HRM

Workforce Flexibility

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April 26 , 2006

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Workforce Flexibility

Workforce Flexibility can be described in various ways , however the simplest way of explaining this relatively new phenomenon is that any kind of employment that differs from the traditional 9-5 job , yet still offers a permanent employment contract can be considered to be an aspect of workforce flexibility . The flexible ' aspect can relate to the employees or to the employer , or , in some cases , to both

From the employee 's point of view , flexible

work may allow more freedom to organize their employment to fit in with other parts of their life (Introduction 2006 . This can mean many different things to different people it can be that mothers or fathers want to spend more time with their children , perhaps they care for elderly parents , or it could even be that the daily commute to work puts a huge dent in their family budgets because of the exorbitant gasoline prices

There are basically three types of flexible work

Flexible Location

Flexible Time

Flexible contract (Introduction 2006

Flexible location can be described in different terms , but can mean working on the

move , working from home , or working from telecentres /satellite offices Flexible Time can include flexible hours , part-time working , jobshare compressed working weeks , annualized hours or zero hours . Flexible contract usually refer to outsourcing , use of agency workers temporary /fixed term contracts or casual labour (Introduction 2006

Many times the first reactions from employers , co-workers , and even family when the subject of workforce flexibility arises can be incomprehension , resistance or confusion about the entire idea . Slowly the tide is turning , however , and people are beginning to realize that flexible work is not about slacking off , but rather about improving the way the organization works , using property and IT more effectively enabling staff to work more effectively , enabling staff to live more balanced lives , and reducing wasteful unnecessary travel and resource consumption (Understanding 2006 . Sound pretty enticing , doesn 't it

Many times workforce flexibility comes about due to existing problems in companies such as trouble recruiting or retaining staff . The question then becomes : Could flexible working hours or term-working perhaps with some home-based working mixed in solve these problems

The first step in changing people 's perceptions about workforce flexibility is to get past the far-reaching stereotype that the only people involved in such a thing or working women with small children It is true that women are frequently the ones who take advantage of workforce flexibility , however the reality is that women tend to have more caretaking responsibilities , and fitting everything around their full-time job can be overwhelming at times . As more men are taking over some of these caretaking tasks , however , equally more men are leaning toward flexibility at their place of employment

Telework has the perception of being fraught with isolation , lack of supervision , lack of career opportunities , etc , but if the employee is coming in three or four days per week on average , or has regular contact with managers and colleagues at varying locations , contact and integration should not be a problem (Understanding 2006

We all like to blame managers as obstacles to flexible working , and , in some cases this can be true . Managers have usually reached senior positions by doing things in a certain way , and what they have done has been , apparently , successful (Understanding 2006 . Managers sometimes fail to understand why things need to be changed at all , after all , their techniques have been working just fine , right ? It may take some gentle persuasion and salient facts to persuade a long-time manager that these new ideas may actually make his company more productive , with happier employees to boot . Two of the issues that managers and employers may worry about when allowing an employee to work more flexibly can be colleague resentment and equating work-life policies with red tape ' Once these issues are dealt with to the satisfaction of all , the new policies can be beneficial to all concerned

The UK Government has recently employed legislation that allows parents with children under six or disabled children under eighteen the right to request flexible work (Time for Balance 2006 . The government is certainly crossing their fingers and hoping that most of the requests to work flexibly can be dealt with amicably , and , in fact , outlines a process for doing so . It is very important in all cases that both employers and employees understand the legislation and know their rights and responsibilities . The legislation spells out the legal framework ' for appeals , arbitration and employment tribunals , and it is estimated that there could be as many as 40 ,000 tribunal cases dealing with disputes per year (Time for Balance 2006

One organization that is currently in place is known as Time4balance and can provide assistance to individuals in the areas of

How to apply for a flexible working arrangement

The different types of flexible working arrangements

Devising a business case to support an application for flexible working

Providing supporting evidence of successful flexible working arrangements

Legal rights and issues (Legal Balancing Act 2006

It is a pretty sure bet that many more organizations such as this will begin surfacing

and there will be more and more resources for those employees seeking to explore the world of workforce flexibility

Lest we forget , employers have rights in these areas as well Employers must also see they are on firm ground and have a legitimate reasons for refusing a request to work flexibly (Time for Balance 2006 . The government legislation goes beyond the right to request and includes parental leave and marital discrimination among other issues

One of the issues in workforce flexibility is called valuing diversity ' in the sense that rigid employment policies that emphasise sameness offers few business advantages . John Whitely , Senior HR manager at Lloyd 's TSB argues persuasively for a strategy that includes the following

Diverse workforces better understand diverse customer needs

Mirroring customer pros is a valuable business too

Widening pools of talent will improve employer of choice and retention strategies

Diversity improves quality of thought , behaviour and outputs

Diverse teams reach higher quality decisions than homogenous ones (Flexibility and 2006

One of the key areas highlighted by the UK government for action by employers is that employers need to understand that part time does not mean half-hearted . By giving an employee the opportunity to spend more time with his or her family , or to do some of the things in life that are meaningful to the employee , it is much more likely that during the periods of work the employee will be giving 100 all the time (Work-Life 2006

Another area the government stresses is that employers need to realize that both employers and employees benefit from work-life balance . This is not a one-sided deal , but rather a way of working that benefits both the employer (happier , more productive employee ) as well as the employee (again , happier , more productive employee . It really is a win-win situation for all concerned (Work-Life 2006

The government further asks employers to let their employees enjoy their full holiday entitlement , encourage them to work from home when appropriate , enable employees to share jobs and adopt flexible hours in school holidays and to allow their employees full paid paternity and maternity leave (Work-Life 2006 ) It is sincerely hoped by all that these excellent suggestions from the government can be implemented with good results for all

A case study that has tested flexible working time for work-life balance and efficiency comes from Cloisters , the barristers ' chambers which provides legal advice and representation (Flexible Working 2006 . The Cloisters has 40 barristers supported by 10 .5 staff and the project was primarily aimed at that particular staff . The specific issues identified were : Absenteeism , morale , compliance with employment law and best practice and business improvements (Flexible Working 2006

A flexible hours framework ' was drafted and developed to meet Cloisters ' specific needs and with these objectives in mind

Enhance Cloisters ' corporate reputation

Be an employer of choice for new recruits

Reduce staff absence

Introduce more manageable working hours

Improve time-keeping

Provide more robust telephone and reception cover

Improve staff morale (Flexible Working 2006 . So , what was the outcome of the Cloisters ' project ? Discussions with the staff showed that an overwhelming majority of them felt this project had a very positive impact on their lives . Even those who were initially skeptical conceded the scheme had turned out to be beneficial not only for colleagues , but for themselves as well . All staff have now joined the flexitime scheme participation remains optional and some staff took part only after the scheme had been operation for a while and colleagues were obviously gaining benefits from it (Flexible working 2006

To end , I 'd like to offer some quotes from the staff of the Cloisters on Workforce Flexibility

I feel so much better . The week is no longer never ending

I feel healthier and less stressed

It 's good to know that , in future , I 'll be able to attend some of my children 's

daytime school events

I actually have time now to relax in the evenings and can get ready to go out

without rushing around (Flexible Working 2006

Works Cited

Flexible Working and The Law , 2006 . Flexible Hours in Barristers Chambers . [Online] Available from : HYPERLINK "http /www .flexibility .co .uk /cases /cloisters .htm http /www .flexibility .co .uk /cases /cloisters .htm [Cited 27 April 2006]

Flexibility and Work-life Balance , 2006 . Flexibility Central to work-life balance . [Online] Available from : HYPERLINK "http /www .flexibility .co .uk /issues /WLB /conference .htm http /www .flexibility .co .uk /issues /WLB /conference .htm [Cited 23 April 2006]

Introduction to Flexible Work , 2006 . Introducing Flexible Work : Welcome to the World of Flexibility ! [Online] Available from : HYPERLINK "http /www .flexibility .co .uk /flexwork /index .htm http /www .flexibility .co .uk /flexwork /index .htm

[Cited 29 April 2006]

Time for Balance , 2006 . Legal Balancing Act : Processing the right to request flexible work ' [Online] Available from : HYPERLINK "http /www .flexibility .co .uk /issues /WLB /time4balance .htm http /www .flexibility .co .uk /issues /WLB /time4balance .htm

[Cited 24 April 2006]

Understanding Flexible Work , 2006 . Understanding Flexible Work [Online] Available from : HYPERLINK "http /www .flexibility .co .uk /flexwork /general /firststeps .htm http /www .flexibility .co .uk /flexwork /general /firststeps .htm [Cited 28 April 2006]

Work-Life Balance , 2006 . Government Supports Work-Life Balance [Online] Available from : HYPERLINK "http /www .flexibility .co .uk /issues /WLB /website .htm http /www .flexibility .co .uk /issues /WLB /website .htm [Cited 23 April 2006] . Your Name PAGE 7 ...