Flexible working, what are the constraints?

[emma young]

Hi All,

I am developing a programme that will assist employers in offering flexible working options.

There is much research to prove the positive effect this can have on an organisations bottom line, ie, 40% increase in productivity, I wont bore you with facts and figures!

But i'd like to know your opinions in flexibile working,
From either an employee or business perspective, It would be really helpful, so if you could spare a couple of minutes for me, I'd really appreciate it.

P.s I'm new here, so please be gentle with me!!

Emma

 

[Consistency]

Flexible working - we have offered this in the past and employees just take the pee with it. The more you give, the more they take with a few more inches on top. No I am not a meanie, I just have learnt that employees have to earn that kind of trust.

They start to take for granted they could lie in for an extra hour and then say "I will make my time up" and then conveniently not make their time up by saying "Oh I can't do it tonight, I'll do it next week" so this ends up another paper excersise where we have to write everything down or miss one of their tricks.

 

[loubycee]

It's a motivational thing, if they know they can work at home one day a week or can have a lie in on tuesday but work the extra 2 hours on a wednesday then great, however some people just can't work at home... or the thought of having to work 10 hours instead of 8.... thats a long day, would it genuinely increase productivity?

I've a friend that does this, she's good at putting in her hours and a hard worker but not everyone is like that though. Consistency is right about earning it

Perhaps a way to work flexi time is that staff put the hours in first, half hour here, an hour there, then get that time off at an agreeable time...

 

[emma young]

Hi Loubycee,

Thanks for your reply,
I can understand your points,
However, Do you not think that the same goes for people working normal hours in office.

I've had many employees that dont seem to be filling their day with actual work, surfing the internet, sending emails etc.

I think its selection of employees, which we know has to be right, otherwise it costs a small fortune in the long run.

It is about trust I completely agree with that.

Also, no one's mentioned this, but Flexi working can and does include Job Sharing......... am more accountable option.

Consistency - These sort of problems shouldnt be allowed in any organisation, do you think with the correct procedures in place this would be more efficient?

If an employee worked in house and 'took the pee' we'd all soon discipline them, this should be no different with at home working.

Targets should be met, and if they are not this should be dealt with with the same level of control as you would an in house employee.

Thanks Again!!
Emma

 

[loubycee]

I'm for flexible working and home working, it gives people a different option from the normal 9-5 (or 7-7 for some!) and I think it's an incentive to work harder and manage time better.

Working from home is fast becoming a great option, with cloud / virtualisation it can save companies space and expenditure, and saves employees travel time and petrol/diesel for the days they don't have to show their face!

And if it doesn't work, the trust is there for employee or employer to be honest with themselves and colleagues.

 

[emma young]

Loubycee,

Thanks for you reply,
I'm glad you can see the benefits, its refreshing to hear!!

Your right, the costs savings, and productivity increase can have such a valuable impact on businesses in this economic state!!

Thanks again.

Emma

 

[Consistency]

Consistency - These sort of problems shouldnt be allowed in any organisation, do you think with the correct procedures in place this would be more efficient?

If an employee worked in house and 'took the pee' we'd all soon discipline them, this should be no different with at home working.

Trust should be earned and then we as employers can know who we can trust. This day and age there are too many times where this is the other way round, where it is thought that trust should be given instantly so an employee can prove himself.

The procedures are too much as it is. Procedures, procedures, procedures, the more of them there are, the more backwards we crawl into uncivilisation.

 

[Reality Check]

Hi Emma Young

Flexible working is an option but it will suit certain businesses and individuals more than others. I think that the key lies with the individual that will work from home and if they have the discipline to actually put the hours in. Another point to consider, in our office during an average month we recieve about 1000 phone calls, this creates alot of disturbance and backgrounfd noise / chatter. If you are working from home, as I do occasionally, you are not interupted nearly as much as if you were in the office. So based on that I could realistically spend less time working at home and acheive more than in the office.

Another point to consider is the technology. If your staff will need computer access to the company server or email system, need to print out documents or run programs (Sage, Office, Database etc) you need to ensure that they can connect seamlessly because if they have delays is connection speed, connections dropping of if their home PC is in poor condition it will cause hudge frustration and the whole excercise could become a waste of time.

 

[markdenaley]

Hi Emma....

its really difficult to define such flexible working which benefits both the company and the employees as well... As "Consistency" said the more you give to your worker they become even more demanding. I am not completely against the concept you had put over here but it is really difficult to judge the best option for the both sides.

 

[Harrisk11]

Employees surely love flexible working hours. There is no time constraint on them by doing this. If the employer think about them then they will also think about company and give their best.

 

[Andy Thorne]

Our company is sales focused so its difficult to have flexible working hours as our clients expect there Account Manager to be available from 8.45am - 6pm. However our systems are cloud based which is a big advantage when the weather is bad and effects trains into London or someone has a doctors / hospital appointment so they can continue working rather than traveling to and from the appointment. The processes and procedures we have will be tested this summer with the Olympics.