IMPLEMENTATION OF FLWH IN TRADITIONAL MINDSET ORGANIZATION
Strict application of FLWH philosophy is not possible in traditional mindset organisation. In the process of implementing FLWH due care is to be taken so as to protect the interests of workforce come within the gamut of FWH. Hence, there must be harmonization of two conflicting interests.
There are three stages in process of implementation:
- Pre – Implementation
- Implementation
- Post – Implementation
Pre – Implementation
1. Employee Survey
2. Determining Flexible Work Needs
3. Cost Benefit Analysis
Implementation
1. Employee Flexi Work Request Form
Post – Implementation
1. Managing Employee’s Performance by developing KPIs
2. Communication
3. Phased Implementation
4. Formulation of Company Policy
5. Training
6. Engagement
7. Measuring Success
1. Pre – Implementation
Preliminary task in this regard is to analyse and assess
Is the Flexible Work Arrangement right for traditional mindset organization? There are many advantages in implementing flexible work but it may not be pragmatic for every industry or organization or for every job role. In this regard, how can an organization decide if The FLWH works for them? Manpower has developed a ready to- use framework to determine if this work arrangement is suited to an organization. Key considerations include getting employee feedback via surveys, determining the operational needs, working out the cost-benefit analysis and Formulation of Company Policy for Flexible Working Arrangement.
1. Employee Survey
First, there is the need to gather some input from the employees on their receptivity towards flexible work arrangements. Employees need to rank, in order of importance, their views on work-life balance and how critical it is to them at their current stage in life.
| Questions | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| What is your view on the importance of FLWH? | |||||
| Based on your current lifestyle or phase in life, is having FLWH important? | |||||
| Do you think it is important for Muliya to implement flexible work policies or arrangements? | |||||
| If you are a manager of any section, do you think that it is important for your co-workers to be at the office at all times. | |||||
| Rank in order of importance of the following work arrangements: Working from home with Flexibility in work hours _______ Remote/Teleworking _______Interdepartmental processes and operating procedures _______Working part-time _______Replacement leave for additional hours performed _______Manpower / Equipments requirements during peak periods ________ | |||||
| * 1. Not Important 2. Somewhat Important 3. Neutral 4. Important 5.Highly Important |
Employee Survey Form
Survey can be conducted for employees who can be included in FLWH scheme in Traditional mindset organization. For eg: Chief Manager, Marketing Manager, Finance Manager, Accounts Manager, Admin, Procurement Manager, Auditor, HR Manager .
2. Determining Flexible Work Needs
Second, based on the results from the survey, place the importance of each category and the achievability of the said initiatives, including the organization’s operational needs. This would give the management a view on what the important factors are for its business and employees against what would be achievable, which will have impact on implementation. Based on the rankings on importance and achievability of flexible work, the management can then prioritize the initiatives that traditional mindset company could implement.
3. Cost Benefit Analysis
Finally, a cost-benefit analysis needs to be conducted to determine the benefits of flexible work arrangements to the organization. Itemize the current spend and estimate the total potential savings or increase in total expenditure for the next two years. This would allow the management to make informed decisions on the implementation of flexible work.
2. Implementation
After thorough survey, judging operational needs of FLWH and cost benefit analysis actual implementation starts.
Employee Flexi Work Request Form
In order to effectively manage flexible work policies, employees who are eligible to work under such arrangements must first make their intentions known to the company and apply for it. Applications are by no means to be mistaken for further bureaucracy of the system but to avoid abuse of flexible work arrangements and also to keep track of the participation rates by the employees. It must also be communicated to employees that the information required is to assist the organization in preparing for the necessary resources and operational needs. Organizations also need to be clear about which of their job roles will be suited for the FWA – not all job roles will be. Second stage in implementation end here.
3. Post – Implementation
Post – Implementation stage is nothing but, managing, monitoring and measuring success achieved through FLWH work arrangement.
1. Managing Employee’s Performance by developing KPIs
In managing employee performance under a FWA, organizations should develop key performance indexes (KPIs) that focus on tasks completed rather than time performed. Agree with the employee on a specified time period to complete given
tasks which are then associated with the desired results to be complete a research and analysis report within fifteen days with the desired result of having the report published and distributed to two hundred clients. The employee will have the freedom to work at his or her own suitable time and method as long as the results are delivered on time.
2. Communication
Employees must be made aware of the importance of the flexible work arrangement and the positive effect it has on the organization. They also need to be assured that participating in FWA is acceptable and it will not compromise their career as rewards are based on outcomes of their tasks rather than hours worked.
Once that is established, employees need to be briefed on the lines of reporting and processes to be adhered to when it comes to working under flexible arrangements. Regular communication is required to ensure that tasks are done according to requirements and timeline. It is also important to stress that they must report to and gain prior approval from their line managers for eg: marketing executives to marketing manager, accounts assistants to accounts manager, if any department in which the manager himself is opted FLWH reports are to be made to MD and CMD, as this will avoid the system from being abused.
3. Phased Implementation
It is suggested to run a pilot program for a specified period of time with a small group of employees and at the end of that period, company can conduct a group review. This process is to ensure that the system works smoothly and also gives the organization the opportunity to fine tune or improve on it before being implemented on a wider scale. As a trial it can be opted for one department at first for eg: Accounts or Marketing. During trial period if company finds FLWH is worth to implement later it can be implemented in other specified back end section.
4. Formulation of Company Policy for Flexible Working Arrangement
HR managers are often expected to fulfil purely tactical roles – hiring, firing, training and dealing with day-to-day issues. Outdated working practices can sometimes persist unchallenged for years. The understanding and promotion of the business benefits of flexible working give a new and more strategic role to today’s human resources specialists.
Personnel departments are normally responsible for developing and issuing policies relating to working arrangements and practices. They also translate these policies into practical procedures and issue guidelines to support their implementation.
In some organizations all this information is contained within a staff handbook. Nowadays the handbook often exists on the corporate intranet, where the latest version is always available for consultation. It is observed that Muliya can adopt this particular system.
The following sections are intended to provide initial checklists for HR managers. There may be important issues that need to be addressed in the organization that do not cover here.
Whilst it is not possible to be prescriptive, the following notes should help HR managers develop personnel policies that are appropriate for different forms of flexible working.
It should be noted that these guidelines are most relevant during the piloting and transition phase, when different forms of flexible working are being evaluated and some staff are still working conventionally. In the longer term it is to be hoped that the whole organization will adopt greater flexibility and, as a consequence, policies can be simplified.
In addition, training will often be needed in the use of applications such as groupware, intranets, advanced telephony and knowledge management.
HR Section in consultation with MD and CMD can formulate company’s flexible working policy for the benefit of company as well as for staffs working under FLWH. For the reference of the company policy checklist format is given below. In this line Traditional Mindset firm can create its FLWH Policy to cater the needs.
Policy checklist:
| Contracts of employment | Are there conditions in employment contracts which are no longer relevant, e.g. specifying the place and hours of work, specifying a requirement to be able to drive, etcDo travel-related benefits need reviewing?Take care not to attempt to change contracts of employment unilaterally.Other than where people are to work mainly from home, only visiting an office occasionally, the stated place of work, for Inland Revenue purposes, should generally remain the office. |
| Standard practice | As part of normal working practice, should all staff normally be expected to work flexibly as job responsibilities demand? This may mean occasionally working in a different location or to non-standard working hours.Does the employer Endeavour to minimize any domestic impact of this requirement? |
| Working time | Are there core hours, when all staff are expected to be available for work unless sick, on leave or otherwise absent, e.g. 10.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday?What are the office hours, when office services and staff access for work are available?When is attendance required at the office, if at all, for example at least during core hours 2 days per week?How are actual times at the office agreed in advance? (This is important not only for managers and colleagues but also for desk management)?What are minimum and maximum working times, for example minimum of full contracted hours each month, maximum of 48 hours per week?What rights do line managers have to require attendance at the office on specific days and at specific times, what notice do they need to give?Are timesheets required, showing location of work, days taken as annual leave, sickness and other absences? What are the submission and approval mechanisms? |
| Working location | Where are staff expected to work when not in the office, for example at home, at a client’s site, in a tele centre, etc.?Should staff working away from the office be at all times accessible by phone and e-mail? |
| Health and safety | How is risk assessments carried out?What are the respective responsibilities of the employer and employee?Are certain types of work or activities not allowed in certain locations, for example using a phone whilst driving, using hazardous equipment at home, having business meetings at home? |
| Eligibility | Identify who is eligible for flexible working, and indicate why this is fair.Are there other forms of flexibility that may be available for a wider group of staff, e.g. flexitime only? |
| Variations | Identify who is authorized to vary policies and what the processes are. |
| Occasional/temporary arrangements | Flexible working should not be placed in a straightjacket. What are the arrangements for sanctioning occasional or temporary variations to normal working practices? |
| Termination of arrangements | Flexible working arrangements may need to be suspended by line managers where business requirements and/or performance warrant thisAlso individuals’ circumstances may change, or flexible working may not suit them, in which case they should be able to return to conventional arrangements. |
| Provision of facilities in the office | Will the employer provide a permanent office desk for every staff member, especially where work patterns warrant shared facilities and office space? |
| Provision of facilities at home | How will the employer provide, or subsidize the costs of, equipment to allow staff to work effectively and safely at their homes?How will this equipment be installed and supported? Will the employer have right of access to the equipment? |
| Insurance and care of equipment | Employees should be expected to take good care of company equipment.Who is responsible for insurance? – equipment, premises, third-party, etc. |
| Confidentiality | Employees should take care to protect company information.Are there rules or guidelines regarding working in public places? |
| Payment of expenses | How will the employer compensate staff for any additional costs associated with working flexibly?How (if at all) will the employer benefit from any cost savings enjoyed by the employee? |
| Training | What training is offered in flexible working, including health and safety issues?Is this training compulsory? |
5. Training
Leadership skills are required to effectively manage employees who are on flexible work arrangements. Managers and other staffs need to be prepared to manage their own time and tasks including their staffs who are on the same flexible work arrangements. In this regard, training is key to develop a new set of management skills.
6. Engagement
While there is satisfaction amongst employees with the flexibility provided, the organization should also conduct some face-to-face time such as team-building activities, family days or other social functions to foster communication. Engagement and inclusiveness plays a role in maintaining a happy and engaged workforce.
7. Measuring Success
The organization can determine the success of flexible work arrangement policies by measuring the reduction in staff absenteeism, staff turnover rate, the cost of employee replacement and other associated administrative costs like training, advertising and recruiting. Another measure of success comes from the employee satisfaction levels which can be measured via forums or online survey and monitoring the take up rate of the flexible work arrangements. In the medium term, the number of job applicants received will be a measure of staff attraction.
Improved business performance would be the desired outcome and this can be determined by the increase in productivity via the delivery and the quality of employees’ work.
As
World of Work that is changing hence it always best to adopt new systems to the organization. As employee demographics evolve from Traditionalists and Boomers to Gen Xs and Gen Ys, the dynamics of the organization will change due to the different work values between these generations. This will result in a shift in work styles as well. The younger workforce values freedom in work and they thrive in fast paced environments, having grown up in the age of modern technology. There is a need then, for organizations to address this shift in work styles. Having flexible work policies in place not only caters to the younger, talented, trustworthy, dedicated workforce but also women, the physically disabled and the older workers as it important to retain them for the value they bring to the organization through the knowledge, skills and experience they possess. FLWH results in win – win situation for the organization and for employees.
