Blog 9 - Flexiable Working

Flexible Working

Flexible working arrangements are a range of options designed to help employees balance work and home life, and can describe the place of work or the contact of employment (J.Mullins 2007. Pg 606)

Flexible working can take many forms, for example: 

  

• Shift Swapping
• Career breaks from 
• Part time working work 
•  Job sharing
• And working from homehttp 

 

 

The expansion of telecommunication and the development of globalisation has also lead to many more opportunities for flexible working. Telecommunication allows people can work from many different places around the world successfully, without losing communication. 

Flexible working has significantly been linked also with increased motivation within the work force as a whole. From managers, to weekend workers, the ability to manage your shifts and schedules seems to have the ability to ensure and help the staff to have the right balance between work and home life, especially when looking at busy managerial positions.

One aspect of flexible working can include the use on contractors. Many organisations including government organisations such as the NHS use contractors to sib-contract into their organisation to perform specific tasks, or to fill people while they are away, such as cleaners. One job sector which clearly benefits from the increased use of flexible working is teaching, although many teachers do work full time, the sue of “supply teachers” to fill positions when the full time teachers are away has been a good development and has clearly allowed the service that the children are being provided with to be increased.

However not everyone sees flexible working as a positive aspect to the workforce.  (E.Lucas 2006 - P. 22-4) It is seen that the addition of flexible working to the workforce can cause additional stress and anxiety to the people involved with sorting out the hours schedules etc.

Although the option of flexible hours can help motivation, on the other hand, at some point everyone will need to help an organisation by completing specific hours or set shifts that may require them to adapt their home life to fit into it. Flexible hours leaves the issue that people could as a result of being given the power, feel as if they can pick and choose their hours, and thus may not be that technical flexible in favour of the organisation. 

Therefore it is clear that the idea of flexible working can leave both positive and negative effects on an organisation. The type of organisation clearly effects the dependency on whether or not flexible working will work within the organisation, If you are looking at a specialist trade, or activity such as being a chef, then it is more likely that an organisation will benefit from having less staff members but more stable people, as they can learn and develop their skills increasing the productivity and satisfaction of the customers, where as if you work in a call centre, selling double glazing windows then there is less of an requirement for a more stable experienced worker.

Some employees fall into a category which allows them to request flexible working hours within an organisation which may not already offer it.  Government legislations have also lead to an increase in the increase in flexible working. (DirectGov 2012)The government  website state that :

“Anyone can ask their employer for flexible work arrangements, but the law provides some employees with the statutory right to request a flexible working pattern.

You must:

• be an employee, but not an agency worker or in the armed forces
• have worked for your employer for 26 weeks' continuously before applying
• not have made another application to work flexibly under the right during the past 12 months

You will then have the statutory right to ask if you:

• have or expect to have parental responsibility of a child aged under 17
• have or expect to have parental responsibility of a disabled child under 18 who receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• are the parent/guardian/special guardian/foster parent/private foster carer or as the holder of a residence order or the spouse, partner or civil partner of one of these and are applying to care for the child
• are a carer who cares, or expects to be caring, for an adult who is a spouse, partner, civil partner or relative; or who although not related to you, lives at the same address as you

Under the law your employer must seriously consider an application you make, and only reject it if there are good business reasons for doing so. You have the right to ask for flexible working - not the right to have it. Employers can reasonably decline your application where there is a legitimate business ground.

 Employees who do not have the legal right to request flexible working are, of course, free to ask their employer if they can work flexibly. Many employers are willing to consider such requests.” 

Examples of flexible working

(OutSourcerey -2012)Microsoft is one example of an organisation which is using technology to increase the development of its flexible working abilities. It uses its own cloud software to increase the efficiency of communication between its staff members and their main Amsterdam office. Microsoft's Klaus Holse told a news provider: "You've got to be thoughtful about what you're doing, because not all positions in a company are created equal."

By doing this they claim that there job satisfaction levels have increased by 75% and they actively promote their contracts and working styles when looking for new employees.  

(chanel4News 2012)A second example of an organisation that actively uses the idea of flexible working within its workforce is 02 the mobile phone provider. They introduced flexible working to all its employees as a trial, in aid of the London 2012 Olympics. They were asked and convinced by the government to make their 2.500 employees to all become flexible workers and work from home, as this would free up the underground train station, to give way to their tourists and visitors.

This 02 have said has increased their employees motivation and job satisfaction, as it allows them less stressful travels into the office, and they get to spend more time with their family. 

(register 2012) Virgin media is another example of an technology company using it’s up to date appliances such as video chat and e-mail to allow its workers to stay at home. Virgin media use their technology to allow long distance employment and working from home- this allows them to employ the best people, no matter how far away from the office they live, and thus as a whole increase the success of their organisation.  Around 5,000 staff have already been signed up to the flexible working plan, and virgin media wishes to enlarge that over the coming years, with having nearly 70% of its 

workers on flexitime contracts by 2020.

This therefore is an example of how many organisations are introducing some aspect of flexible working into their employment force, and the ones that already use this concept are expanding and increasing its influence.

Bibliography

DirectGov. Direct Gov - puplic serivices in one place. 2012. 1st Feb 2012 <http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Flexibleworking/DG_10029491>.

E.Lucas. Riding the flexibility wave. Professional manager : p-22-4, 2006 .

J.Mullins, Laurie. Management and organisationl behaviour. 9th ed.: Prentice Hall - Finacal times , 2007.

OutSourcerey. Microsoft advocates flexible working. 21 Feb 2012. 2011 feb 25th <http://www.outsourcery.co.uk/news/?story=microsoft-advocates-flexible-working&id=3019>.

register, Team. "5,000 Virgin Media workers unchained to slog away remotely." The a Register (2012): URL:http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/02/14/cisco_virgin_media_employees/.

why flexible working is good for people and good for businesse. Dir. Chanel4News. Perf. chanel4News. 2012.