Is flexible work arrangement possible?

It is easy to see that having flexible work arrangements provide a lot of benefits for both employers and employees. With flexible work arrangements, employees will be able to manage their time more effectively. For example, employers with young children will be able to come in to work late after sending their children to school. They will even be able to work from home so that they can take better care of their children. Parent-child bonding is essential and if parents neglect their children because of work, the consequences on their children’ lives might be irreversible (Jeanne Segal, 2019). Alternatively, employees who live far away from their workplace can have the option to work from home.

However, we definitely need to have ways to monitor the output and achievement of employees since they are not physically present in the office. In order for such practices to work, employers have to trust their employees enough to establish this kind of process or the productivity could fall and deadlines might not be met on time. One clear example would be Finland and the Nordic countries. This trust translates to a belief that staff working at different times or locations will end up completing their work and excelling instead of slacking off. However, this might be hard to replicate in other parts of the world since Nordic countries have their own unique cultures.

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According to a Eurobarometer (Survey, 2016) study, Finland’s trust in fellow citizens is significantly higher than anywhere else in Europe. This can be attributed to the country’s robust social system — a welfare model based on equality and financial security, promoting a high amount of confidence in institutions. This model was something that was built over many years, and it is impossible to create such a culture overnight.

Next, flexible work arrangement allows both employers and employees to save valuable costs (Kratz, 2016) and time. With flexible arrangements in place, the space required for workers will be much lower since employees might only have to come in on certain days. Different departments can come to work on a rotating schedule so that the office will not be at full capacity at any point. Meetings can be conducted virtually without the need to be physically present.

Moreover, the cost of electricity, water and food will be reduced as well, since employees can work from home or in coffee houses. In addition, employees can save money on transport and fuel. The Global Workplace Analytics statistics show that organizations such as IBM and Sun Microsystems manage to cut real estate costs by about $50 million and $68 million a year respectively!

Even though much has been said with regards to the benefits of flexible arrangements, there are definitely some negative consequences that come with this change. Firstly, there might be less room for social interaction even with increased use of technology. Employees working from home will have less chance to form strong bonds with their colleagues. They will only communicate with their colleagues when it is absolutely necessary instead of spending time on casual conversations.

Consequently, employees will be more likely to feel lonely since they are unable to voice out their concerns or complaints to anyone, which will make them more apt to immerse themselves in negative emotions. This loneliness will result in poorer performance and decreased productivity amongst employees, affecting the performance and hence revenue of the whole company.

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Also, working from home might also result in security concerns. Some companies and industries require the use of private and confidential information. Any potential leaks will lead to a significant loss of confidence in the company, possibly resulting in declines in revenue. Furthermore, working from other places may result in more lapses as employees gain greater access to information independently. In the banking and finance industry, information is vital and any leaks or oversight will generate a significant amount of losses.

However, we can try to mitigate this issue by initiating protocols that can shore up any gaps in security, including training on remote access security and frequent password updates (University, 2019). One example would be the ICICI Bank which implemented facial recognition technology (Reporter, 2016). This technology scanned the faces of personnel to ascertain that there would be no intruders accessing the office system.

In conclusion, we definitely need to start creating new arrangements of work that more accurately fit nowadays’ changing landscape. However, what works for one industry might not work for another industry. More research and trial and error needs to be done to ensure that the new arrangements are suited for both employers and employees. It is exciting to see what the future has in store for us. As employees and employers of the future, it is essential that we constantly adapt and reinvent to stay relevant.

JobHopin Team