As the economy continues to pick itself back up, so does the job market. Companies that used to find themselves with an over-abundance of potential employees are once again forced to compete over qualified applicants. But just because the economy is picking back up doesn’t mean businesses can yet afford to offer sensational salaries or bountiful benefits. So, how are they supposed to compete? Three words: flexible work arrangements.
First, let’s take a look at the most common types of flexible work arrangements:
- Flextime
If an employee is not an “effective” morning person or needs to get off work early enough to pick the kids up from school, this would be the ideal system for them. Flextime allows employees to pick when their workdays begin and end (from a set choice of options). If 9-5 causes too much hardship, why not try 10-6 or 11-7? - Compressed Work Week
Employees who want less week and more weekend — and who don’t mind putting in some longer days — will appreciate this option. Instead of five eight-hour days a week, an employee can work four ten-hour days or three twelve-hour days. Another option could be working several nine-to-ten-hour days over a two week period, which would result in an extra day or two off within that period. - Telecommuting
An office isn’t the most productive atmosphere for everyone; some employees work better from the quiet of home or the caffeine-saturated atmosphere of a coffee shop. - Job Sharing
Two heads are better than one, especially when both heads only want to work part-time. Two people, one full-time job, prorated benefits, and salary for both — everybody wins. - Expanded Leave
Employees are not often allowed to take large chunks of time off, regardless of the reason; even if they are, it’s often at the risk of job security. Expanded leave allows for longer chunks of time off without the worry. - Phased Retirement
Instead of working full-time on Friday and being retired on Monday, an employee can stretch out a steady reduction in their full-time duties over a few months or even a few years. Both the employee and the company can adjust much easier to that employee’s retirement with a well-planned, reductive transition instead of the traditional “here one week, gone the next” model. - Work and Family Programs
Though not yet as common as the above-mentioned flexible work arrangements, work and family programs are some of the most popular and one of the best “selling points” a company can possess. The introduction of company assistance into the areas of child and eldercare offer invaluable convenience and a fiscal lightening of the load to employees.
Success Potential
If you think all these options sound good/valuable, you’re not alone. Companies that engage in flexible work arrangements experience many positive results.
- Employee retention: One of a company’s biggest concerns is losing their best and brightest to the competition. Companies with flexible work arrangements, however, offer current employees that many more reasons to remain current employees.
- Attracting Qualified Employees: Not only can flexible work arrangements help you keep the top notch talent you already have, but they can attract even more. If a potential employee is choosing between two companies equal in almost every way, but one utilizes flexible work arrangements, the choice almost makes itself.
- Drops in Absenteeism: Think of the reasons that contribute to employee absenteeism (aside from illness). Employees in general have to take time out for various appointments — doctor’s appointments, waiting for a repair man, etc. Parents, in addition, have to take days off to take children to doctor’s appointments or leave early for parent-teacher meetings. Most of these engagements require appointments during normal working hours, but flex time and telecommuting allow employees some greatly needed wiggle room.
- Balanced Employee lives: The happier an employee is, the more able he or she is to focus on work and be productive. Flexible work arrangements offer employees multiple options to assist in balancing their lives between work, home, and any other aspects.
- Better Customer Service: Instead of assistance only being available during standard working hours, flexible work arrangements allow companies to offer greater convenience to their customers
Potential Pitfalls
Unfortunately, flexible work arrangements don’t guarantee success; they aren’t a perfect match for every company, employee, or industry.
For example, manufacturing industries rely on consistency, and most often, everyone being at work at the same time — it’s difficult to have an effective assembly line when it’s missing a few workers. Companies which rely heavily on internal support may also need to exercise caution with flexible work arrangements. If the computer network goes down, but only half the internal IT staff are at work, the business risks unnecessarily severe losses in productivity and profit.
If an employee has difficulty with distractions or motivation, telecommuting is a disaster waiting to happen. Some workers need the office setting to get into “work mode.” However, if your company only offers flexible work arrangements to some employees and not others, you run the risk of cries of discrimination, favoritism, etc. Even if you have strict policies set forth, perhaps on an achievement-based system, you could still have to deal with employee resentment.
Possibly the most common “con” for flexible work arrangements is a lack of preparation prior to implementation. Management Review writer Martha H. Peak explains that while “flex is a basic element of family-friendly and that family-friendly is a requisite for competitive companies … it takes more than a statement in the policy manual to institutionalize flex. It takes new methodologies to measure job success and investment in technologies to keep employees in constant communication.” Thus, it’s not enough for a company to simply offer flexible work arrangements — it has to understand them and how they will work best within that company. A business cannot all of the sudden decide to implement them overnight. Flexible schedules still have to be SCHEDULED; not everyone can work the same flextime hours… It’s clear that effective use of flexible work arrangements requires research, planning, and training BEFORE they even become part of a company. Even after implementation, companies need to evaluate their effectiveness regularly, making sure they are still producing positive results for both the company and its employees.
Proper implementation of flexible work arrangements in the right company, with the right types of employees, can create extremely positive results. If you’re thinking about them for your company, do your research first to see if they would be a good fit for your business and/or your employees. If you find out they wouldn’t work, then stop right there and focus your efforts on options that will. If they DO seem like a viable option, do even more research and start planning! Considering the polarizing effects flexible work arrangements can have on your company — all the research and (potential) planning will be worth the effort.
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