Workplace flexibility was once a cutting-edge idea, differentiating new, trendy companies from the pack. Today it’s proving to be an essential recruitment tool, a factor that many organizations need to consider to attract and maintain the best talent.

In a recent New York Times article, employees say they are willing to accept lower-paying jobs in exchange for the ability to work when and where they choose. Moreover, the best employees, those that have the leverage to negotiate, are leaving traditional employers to build careers where they have greater flexibility.  For a younger generation entering the workforce, who do not remember a time without the immediate access mobile tools provide, the idea of being tied down to a desk from 9-5 doesn’t compute.

The same article also references a Harvard Business School/Boston Consulting Group Study. The survey of 11,000 workers and 6,500 business leaders asks what factors they think will impact the future of work. It found that a majority of respondents say employees expect flexible, autonomous work, better work-life balance, and remote working. However, only 30% believe that their company is prepared for this shift.

Smartphones have put computers in our pockets, proving that almost anything can get done on-the-go, and there is no turning back. Fortunately, productivity solutions, like mobile dictation apps, give many of these employees who want or need flexibility, the power to work wherever they want.  Is your organization ready?