BEIT 336 (Formal report part 1, part 2 and part 3) - Essay Example

BEIT 336 Formal Report Part Part 2 and Part 3 OVERVIEW The traditional work environment is progressively becoming out d,as employers opt to allow their staff more flexible work hours than before. This change is ascribable to a wide array of reasons including: advances in technology, as can be discerned from widespread use of smartphones, computers and virtual workplaces. The contemporary work environment is also characterized by increased globalization hence job competition at the international level.

Generational dissimilarities are also apparent among modern workers, where the young ones prefer flexible work schedules, as opposed to the conventional seven to eight hour work days. Modern households also have increased number of care responsibilities. The latter, coupled with the need for dual-income has prompted many organizations to realize that they must create flexible work scheduling. It is this re-evaluation of prevailing conditions that bore Flextime, with companies hoping to utilize this scheduling technique to guarantee workers a more convenient and comfortable work program than before.

Flextime scheduling refers to a job programming technique, which allows workers to choose when to start or end their work days. The chosen work hours must, however, be within the limits stipulated by the respective company’s management. According to Kelliher and Riley (2003), flexible scheduling of work serves a dual function for organizations, as it acts as both a benefit for employees and a tool for enhancing their morale and productivity. Recent statistics garnered by the bureau of labor statistics show that about 43% of employers provide some, if not all, of their workers with at least some form of a flexible work schedule.

Given the growing popularity of flexible work times, this proportion is perhaps higher and likely to grow even further. Flexible programming of work tends to address employees not just as workers, but also as persons who yearn for balance between their work and real life, while deriving satisfaction by effectively meeting their numerous roles. With the heightened reputation of flexible work programs, companies have arbitrarily implemented them, failing to take into account procedural execution considerations.

Consequently, there have been emergent problems, like communication hindrance, elevated tension and conflicts between employees and supervising staff. This implies, therefore, that if companies strove to execute formal flextime work time programming policies, chances of success would be higher. This is because establishment of a formal structure would serve to reduce the aforementioned problems, while laying the foundation for stringent compliance with flextime guidelines. Further, clearly laid out policies on work flexibility would make it possible for workers to utilize their time productively and at the same time contribute towards enhanced company performance.

Examining the applicability of flextime to the distinctive roles and requirements of workers, in Madison Supply Company is vital to establishing whether implementation of flexible work hours would yield success in the corporation. Extensive research into the company and actual benefits of flextime would help determine if the company can derive advantages like enhanced employee morale and productivity through flextime implementation, or if it would be preferable if the company adhered to its usual working hours.

This paper seeks to establish if work scheduling on the basis of the flextime program will enhance employee’s motivation and productivity, and concurrently reduce instances of worker absenteeism and employee turnover at the Madison Supply Company. FACTORS Several factors are examined in detail in this research paper, in an effort to develop conclusive study outcomes and present feasible recommendations. The factors deemed relevant to this study include productivity, workers’ motivation or morale, absenteeism, and employee turnover.

In the course of the analysis, it is imperative to take note of the distinctive definitions of these crucial study factors. Productivity, for example, refers to an employee’s output when an employer takes into account the input availed to the worker. Morale, on the other hand, refers to workers’ enthusiasm to work for the organization, as a result of satisfaction and a positive attitude towards their job positions and workplace. The other crucial factor in the discussion, that is, absenteeism is essentially workers’ tendency to avoid going to work or meeting their assigned responsibilities.

In most cases of absenteeism, employees tend to cite personal problems like medical appointments, family obligations or even family emergencies. The final factor under consideration is employee turnover, which refers to the rate at which workers resign from the organization or are formally dismissed, and others hired, as a result of job dissatisfaction or inability to meet assigned job responsibilities. These factors form the scope of the research and are considered capable of providing all-inclusive insight into the research question.

This is because these factors correlate in molding the overall performance of employees and the consequent financial performance of the organization. Their direct correlation lies in the fact that, with elevated employee morale, reduced absenteeism and low rates of turnover, then productivity is enhanced, to the benefit of both the workers and the organization (Kelliher & Riley, 2002). These four principal factors are examined in detail, with every aspect seeking to determine if flextime can enhance employee productivity and eventual positive performance on the part of the Madison Supply Company.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Research into the problem statement largely relied upon previously collected primary data and recorded secondary data. The study, therefore, involved intense databases search, in an effort to acquire credible scholarly sources. The online libraries explored included ProQuest and EBSCOhost. Scholarly articles chosen for the study were those deemed relevant to the analysis of benefits and issues associated with flextime programming implementation. The research particularly focused on previous case studies, depicting the challenges and success attributes of flextime programs.

Chosen company cases bore close structural similarity to the Madison Supply Company, in an effort to get the best possible representative outcomes, conclusions and recommendations. In regard to the primary data, questionnaires with queries structured to specifically acquire Madison company workers about their opinion on flextime implementation were utilized. Questions were oriented towards addressing the primary research factors of productivity perception, levels of morale, incidences of absenteeism and the issue of turnover, all within the context of flextime implementation.

The report provides in depth insight into justification for the use of flextime programming in Madison Company. Overall, the benefits of flextime in enhancing employees’ performance surpass the scheduling technique’s challenges. RECOMMENDATIONS With adequate regulation and supervision from executive staff, the primary research conclusion is that, flextime will immensely improve employee productivity, enhance morale and reduce absenteeism, as well as, turnover. Key recommendations, therefore, include advising the Madison Supply Company to implement the program and to put in place a proper regulatory framework, which would ensure that workers do not abuse the flexible job hours.

The company must also ensure that its flextime program takes into account opinions from involved partisans, like employees and supervisors, in order to ensure that References Kelliher, C. & Riley, M. (2003). Beyond Efficiency: some by-products of functional flexibility. Service Industries Journal, 23(4), 15-17. Retrieved 24 June 2014 from ProQuest. Kelliher C. & Riley, M. (2002). Making Functional Flexibility Stick: an assessment of the outcomes for stakeholders. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 14(5), 23-27.

Retrieved 24 June 2014 from EBSCOhost.