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08/27/2008 12:00 AM
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Flextime - An Alternative Work Arrangement - Part 7
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Benefits of flextime work arrangements: (continued from part 6 in this article series.)
Lower traffic congestion during peak hours:
If more and more companies adopt the flextime work arrangement, the peak hour traffic which happens around 8:00 AM 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM 7:00 PM will get distributed to other parts of the day. This could lead to less traffic on the roads and less commuting time for employees. Who wouldn't like an hour less on the road, every day? This will also lead to less cases of road rage among the employees and cause stress level due to commuting to reduce.
Decrease in tardiness:
Usually people tend to reach office late due to traffic problems or they sometimes leave earlier due to family commitments and other reasons. When employees have flexibility with their work timings, they can adjust their work hours around these other issues in life and devote the required full time in office. This will reduce wastage of time and hence result in less tardiness. This is an obvious benefit of flextime.
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08/27/2008 12:00 AM
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Flextime - An Alternative Work Arrangement - Part 8
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Benefits of flextime work arrangements: (continued from part 7 in this article series.)
We discussed many benefits of flextime in the previous two articles. Lets discuss two more important benefits of this alternative work arrangement.
Lower attrition rate or higher employee retention:
Organizations can lower their attrition rate and hence increase their employee retention figures with flextime programs. Satisfied employees are less likely to leave the company. An employee may not be sure if he will get the same flexibility with work timings in a new company and hence will be reluctant to leave the organization. As per an article by Kimberly Weisul (2000, www.businessweek.com), in a recent survey of 667 working Americans, stock options and a more flexible work schedule were both chosen by 12% of respondents as the most important retention factor. In the same article, it has been mentioned: "In a similar survey conducted in 1999, only 43% of respondents chose "a raise." Non-monetary factors, including flextime and benefits, were cited by 51% of the respondents.
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08/27/2008 12:00 AM
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Flextime - An Alternative Work Arrangement - Part 9
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Benefits of flextime work arrangements: (continued from part 8 in this article series.)
We discussed the following benefits in previous articles: Increased productivity, Higher employee morale & enthusiasm, Better balance between work-life & family-life, Lower traffic congestion during peak hours, Decrease in tardiness, Higher employee recruitment, Lower attrition rate and Reduced absenteeism. Lets see further.
Decrease in overtime expenses:
Flextime results in decreased overtime expenses. An employee, instead of working overtime could simply come early the next morning and complete his work. Or an employee A could handover the remaining work to a colleague B who may be working in office for 2-3 hours more after employee A has gone home.
Greater job satisfaction:
When employees work in a flextime environment, they tend to feel more responsibility and accountability towards their job. This leads to greater job satisfaction. Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute, a New York City-based not-for-profit research organization, says that work-life initiatives such as flextime are one component of an effective modern workplace, one that is "highly correlated" with job satisfaction, loyalty, engagement, retention, and better mental health.
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08/27/2008 12:00 AM
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Flextime - An Alternative Work Arrangement - Part 10
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The last two benefits of flextime are discussed below.
Extended office hours for the organization:
This is a direct benefit to the organization. If a company always has some or the other employee working from 6:00 AM till 8:00 PM, it will project a positive image. The clients of the company could call at 7 in the morning or 7 in the evening and receive support or any other relevant information they desire immediately.
Sharing of physical resources:
When two employees work at the same desk and computer but at different times of the day, the company saves money as it does not have to allocate additional office space, furniture and hardware for two employees. Two years back, I used to work in a small Internet data-center. There, a team of fifteen employees shared five computers and desks. This was possible only because of flexible working hours. The employees worked in three shifts and hence the company could provide technical support for 24 hours with just five computers.
Flextime program as an alternative work arrangement has some potential drawbacks.
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08/27/2008 12:00 AM
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Flextime - An Alternative Work Arrangement - Part 11
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Potential drawbacks of flextime work arrangements:
Reluctance from employees:
A report from HR Focus (2004) says that "Although flextime is more available now, many workers are dissatisfied with their work schedules, the report found. Nearly half (49%) of employees would prefer a different shift. The report also found that 39% of respondents said employees who use flexible work options are less likely to get ahead in their jobs."
Another report in Law Office Management & Administration Report (2005) mentions that "According to the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce conducted by the Families and Work Institute (New York City; www.familiesandwork.org), although flextime is available at 68% of all the organizations polled, 79% of employees say they would like even more flexibility. This includes men, women, parents, non-parents, employees with and without elder-care responsibilities, employees at all earning levels, and workers in goods-producing and service industries. Of employees who have access to flextime (currently only 43%), 68% of men and 79% of women use it." Thus, even though companies are providing flexibility with work timings, employees are not really using them due to the above mentioned reasons.
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