Flexible working has become the currency at the workplace. Why? It a practice that promotes Work/Life balance among those in the workforce. Therefore, it may be pertinent to look more closely at Flexible Working Practices that increase employee Retention.
When I Most Needed Flexible Working Hours
At my job I am an exempt employee. – I have professional exemption. This means first, I am salaried. And second, I am exempt from minimum wage requirements. Three, I receive no overpay no matter how late I stay back in the office after my official closing time. Or, how many days in a week, or month I stay back to complete my job obligations. Are you an exempt employee, which means you are salaried? And, you needed to flex your hours to work less number of days, but still maintain the same total number of hours per week and month. But, get this! You were denied that opportunity?
Yep! that was me. A couple of years ago, I had the yearning to go back to formal schooling. At the time I had worked for a couple of years already at my workplace. Say, like two to two and half years. I always considered myself a Super Worker. Hey! I’m not trying to be vain glorious. The feedback on my yearly evaluations can attest to my work ethics and code of conduct at my job. Ok, as I was saying. I wanted to go back to work to further empower myself so I will be even better positioned to support those who cross paths with me at work. Do you know where I am going with this, correct?
I Asked to Flex Work Hours
The simple and short version of what happened when I asked to flex my time as an exempt employee were two fold. On one hand, I was not going to be able to work less days, but the same total number of hours weekly, or monthly. So that request went out of the window. On the other hand, my request to work less hours, say work 32 hours weekly instead of 40 hours would only be considered if I took a cut in pay. Meanwhile, in my state of residence 32 hours is regarded as Full Time.
I felt stuck. Because I knew I would not survive a cut in pay due to my life circumstances and obligations, I opted to continue to working 40 hours. While I attended school. Apart from my life situations, I was already owing an unimaginable amount of money aka Student Loans, which I took during my prior course of study. I knew I didn’t want, or need another student loan repayment plan hanging around my neck. So, what did I do? I decided I wasn’t going to allow anyone change the trajectory of my life by indirectly truncating my ambition to get additional education.
Therefore, I put on big girl pants and took the bull by the horns. And the rest is history. I graduated from my most recent course of study approximately two and a half years ago. It took me forever, to complete all my academic obligations. But, I’m done now.
What I Wished Had Happened
I wish my employers had flexed my time. That singular gesture would have eased up my pain of having to work Full Time, run a practice Part Time and go to school Full Time. Although my program was Online (so I could work on my classes at anytime), and I consider myself a very focused, quick witted, and fast paced person, It was HARD!
Unfortunately, many employers lose great workers by being inflexible. Other employers are not able to attract, or recruit high quality and talented candidates because of their very Restrictive Work Hours. Otherwise their inflexibilities. People have lives and obligations outside the workplace, which need as much attention. And many times more attention that the workplace. For example a single mother, or father with little children. Or, a two parent household who have a sickly child. It could be your workers live with, and look after their elderly parents.
So, they have to be more present and available to their parent(s). In the USA, many very educated people have more than one job. And, who are not as educated have multiple jobs as well. So being able to fulfil other job obligations because you are able to flex your hours would help with transitioning from job to job. Less pain!
In general, it seems flexible working is gaining currency now. Especially after the pandemic, during which employers and employees were forced to lockdown our “Stores.” We all saw it is possible to work efficiently and productively remotely, or flexed hours. The traditional go to the office standard is no longer the “be all and end all.”
Let’s look at what flexible working or work really means…
What is Flexible Working?
Flexible Working is a work schedule that allows employees choose their work hours, when they want to work, and for how long they want to work. For the most part, many flexible schedules require employees to complete a minimum number of hours each week. Or, a percentage of their work hours. Telecommuting is also a form or flexible working. With flexible working, employees are allowed to work from home, or anywhere outside from the traditional office setting all the time, or only sometimes. Flexible working help employees to achieve a better work life balance. Flexible working appears to hold benefits for benefits for employees. The working schedule arrangement also has benefits for employers. Let’s look at some of the advantages of Flex Working for employers.
What are the Benefits of Flexible working for Employees and Employers?
- Increase productivity, profitability and creativity
- Less absenteeism and turnover
- Employee retention
- Reduce facility costs
- Improved health
- May improve diversity
- Reduce burnout due to stress
- Increase responsibility by staff due to working independently
- More professional development opportunities
Here are more benefits…
- Improve employee work-life balance
- Able to serve more customers
- Better living standards because employees can gain international jobs, and employers attract world class talents
- Employee increased satisfaction
- Sell more products
- More real estate choices because employees don’t have to worry about commute to work – no rush hour
- Improve employee engagement
Flexible Working Challenges
For where there are advantages they are most certainly some disadvantages, or challenges. Let’s take a quick look at some challenges of Flexible Working.
Here they are,
- Blurring work and home life
- Problems with communication
- Employees make take advantage of flexible work by slacking off, rather than work
- Difficult for employer to track accountability
- Difficulties remaining connected with shared goals, company vision, and company
- More distractions
- Lack of face-to-face interactions with coworkers could be counterproductive
- May be harder for company to maintain company processes as needed
If you think you want to introduce Flexible Working in your company, there a few important factors you have to consider, which include:
- Guidelines, expectations, and policies so everyone is carried along
- Make sure you have the appropriate technologies
Best Flexible Working Practices
Here are some of the best flex work practice to ensure that flexible working works in your business. Let’s go:
- Split Shifts: This is a work schedule that divides a work day into shifts – may be two breaks or more. This is a different work schedule from the typical shift schedule or 9 to 5 work day schedule.
- Compressed Hours: This simply means working your complete hours for the week. But completing these hours over less number of days. Example, 4-10s (4 days, 10 hours each).
- Staggered Hours: With this flexible working schedule, you start, or end your work a different time than your coworkers. This allows you work around your life obligations and routines.
- Flextime: Flex work pretty much means working on your own terms as far as you complete your contract hours. This can be a benefit for employers who need extra workers during busy periods. But, who do want to hire extra permanent staff.
- Part-Time: With this work schedule, you work fewer hours a week, period!
Here are more best Flexi practices…
- Job Sharing: This a form of part time working where two employees share one role, hours and workload.
- Shift-Swapping: With this schedule, employee interchange shifts, cover for each other as needed.
- Location: Employers give their employees the option to work from home, the office or adopt a hybrid approach. This allows employees to attend to other life obligations.
- Term-time working: This is a schedule for those who are typically able to work during school holidays. When these individuals are not at work, they are either Paid or Unpaid.
- Remote Work: This is where employees work outside their company’s office such as in telecommuting, teleworking or mobile working.
- Annualized hours: This schedule is quite interesting, Here you work a fixed number of hours annually. However, these hours are spread out differently each day as needed. Payment is fixed.
- Hybrid: This schedule demands employees are in the office at certain times.
As you can see, flexible working provides employees with countless opportunities to balance their work and personal lives. These practices permit and allow employees to better manage other life obligations, with working, simultaneously. This means Flexible Working can add incredible Value to Business, and help Retain Talent.
My thoughts and Conclusions
I wish the organization I worked for when I needed to flex my work schedule had such accommodations and practices. It would have made life much easier for me. The academia in itself can cause hardship due to the efforts needed to excel. And, then you add full time work with restrictive hours, that’s even more of a Hardship.
The Best Practice in Flexible Working is to use modern software solutions for tasks such as time management, flexible and remote working arrangements such as emailing, telecommuting to be manageable and productive. However, the first thing a Company, or Business should do is to reflect on What is Possible, What the business is Willing to do, and What is Realistic. If there are current Flexible Working going on in the Company, you have assess if the benefits are working.
And there is the problem of Quiet Quitting that many private and public business and corporations across industries seem to be facing these days. I mean even in my day to day dealings with people, it appears many workers drop the ball every so often. I can imagine giving workers the opportunity to Flex their work hours might significantly reduced if not completely eliminated Quiet Quitting.
It will be very beneficial to promote integration among staff members especially when the majority of the employees in your Business do not enjoy face to face time with their colleagues. Social Activities and Events involving all staff members, both senior and junior, at work will support integration and comradery within an organization.
Are you interested in Flexible Working? And, are you a Teacher or Tutor? You may want to explore opportunities…
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