Flexible working has a mixed effect on workload: for many employees, it reduces perceived pressure by giving them greater control over their working hours and location. At the same time, flexible working can actually increase workload when the boundaries between work and personal life become blurred. The effect depends heavily on how flexible working is structured and supported by the organization. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions about flexible working and workload, so you can get a clear picture of what works and what doesn’t.
How does flexible working affect employee workload?
Flexible working affects workload in two ways: it gives employees autonomy over their working hours and location, which can reduce perceived pressure, but it also increases the risk of overwork and availability expectations that actually drive pressure up. The net result varies by individual, role, and organizational culture.
Employees who can decide when and where they work typically report feeling more in control of their responsibilities. That sense of control is one of the strongest buffers against high workload. At the same time, experience shows that flexible working without clear agreements can foster a culture of constant availability, which structurally increases rather than reduces workload.
In sectors facing staff shortages, such as healthcare, this effect is particularly pronounced. Employees take on tasks from absent colleagues, raising the actual workload regardless of how flexible the schedules are. Flexible working doesn’t solve the shortage itself, but it can distribute available hours more efficiently.
What are the benefits of flexible working for work-related stress?
Flexible working can reduce work-related stress by allowing employees to align their workday with their personal energy peaks, caregiving responsibilities, and commute times. Less commuting, a better work-life balance, and greater control over one’s own schedule are proven factors that contribute to lower stress levels.
Specific benefits include:
- Less commuting pressure: working from home or from a closer location saves time and energy that would otherwise be spent on the daily commute.
- Better alignment with personal rhythms: early risers can start sooner, night owls can start later, which benefits productivity and energy levels.
- More room for caregiving responsibilities: employees with children or caregiving duties experience fewer conflicts between work and personal life.
- Greater autonomy: feeling in control of one’s own workday significantly reduces psychological strain.
These benefits are strongest when managers actively focus on results rather than presence, and when the organization sets clear norms around availability outside working hours.
When does flexible working actually increase workload?
Flexible working increases workload when there are no clear boundaries around availability, when the home workspace is inadequate, or when employees feel they must always be reachable. Without proper agreements, the workday expands and personal time is gradually traded for extra working hours.
Common situations in which flexible working adds to the pressure:
- Employees respond to messages in the evenings or on weekends because there is no explicit norm stating they don’t have to.
- The home workspace is not set up ergonomically, leading to physical complaints and difficulty concentrating.
- Team members work at different times, making coordination more time-consuming and causing meetings to pile up.
- Employees feel social pressure to appear visibly active — for example, by responding quickly to messages — which fragments their attention.
Organizations that introduce flexible working without a policy on availability and communication run the risk of increasing workload for a portion of their employees rather than reducing it.
What is the difference between workload and work-related stress?
Workload refers to the objective amount of work an employee must complete within a given period, while work-related stress is the subjective experience of that pressure when someone feels they can no longer cope. Workload is therefore a working condition; work-related stress is a response to it.
The distinction matters in practice. A high workload does not automatically lead to stress. Employees who have sufficient autonomy, peer support, and clear priorities can handle a heavy workload well. Stress only arises when the pressure consistently exceeds a person’s capacity and available resources.
When it comes to reducing workload, the focus is on addressing the actual volume of work: redistributing tasks, improving processes, or using technology to take over routine work. Reducing work-related stress also involves support, recovery, and autonomy. Both approaches are necessary for sustainable employability.
How can organizations use flexible working to reduce workload?
Organizations can effectively use flexible working to reduce workload by establishing clear policies around availability, equipping employees for remote work, and training managers in results-oriented leadership. Flexible working works best when it is accompanied by clear expectations and adequate support.
Practical steps organizations can take:
- Establish availability standards: explicitly define outside which hours employees are not expected to be reachable, and communicate this actively.
- Review task distribution regularly: flexible schedules provide an opportunity to distribute tasks more effectively based on availability and competencies.
- Invest in the home workspace: an ergonomic home setup reduces physical complaints and improves concentration.
- Manage for output, not presence: managers who focus on results rather than hours worked reduce the social pressure that fuels work-related stress.
- Evaluate regularly: actively ask employees whether flexible working is reducing or increasing their workload, and make adjustments based on those signals.
What role does technology play in flexible working and workload?
Technology plays a dual role in flexible working and workload: the right tools make flexible collaboration more efficient and reduce pressure, while an overabundance of communication channels and notifications actually increases workload. Thoughtful use of technology is therefore one of the most direct ways to manage workload.
Collaboration platforms, smart scheduling tools, and automated workflows take over routine tasks and give employees more time for work that truly matters. In healthcare, this goes a step further: technology can take over monitoring tasks that would otherwise require continuous human presence, allowing care staff to focus their attention on tasks that require human contact.
That said, more technology is not automatically better. Organizations that deploy too many communication tools simultaneously create a constant stream of messages that breaks concentration and increases workload. A deliberate choice to use a limited number of tools, combined with clear agreements on how they are used, makes all the difference.
How Kepler Vision Technologies helps reduce workload in healthcare
In the healthcare sector, reducing workload is a particularly urgent challenge. Staff shortages are growing while demand for care continues to rise. At Kepler Vision Technologies, we develop AI solutions that relieve care staff by automatically taking over monitoring tasks.
Our software, Kepler Night Nurse, watches over clients and patients 24/7, so care staff don’t need to be continuously present. This directly contributes to reducing workload:
- Fall detection and fall prevention: the software immediately detects unsafe situations and only alerts staff when necessary, eliminating unnecessary check-ins.
- Minimal false alarms: just one false alarm every 92 days, so staff are not overwhelmed with unnecessary notifications.
- Privacy-first approach: footage is never viewed by humans, which lowers the barrier to implementation and builds client trust.
- Plug-and-play installation: easy to configure, so the implementation itself does not create additional workload for the team.
Want to find out how we can help your organization structurally reduce workload with reliable AI? Get in touch with us and discover what Kepler can do for your care organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if workload in my team has become too high due to flexible working?
Signs that flexible working has increased workload include: employees consistently responding to messages outside working hours, a rise in absenteeism or burnout, declining concentration and productivity, and employees reporting difficulty switching off from work. A practical first step is a short anonymous survey in which employees indicate how they have experienced the work-life balance since flexible working was introduced. Based on those signals, you can make targeted adjustments.
What are the most common mistakes when introducing flexible working?
The most common mistake is introducing flexible working without an accompanying policy: no agreements on availability, no training for managers, and no evaluation moments. A second frequent mistake is assuming that all employees handle the freedom that flexible working offers equally well — some employees actually need more structure and guidance. Finally, organizations regularly underestimate the importance of a proper home workspace, which over time leads to physical complaints and increased workload.
As a manager, how do I set effective availability standards for my team?
Start with an open team discussion in which you collectively agree on which hours employees are reachable and when they are not. Document these agreements in writing — for example, in a team charter or working agreements protocol — and communicate them to other teams and stakeholders as well. Lead by example as a manager by not sending messages outside agreed hours — employees closely mirror the behavior of their manager. Review the agreements every quarter and adjust them where needed.
Is flexible working also suitable for employees in healthcare, given the nature of the work?
Flexible working in healthcare looks different from office environments, but it is certainly possible. Think of flexible scheduling, self-rostering, and the use of technology that takes over monitoring tasks so employees don’t need to be continuously physically present. AI solutions such as Kepler Night Nurse make it possible for care staff to be deployed more efficiently and to be less burdened by routine monitoring, creating more room for flexibility in working hours and recovery periods.
As an employee, how do I prevent flexible working from increasing rather than reducing my workload?
Set clear boundaries yourself by maintaining fixed start and end times, even when working from home, and turn off notifications from work apps outside working hours. Proactively communicate to colleagues and your manager when you are available, so that expectations are clear. Set up your home workspace ergonomically and establish consistent routines around breaks and movement. If you notice that the boundary between work and personal life is consistently blurring, raise this with your manager promptly — this is an organizational issue, not just a personal challenge.
What measurable results can I expect after introducing well-supported flexible working?
Organizations that manage flexible working well typically see a drop in absenteeism rates, higher employee satisfaction scores, and a decrease in turnover intention. Concretely, you can expect employees to spend less time commuting, which directly contributes to more recovery time and a lower perceived workload. It is advisable to conduct a baseline measurement before implementation and to measure again after six to twelve months on indicators such as absenteeism, employee experience, and productivity, so that you can assess the impact objectively.
How can technology such as AI help structurally reduce workload without becoming an additional burden itself?
The key is to choose technology that is easy to implement, requires minimal training, and delivers directly measurable time savings. Solutions that work plug-and-play and integrate seamlessly into existing processes — such as Kepler Night Nurse in healthcare — prevent the implementation itself from becoming a source of additional workload. Actively involve employees in the selection and introduction of new technology, so they experience the tool as support rather than as a monitoring instrument. Preferably start with a pilot group, evaluate the experiences, and only then scale up.
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This content was generated with the help of AI and it may contain mistakes