Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) are a business strategy that can help employers recruit and retain talented employees. Flexible working conditions can lead to a better work-life balance, which in turn can lead to greater employee satisfaction, fewer unplanned absences, increased retention, improved individual performance and increased company productivity. Read on to learn more about eight of the most important flexible working arrangements, or visit ViewSonic`s page for workspace solutions for digital displays that support productive work in the office, at home, or on the go. If the employee and the supervisor/manager agree on a flexible scheduling arrangement, they must complete the Flexible Work Arrangements form. Agreements have a specific date with a review and reconsideration date. Changes and/or extensions should be documented appropriately. The original must be kept in the employee`s personnel file with copies for the employee and the supervisor/department head. While definitions may vary, hybrid work can be defined as a work arrangement where some employees work on-site, some work off-site via telecommuting or remote work, and others have the freedom to work on-site on certain days and off-site on other days based on circumstances, goals, and personal preferences. While as an employer you may want to maintain a 40-hour work week, you can be flexible about where and when those hours are spent, consider a shortened work week equivalent to four 10-hour days and Fridays off. For many job seekers, this is the ultimate schedule. However, it is only suitable for workers who can remain productive for long working days. Businesses can also reduce overhead with a three-day weekend, but it`s hard to implement it for an entire organization. Phased retirement allows employees to reduce their hours of work or workload over a period of time, rather than abruptly moving from full-time employment to retirement.
This progressive phase can be used to train the replacement employee, to help others adapt to restructuring within the company or to adapt to the redistribution of tasks among the remaining employees. Equal opportunities in employment laws prescribe non-discrimination between wages, hours of work and other conditions of employment. Accordingly, employers should take steps to ensure that all such agreements are offered and implemented without discrimination on a prohibited basis. However, despite a company`s best intentions and non-discriminatory business motivations, some groups of employees may benefit more from the benefits of flexible work arrangements than others, simply because their situation makes these options more attractive to them. As with all other employment practices, clear guidelines, consistent decision-making and careful documentation are needed to fend off potential allegations of discrimination. Job sharing is the practice in which two different employees perform the duties of a full-time position. Each of the job-sharing partners works part-time, but together they are responsible for the duties of a full-time position. As a general rule, they allocate responsibilities in a way that meets both their needs and those of the employer. The practice allows for part-time plans in positions that the employer would not otherwise offer on a part-time basis. This requires a high level of compatibility, communication and collaboration between job-sharing partners and with their supervisor.
What flexible working arrangements are companies currently using? In this article, we`ll take a closer look at eight flexible work arrangements, who they`re suitable for, and why employers should consider them. Remote work is done completely outside the office. This can be a permanent position or a temporary position (p.B. with an employee travelling on business). Since the employee does not have to come to the office at all, he can live and work anywhere in the world. The global workforce is changing rapidly and the demand for flexibility in the workplace is increasing, especially as remote work and telecommuting have become more cost-effective and people have become aware of the importance of a good work-life balance. For employers, the key is to know which flexible working arrangements offer enough flexibility to satisfy workers without negatively impacting productivity or quality of work. First, entrepreneurs and managers need to realize that flexible work arrangements are not always right for every person, workplace, or industry. Telecommuting and other flexplace arrangements, for example, can be catastrophic (or at least cause a loss of productivity) when used by employees who are unwilling or unable to spend an entire working day in the midst of the workless temptations (television, pleasant reading, home cleaning, etc.) of a home environment. Other companies, meanwhile, find that employees enter and leave the store at such different times, that overhead costs increase, that customer service suffers (that is, no one enters .m at 9:30 a.m..m, a condition that forces customers and suppliers to cool their heels until then), and production suffers.
This last factor makes flexible scheduling difficult for many production sites. In a manufacturing environment, many plant operations depend on a single set of operating hours for all operations. When it comes to a company that uses a manufacturing concept for a work cell team, flexible scheduling is not an option. Successful job-sharing agreements are based on the fact that the work is carefully divided so that everyone knows what they are doing at all times. Good communication between employees who share the role – and between employees and the employer – is also necessary. In addition to greater flexibility, reducing hours can have benefits in terms of reducing absences and improving well-being, especially in stressful roles. The following guidelines are intended to facilitate the development of flexible schedules for employees that are fair, clearly understandable and mutually beneficial to the unit or department and the employee. Employees and supervisors are expected to follow these principles when managing flexible scheduling arrangements. Site flexibility refers to agreements that allow employees to work from the main workplace. There are several types of site flexibility. Telecommuting is the most common. Other practices include hospitality and so-called snowbird programs.
See: Resource Spotlight: Working Remotely. Regardless of the program or the number of options available, tasks, expectations and deadlines must be clearly defined by the supervisor and accepted by the supervisor and employee. An organizational culture of support, clear communication, teamwork and mutual support between management and employees will contribute to the success of these initiatives. Flexible work arrangements, known as flexible working hours, refer to work environments and schedules that do not have the normal limits of a traditional job. Flexible scheduling is an arrangement that allows an employee to change the start and end times of their workday around the normal schedule of 8 a.m to 5 p..m. Flexible scheduling includes: Ultimately, a flexible work program is only worth maintaining if it benefits your company`s financial, strategic, and production goals. One of the key elements in ensuring that these requirements are met is to maintain control of the program. Employees and work teams can be very helpful in designing flexible work policies, but business owners and managers should be wary of giving up too much control. In fact, they need to ensure that business considerations remain paramount in any discussion of flexible hours and other options, and that the ultimate control over flexible work programmes belongs to them. Dysfunctional work teams, for example, will reduce flexible scheduling to a mess if they have to set it up and monitor it themselves. Flexible work arrangements offer many benefits to both employers and employees. These benefits include: If you plan to offer flexible agreements that include offsite work, you might be interested in how to streamline collaboration between remote teams.
Or visit ViewSonic`s Workspace Solutions page for more valuable insights into productive work and enterprise signage solutions. In some situations, this may also mean flexibility in terms of completing the work, provided that it is carried out before the agreed deadline. .