Do you believe that flexible working should be provided by all organizations? Justify your view

 

The need for flexible working is growing. The changing context of work is creating new challenges and opportunities that companies can only meet with the sort of agility that flexible working arrangements provide. Flexible working arrangements allow companies to meet present and future challenges by creating choice, accommodating generations, enabling complexity, and creating agility. But even if the benefits of flexibility are widely known, an understanding of how best to implement flexible working arrangements is crucial in avoiding difficulties. The report therefore concludes by outlining four cultural and procedural barriers to flexible working, and suggests how each can be overcome.

In recent years we have seen a huge increase in the use of flexible working due to improvements in communications and information technology. Employees don’t necessarily need to be in their office every day of the working week. People can now work from home on a regular basis whilst remaining in touch with the office. Furthermore,there is an increased demand for flexible working with employees seeking flexibility over both their time and space. They do not want fixed hours, but instead prefer to choose the hours they work. For many young workers, flexible working is now considered the norm rather than the exception.

At the same time, organisations’ demand for flexible working has also increased. With businesses now having to meet the 24/7 customer need for their services, there is a demand for flexible working. The recession has drastically changed the nature of work, reducing the number of full-time jobs and causing many organisations to rely on part-time and temporary staff, assigning them to flexible working schedules. Some have sought to optimise the use of organisational resources such as office space, computers and desks through shift work and working from home.

Benefits of Flexible Working Arrangements
Leading organisations have come to realise that there aresolid grounds and very tangible benefitsto offering flexible working arrangements. I have set out below some of the frequent business and financial benefits cited by organisations.

Business benefits

·         Enhances recruitment and retention.

·         Increases staff motivation by providing a greater sense of control.

·         Reduces stress, fatigue and unfocussed employees, through the ability to better balance work and personal responsibilities.

·         Increases employee satisfactionand morale.

·         Improves commitment and productivity resulting from support for personal work style preferences.

·         Reduces absences and tardiness.

·         Improves coverage and scheduling for the department.

·         Improves transportation and parking options.

·         Uninterrupted time for creative, repetitive, or highly detailed work.

·         Better customer service, ability to offer extended time and days.

·         Improveshealth and wellness for employees.

·         Positive company culture, good for the public image of the organisation.