Changing work patterns: flexible working on the rise – the ‘changing’ perception of the employee

Changing work patterns: flexible working on the rise – the ‘changing’ perception of the

employee

Course

Name of Student

University

Date

Flexible Work Schedule

Introduction

The way people work is completely taking a new dimension with the introduction of new trends and technologies. We are living in a fast-paced world where things are taking a new look day after day. This project is written to be read by Human Resource department of a company. It will explore the rise of work flexibility and how it impacts human resource practice. Human resource practices have to adopt a new style of managing employees who work remotely and at different times. Human resources should revolutionize how they plan, recruit, select, and manage employees to cope with the new working trends. The project will offer recommendations for HR planning, recruitment, and selection of employees in line with work flexibility. Many organizations have not yet fully integrated work flexibility because of the heavy preparations needed to be successful. The recommendations help to explain how the company can adjust to ensure a smooth transition and effective implementation.

Flexible Working

The traditional working approach emphasizes that employees must report to the office and work for a specified number of hours each day. With the introduction of flexible working, people can work from their comfort zone, and at a time, they are best active. Flexible working arrangements take into account the personal needs of an individual (Jena, Memon, 2018). There is a wide range of different scenarios that can trigger one to request flexible working.

Think about pregnant mothers who may not afford to travel frequently and people with disabilities. Such considerations, among many other scenarios, give sense to the need for flexible working. Employees can request possible changes that include: flexi-time, part-time hours, and annual hours contract (Martínez‐Sánchez et al., 2018). Flextime involves changing the working hours, i.e., start times, and finish times (Parry, Battista, 2019). Annual hours contract is where the employees are allowed to decide how they will work for the hours allocated to them.

Impact of flexible working on global and New Zealand

With the current trends in technology, flexible working is becoming more popular as more companies worldwide are adopting it. Companies in the US and UK are leading in the adoption of flexible working. The introduction of 5G has made it easier to work remotely as employees can perform everyday tasks efficiently (Yadav et al., 2016). The introduction of HR management tools has made it possible to manage employee productivity. The entry of Generation Z into the job market makes it even harder to avoid flexible working. This is a group of fully trained people on how to use the internet and other technologies. The Z generation are attracted to organizations that offer flexible working option.

Compared to other leading nations like the USA and the UK, New Zealand is still behind when it comes to flexible working. Many people still have the notion that flexible working is more expensive. Some organizations do not want to adopt flexible working because of the unknown’s fear, which is contributed by the lack of proper knowledge (Jena, Memon, 2018). Nevertheless, in the last three years, New Zealand has picked up in embracing flexible working as companies are already adopting the style. For instance, statistics reveal that Kiwi has already allowed over half of its employees to work flexibly- at home and in shifts (Parry, Battista, 2019). The rapid technological growth and increasing globalization of the workplace have moved New Zealand to adopt the trend.

The rise of flexible working and connection to the business

As already mentioned, technological advancements and globalization have pushed the need for flexible working. The introduction of 5G internet and the rise of Generation Z are proper indications that it is time to create a flexible working environment (Parry, Battista, 2019). Hunting for the top talents will mean that businesses must be at the forefront of implementing flexible working. So, it means that businesses must change their model and adjust to the new trend to achieve their vision. Flexible working is not only beneficial to employees but the business as well (Yadav et al., 2016). They can hunt for top talents worldwide, save underutilized spaces, benefit from employee motivation and productivity, and improve the relationship and trust between the employer and the employee.

The Impact on HR

Implementing flexible working is beneficial to the business and the staff as well. Technological advancements such as the introduction of 5G and globalization make it easier to adopt flexible working (Yadav et al., 2016). In case an organization agrees to embrace flexible working, the HR should prepare adequately to handle it. HR will have to raise awareness among the employees on their rights to request flexible working (Martínez‐Sánchez et al., 2018). HR plays a role in ensuring that the entire process of granting flexible working to an employee complies with the legislation of equality and discrimination (Martínez‐Sánchez et al., 2018). They have to ensure that employees are granted their requests with absolute fairness to avoid bias ness accusations. HR should also train line managers on how to supervise flexible teams. The line managers’ operations with flexible teams should be monitored to ensure that the employees are treated with fairness.

HR Planning, recruitment, and selection

To maintain a steady supply of skilled staff, human resource has to plan ahead of time. It involves evaluating the needs of a company and making arrangements to meet those needs. Flexible working has influenced the way human resource plan for the future. Part of the plan should include additional training, acquiring the right technology and software needed to manage employees. An HR plan that considers working flexibility can mean productivity and profitability to the business. Recruitment involves a set of activities by HR meant to attract the right talents (Kapur, 2019). Since it is a key responsibility of the HR department, they must ensure that they attract the business’s right staff. Companies that offer flexible working are most likely to attract top talents. HR can consider such options so that they can attract the interests of the brightest minds. The process of identifying and choosing the right person is called selection. Each employee’s contribution is critical, and so HR should be very keen to select the right candidate (Kapur, 2019). For instance, people who cannot work with the internet and associated technologies may not be fit for flexible working.

References

Chen, M. K., Rossi, P. E., Chevalier, J. A., & Oehlsen, E. (2019). The value of flexible work: Evidence from uber drivers. Journal of Political Economy, 127(6), 2735-2794.

Jena, L. K., & Memon, N. Z. (2018). Does workplace flexibility usher innovation? A moderated mediation model on the enablers of innovative workplace behavior. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 19(1), 5-17.

Kapur, R. (2019). Recruitment and Selection.

Martínez‐Sánchez, A., Vela‐Jiménez, M. J., Pérez‐Pérez, M., & de‐Luis‐Carnicer, P. (2018). Workplace flexibility and innovation. Personnel Review.

Parry, E., & Battista, V. (2019). The impact of emerging technologies on work: a review of the evidence and implications for the human resource function. Emerald Open Research, 1(5), 5.

Ruepert, A., Keizer, K., Steg, L., Maricchiolo, F., Carrus, G., Dumitru, A., … & Moza, D. (2016). Environmental considerations in the organizational context: A pathway to pro-environmental behaviour at work. Energy Research & Social Science, 17, 59-70.

Yadav, M., Rangnekar, S., & Bamel, U. (2016). Workplace flexibility. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 17(1), 41-56.