Home | Goldstreet Business
Friday, June 2, 2023
  • Home
  • General News
    • Extractives
    • Auto
  • Business
    • Banking and Finance
    • AgriBusiness
    • Insurance
    • Mining
    • Oil and Gas
    • Real Estate/Housing
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • Agriculture
    • Maritime/Aviation
    • Energy
    • Education
    • Construction
  • Technology
    • ICT
    • Telecom
  • World
    • Africa
    • International
  • Editorial/Features
  • GSB Data Services
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • General News
    • Extractives
    • Auto
  • Business
    • Banking and Finance
    • AgriBusiness
    • Insurance
    • Mining
    • Oil and Gas
    • Real Estate/Housing
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • Agriculture
    • Maritime/Aviation
    • Energy
    • Education
    • Construction
  • Technology
    • ICT
    • Telecom
  • World
    • Africa
    • International
  • Editorial/Features
  • GSB Data Services
No Result
View All Result
Gold Business Logo
No Result
View All Result
Home Corporate

Benefits of flexible working practice from Employer, Employee and Societal Perspectives

July 20, 2021
in Corporate, Editorial/Features
0
Benefits of flexible working practice from Employer, Employee and Societal Perspectives
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

As a contemporary area, flexibility in human resource management has been vaguely defined. This is because some scholars attribute flexibility to time, while others associate flexibility to job function and even location.

Recent studies have identified four primary areas where companies can implement flexible working policies, namely; apportioning competencies and knowhow to job responsibility also known as functional; flexibility in terms of regulating workplace input to match output also known as numerical; flexibility in terms of switching from company hired employee to using contractors; and using motivation and reward scheme to actualize flexible working policies also known as financial flexibility.  Also, other people classify flexibility into job functional specialization and firm based flexibility. This type of flexibility is underlined by unique skillset or competence needed to complete specific or specialized task at the work place such as tasks performed by consultants. The aforementioned clearly demonstrates the multidimensional form of flexibility within the work place.

RELATED POSTS

GCBL Releases First Quarter Progress Report As It Re-ignites Young Business Leaders Program 

Global Chamber of Business Leaders Appoints Laila Rahhal El Atfani As Member of Board of Advisors

In line with the above listed 4 areas, organizations can adopt 2 main types of flexibility, thus, flexible working arrangements which mainly is at the advantage of employers, and flexible working practice which benefits both employers and workers. Both types of work flexibility are common globally however, in developed countries such as the United Kingdom, flexible working arrangement is more popular with zero-working contracts topping the list.

Types of Flexible Working Practice

Flexible working practices include part-time working, flexi-time, job-sharing, term-time, home working and flexibility that has to do with time such as regulating working hours beyond the traditional eight hours daily. An employee is said to be a home or remote worker when they perform their jobs at their private residence. Freelancers and mobile workers constitute home workers. Job-sharing is where two or more people are hired on temporary or part-time basis to collectively perform the same role that equals a fulltime position. Flexibility that constitutes time or hours to perform a job function can be segmented into various forms such as allowing an employee to perform duties within a year rather than weekly also known as annualized hours. There are instances where workers perform their duties within a compressed period hence workers perform their duties over a shorter duration. Another type of flexible working practice is where workers are given the opportunity to adjust the time they start and finish work.

How Businesses Benefit From Flexible Working Practice

From an employer’s perspective, benefits of flexible working practices are enormous. Firstly, it improves work culture as a result of improved trust, loyalty, motivation and communication. Flexible working practice also improves brand image and reputation of employers because they are perceived to be employee focused and care about their workers. Furthermore, flexible working practice helps employers to reduce cost. When employees work from home it leads to reduced overheads. For instance, British Telecommunications saved over eighty million British Pounds annually in accommodation cost for fifteen thousand employees working from home. Also the company reduced its expenditure on office accommodation by seven hundred million British Pounds over 8 years as a result of having over eighty thousand flexible workers in total with fifteen thousand working from home. 

Furthermore, competent personnel are attracted to companies that offer flexible working therefore employers that do not join the flexible working bandwagon risk their best staff to companies that offer flexible working. Also, research has shown that employers witness higher employee retention when they offer flexible working. Higher retention leads to less recruitment cost hence saving companies needed capital.  Companies that offer flexible working are able to recruit and retain more clients because of how attractive they become in their industry. Flexible working practices also afford employers the opportunity to manage demand and also offer round-the-clock service.

How Workers Benefit From Flexible Working Practice

From an employee perspective, flexible working has made it possible for people to have a balanced life hence are able to integrate working with other important life activities. Flexible working offers people the opportunity to take care of their needs while working at the same time. For instance, people with home responsibilities such as taking care of dependents or people with disability are now able to comfortably manage work and personal life. It has also been established that flexible working reduces work pressure and improves health of employees. For instance, workers who are working from home do not go through the stress of early morning and after work traffic jams. Workers are also able to take frequent breaks in between work while working at home which helps them to manage their stress level. Home workers are able to have time to exercise as well. This phenomenon makes home workers to be happier, healthier, motivated and satisfied. From a different perspective, employee satisfaction and motivation is also linked to rewards hence without competitive remuneration, employees working flexible hours might still not be satisfied and motivated.

How Society Benefit From Flexible Working Practice

From a societal perspective, flexible working practice benefits the society in several ways. As indicated above, flexible working helps companies to save space which leads to lesser energy usage. Globally, electricity is mostly produced largely from fossil fuel sources and these have detrimental effects on the environment because of carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing office space results in less energy usage and this translate to less carbon dioxide emissions. Similarly, because home workers do not travel to their workplace, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced because of less movement of cars on the road.

Flexible Working Practice and Productivity

Businesses aim to achieve higher performance at a reduced cost hence productivity is critical in the flexible working practice discourse. It is argued that home workers achieve higher productivity compared to their colleagues in the office. However this is entirely not the case due to various reasons. Sometimes a person’s temperament can determine how productive he/she will be while working from home. Again, still using British Telecommunications Plc as a case study, the company witnessed higher productivity of more than thirty percent in remote workers compared to staff stationed at the office. Additionally, home workers take lesser sick leave compared to their colleagues working at the office which is an advantage to employers. The issue of improved job quality and productivity as a result of implementing flexible work practices is not straightforward hence debatable. A candid view is that productivity can be ensured when labour outputs are measured based on key performance areas and targets instead of time duration used to perform tasks.

In conclusion, there are studies that supports the fact that employees are of the view that flexibility brings about improvement in job quality in terms of control, autonomy and work-life balance when employers implements workplace flexibility in a company. In line with this, it is safe to say that flexible working practice is beneficial to both employers and employees. Employers that are yet to adopt workplace flexibility policies can start gradually, for instance by adopting a hybrid system where employees work from home and the office concurrently and then gradually shift to hundred percent flexible working.

King Adawu Wellington

About the writer:

King Adawu Wellington is a business strategist with expertise in executing projects and helping companies achieve their goals in diverse industries.

email: office@dbughana.com

facebookShare on Facebook
TwitterTweet
Source: By: King Adawu Wellington
Tags: EmployeeEmployerSocietal Perspectives
ShareTweetShare

Related Posts

GCBL Releases First Quarter Progress Report As It Re-ignites Young Business Leaders Program 

GCBL Releases First Quarter Progress Report As It Re-ignites Young Business Leaders Program 

April 3, 2023
Global Chamber of Business Leaders Appoints Laila Rahhal El Atfani As Member of Board of Advisors

Global Chamber of Business Leaders Appoints Laila Rahhal El Atfani As Member of Board of Advisors

March 22, 2023
It’s time to give women top posts in Multilateral Institutions like UN, World Bank – Says GCBL Chairman 

It’s time to give women top posts in Multilateral Institutions like UN, World Bank – Says GCBL Chairman 

March 9, 2023
Finance, Risk, and Financial Risk Management: From a Business Manager’s Standpoint

Finance, Risk, and Financial Risk Management: From a Business Manager’s Standpoint

June 27, 2022
appsNmobile Solutions commissions corporate headquarters

appsNmobile Solutions commissions corporate headquarters

June 2, 2022
Next Post
TUC Calls on Gov’t to Take a Re-Look At All Public Agreement

TUC Calls on Gov’t to Take a Re-Look At All Public Agreement

Groupe Nduom wins ¢174m judgment debt against Health Network

Groupe Nduom wins ¢174m judgment debt against Health Network

Discussion about this post

Archives

<
May 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
▼
>
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031    
       
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
       
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
       
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728     
       
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031     
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
       
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930    
       
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31      
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
       
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031    
       
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
       
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930   
       
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031     
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930 
       
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031   
       
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28      
       
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31      
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
       
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930     
       
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
       
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930   
       
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031     
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
       
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930    
       
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31      
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
       
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031    
       
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
       
       
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
       
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031   
       
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30      
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
       
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930    
       
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31      
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
       
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930     
       
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
       
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930   
       
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031     
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
242526272829 
       
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
       
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031     
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930 
       
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031   
       
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30      
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
       
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031    
       
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
       
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
       
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930     
       
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
       
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728   
       
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031   
       
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31      
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
       
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031    
       
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
       
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
       
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031     
    123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930 
       
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031   
       
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30      
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
       

RECOMMENDED

Government expecting $1.2bn in IMF disbursement for 2023 –Dr Adam

Government expecting $1.2bn in IMF disbursement for 2023 –Dr Adam

May 15, 2023
Rationalising Decisions: The Psychology of Making Sense of the Nonsensical

Rationalising Decisions: The Psychology of Making Sense of the Nonsensical

May 15, 2023

MOST VIEWED

Plugin Install : Popular Post Widget need JNews - View Counter to be installed
  • Energy
  • Health
  • Auto
  • International
  • Subscription Form
  • Staff Webmail
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Call us: +233 24 432 0902 | info@goldstreetbusiness.com

© Copyright © 2020 goldstreetbusiness.com. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Homepage Layout 1
    • Homepage Layout 2
  • World
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Health

© Copyright © 2020 goldstreetbusiness.com. All Rights Reserved.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.