What It Is
Flexible work options are the ability for employees to work outside of the traditional five-day, 40 hours a week work model. These options include:
- Part-time work schedules: working less than full-time.
- Flex-time options: employee can vary the starting and ending times of the work day, but they still work the same total number of hours as under a traditional arrangement.
- Telecommuting: employees work at home or at an alternate worksite one or more days per week.
- Flexible work weeks: compressing the work week into fewer, longer days (i.e. working four, ten hour days).
- Job sharing: two or more employees share the responsibilities of one full-time job at a pro-rated salary.[1]
Why It Matters
Flexible work options can help attract and retain quality employees. A Bain & Company study found that “the availability of viable flexible job offerings—that fit the organization’s culture—could increase retention in men by 25 percent and in women by 40 percent.”[2] These percentages highlight the fact that women place high value on flexible work options, likely due to the increasing personal demands faced by women in terms of children and elder care.
The President’s Council of Economic Advisers reported that the benefits of remote working include lowering absenteeism, reducing turnover, improving the health of workers, and raising productivity. Additional economic benefits include an average savings of $20,000 per year for each full-time employee that works remotely.[3]
Flexible work options can also contribute to sustainability efforts and energy conservation. Environmental benefits include reduced costs and consumption of fuel, reduced parking lot congestion, conservation of energy at the work-place, improved air quality, reduced noise and traffic, and reduced carbon emissions. Motor vehicles have been estimated to contribute to about 50% of urban air pollution. If “10% of the nation’s workforce telecommuted one day a week, we would avoid the frustration of driving 24.4 million miles, we’d breathe air with 12,963 tons less air pollution, and we’d conserve more than 1.2 million gallons of fuel each week.”[3]
Getting Started
To start the process of initiating flexible work options you need to
- Ask yourself why
- Make sure flexible work options support the goals of the company
- Communicate and plan
1.) Ask yourself why
You should fully weigh the pros and cons of implementing flexible work options. A business case should be made that examines the benefits and likely challenges of flexible work options. The conclusion of the business case should communicate that flexible work options gives a competitive advantage to your company. Keep in mind security concerns, as potentially sensitive data will be exchanged through the internet.[4]
Use an example Costing/Justifying checklist and Cost/Benefit Analysis worksheets or make your own specifically tailored to your organization. [5]
2.) Make sure flexible work options support the goals of your company.
In some business sectors flexible work options may not be a viable option. Companies with a strong focus on in-person customer interaction or that require on-site manual labor need employees physically present.
3.) Communicate and plan
The flexible work option concept should be discussed early with employees and survey them to see if they react positively. Communicate with managers to determine what jobs can be flexible and which employees may adapt well to flexible working conditions.[6] This is the stage where the various issues of flexible work options related to HR, laws, and technology need to be addressed.
Use an example Planning checklist worksheet or use the example as a guide to make your own. [5]
Going Further
After brainstorming and planning the next steps include
- Implementation
- Establish a trial period
- Review and evaluate
1.) Implementation
The implementation period should follow after careful consideration and planning. Surprises and unexpected issues should be at a minimum if the planning stage was thorough. Use an example implementation checklist worksheet. [5]
2.) Establish a trial period
To see the effectiveness of the implemented flexible work options and work out any problems, test out the policy over a period of time. If during this period the employee and supervisor realize that flexible work options are not working towards the best interest of the company, they should both agree to discontinue. Use an example implementation checklist worksheet.
3.) Review and Evaluate
Make sure to stay up to date with the achievements and problem areas of flexible work options. This should also be the time when the environmental benefits are evaluated by asking employees about fuels savings and comparing energy costs at the office from before to after the implementation of flexible work options. Use an example Review and Improvement checklist worksheet to carefully analyze the outcomes of flexible work options.
Case Study
First Tennessee Bank
First Tennessee Bank, a financial services company with sites in the Southeast, began a flexible work options program in 1992. Managers at individual sites could decide attendance and scheduling policies, including part-time work options and flexible work weeks. By working 12 hour days at the beginning of the month and shorter days at the end of the month, First Tennessee Bank was able to increase productivity by halving the time it took to reconcile customer’s accounts. This resulted in a 50 percent increase in customer quality responses and an increased customer-retention rate. [7]
The Irish News
The Irish News, located in Northern Ireland, has implemented a range of flexible work options for its 120 employees. Flexible working weeks, job sharing, employment breaks, paid emergency leave, and enhanced maternity benefits and paid paternity leave, has reduced labor turnover by 20 percent. This reduced labor turnover has also resulted in significant savings on advertising, recruitment, and training costs. The Irish News believes in joint-problem solving; when employees apply for flexible work options, they must suggest solutions to any potential problems that may arise for the company due to these changes in the work week model. [8]
Resources
Books:
- Making Telework Work: Leading People and Leveraging Technology for High-Impact Results by Evan H. Offstein and Jason M. Morwick
- Managing the Telecommuting Employee: Set Goals, Monitor Progress, and Maximize Profit and Productivity by Michael Amigoni and Sandra Gurvis
- Managing Off-Site Staff for Small Business by Lin Grensing-Pophal
Videos
- Life Meets Work – Flex and Human Resources Video by lifemeetswork.com
Links:
- TelCoa: The Telework Coalition. A nonprofit organization offering information and advocacy for the adoption and implementation of telecommuting.
- Flexible Work Options Training Materials. A detailed manual providing information on the various forms of flexible work options, common questions, and sample forms.
- Flexible Working: How to roll out a flexible working strategy. Guide outlining implementation procedures and benefits of flexible work options, including example annual savings on the bottom line.
Conclusion
Flexible work options can save your company money and significantly contribute to an improved work force. Make sure flexible work options fit within and contribute to the mission and goals of your company by thoroughly planning before implementation. Flexible work options can also provide many environmental benefits including reducing energy use at the work-place, saving fuel costs, and reducing congestion and air pollution.
[1] Information retrieved from A Guide to Job Flexibility at MIT.
[2] Information retrieved from Flexible work models: How to bring sustainability to a 24/7 world
[3] Information retrieved from Is Your Business Benefiting from Remote Work Options?
[4] Information retrieved from Syracuse University launches series of sustainability-oriented work-life and commuting options for staff, faculty and students
[5] Information retrieved from Flexible Working
http://www.flexible-working.org/
[6] Information retrieved from Personnel Today
http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2008/05/29/46077/how-to-implement-a-flexible-working-plan.html
[7] Information retrieved from Work-Life Balance and the Economics of Workplace Flexibility
http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/100331-cea-economics-workplace-flexibility.pdf
[8] Information retrieved from Flexible Working, The Business Case, 50 Success Stories
http://www.workforce-logistics.com/FW%20The%20Business%20Case%2050%20success%20stories.pdf
Excellent article illustrating the benefits to both the employee as well as the employer.