10-2 The benefits of flexible working Many job applicants cite paid vacation, health insurance and a good salary as being most important to them in a job. However, an increasing number of employers now offer flexible working. So, what could flexible working mean for you? Put simply, flexible working means that you, the employee, have some say over when you work. This could mean working from home for some of the time, job-sharing, or working flexitime (adapting your working hours to suit your own life, for example, starting later and finishing later). Flexible working can have many benefits. For example, it can reduce the time you spend travelling to work. If you work 9 to 5 every day, you will be travelling to and from work when the roads are busy. You might be surprised at how much shorter your journey is if you travel to work at 10am instead of 8am. A flexible working schedule can reduce employees’ stress and improve their work-life balance. A recent survey in The Business Times showed that 20 percent of working people are stressed by family relationships and the difficulty of managing their personal and private lives. Working flexibly can allow employees to switch off from their work when they need to, and to spend more quality time with their families. Improved work-life balance can give you more energy, and this will make you more productive when you are at work, leading to increased job satisfaction. So, next time you are job hunting, consider adding flexible working to your wish list. 98. According to the article, how can flexible working make travelling to work easier?