The Impact of Flexible Work Practises on Employee Commitment - Essay Example

The UK employees continue to feel increased stress and tension in their work environments, due to work intensification and increased work pace. These have created the need for flexible work to achieve a balance between work and non-work demands (Green 2006). The application of flexible working practises enables employees to manage their workload, as well as when and where they can carry out such tasks for them to effectively attain stability between professional and personal activities (Lewis 2003).

Flexible work practises can bring about a wide range of positive outcomes for employees. When employees are given the freedom of choice with regard to their work patterns, job satisfaction can be increased (Hyman and Summers 2004). In remote working, for instance, aside from increased employee satisfaction, there has also been an increase in worker autonomy and independence. Moreover, the use of flexible work arrangements has led to reduced levels of stress and pressure among employees. Although remote workers, such as those who work at home or make use of telecommuting, experience a decrease in stress levels, others on the contrary assert that flexible work practises can bring about further stress and ill mental health.

This is in comparison with those who work onsite (Tietze and Musson 2005). Nonetheless, work flexibility has caused positive outcomes such as improvements in achieving work-life balance. Organisations have also benefited from such practises through increased productivity, enhancement of work quality, and improvement of financial performance. Decreases in absenteeism and increased employee loyalty, commitment, and retention rates are also apparent outcomes of flexible work practises (Branine 2003; Greenhaus and Powell 2006).

However, it is important to understand that although work flexibility may allow employees to manage their work patterns, positive outcomes have not always been achieved. Critics assert that focusing on choice and balance suggests having control over one’s life decisions, although these have to be considered in relation to the constraints brought about by gender, norms, and organisational culture.