Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Flextime

When it comes to improving employee engagement, there are several measures that an organization can take. Examples of these measures taken to connect with the workforce include open communication, thoughtful recognition, stronger leadership traits, and regular training. All in all, time is one thing that employees desire the most. This resource involves a better balance between work and life, as well as more control of working hours in the course of a day. When employees are faced with a rigid work schedule, it is likely to frazzle their nerves, make them lose focus and eventual result in disengagement. This essay looks at flextime as a scheme for improving employee engagement, and its advantages and disadvantages to an organization.

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Nowadays, more and more organizations are doing away with the traditional 9-to-5, 5 days a week work model, instead choosing to adopt a more flexible workplace schedule. By going easy on what an ordinary work week appears, far-sighted employers are getting healthier, happier and more committed employees. With the advent of digital technology, people can work from virtually anywhere. Also, it is easier for employees to collaborate over long distances with the use of resources such as computers and smartphones. Organizations are offering flex time due to flexibility and the positive effect it has when it comes to retaining top employees.

Flex time in a workplace can be achieved in different ways. For example, two employees can a single task whereby one handles the morning shift while the other works in the afternoon. Also, workers can put in additional hours between Monday and Thursday so that they can get a weekend stretching for three days. They can work from other locations apart from the organizations offices. This is possible given that nowadays, work happens to be an activity that can be undertaken from remote locations. If the organization experiences peak and off-peak seasons, then seasonally oriented scheduling can be considered. Such a schedule would involve having employees put in more hours during the peak season and then working less time when business is slow.

Flextime does have a number of advantages to an organization when it comes to making employee engagement even better. Most workers like it, particularly when it is flexible for real and is capable of putting them in control of both their professional and personal lives. Nowadays, flexible hours are a reality in most workplaces; a trend that is likely to continue. In the future, it may not be surprising that quality prospects and top employees will actually expect flex time to be more of a smart business scheme than an added benefit.

A notable advantage of flex time is that it results in low employee turnover rates. Hence, it is perceived as a valuable benefit to some workers, particularly those with families, second jobs and other time-consuming commitments. Such workers are given a chance to better handle their own personal schedules. In case the personal commitments of a worker changes, flex time allows him or her to remain at the current organization by adopting a different schedule. A good example of explaining this involves an employee whose aging parent is diagnosed with an ailment that requires regular care. Rather than quitting and then searching for a new job with different working hours, a flex time schedule allows the employee to remain with the company by shifting to a more convenient schedule.

Having flex time in place attracts and retains more qualified and competent employees. It happens to be an ideal benefit to give to valued staff members, or attract the perfect individual to conduct a crucial role in an organization. It is advisable for a companys management to lay out the flex time arrangement that they have in mind before embarking on the search for a new employee. Additionally, flex time can go a long way in boosting the productivity of an organization. Some employees are best suited for working during mornings, others in the afternoon, while others are more productive at night. By allowing employees to schedule their work schedule at a time when they are most productive, a company can observe an improvement in productivity. A good example is when a staff member is not inconvenienced by being stuck in traffic for hours because he or she works from home. Such an arrangement is less frustrating while at the same time making him or her much more productive.

Another notable advantage of flex time is that it schedules employees working hours in a way that fits the peak seasons of a business. For instance, if a task comes up at 3am, someone has to handle it. Nowadays, even startup organizations often enjoy a global presence and a round-the-clock market. With flex time, it is possible to arrange schedules in a way that suits an organizations needs while accommodating workers whenever possible. Whats more, this scheme makes commuting much easier. It allows employees to arrive at work late by a certain period of time and then compensate for it by working later at the days end. Such an arrangement ensures that staff members do not get to work tired and frustrated in a way that their productivity is affected.

As much as flex time is a good thing, it does have its shortcomings. This scheme has undergone a comprehensive analysis by opinion pollsters and in-house polling organizations; something that has highlighted its disadvantages in a clearer way. Findings from this analysis show that flex time is not for every organization as what works for a business may turn out to be disastrous for another. For one, coming up with flexible schedules can be quite time consuming. A company may find out that its human resources department is always running tight since the personnel are busy dealing with rapid and ever-changing flex schedules. Another shortcoming of flex time is that is capable of complicating an organizations day-to-day operations. A good example is when a crucial meeting is scheduled for a certain time. In that case, employees may be forced to get back to work during down times; a situation that can be rather demoralizing.

With flex time in place, continuity is likely to suffer. This inconvenience occurs when two workers share the same task whereby one of them is expected to complete what the other has started. However, delays and inconsistencies may occur as the two employees try to co-ordinate their efforts. A related demerit is that flex time can cause staff members to lose the so-called sense of family. Most employees enjoy interacting, socializing and making friends with workmates. With workers coming and going, such a sense of togetherness and unity may be derailed.

Another likely demerit if flex time is that it facilitates limited supervision for staff members who go about their duties during non-traditional hours. Most senior executives who look over junior employees work the traditional 9-to-5, 5 day a week schedule. Consequently, flex time workers often work with little or no supervision. When there is no supervision, employees can adopt unethical work practices such as incompetence, working slower than usual, failure to comply with organizational policies, misuse of work resources, and tardiness. In addition, a crisis may occur if a management issue arises and no senior executives are available to resolve it. Scheduling employees to work during non-traditional hours raises utility costs for the organization. For example, a company may decide to operate around the clock as opposed to the usual 9am-to-5pm. In such a case, the company will incur additional costs for resource such as electricity for the extra operational time each day. There is a likelihood that the profits earned during this additional time may not be sufficient to cover the rise in operational expenses.

It is not surprising that employees in any organization wholeheartedly embrace flex time. The scheme has several desirable perks that include lesser job burnout and stress as well as more job satisfaction couples with commitment to work. If an organization fails to put some effort in adopting it, it may risk losing its best employees or a potentially competent recruit to a more progressive competitor. All in all, it cannot be perceived as an all or nothing proposal. A companys management has to figure out its nuances and then figure out the options that are beneficial to the business and its employees. Irrespective of the specifics, there are certain measures to be taken for flex time to be successful in an organization.

An organization needs to ensure that its culture embraces initiatives aimed at gaining work/life balances. If flexibility is a term that is merely said and not applied practically, then it is unlikely to have the desired effect. Also, it should be available to all staff members and not discriminatory in any way. For flex time to work, clear goals and expectations should be set for employees. How they interact with on-site teams, managers and co-workers will be affected by the altered schedules. Thus, the anticipated structures should be clarified to employees together with how productivity will be determined.

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