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Flexible work arrangements

Employers in today’s labour market are becoming increasingly more concerned with
attracting and retaining the best employees possible. Research show that the availability of
flexible work arrangements is a huge influence when people choose where to work and
whether to stay in the organisation [ CITATION Ric08 \l 1044 ]. In the recent years research
conducted on flexible work practices has shown that it not always produce the expected
benefits sought after. This essay will examine some evidence for and against the use of
flexible work arrangements. It will then give advice on how organisations can improve the
effectiveness of such programs.

Lambert, Marler, & Gueutal ( 2008) define flexible work arrangements as “employer
provided benefits that permits employees some level of control over when and where they
work outside the standard workday” (p. 107). Organisations can offer a wide variety of
flexible work practises and often the employee and employer discuss which arrangement to
use on a case-by-case basis [ CITATION Dre03 \l 1044 ]. Many different flexible work
arrangements is available but the most common are flex leave [ CITATION All07 \l 1044 ],
flexitime, compressed work schedules [ CITATION Bal99 \l 1044 ], telecommuting [ CITATION
Hil96 \l 1044 ], part-time work and job sharing [ CITATION Rus09 \l 1044 ]. All these schemes
give more time to attend off work activities. Therefore some benefits are expected.

Organisations use flexible work practises as a component of their family-friendly policies

[ CITATION Ols06 \l 1044 ]. Previous research indicates that the availability of flexible work
arrangements helps maintain better work life balance (Allard et al, 2007). Three dimension of
work life balance is suggested from research on the subject, work interference with personal
life, personal life interference with work and work/personal life enhancement [ CITATION
Hay05 \l 1044 ]. A big stressor for many employees is a lack of balance between work and
family tasks. Some employees may not be able to participate in family life or other personal
activities. There is simply no time during the workday to attend personal or family related
matters. This stress can lead to job dissatisfaction, lower organisational commitment and, in
worst case, an intention to quit [ CITATION Por10 \l 1044 ]. With more flexibility in the job it
will be easier to achieve a stability of work life balance (Russell et al, 2009). Positive links are
found between work family balance and flexible work arrangements. Flexible work policies
can help to reduce work-family conflict. In addition to this there are also some organisational
benefits related to a family friendly policy.

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Flexible work policies can provide higher job satisfaction and lower turnover intentions
[ CITATION Coh01 \l 1044 ] This will benefit an organisation as costs related to a turnover can be
between 30 and 200 per cent of an workers annual compensation [ CITATION Por10 \l 1044 ]. A
good control of life outside work will lead to increased motivation and motivated workers are
more productive [ CITATION Jon09 \l 1044 ]. Employees will feel more committed and engaged
in their work if they are given good benefits (Richman et al, 2008). Organisational
engagement and commitment gives better job satisfaction and higher drive to work (Jones et
al, 2009). An organisation will be more productive and generate more money by having good
flexibility options for their employees as they are more motivated and less likely have
intention to quit (Grice et al, 2008). This will also help attract better and more motivated
candidates.

Firms that offer flexible work arrangements on available positions will have an advantage
when recruiting new employees [ CITATION OBr08 \l 1044 ]. Most flexible work schedules give
a worker the benefit of a better work life balance. Jobs that provide more autonomy and
flexibility in daily job routines improve job satisfaction and will be a more attractive
workplace. The availability of more personal control of the work day will make employee’s
increase their productivity. It will also reduce stress involved as they are more satisfied with
their working schedule [ CITATION Hor08 \l 1044 ]. The perceived usability and availability of
flexible work arrangements has been shown to relate to more autonomy in the job therefore
job seeking employees are more likely to select the organisation that offers this [ CITATION
OBr08 \l 1044 ]. Also the available flexibility will have a positive effect on work interference
with personal life and personal life interference with work, which will be seen as attractive for
an employee [ CITATION Hay09 \l 1044 ]. Recruiting the best available employees and keeping
them is essential as retention is expensive [ CITATION Por10 \l 1044 ]. However there are other
cost benefits with flexible work practises for organisation.

Having employees at the workplace can be costly. Not only do organisations use extensive
resources on buildings but they need the employee to get from home to the workplace. Traffic
to and from many organisations is a common issue as heavy traffic is expected.
Telecommuting is therefore a cost effective solution for many firms (Hill et al, 1996). Not
only will it be beneficial for the organisation but employees and especially mothers will have
more opportunities to attend family related incidents [ CITATION Gri08 \l 1044 ] .
Telecommuting have some positive benefits especially when it comes to costs but research on
working from home has identified some challenges (Hill et al, 1996).
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Employees that use telecommuting often do not manage to separate home from work (Russel
et al, 2009). The lack of separation between family members and work increases the stress on
the family and the employee (Hill et al, 1996). There is a lack of boundary between what is
work and home [ CITATION Ols06 \l 1044 ]. This spill-over effect from work to home generates
more family conflict [ CITATION Grz00 \l 1044 ]. Work-family conflict on an organisational
level can lead to higher absenteeism and lower career development within the firm. On a
personal level it has been associated with depression, hypertension, drug use and poor
physical health (Grice et al, 2008). Flexitime and compressed work weeks give employees
higher satisfaction and lower turnover intentions [ CITATION McN10 \l 1044 ] but telecommuting
can give the opposite effect (Russell et al, 2009). The effectiveness of flexible work
arrangements will vary. That means that good communication is important.

There are several problems associated with poor communication within flexible work
arrangements. There will be loss of information between the individual on the scheme and the
organisation [ CITATION Kat10 \l 1044 ]. Lack of face-to-face interactions means important
information may be lost. This is also important in order for everybody to be treated equally
and to ensure to all what is expected of them [ CITATION OBr08 \l 1044 ]. Besides that there are
also some industries that demand a close contact with customers at various hours [ CITATION
Coh01 \l 1044 ]. Workers on flexible work arrangements will not always be available and lack
of communication with customers can mean that customers may go to competitors [ CITATION
Cun01 \l 1044 ]. In addition the implementation of a flexible work scheme in the organisation
may be perceived differently by individuals. The message communicated to employees is
important. People have different attitudes and some work function differently. It will not suit
all and some employees do not want to change because they are happy with the current
situation and work environment (Almer et al, 2003). Barriers to communication are negative
related to flexible work arrangements. However the need of the employee has to be met and
good communication is needed to explain the benefits associated with using such an
arrangement. This has to be done to all the employees in the organisation (Allard et al, 2007).

One study shows that provision of flexible work policies for managerial fathers gave a higher
experience of work-life conflict than other employees. Managers often find themselves
working long hours and under more time pressure than other workers so flexibility combining
work and family was not perceived as satisfying (Allard et al, 2007). This work pressure
could also mean that some senior managers do not introduce flexible work arrangements

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(Russell et al, 2009). There are also differences with how women and men perceive the use of
flexible work arrangements. Firms with many female employees may experience loss of
productivity due to family issues such as pregnancy and parental leave [ CITATION Cun01 \l
1044 ]. As a result employers and employees will not recognise the benefits associated with
flexible work practices and show resistance against implementing them[ CITATION Max07 \l
1044 ]. A lack of support from management in the use of flexible work practises can increase
work family conflict, as this has a negative spill-over to family [ CITATION Por10 \l 1044 ].
However most firms that overcome barriers to use such programs and implement them have
to recognise that there can be additional resistance to participating in flexible work practices.

The use of a flexible option at the workplace is seen as negative in terms of career
development [ CITATION Hay09 \l 1044 ]. Those seeking careers progression will less likely
participate in any flexible work arrangement [ CITATION Cun01 \l 1044 ]. Especially those
working in office settings [ CITATION Hay09 \l 1044 ]. Results from research conducted on
managers and seniors in a multinational accounting firm shows that it is viewed negatively in
terms of individual future success to participate in a flexible work arrangement. If the amount
of work increases in a team and one of the members is on a flexible work arrangement, this
person is perceived as not “pulling their weight”. This self-fulfilling prophecy leads to a
perception that the individual is not suitable for promotion [ CITATION Coh01 \l 1044 ]. Almost
50 per cent of all respondents in another study on lawyers said that participating in a flexible
work practice would not be without professional cost [ CITATION Cun01 \l 1044 ]. Clearly there
will be resistance to using available flexibility schemes. (Allard et al, 2007). However some
benefits are associated when firms start using flexible work arrangements but this should not
be expected to work imminent.

Flexible work arrangements may not have an immediate effect on the organisation. Research
conducted by Hornung, Glaser, & Rousseau (2008) shows that the impact of employee
commitment will be delayed. Often the time needed to gain the benefits from it and create
affective commitment may be long. In order to implement a work life policy in a firm it may
be necessary to change workplace structure [ CITATION Cun01 \l 1044 ]. Implementing new
policies and changing work environment may be seen as an intrusion of the work
environment. Even though introduction of a flexible work practice is a positive change for the
employee, a change can lead to increased stress. An organisational change is often needed to
change a current state into a future state with higher productivity and effectiveness. When
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change is conducted it may lead to role stress which includes role ambiguity, role pressure
and role conflict. This is because of perceived job insecurity. This stress can lead to
unemployment and job family conflicts. As discussed earlier if the benefits gained for the
employee is not communicated clearly enough, there can be resistance [ CITATION YuM09 \l
1044 ]. Failure to clearly state the benefits for the employees can be costly and it could take
time to make such a program effective and achieve employee benefits [ CITATION OBr08 \l 1044
]. This brings the issue back to why communication is essential to achieve success with a
flexible work scheme.

Open and good communication is important in any organisation. It can ensure that policies
and practises implemented are understood [ CITATION McS10 \l 1044 ]. Lack of effectiveness in
many flexible work arrangements comes from the fact that the benefits associated with such a
program are not clearly understood. Those who are supposed to use and enforce them lack
awareness of how it should be used effectively [ CITATION OBr08 \l 1044 ]. Human resource
managers need to ensure that their policies are made available to all and easily understood by
employees in positions. Human resource planning and performance goal setting should be
conducted together with the employer and employee to ensure understanding of [ CITATION
Mac08 \l 1044 ] the advantages of flexible work policies. By involving the employee in the
planning stage the flexibility policies will suit the workers preference and personal life (Grice
et al, 2008). By involving the organisation in the planning process it also ensures that the
policy is linked to the strategy of the firm [ CITATION Mac08 \l 1044 ]. Research conducted on
employee participation says that the employee finds it easier to evaluate their own work when
they have been part of designing it [ CITATION Hol01 \l 1044 ]. Good communication with the
employees should be the starting point before implementing any new policy change in the
firm [ CITATION YuM09 \l 1044 ]. On the other hand there are other communication issues that
need to be sorted out to ensure better effectiveness.

Some flexibility programs will decrease communication between workplace and employee
(Kattenbach et al, 2010). Organisations can increase communication and face-to-face
interaction with workers on flexible schemes by conducting monthly meetings and by using
other contact options than just e-mail. Regular conversations with supervisor and co-workers
over telephone should be encouraged. In addition training days, diaries, logs and team
building could be used to increase communication [ CITATION OBr08 \l 1044 ]. Bringing the
employee more often back into the organisation will improve communication and the effects

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of using the flexibility option will increase. This can help on the perception of participation in
flexible work arrangements.

Those who want to progress in their organisation often resist using any flexible work
arrangements [ CITATION Cun01 \l 1044 ]. By changing focus from attendance at work to
performance this barrier may diminish within a firm. In addition, advocating the effect social
activates with family and others will have on work performance can also improve negative
perceptions [ CITATION Dre05 \l 1044 ]. Another solution may be to have presentations from
staff that have used flexible work arrangements and progressed in the firm or other firms
[ CITATION OBr08 \l 1044 ]. Flexible work arrangements must also be available to all and used
by all. If it is only available for managers it will be seen as a perk just for them [ CITATION
Kel06 \l 1044 ]. Open solutions available for all and an understanding of that it is a benefit and
a focus away from the negative can increase the use of flexible work arrangements.

This essay has looked at the positive and negative aspects of flexible work arrangements.
There are many positive aspects of implementing a flexible work practice to a firm. It can
give higher job satisfaction, motivation, engagement and reduced absenteeism. Turnover
ratios will decrease and productivity will go up. In addition the employee will have a better
balance of work family that will benefit the organisation. There are also many negative facets
with flexible work practises; Organisational change can be seen as a threat to an employee’s
work environment and may cause stress. Too much time with family while at work may blur
the boundaries between work and family. Lack of communication may result in loss of
essential information about the job and impact on customers. Fear of lost career opportunities
may inhibit employees in using flexible schemes. A flexible work program can as the research
have shown be effective. The availability of it can attract and help retain the best suitable
employees. The evidence also show that without understanding the work environment of the
organisation and meeting the employee’s needs it will not benefit the firm. Good
communication and planning is essential to achieve the expected benefits of having a
successful flexible work policy.
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