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Flexible Work Is Not a New Concept, It's Just Evolving A look at the recent evolution of flexible staffing and hours-allocation, along with a blueprint for its amplified success.

By Eric Hanson

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a myriad of corporations have overhauled the way they operate. Now, with the possibility of a return to the office on the horizon, but with nearly two-thirds of US workers wanting to remain working from home (according to Gallup), organizations need to develop long-term hybrid work strategies that meet the needs of both employees and businesses.

In determining these approaches, leaders should keep one concept at or near the top of the priority list: flexibility. Remote work is no longer an added benefit, but a requirement for a happy and productive workforce, and we actually have ample precedents to draw upon; a number of industries have, over decades, enjoyed the benefits of flexible work. I've seen successful remote and distributed projects and jobs handled firsthand through my tenure in the creative services field, and it's a model attainable across virtually all industries, even for frontline workers.

How a Single Sector Led the First Wave of Flexible Work