1.Introduction

With the impact of the global COVID-19 epidemic, the world of work has experienced unprecedented upheaval, the most significant of which is the innovation of the working mode. The study of employee work flexibility, especially the flexibility of work time and space, has become a focus of attention in the academic and business communities. The purpose of this study is to explore this emerging issue in depth, to reveal the profound impact of the COVID-19on the work model, and to provide a theoretical basis and practical enlightenment for the future work organizations [1].

The concept of work flexibility has gradually developed since the 20th century, but COVID-19 has pushed it to a new height. The popularization of working from home and hybrid office models has made "flexible work" no longer a forward-looking concept, but a reality that enterprises must face. This change not only affects the operational efficiency of enterprises, but also has a profound impact on employee satisfaction and work life balance. At the same time, the acceptance of remote work, the efficiency improvement of video conferencing, the attention to employee mental health, and the future design of the workplace are all closely related to work flexibility.

Taking technology giant Google as an example, its spatial flexibility practices have shown significant effects on improving employee productivity and satisfaction. However, this change also brings a series of challenges, such as balancing work and life, avoiding the widening of the digital divide, and establishing effective remote collaboration mechanisms. Therefore, another important goal of the study is to explore how to address the new problems arising from the benefits of work flexibility while achieving more efficient and humane post pandemic work organizations.

To achieve this goal, this study adopts qualitative and quantitative research methods, combined with case analysis and empirical data, explores in-depth the impact of changes in work time flexibility on enterprise operations, as well as the successful practices of spatial flexibility in companies such as Google. The article also explores how enterprises can find balance and achieve long-term sustainable development in the complex and ever-changing post pandemic era from the perspectives of organizational resilience, employee psychology, and driving factors of dedication [2].

The first chapter "Introduction" lays the foundation for the entire paper, elaborates the research background, research objectives, research methods, and theoretical framework, provides guidance for further in-depth exploration of various aspects of work flexibility. With the continuous development of the post pandemic era, the importance of studying work flexibility will only become increasingly prominent. It hopes that this study can provide new insights for the theory and practice in this field.

2.Overview of Work Flexibility

2.1.Definition and characteristics of time flexibility

Time flexibility usually refers to the right of employees to independently decide their work hours within a certain range, including the start and end times of work, work schedule allocation, and adjustments to the length of work weeks [3]. The implementation of this flexibility often relies on modern technology, such as remote work tools, which make work no longer constrained by traditional office spaces and fixed schedules. The characteristics of time flexibility can be explored in-depth from the following aspects:

Autonomy: Employees have greater autonomy in scheduling and can adjust their work hours based on their personal pace of life, work efficiency, or family needs.

Adaptability: Time flexibility helps employees adapt to constantly changing personal and work needs, especially in the face of unexpected situations or life pressures, and can better balance work and life.

Efficiency oriented: Research has shown that flexible work arrangements can help improve employee work efficiency, as employees are able to work during the most focused time periods, thereby reducing the consumption of ineffective time.

Work life balance: Time flexibility helps alleviate conflicts between work and family life, alleviate employee stress, improve life satisfaction, and ultimately enhance overall job satisfaction.

Communication requirements: A flexible work mode requires more efficient communication mechanisms, such as regular online meetings and real-time communication tools, to ensure smooth team collaboration.

Trust foundation: The implementation of time flexibility is based on mutual trust between the enterprise and employees. The enterprise needs to trust employees to complete work within their self arranged time, and employees need to trust the enterprise not to abuse this flexibility to increase their work burden.

Performance management: In a time flexible work environment, a new performance evaluation mechanism is needed, shifting from relying on working hours to measuring output and quality to ensure work effectiveness.

Cultural adaptation: The introduction of time flexibility will have an impact on corporate culture and employee behavior, requiring corresponding adjustments, such as establishing a corporate culture that supports flexible work and encouraging employees to self-manage.

Understanding these characteristics of time flexibility can help companies better design and implement flexible work policies, while also providing employees with a more comfortable and efficient working environment. In the post pandemic era, the management of time flexibility will directly affect the operational efficiency of enterprises and employee satisfaction [3], and it is an important component of building resilient organizations and enhancing organizational resilience.

2.2.Definition and characteristics of spatial flexibility

Spatial flexibility, as the name suggests, refers to the ability of employees to complete work in different locations, rather than just in traditional offices. This flexibility has been greatly promoted in the post pandemic era, allowing "offices" to no longer be limited to physical spaces, but to expand to diverse environments such as homes, cafes, and shared office spaces [4]. The characteristics of spatial flexibility can be explored in-depth from the following aspects:

Remote work: The core of spatial flexibility is remote work, which allows employees to complete work from home or other non fixed locations, reducing commuting time and costs, and improving work convenience.

Hybrid office: Space flexibility also includes hybrid office mode, where employees can flexibly switch between the office and remote work for a period of time, combining the advantages of face-to-face communication and remote work.

Geographic Inclusion: Spatial flexibility can break geographical limitations, enabling companies to attract and retain outstanding talents from around the world, expand recruitment scope, and provide employees with broader development opportunities.

Collaboration tools: Achieving spatial flexibility relies on efficient collaboration tools such as video conferencing, instant messaging software, file sharing platforms, etc., which ensure effective communication and collaboration between remote and office employees.

Innovation environment: Spatial flexibility can stimulate innovation, and by providing different environments, employees can think in a more comfortable environment, thus generating new perspectives and solutions.

Resource efficiency: Enterprises can reduce the rental and maintenance costs of office space and achieve cost optimization through efficient utilization of space.

Work life integration: Spatial flexibility blurs the boundaries between work and life, allowing employees to find a balance between work and life in a more flexible environment, which helps improve overall satisfaction and reduce stress.

Cultural transformation: Spatial flexibility requires a shift in corporate culture and values, acceptance and encouragement of remote work, while establishing a trust and result oriented management model.

Understanding the characteristics of spatial flexibility can help enterprises effectively implement remote and hybrid office strategies, while promoting employee satisfaction and productivity. In the post pandemic era, spatial flexibility is a key element for enterprises to cope with uncertainty, enhance organizational resilience, and achieve future work mode transformation. By optimizing space usage and adapting to new collaboration methods, enterprises can better adapt to the constantly changing business environment while improving employee productivity and satisfaction.

3.Changes and impacts of employee work time flexibility in the post COVID-19 era

3.1.Changes in time flexibility

With the outbreak of the COVID-19, global enterprises were forced to re-examine the arrangement of working hours, and the flexibility of working hours also changed significantly. This change is not only reflected in the adjustment of work schedules, but also in the profound transformation of work time management methods and employees' perceptions of work time autonomy.

Enterprises have generally introduced flexible work time systems, allowing employees to adjust work start and end times based on their personal biological clock and task priorities. For example, many companies have implemented flexible work schedules, allowing employees to freely arrange their work during specific time periods of the day, as long as they ensure the completion of established tasks. This approach aims to improve employee work efficiency, reduce ineffective time consumption, and alleviate conflicts between work and life [5].

The popularity of remote work has made managing time flexibility more complex. Employees who work from home are no longer constrained by traditional office hours [6]. They can more freely arrange their work hours, such as working during efficient hours in the morning or late at night, which may be difficult to achieve in traditional office environments. However, this also brings new challenges, such as how to ensure the reasonable management of remote employees' working hours and avoid blurring the boundaries between work and life, which affects work life balance.

The increase in video conferences has also had an impact on time flexibility. Enterprises are increasingly relying on online meetings, which not only improve communication efficiency but also increase employee conference fatigue. Therefore, research has found that optimizing the arrangement of video conferences, reducing unnecessary meetings, and improving the efficiency of meetings have become important issues in improving employee job satisfaction [4].

The COVID-19 also prompted enterprises to re-examine the length of work weeks. Some companies have started experimenting with four-day work schedules or short-term centralized work to alleviate the long-term work pressure on employees while maintaining production efficiency. These new time management strategies provide employees with more freedom and encourage companies to pay more attention to their health and well-being.

Although time flexibility brings many benefits, it also brings new challenges to enterprise management and employee relationships. How to respect employee autonomy while ensuring the achievement of work goals and preventing task delays has become an important issue faced by enterprise managers. Meanwhile, for employees, maintaining good work habits and avoiding overwork while enjoying time flexibility is also a challenge [5].

In the post pandemic era, companies need to develop adaptive strategies to manage and optimize time flexibility, including providing training to help employees adapt to new time management models; developing clear remote work time regulations to ensure work life balance; and using technical means, such as time management tools, to track and evaluate employee work efficiency. Through these measures, enterprises can fully utilize the potential of time flexibility while reducing the resulting side effects and achieving an efficient transformation of work modes.

3.2.The impact of time flexibility on employee work

The improvement of time flexibility has had a profound impact on the work of employees, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects [6]:

Work efficiency improvement: Employees are able to work during their personal high efficiency periods, reducing waste of ineffective time and thus improving work efficiency. According to research, employees working during their most focused time periods significantly improve productivity, which makes work time management more focused on output rather than working hours.

Enhanced job satisfaction: Time flexibility provides personalized work arrangements, allowing employees to better balance work and personal life, reducing the pressure caused by work family conflicts. This helps to improve employee satisfaction, reduce turnover rates, and thus enhance employee loyalty to the company.

The diversity of innovation and thinking: flexible work schedules encourage employees to think about problems at different times and stimulate innovative thinking. During non-traditional work hours, employees may have more time and space to engage in deep thinking and propose new perspectives and solutions.

Psychological health improvement: Time flexibility helps alleviate work pressure, avoid overwork, provide employees with more autonomy, and help improve mental health. Research shows that employees who have autonomy over their working hours typically experience lower levels of anxiety and stress.

Work life integration and blurred boundaries: While time flexibility brings convenience, it may also lead to blurred boundaries between work and life. This requires employees to learn self-management, set clear boundaries, and maintain work life balance.

The challenge of communication and collaboration: Although modern technology makes remote work possible, communication challenges also arise. Employees need to adapt to different communication methods, such as online meetings, to ensure accurate information transmission and prevent meeting fatigue.

The transformation of performance management: With the increase in time flexibility, traditional hour based performance evaluation methods are no longer applicable. Enterprises need to shift towards results oriented performance management, focusing on employee output and quality rather than the length of working hours.

The reshaping of organizational culture: Time flexibility requires the adjustment of corporate culture and values to embrace and encourage employee autonomy in management. This may include establishing a culture of trust, implementing flexible assessment systems, and providing necessary technical support.

The impact of time flexibility on employee work is multifaceted, bringing about improvements in productivity and satisfaction, as well as new challenges such as communication and collaboration, work life balance, and performance management. Enterprises need to fully consider these impacts when implementing time flexibility policies and explore best practices with employees to achieve mutual growth for the organization and employees. At the same time, policy makers should also pay attention to the long-term impact of flexible work on the labor market and social structure, and seek more fair and inclusive policy solutions [7].

4.Exploration of Spatial Flexibility Using Google as an Example

4.1.Google's spatial flexibility practice

As a global technology giant, Google has always played a leading role in workspace flexibility. Google's office environment is renowned for its innovation, openness, and diversity, and the company is committed to providing employees with a space to inspire innovation and promote collaboration. In the post pandemic era, Google's spatial flexibility practices have attracted more attention, not only reflected in the promotion of remote work, but also in its active exploration of hybrid office models.

Google has implemented a remote work policy since 2020, allowing employees to choose to work from home or in the office based on their own situation. This flexible office approach not only reduces employee commuting time and commuting costs, but also provides a more comfortable working environment, which helps to improve job satisfaction. According to internal data, Google's remote work policy has not affected employee productivity, but improved productivity in some cases.

Google places great emphasis on office design, aiming to create a space that encourages communication and stimulates innovation [8]. Its famous "open office" concept provides a variety of work areas, including quiet personal work areas, collaborative desks, comfortable rest areas, and fully equipped meeting rooms, to meet the work needs of employees in different situations. This design allows employees to freely choose their work location within the office based on tasks and mood, achieving flexibility in the space.

In order to meet the needs of the post pandemic era, Google has also innovated in the hybrid office model. The company advocates a "20-20-20" model, where 20% of the time is spent in the office, 20% is spent working remotely, and the remaining 60% is decided by employees themselves. This model allows employees to flexibly adjust their office locations based on project needs and personal living conditions, while balancing the advantages of face-to-face communication and remote work.

4.2.The benefits and challenges of Google space flexibility

Google's spatial flexibility practices have brought many benefits to employees. Firstly, the flexibility of space increases employee satisfaction, enabling them to find a better balance between work and life. Secondly, the hybrid office model helps to reduce commuting time and improve employee productivity and quality of life. Furthermore, the diverse office environment stimulates innovation, promotes knowledge sharing and fosters teamwork.

However, spatial flexibility also brings some challenges. For example, remote work may lead to communication barriers between employees and affect team collaboration. Google solves this problem by using efficient online collaboration tools such as Google Meet, Google Docs, and Slack. In addition, how to ensure that employees remain efficient while working remotely and avoid blurred boundaries between work and life is also a challenge that Google needs to face. To this end, Google encourages employees to set clear working hours and provides resources and training to help them adapt to the new work mode [4].

4.3.Inspiration from Google's case study

Google's spatial flexibility practices provide valuable references for other businesses. Firstly, companies need to establish a culture of inclusiveness and support for remote work, encouraging employees to improve productivity in a comfortable working environment. Secondly, the implementation of the hybrid office model requires flexible management strategies, such as clear office hours, effective online communication mechanisms, and a fair performance evaluation system. Finally, companies should pay attention to the mental health of their employees, provide necessary support, and ensure that they can maintain a good work life balance while enjoying spatial flexibility [8].

Google's practice of spatial flexibility demonstrates its profound understanding of employee needs and relentless pursuit of innovative work modes. In the post pandemic era, enterprises should learn from the case of Google, combine their own characteristics, and explore the most suitable spatial flexibility strategy to cope with future uncertainty and achieve long-term development for the organization.

5.Conclusion

This study delves into the importance and complexity of employee work flexibility in the post pandemic era, with a focus on the transformation of work time and space flexibility and its profound impact on business operations and employee satisfaction. Through theoretical analysis and case studies, it reveals the changes in work patterns in the post pandemic era, and provides valuable theoretical basis and practical inspiration for policy makers and business leaders.

Based on the above analysis, this study draws the following conclusions:

Work flexibility is a key strategy to cope with the uncertainty of the post pandemic era, which can enhance the adaptability of enterprises and employee satisfaction, but requires proper management to address emerging challenges. Technology plays a core role in supporting work flexibility, and companies should continue to invest in collaborative tools to optimize communication efficiency in remote and hybrid office models. Enterprises need to build an organizational culture that supports flexible work, establish trust mechanisms, and innovate performance management to ensure work effectiveness. To reduce the risk of blurred work life boundaries, companies should provide training and support to help employees set boundaries between work and life and maintain healthy work habits.

The future design of office space should balance health, flexibility, and digitization to meet the work needs of the post pandemic era. The conclusion of this study provides valuable guidance for policy makers and business leaders, emphasizing the need to focus on improving employee mental health and job satisfaction while pursuing efficiency and innovation. Future research can further explore how to effectively implement work flexibility strategies in enterprises with different industries, scales, and cultural backgrounds, and how these strategies affect long-term organizational performance and employee development.