regularly worked more than 48 hours per week, while one-fifth of the global workforce worked less than 35 hours per week, with the standard schedule being 40 hours per week.