71% of young people in Belgium want to be able to work flexible hours but the same proportion also feel it is important to have regular in-person contact with their colleagues.
Young workers and employers were surveyed on a range of topics in an annual survey by the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (FEB). 71% say they expect to be able to work flexible hours. Employers are already responding to this demand, as 93% said they offer flexibility to at least some staff.
In addition, 60% of young people expect to have the option to work remotely. The survey highlights that young people who are allowed to work from home at least two days a week are prepared to spend more time on their commute.
Of those who can telework a couple of days a week, 19% said they are willing to commute for over an hour. But for those who have to go to the workplace, just 9% would accept the same commuting time.
In-person interaction still important
Whilst three in five young people enjoy teleworking, a larger share (71%) say it is still important to meet their colleagues regularly at the office. 59% say this is important for team bonding and 62% recognise its value for social contact.
With the rise of remote working since the pandemic, the lines between work and private life have blurred. Maintaining separation between both is important for young workers; just 23% say it is normal to be available for their employer outside of working hours. This contrasts with 38% of employers who believe that young people don't mind being available outside of working hours.
Credit: Belga
Parental leave
Looking at parental leave, 69% of young people are in favour of making 20 days leave for co-parents compulsory, compared to 41% of employers. Some 80% of young people say parental leave should be able to be freely shared between two parents, while 63% of employers feel the same way.
"In many areas, there is common ground between employers and workers," said Pieter Timmermans, CEO of FEB.
"This is the case, for example, with teleworking, which is now well established. But employers still need to have room for improvement to better understand the expectations of young workers, such as parental leave, where a better balance between parents is welcome," he said.
The FEB survey polled close to 800 young people aged between 18 and 28, as well as 112 employers.
