The era of long hours of work at the office desk is no more, and the new age is the era of flexible work arrangement.
Flexible working arrangements are work programs where employees are given the opportunity to own and control
time for performing their official duties. This comprises flexibility in working hours, workspace, employees skills etc.
Among the most common flexible arrangements are; Flex time, Job sharing, Compressed Work Week and Remote
Working.
Here is a look on some of the benefits these arrangements can bring for the company:
• Increased Productivity
Flexible work systems, which are characterized by motivation and high levels of employee-satisfaction, often
records high efficiency and productivity. And as such, employees give out their best efforts to productivity.
• Better Work-Life Balance
Staffs in flexible arrangements are given the opportunity to balance their working hours with the hours spent with
their spouses and children.
• Cost Reduction
The adoption of flexible work arrangement has enabled managers to cut significant amount of financial costs and
facilitate savings in day-to-day operations of firms. These financial costs include overhead cost reduction,
reduction in cost of absenteeism and sick leave.
• Employee Retention
Flexible work arrangements not only strengthens employee loyalty, it has also helped employers retain their
talented staffs by increasing morale and participation. In the absence of flexibility, trained and talented workers
may lose commitment and loyalty to the firm.
On the flip side, issues as seen below may arise:
• Less Teamwork
With lesser chance for teamwork, staffs become lonely and often work with the feelings of isolation. The
consequences of working outside the office and in the absence of colleagues, often kill morale of flex-workers
and may as well contribute to less productivity.
• Lacks Monitoring
Managers in flexible work set-ups find it difficult to continually supervise employees and their duties. This is
owing to the lack of social and business physical contact for monitoring works performed.
• Inappropriate At Times
It is known that telecommuting and other flexible work arrangements may be inappropriate and cost-consuming
based on the varying organizational structures of firms. Some of the costs attached to this system include;
telecommuting costs, costs of improving the arrangements etc.
To sum it up, while flexible work arrangements vary among companies, employers and employees should consider
adopting the best work arrangements that is most suited for the organizational structure. The suitability of flex
arrangements can only be guaranteed when there is;
– Proper research on employee needs and analysis of organizational structure.
– Guidelines and policies guiding employers and employees.
– Proper review and evaluation of the program.
– Flexibility in the flexible work arrangement to accommodate changes.
