Why are 5000 companies adopting flexible schedules?
By Kayla Webster | Published: 2025-10-30 20:21:00 | Source: Inc.com
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While executives at many major companies are pushing employees to return to their offices full-time, believing that remote work reduces productivity, leaders at some of the fastest-growing companies in the United States couldn’t agree more. According to Inc.’s annual CEO survey, 50 percent of Inc. 5,000 offer hybrid work arrangements for their employees, while another 28 percent offer fully remote work. Regan Gross, an HR knowledge consultant at SHRM, an HR trade group, notes that such flexible work policies are “critical” to “reducing burnout” and “enhancing job satisfaction.” In this turbulent economy, CEOs’ top HR concerns are retaining talent (59.3%) and recruiting talent (45.5%). So It should not be surprising that these leaders turn to a method that provides a high return at almost zero cost.
For Anna DiGilio, founder of Laprea Education, an e-learning provider based in Pleasantville, New York that focuses on literacy, building a remote workforce with flexible hours was a no-brainer. All employees, except those who work in La Brea warehouses, are working remotely. Before she founded her company, which ranked No. 1,571 on the 2025 Inc. list, 5000, DiGilio was a second-grade teacher. It’s a job, she says, that offers no flexibility — during the semester, you can’t even step away to use the bathroom. It was a stressful environment, but when DiGilio was diagnosed with breast cancer, the lack of flexibility made it difficult to plan appointments. She also believes the stress and anxiety associated with her teaching job is “part of the reason for her diagnosis.”
DiGilio decided she didn’t want to work that way anymore. After founding Laprea Education, it chose to build a remote workforce that provides employees with the flexibility to take care of personal needs — whether that’s attending a doctor’s appointment or stepping away to watch your child play at school.
“I think giving people flexibility, autonomy, and confidence in doing their job creates a really healthy work environment, which then creates a healthy body,” DiGilio says. “This is what I want for my employees.”
Becky Diltz, founder of Proforma Solutions (No. 4,032 in the Inc. 5000), a marketing agency in Southern California, believes in the importance of providing flexibility to employees to improve their well-being. Although the company does not offer remote work, it introduced a compressed schedule in March to give employees a three-day weekend every two weeks. The 9/80 schedule, used mostly in the oil and gas industry, involves eight nine-hour workdays and one eight-hour day spread over two weeks.
Diltz and her team decided to adopt the compressed 9/80 work week after a team member who previously worked in oil and gas suggested it would help improve work-life balance. Many of Proforma’s employees are caregivers for young children or the elderly, and they told Diltz that they felt like they had “no downtime” on the weekends because they were “running around taking care of things.” They also said it would be helpful to have a day during the week when they could take care of doctor’s appointments and other errands so they could actually enjoy the weekend. Diltz took these comments to heart and agreed to try it.
“People came back like they had a real break,” Diltz says. “Once we designed (the schedule), we didn’t feel like we were losing anything from a customer perspective.”
SHRM’s Gross asserts that a 9/80 schedule can “enhance work-life balance” and “improve productivity” by giving employees more vacation. But Gross cautions employers to be extra careful when planning payroll if they plan to adopt a compressed work schedule.
“Mistakes can lead to compliance issues and inefficiency,” Gross says. “While this schedule works well for certain types of roles, its success often depends on organizational culture, managerial adaptability, and support systems in place.”
For executives who worry that offering flexibility will reduce productivity, DiGilio says that if employees are “working hard, getting results, and meeting deadlines,” it’s clear their work is getting done. This philosophy appears to be endorsed by Inc. CEOs. 5000, who told Inc. That to be effective managers, company leaders need to demonstrate “adaptability and flexibility” (36.2 percent) and “communication” skills (24.5 percent). Gross points out that entrepreneurs’ ability to adapt will serve them well in their search for talent.
“The shift toward flexibility is a response to workforce demands for a better work-life balance, and is seen as a way to attract and retain top talent in a competitive business environment,” Gross says.
(tags for translation) ceo
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