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aSSIGNMENT
Adrian Watters
Topic 1
Since the late 1990s and in the 2000s there has been a drive by employees to seek flexible
working arrangements in employment. The UK government has introduced new legislation to
increase the scope of flexible working for all employees. Discuss the main issues and
advantages of flexible patterns of working. How do you expect employers should respond
towards the new requirements and what steps can be taken to manage their introduction?
Brief Overview
The purpose of this essay is to explore the concept of flexible working, by examining; why
flexible working has become more prevalent in businesses in the UK in recent years; the
benefits and detrimental effects that arise from the implementation of flexible working
arrangements; and how firms are able to successfully introduce flexible working. In
addressing this, the essay will be structured as follows: firstly, flexibility with regards to the
workplace will be explained. Second, the reasons for flexible working becoming more
predominant since the late 1990s will be explored. Third, the advantages and disadvantages
associated with flexible working will be discussed. Next, the impact the UK government
legislation has on the employment relationship will be investigated. Finally, the appropriate
method of practice to adopt while implementing flexible working will be deliberated. The
essay will conclude with a summary.
In recent years there has been a phenomenon in business in which firms are now actively
seeking to achieve the aforementioned types of flexibility. There are various types of flexible
working practices, including- but not limited to- part-time working; term-time working;
flexitime; compressed hours; career breaks; teleworking and working from home on a regular
basis. These practices are becoming increasingly commonplace in businesses according to a
survey issued by the British Chamber of Commerce in 2007. The BCC (2007) found that
seventy-two per cent of firms taking part in the survey offered part-time work, sixty-nine per
cent offered variable working hours and thirty-eight per cent provided the opportunity to
work from home.
Nevertheless, flexible working arrangements are associated with a number of negative issues.
Flexibility in the workplace has led to much debate, and many often associate the term
flexibility with that of insecurity, indeed it is frequently argued that the costs involved
with flexibility outweigh the benefits. A number of researchers consider the model damages
staff commitment, increases staff turnover and moreover, creates problems when trying to
hire talented people. It is doubtful that the flexible firm model is well-suited with best
practice approaches to HRM which aim to increase employees commitment. On the other
hand, Churchard (2012) challenges this understanding, she conducted a survey of over 11,000
employees and found that flexible working arrangements do not negatively impact job
satisfaction. She believed that although there was some discontent associated with temporary
work, in general flexible jobs are not inferior to full-time jobs. However, still doubt remains,
and questions will be asked regarding the appropriateness of flexibility in the workplace.
Heery and Salmon (2000) state that it can lead to detrimental long-term economic
consequences. They refer to the argument that firms may be reluctant to invest in training
which causes a shortage of skilled workers hence holding back economic development.
Additionally, concerns arise with regard to managers treating all employees equally. It is
thought that in some cases managers take advantage of peripheral workers by intensifying
their work to an unacceptable degree. It is important that the business treats all employees
fairly, for example where some are doing jobs that can be done from home but others are not.
Also, despite the advances in technology, employees not working in the office can feel distant
to the firm and it is crucial that the firm ensure they receive all communications and feel like
a part of the team. A survey conducted by the DELNI (2006) found that fourteen per cent of
employers identified areas in the business being left short staffed as a disadvantage to flexible
working practices. Nevertheless, in the same survey thirty-four per cent of employers said
there were no disadvantages. But it is important to recognise that firms encounter a number of
difficulties when implementing flexible working arrangements. Barriers to flexibility arise
when either the employer believes that the cost of implementation outweighs the benefits
while employees may deliberate whether asking for flexible work opportunities may have
negative consequences with regard to their position within the firm.
A study conducted by Guest (1998) found that workers on fixed-term contracts generally had
a positive psychological contract. He concluded that this was due to the fact they were
focused on the work they had to complete; moreover, it was found that they might also face
lower work demands than permanent staff, avoiding stress and taking less work home. On the
other hand, McInnis et al (2009) notes that employees on short-term contracts are prone to be
less commitment to the firm, and this could led to a reduction in productivity in the long-
term. It is therefore thought that firm have to distinguish which type of flexible firm they
want to be. They can take an attitude which is driven by cost reduction which produces short-
term results but has detrimental effects on motivation, innovation and commitment.
Alternatively they can focus on the long-term vision for the company, one which breeds
productivity and motivated, loyal, efficient & innovative employers. Michie and Sheehan-
Quinn (2001:p302) note that firms may be tempted by the wrong sort of flexibility.
Implementation
According to CIPD (2007) survey research, flexible working arrangements are widespread in
UK firms, however, introducing them effectively often poses challenges. These range from
problems with balancing customer and employee demands; treating all employees fairly;
ensuring employees are aware of the companys policy on flexible working; ensuring
homeworkers are not isolated; and providing the required training to support staff to do a
wider range of jobs. Moreover, it can be difficult to overcome line managers attitudes toward
flexible working and the present organisational culture. Nevertheless, it is generally held that
these problems can be overcome with good management, communication and importantly
effective implementation of the policy. Before introducing the policy to the business,
managers must speak to their employees or perhaps conduct surveys, to get a better
understanding of the needs of the business; they must ensure that there are clear roles and
responsibilities for employees and line managers. Moreover, as noted above it is vital that
managers implement flexible working to suit the needs for all parties involved, this is
demonstrated by the diagram below (CIPD):
A CIPD report notes that often problems that arise, can be solved by good communication.
Flexible working does not mean that employers allow their workers to do as they like, it is
important to work as a team; the manager must agree goals with the workers on what they
want to obtain from flexible working. Moreover, it is important for the employer to know the
personal lives of their employees in order to assess whether they are fixed, mobile or home
workers. In addition, it is important to plan for change, it should be well researched, and
insights should be made into how other businesss successfully made the transition.
Additionally, firms must make use of pilots and trial periods in order to identify possible
complications with flexible working, if any challenges are encountered then changes should
be made. Next, the firm must understand that the transition will be gradual, however, they
must keep employees involved in the process in order to maintain their trust. Finally, the
business must continuously review the policy, monitoring and evaluating the progress made.
Conclusion
In summary, in recent years flexibility in the workplace has been widespread. This is the
result of a combination of factors, but it is generally regarded that the implementation of
flexible working arrangements has been accelerated by the introduction of legislation in the
UK. Although flexible work options are prevalent in business, they do not come without
issues. Although much research has been conducted on how best to implement flexible
working arrangements, and how to deal with problems that arise, firms still encounter many
difficulties. Issues range from a lack of commitment, areas left short-staffed and discontent
amongst staff not working flexible hours. There are a number of barriers to introducing
flexible working arrangements but crucially the company must create harmony amongst all
levels. it is generally held that in most cases the benefits outweigh the negative issues, as long
as the firm appropriately incorporates the policy into its organisations culture. It is important
that when implementing flexibility in the workplace firms and employees both have
obligations. The needs of the business and the customer or client come first.
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