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Flexible Work Arrangements and Why We should Advocate It

Tuesday 20 April 2021, 6:22PM

By Premium Cleaning Services

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We all could use more flexibility in our work lives, whether it's the simplest of tasks, like taking your pet for a walk, getting to the bank during business hours, or even attending your child's school play. 

Especially with work-from-home arrangements, flexibility is an essential part of one's life, mainly because it creates higher employee retention and motivation and ensures that no one misses out on life. 

Busy personal lives all need flexible work options to ensure that all employees' work-life balance is kept in check.

On June 2, 2021, we will celebrate Flexible Working Day. 

According to Vanessa Vanderhoek, the Founder of Flexible Working Day, "[Flexible Working Day] is a day to celebrate and showcase the benefits of flexible work for both people and organizations. The day also marks a call to action to tackle flexism."

Flexible working arrangements give some flexibility on how long, where, when, and at what times employees work.

These arrangements can relate to:

  • Work patterns (e.g., job share)
  • Working location (e.g., work from home)
  • Time (e.g., part-time, flexitime)

Flexible working: you have a right to ask

Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, there is a statutory right for any eligible employee to request flexible working for any reason.

Why are we encouraging employers to offer flexible working practices?

Flexible working options are attractive to many employees. 

Sixty-eight percent of working mothers asked for at least one flexible work practice, and most of those requests were approved. 

Interestingly, over a third of those who had their requests approved did not request flexibility because they believed people would view it negatively or not be approved. At the same time, over half said it had negative consequences.

The Business Council is encouraging more employers to be transparent and open about their flexible working policies and to promote these during recruitment so that businesses can provide the best services possible for pregnant women and new mothers.

Advantages

  • Employee Flexibility

With flexible work schedules, employees stand to experience a good number of benefits.  For example, workers can meet family needs, personal obligations, and life responsibilities. 

With a flexible schedule, a mom can take a yoga class in the morning, go to a parent-teacher conference during the day, and work at home without much pressure. Having to spend a whole day at the office doesn't give much flexibility to employees with families, which they need the most.

  • Employee commute

Flexible scheduling also allows employees to work remotely and adjust the days and hours they are in the office. 

By commuting during later hours, employees avoid the traffic and the stresses of commuting. Imagine saving more time by leaving your house at 10 a.m. instead of 8 a.m., aka the infamous rush morning hour.

Employees have less time spent commuting and fewer fuel costs to pay.

  • Employers Gain Commitment

With flexible work schedules, employers experience benefits as well. Employees who are given some control over their plans show enhanced morale, engagement, and commitment to the organization. 

Allowing workers to adjust schedules around family and personal obligations also reduces turnover, absenteeism, and tardiness. 

Employees can work when they are at their most productive, freshest, and enjoy working, boosting projects and workflow.

Disadvantages for Employees and Employers

Employees who thrive in the office may not work smoothly when all of their colleagues do not share the same schedule. 

Planning for team efforts may include coordination of employee workdays and hours. 

Thus, many employers require core hours or days during which everyone is at the office or available for Zoom meetings. 

Some of their employees take advantage of the flexibility and the ability to work from home for employers.

If a worker wants structure, they may have difficulty staying focused on work and instead focus on house chores and entertainment. People in the office sometimes perceive their co-workers working from home as slackers since they cannot see their activity and productivity.

Top tips for offering flexible working: 

Advertise positions that are flexible working friendly and promote a wide range of flexible working practices.

Try new ways of working.

Transparency in your organization's flexible work policies is the key to success.

Celebrate and demonstrate how flexible work is successful.

About Premium Clean

At Premium Clean, we support flexible working arrangements for all our cleaners. We provide them ample time to spend with their families while doing their best job at Premium Clean. Premium Clean originated in New Zealand in 2015. Premium Clean is a cleaning company that has completed more than 30,000 cleaning jobs and has continuously operated in more than nine cities.