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Providing flexible options for employees remains important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the impact on morale and “engagement.”

The advantages of offering flexibility in work arrangements are attracting more corporate attention, suggests a recent study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (I4CP). The study found that a full 84 percent of companies overall believe that flexible work arrangements in their organization boosts employee morale. That figure is up from 76 percent in a similar 2008 study conducted by I4CP. Correspondingly, the 2009 study showed that 78 percent of polled companies say flexwork options bolster retention rates, up from 64 percent the previous year.

According to the most recent study results, “flextime” (flexible start/end times) is the most-used flexwork option, with 76 percent of companies overall selecting it as their top option. Working from home was the second-most favored, at 59 percent overall (that figure jumps to 70 percent in companies with more than 10,000 employees), followed by part-time work, pointed to by 56 percent of organizations.

Those most likely to request flexible work arrangements include employees in professional roles (topping the list at 85 percent), followed by those in administrative roles (60 percent). In general, younger employees — 29 percent (41 percent in large companies) — are more likely to request the benefit, and more females (35 percent) than males (6 percent) tend to make such requests.

The most common rationales cited for offering flexible work arrangements by 60 percent of the overall respondents (and 69 percent of large companies) were that the employees, “job doesn’t require presence in the office,” followed by 60 percent who said long commutes were a reason, and 47 percent of respondents cited offering flexible arrangements for employees returning from maternity leave.

Keeping tabs on flexible work arrangements is also a priority. Sixty-nine percent of polled companies use established deadlines to measure productivity in a flexible work situation, while 66 percent keep an eye on project completion and 39 percent rely on periodic status reports.

With today’s added focus on flexwork options, however, come additional concerns. When asked how flexible work options might be a detriment to the organization, almost two-thirds (64 percent) of the 2009 study respondents said that flexwork arrangements tend to frustrate workers who cannot utilize the benefit, compared to 36 percent a year ago, and 42 percent of 2009 respondents reported that the option is frustrating to managers, while just 20 percent felt so in 2008.

Also, the current economic situation appears to have limited bearing on flexwork programs. Sixty percent of all companies polled said the economy has had no effect on their programs, and 19 percent related they have increased flexible work options. Just 8 percent have reduced options in their companies.