Impacts of Flex-Time and Flexible Working Hours - Case Study Example

Title: Impacts of Flex-Time and Flexible Working Hours on a Company’s HR Name: Registration No: Institution: Name of professor: Date of Submission: 1. Introduction There has been a growing concern among employees to manage their work-life balance so that impacts such as depression, marital problems, fatigue and stress-related illnesses are not experienced. This is because; current working populations in various assignments are most likely to be affected by these complications. As a result, problems such as increased absenteeism and reduced productivity have been experienced (Armstrong & Brown, 2006). In addition, there are public costs to the health care departments of organizations in managing work-life stress. Some employees have also found difficulties in taking part in other activities such as taking care of the elderly in the community or taking part in leisure activities. The most affected people by work-life balances are women who have reported the need to take care of their children as well as attend to domestic chores as one of the work-life balance issues they face. Work-life balance issues have also been experienced by men (Avery & Zabel, 2001). This is because there are a number of work pressures that make them report imbalances in work and life. Another observation that has been made is that technologies such as cellphones, laptops and digital assistants enable us work in any location. This also implies work following us wherever we go with these gadgets. This has resulted into complains that technology is contributing to an increase in workload. In spite of the rationale associated with work-life balance, a person who operates a business may need more concrete reason for including work-life balance into the organization. Inability of organizations to manage the work-life balance of their employees has resulted into a number of costs for many employers. The costs have been increased absenteeism, increased employee turnover, reduced productivity, health costs, low job satisfaction, high managerial stress, and impaired relationship with families among others. An example of a statistic to support this claim is that there has been a double increase in absenteeism due to work-life balance in the past decade and employees that have high work-life conflicts are twice likely to miss workdays compared with those who experience moderate conflicts (Bell, 2012). Statistics also show that some employees fail to apply for promotions because of work-life conflicts. In order to make employees satisfied with the work they do as well as enhance their lifestyles, the flex-time and flexible work hours have been suggested as a method of working. Employees can apply a range of flexi-time and flexible work hours to manage their tasks both at work and at home. This paper presents various forms of flexi-time strategies and flexible working strategies that can be used by organizations as well as the impacts associated with these strategies in the performance of an organization towards its goals and objectives. 2. Discussion Flex time refers to the process of enabling the employees to perform a particular task at the most comfortable time so that the employee can attend to other activities in their lives. Flexible working hours is the process of enabling the employees to work at various locations such as at home or at school while executing the tasks that are aimed at achieving the objectives of the organization. Most organizations have been faced with the challenge of whether to implement flex time and flexible working hours. This is based on uncertainty associated with the implications of implementing these strategies in human resource management (Burkholder, N. C., & Sartain, 2003). As a result, this paper investigates a number of flex times options and flexible working hour’s strategies which can be implemented by an organization based on the nature of the organization as well as the ability of the organization to achieve its goals while implementing the strategy. There are also a number of positive and negative effects of implementing these strategies during HR management. These effects are investigated in details and a recommendation of the smart move that organizations can take to achieve workers satisfaction as well as implementing flexible working hours and flex time are implemented. 2.1. Various forms of flex-time and flexible working hours for employees There exists a number of flex-time and flexible working hours for employees in any company that needs to incorporate the practice in its activities. 2.1.1. Flex the time An example of such a strategy is flexing the time. This is where flexible arrangements are made for the reporting time at work in terms of the number of days, hours and end time. This can be implemented through an alternative work schedule. This is where employees are allowed to work the full day but can vary the start times and end times within the specified guidelines (Cascio & Boudreau, 2008). For example, when an employee comes to work at 7 am, the employee can leave at 3 pm while another employee who comes to work at 9 am leaves at 5 pm, but they are all at work within the duration required for them to be at work. Flex time can also be achieved by compressing the week. This is where employees are allowed to work full number of hours during the regular schedule of the week but the hours are compressed to a few numbers of days (Deb, 2006). For instance, when an employee works an extra hour each day, the employee is provided with a day off every two weeks and an employee that adds one minute each day receives an off each third Friday. 2.1.2. Flex the place An example of this form of a strategy is telecommuting. This is where regular work is performed from home on either temporary or permanent basis (Elsbach, Bechky & Davis Conference on Qualitative Research, 2005). It involves the use of communication technology such as telephone, fax machine or a computer at home with a link to the main office. 2.1.3. Flex the job An example of this strategy is where the job design is flexed by changing the responsibilities so that a more balanced set of responsibilities can be attained. It involves understanding tasks involved in a job and the expected results and how success should be measured (In Chalofsky, In Rocco & In Morris, 2014). Furthermore, job can be flexed by enabling two people share responsibilities, hours at work and benefits. Examples of configurations include morning/afternoon splits and alternative week splits. This is followed by splitting the benefits based on the percentage of full-time hours that each employee worked. 2.1.4. Flex the benefits Flexing benefits is another strategy that flex-time and flexible working hours can be implemented in an organization. The provision of a range of benefits enables creation of personalized packages aimed at meeting individual needs of workers. For instance, leaves can be provided to employees based on the category of leave that the organization prefers to provide to its employees. The main leaves are vacation leaves and maternity leaves. The employer has the responsibility to pay employees during leave but it is based on the circumstance under which the leave is provided (Phillips & Edwards, 2008). Other common types of leaves that can be provided as flexi time strategies include bereavement leave, compassionate care leave, maternity leave, paternity leave and professional development leave. In addition, employees can be provided with dependent care so that they can support their children and elderly relatives. Furthermore, employee assistance programs can be provided. This is where employees are assisted with a number of personal concerns that may have negative impacts on them such as abuse of substance and mental health issues (Tatara & CCH Incorporated, 2002). These programs enable employees’ access counselors’ services after which the counselor refers the caller to the right community resources when there is the need for long-term treatment. Wellness programs are also a strategy that can enable accomplishment of education needs of employees so that they can maintain good physical, mental and social health. This title incorporates a range of information services such as education, training, stress management and weight management programs. 2.2. Positive impacts of flex-time and flexible work hours on the company There are a number of positive impacts of flex-time and flexible working hours for employees of any organization. For instance, flex time enables employees fit and work on their personal commitments, employees are able to work at a time that is best for them and it is also a strategy which ensures an improvement on access to customers, co-workers on various shifts (Torres-Coronas & Arias-Oliva, 2009). Flexible work hours also ensure employees are able to access computer networks outside peak hours. Compressed work week ensures employees are able to arrange for individual needs as well as saving time and costs of commuting, parking moving out of the office during lunch hours and taking care of their children. It is also possible to extend hours of service to customers or save on overtime costs. Voluntary part time and reduced hours enable employees have enough time to manage personal commitments, feel satisfied in their jobs and maintain a work-life balance while companies are able to recruit and retain employee who are not willing to work full-time. When there is flexibility in place of work, the main advantage is the advantage of telecommuting such as ability of employees to adjust work schedules so that personal needs are accommodated, save time and costs required during travel as well as increase productivity due to fewer distractions during working hours. It is also possible to save on office space and the costs involved during operation (Vogelsang, 2013). The strategy of telecommuting also ensures employers are able to broaden the recruitment pool by including people who are not willing to commute to work. It is also a strategy which ensures the employee is able to work at home where there is adequate friendliness and calmness from activities in the streets when commuting to and from work. There is also reduced absenteeism since the employee is able to do the work which would have been done at workplace irrespective of having to report to workplace. Another positive impact of job flexibility and flexible working hours for employees is that it results into an improvement in working relations between employees and supervisors. As a result of flexible working relations, it is possible to replace old fashioned idea of what is usually referred to as Face Management where the boss needs to see the employee at work so that he can ascertain that work is being done. This is a cultural idea that can be abolished by the need to implement a more far-sighted approach. Indeed, by calling Face Management an old culture device, its implementation can result into various forms of situations such as the feeling that an employee has to stay late simply because the boss needs to be impressed (Armstrong & Brown, 2006). Employers are required to make no mistake since employees make comparisons of the manner in which family members are treated at work places and some are likely to transfer to work places that offer flexible working environments. Job flexibility in the form of job redesign ensures employees are encouraged to be involved in problem-solving activities and it involves a wide range of options. It is also a strategy which ensures underlying reasons for job stress are addressed. Job flexibility strategy of job sharing ensures employer’s base is widened for potential employees, employees who share jobs are able to enjoy job satisfaction and work-life balance, it ensures there is the benefit of a combination of skills and expertise and finally it ensures the ability of the employer to share spaces in office so that overhead costs are reduced (Avery & Zabel, 2001). The strategy of providing employees with leaves ensures they overcome monotony at work so that they can report to work when they are fresh and willing to take on new challenges. The strategy of enabling employees take care of their dependents ensures those who have children are able to take care of them while also working for the company while time wasted during commuting can be saved. Programs such as Employees Assistance Programs (EAP) ensure a range of support services are accessed by employees and benefits are achieved by both workers and their families (Bell, 2012). It is also a strategy which ensures a professional judgment is made regarding the need for long-term counseling assistance. 2.3. Negative impacts of flex-time and flexible work hours on the company There are a number of negative impacts of flex time and flexible working hours for employees in an organization. An example of such an impact is the difficulty to schedule meetings when alternative work schedules are provided to employees. It may also be difficult to achieve the needs of all positions (Burkholder, N. C., & Sartain, 2003). A compressed work week results into lack of productivity for longer working days when they are scheduled to be completed within a shorter working period, activities such as transportation and child care may not be in line with alternate work hours. Difficulties can also be experienced during the process of calculating vacation and sick days. Voluntary, part-time and reduced hours of work are irrelevant in some jobs that are not suitable for part-time activities. Part-time employees are also likely to be viewed as less committed and may not be considered during promotion while there may be a reduction in hours without necessarily reducing the workload of employees (Cascio & Boudreau, 2008). In some cases, it may be found that part-time access to a part-time employee may not be possible when there is the need to attend to an emergency situation. The strategy of telecommuting has a number of limitations such as irrelevance of some jobs for telecommuting such as jobs that require the employee to be in the office throughout the day or those who are not able to work independently (Deb, 2006). There is also a limitation that telecommuting is not suitable in some environments such as homes with pre-school children or homes where there are inadequate working environments. Telecommuting also affects teamwork, team spirit and difficulties may be experienced in the process of scheduling meetings, training sessions and it may also be difficult to distribute workload. Flexible job such as flexing the job design can result into time-wastage and particular skills may be necessary in job analysis and redesign thus affecting the operations of the organization. Some employees may also be resistant to change. The strategy of job sharing has the limitation that those who share jobs have to cope with differences in work styles and standards as well as sharing stipends and benefits, leaving less to each partner (Elsbach, Bechky & Davis Conference on Qualitative Research, 2005). This may be a difficult situation when there is the need to attend to a client who does not want to be attended by more than one person. A program such as Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has the limitation of costs which may be incurred by small organizations that do not have the ability to raise enough income to cater for the program. In addition, an organization may be involved in a daunting task during the process of choosing providers and programs to implement. 2.4. Positive recommendations When implementing alternative working schedules, it is recommended that the employer should identify the core hours when employees have to be within the organization and start and end times should be specified so that an employee reports and leaves work within these periods. In addition, it is recommended that meetings should be held at the core times and overtime should be handled, defined on the basis of flex-time schedule (In Chalofsky, In Rocco & In Morris, 2014). Trial period should be allowed so that adjustments can be made as required and start times should be rotated between employees who need the same shifts. It is also suggested that staggered shifts should be established to ensure coverage is achieved and employees are required to comply with employment standards before setting longer hours. Furthermore, when an employer intends to introduce voluntary part-time or reduced hours, it is required that a reasonable schedule should be chosen so that peak workloads are accommodated and there is regular staff meetings and natural breaks are allowed. It is also recommended that pay should be provided based on seniority rights and part-time employees should be treated equally and should be considered for promotion as well as being invited to staff functions. Some of the positive practices that should be implemented by an organization that intends to apply telecommuting as a flexible working strategy include checking insurance coverage and liability of the employer to the safety of the employee during telecommuting, the right equipment should be identified and the manner in which they will be supplied and monitored should be determined. It is also required that security confidentiality for work requirements should be established and long-term dependent care should be put in place (Phillips & Edwards, 2008). The propositions for the best practice in job redesign include making it a collective undertaking by involving all employees, representatives of unions and customers as well as anyone that can be affected by change. It is also required that the expected results should be defined and how success will be measured such as speed, amount of success and the expected revenue. Cluster of similar jobs should be compared by looking at the opportunities and cost-effectiveness as well as redistributing work assignments. In the strategy of job sharing, it is required that the company should ensure partners involved in job sharing are those who are able to respect each other, communicate and collaborate effectively. It is also recommended that tools and processes should be established to enable communication (Tatara & CCH Incorporated, 2002). These include the use of logbooks, as well as keeping a regular schedule. In addition, there should be a plan for overlap time and methods of handling vacations and holidays should be determined. When a company uses the strategy of flexing the benefits, it is required that employees should be allowed to pool hours for another employee who requires to be assisted to complete his task. It is also suggested that employees should be allowed to self-refund benefits when they are on leave and employees should be allowed to take a number of personal days with no questions asked. 3. Conclusion While the process of implementing flex time and flexible working hours is optional and not mandatory for an organization, it is expected that organizations must ensure flexibility is implemented in few cases in the daily activities of the organization. This is because, if flexibility is not allowed, employees are likely to be easily fatigued and errors can be common thus affecting the performance of the organization. As a result, it is recommended that common forms of flexibility such as enabling employees wear casuals on Fridays and weekends are workable and can improve the performance of an organization in a number of ways by motivating employees. There are also design considerations that should be created so that employees do not feel less free to perform other activities such as resting from work or pausing from a continuous activity. The act of scheduling breaks on workdays such as at the beginning, middle and end of the day, organizing social events that strengthen work relationships and provision of workplace photo diaries, videos and enabling employees bring their children to work are examples of flexible working methods. Employees can also be allowed to attend fit shows and fitness centers on weekdays or a massage therapist can be brought into the organization to provide the employees with physical exercise needs. While these provisions are made to employees, it is required that the organization must ensure its activities remain normal and not negatively impacted as a result of introduction of flex times and flexible working hours. When these considerations are made, it is expected that most employees will be satisfied with the working conditions and will be motivated to perform well thus improving their lifestyles, competence and productivity of the organization at large. References Armstrong, M., & Brown, D. (2006). Strategic reward: Making it happen. London: Kogan Page. Avery, C., & Zabel, D. (2001). The flexible workplace: A sourcebook of information and research. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Quorum Books. Bell, M. P. (2012). Diversity in organizations. Mason, Ohio: South-Western College. Burkholder, N. C., Sr, P. J. E., & Sartain, L. (2003). On Staffing: Advice and Perspectives from HR Leaders. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Cascio, W. F., & Boudreau, J. W. (2008). Investing in people: Financial impact of human resource initiatives. Upper Saddle River, N.J: FT Press. Deb, T. (2006). Strategic approach to human resource management: Concept, tools and application. New Delhi: Atlantic. Elsbach, K. D., Bechky, B. 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