Flexibility's Equally Advantageous for Employers and Workers - Literature review Example

Critically assess the proposition that flexibility is equally advantageous for employers and workers Contents Contents 2 Introduction 2 Discussion3 Overview of flexibility in work 3 Need for flexible work options 4 Steps to flexibility 5 Flexibility as an advantage to employers 7 Flexibility as an advantage to employees 8 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction The organizations operating in the 21st century have been evolving over the last decade with more focus being given on the employer and employee relationships. It is indicated through research that the maintenance of healthy employee relationships help to improve the overall productivity and performance of the employees as well as that of the organization. As such, more organizations are focusing on improving the employee relationships by introducing strategic human resource management concepts. The central fact of employee relationships is based on the interdependent relationship existing between the employers and the employees. Therefore, the mutually dependant relationship calls for cooperation in order to achieve the respective goals of the employers and the employees. For the employees, a wide number of financial and other benefits add up to the value of their service. These can be gauged by income as well as other service benefits like security, flexibility, knowledge, innovation, creativity, scope for training and development and so on. The employers use suitable strategies and balance of control to ensure high performances from the employees. It is important for the employers to maintain a suitable balance of control over the employees. While a high degree of stringent control may restrain the scopes of improvement and innovation, relinquishing the control completely may lead to the persuasion of incompatible goals and objectives within the organization. Therefore, the strategic importance of flexibility in employment relationship should be carefully evaluated before putting it in practice. Discussion Overview of flexibility in work Flexibility in work encompasses employee arrangements that are maintained in work places to ensure that the best possible match between the objectives of the organization and the individual interests of the employees is achieved (Hyman, 1975, pp.60-62). Flexible work options are known to significantly benefit the employees, employers, communities, economy as well as the environment. Many organizations have seen considerable improvement in productivity and customer service levels after the implementation of flexible options in the workplace. This is because flexibility often leads to more satisfied employees because it enables them to maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives. Flexibility involves the options of making changes in the times, days and hours of work and in the place that they work. It also encompasses the way transitions into work are managed, the way career and succession planning are maintained and how this flexibility is managed in the organization to achieve benefits for the employees as well as for the business (Moynagh and Worsley, 2005, p.54). Flexible working options can be of many times including part time work, part time leave without pay, job sharing, part year and variable year employment options, schemes for managing career breaks, work from home, acceptability of short term absence for health, community and family purposes, variability in flexible hour work arrangements etc. Need for flexible work options A number of business reasons have been identified for the implementation of flexible working systems in different organizations. The changing dynamics of employer and employee relationships have been a major driver of the introduction and popularity of flexible work options (Hollinshead, Nicholls and Tailby, 2003, pp.56-60). Also, the evolving workplace requirements and conditions have played a critical role in establishing flexible employment option as a common employment method followed by different organizations. The shifts in the global economies have resulted in increasing demands from the economic performances of different countries (Sisson and Purcell, 2010, pp.324-326). The economic pressure on the public sectors has been to minimize the value from the taxes and the need for adequate adaptation of management practices. These changes have been characterised by increasing productivity, improving customer services and managing a diverse employee group (Rubery and Grimshaw, 2003, p.114). The managers try to increase the productivity of their workforce by responding adequately to the requirements of the employees for maintaining a proper work life balance. The positive approach of the managers in supporting the employees to achieve work life balance helps to improve the level of commitment and loyalty of the employees and goes a long way in reducing the costs of stringent control over the employees by enabling the organizations to retain their employees and make much saving on the costs of training, absenteeism and employee turnover (Thompson and Warhurst, 1998, pp.660-662). Flexibility options in work also help in improving the customer satisfaction because the customer service timings can be shifted and extended to times when these services are most required, the employees with a diverse range of skills and expertise can be recruited and retained which helps to meet the diverse customer requirements as well. The changing dynamics of the global workforce is another factor which establishes the high need for flexible employment options in the modern business world (Legge, 1995, p.112). There have been major demographic shifts in the past few years which have created the need for more flexibility in the terms of employment. The inclusion of more female employees in all companies has led to an increased level of flexible work systems. For example, 65% of the women having dependent children work in the retail organizations which make it necessary to maintain flexibility on the part of the employers as well as the employees (Gregg, 2011, p.214). The changing landscape of the global societies indicates that the number of working women is increasing. The women employees also have their primary role of managing families and taking care of dependant children. Therefore, their needs are essential to be addressed in order to tap the complete productivity potential of these employees. Steps to flexibility The proper implementation of flexibility in employment calls for coordinated and balanced strategies including information, support, planning and training. The formulation of a flexible work system is not enough. The proper enforcement, implementation and monitoring of these practices are also essential to extract their full benefits for the employers. The management of a flexible work arrangement should be done in a strategic way to ensure that they are implemented as productive factors for the organization (Colling and Terry, 2010, p.280). Leadership is essential for ensuring that the implementation of flexible work systems is done in a planned and beneficial way. If all the employees of the organization are made aware of the flexible work patterns they would show increased responsiveness to their job roles. This would in turn increase the popularity of these practices and also ensure that the benefits achieved from the implementation of flexible work rules are maximized. The involvement of the senior management in advocating and endorsing these positive changes in flexible work systems would ensure greater benefits for the organization (McGovern, 2013, p.554). Only a strong leadership is not sufficient for the success of a flexible work system. This should be added up with stringent policy formulation aimed at strengthening and improving the use of flexible work patterns. A framework for the policy statement of the flexible work practices should include the benefits that can be achieved from this system, the availability of full time as well as part time jobs based on flexibility, the inclusion of the employers and employees being accountable for the beneficial implementation of these practices, the availability of suitable training, assistance and support from the human resource managers, an assurance on the part of the employers that the employees will get equal opportunities for training and development and non-biasedness on the basis of flexible or conventional work styles (Esping-Andersen,1990, p.360). The policy framework should also include the assurance that the employees who work under the flexible work system would be entitled to the same provision of skills, recognition of achievements, equipment, accommodation, work requirements and equal treatment from the employers and the work colleagues (Freeman, Boxall and Haynes, 2007, p.190). The flexible work systems are business and corporate planning phases which are used as strategies devised to improve customer service, productivity and minimize costs in the organization. Therefore, the formulation and implementation of the flexible work patterns adapted in an organization should be based on corporate and business planning. Establishing a team with management and employees is a common way of moving the organization towards flexible work systems (McGovern, 2007, p.104). The establishment of a team dedicated towards the development, implementation and reviewing of the policies and the business plans related to flexible work systems is a critical mechanism to ensure that the organization implements the flexible work systems in a mutually beneficial way. The presence of the representatives of both the management and the employees in the group would ensure that the interests and objectives of the employees and the employers are met in a coherent manner (Hyman and Ferner, 1994, p.40). The consultation of the employees is critical to identify the current and the emerging needs of flexibility as implemented in an organization. Flexibility as an advantage to employers Flexible work practices are not only beneficial for the employees but they are also equally important for the employers and organizations (Frege and Kelly, 2013, p.280). The popularity of flexible work systems in the modern world has been driven by the immense benefits derived from the system by both parties involved in the employment relationship. The most important benefit achieved form the flexible work system in the present day scenario is that it supports diversity in an organization (Dore, 2000, p.540). A flexible organization is often considered to be an organisation that values diversity in its workplace. Diversification of the workforce is a popular trend in the global business environment with more and more organizations moving towards employing people from varied background to ensure diversity in the workplace (Brown, 2009, p.114). Being flexible allows an organization to adjust to the varying needs of the workforce and helps to maintain the employee base in a cost efficient and productive manner. A flexible work system creates a positive work environment because it enables the human resource managers to adapt different shifts within the work schedules. This creates a balanced environment in which the employers and the employees can balance the work and personal lives in an effective way which is beneficial for both the parties. Aloes, it helps in developing mutual trust and motivation and helps to attract and retain talent and skills within the organization on the basis of the benefits attained by the employees. A flexible work system helps is saving costs for the employers including cost of training, development, turnover and attrition. Flexibility as an advantage to employees Flexibility in work is often found to result in stability and balance in the workplace. In a survey for major organizations on the United Kingdom, it has been noted that flexibility results in the facilitation of more value in both long term and short term employment (Boulton and Houlihan, 2009, p.180). The fluid work environment in modern organizations requires employees who are able to maintain focus on their work and to adapt easily to the changing priorities within the organization. The employees who can adapt to the continuously evolving priorities beyond their expertise are considered to be the most valuable assets in the organization (Glyn, 2006, p.200). Flexibility often helps the employees to extend their skills and expertise in the work field. A flexible work environment creates more opportunities for the employees to balance their work life and personal lives which results in the employees working with increased concentration and focus because they have scope and time to address their personal issues and responsibilities (Budd, 2004, pp.80-82). The flexible work process also makes the employees more responsive in adapting to changes. This also ensures that the resistance of the employees towards change is minimized and they are able to address complex situations and adapt to challenging situations in a more flexible and easy manner. Conclusion Thus, it can be identified that the flexible work systems are becoming common in the global business environment due to the core benefits associated with the implementation of the flexible work systems. Human Resource professionals in different organizations have taken up flexibility work systems as a part of their strategic human resource management because this system has been benefiting the individual employees as well as the organization by developing healthy employment relations. Most organizations have identified the human resource assets to be the greatest resources in the organization and thus, they continuously find ways to make this resource thrive with opportunities and motivation. Organizations that provide flexible work facilities have benefitted from these policies through cost saving, productivity and efficiency improvement and through better employee performance and customer satisfaction. Therefore, a flexible work system is considered to be a mutually beneficial practice that helps in creating a motivated and capable workforce and helps the organization to become competitive and adaptable to the evolving business requirements. References Boulton, S. C. & Houlihan, M. 2009. Work Matters: Critical Reflections on Contemporary Work. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Brown, W. 2009. The Evolution of the Modern Workplace. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Budd, J. W. 2004. Employment with a Human Face: Balancing Efficiency, Equity and Voice. Ithaca NY: ILR Press. Colling, T. & Terry, M. 2010. Industrial Relations Theory and Practice, 3rd edition. Chichester: Wiley. Dore, R. P. 2000. Stock Market Capitalism, Welfare Capitalism: Japan, Germany versus the Anglo-Saxons. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Esping-Andersen, G. 1990. The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Freeman, R. B., Boxall, P. & Haynes, P. 2007. 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