How to Enable a Flexible Working Culture ?
Even the benefits of a flexible working environment are clear ,the ability to establish this new adjustment can be interrupted by plenty of barriers.By identifying those negative factors ,organizations can smoother this transition process to build a flexible working culture.
To achieve a higher level of flexible working arrangements ,senior leadership should sponsor on that.Therefore the necessity of the leadership support at a department or organizational level is essential and an influential senior leadership can convince others the benefits of flexible work patterns.This senior leaders can also become powerful advocates for flexible working (John, 2017).
Though there is a senior sponsorship for flexibility ,the reluctance of the managers who operate on more traditional views of work can still undermine the transition.Those managers expect to observe the actions of their teams and that restricts employee flexibility.Even though, over coming the culture of long hours is difficult, introduction of a more agile working culture will meet the complexity of the business environment.Managers need to trust employees to work when they are not in view and measure outputs over inputs which will ensure the mutual trust.
Once the flexible working is established ,its important to make sure that the support is provided for each individual employee.This will provide a substantial shift in working style and guidance to adjust to new flexible working.Without a proper instruction or guidance ,flexible working can produce isolation and reduced visibility, which can have long-term effects on productivity and career progression.Online training courses and guides can help employees develop an approach to flexibility that accommodates their individual needs while fitting within the organisational template.
The ability to maintain a culture of flexibility requires
an agile organisational structure that is able to
constantly innovate around employee working
arrangements. Confronting new challenges and
leveraging new opportunities requires companies to
take risks in order to remain competitive.But by undertaking pilot groups in order to trial and refine possible processes of flexible working environment , company can expand its flexible working initiatives without being effected to their productivity.
References
- John, W. (2017) .FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY: EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL LINKAGE.
- Future of Work Institute ,(2012). The Benefits of Flexible Working Arrangements
Nice topic to discus, as a employee we have seen the good side of flexible working hours but your article pointed some disadvantages of the flexible working. Thanks for sharing and suggest to include citations in the article.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jinendran.Yes.based on the type and the culture of the organization ,we need to think wisely before implementing flexible working culture.
DeleteAgree with your comment Isuru.
DeleteI think you mention about the flexible working hours with your innovation ideas. Also you mention that it will start as a pilot project. Nice essay.
ReplyDeleteYes Malintha.Since its a cultural change ,we need to be very careful when implementing flexible working hours
DeleteInteresting article , nicely explained , thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Malintha
DeleteNicely explained , thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Namil
DeleteMy personal opinion is flexible working hours are not a successful method in Sri Lankan context. Before implementing it people needs to develop their attitudes, ethics in to a certain level which employers can trust them and depend on them. Good article Isuru.
ReplyDeleteMy argument is that responsibility is equally distributed among both of employee and employer. Employee should be honest and employer should trust the employer. In Sri Lankan context some private organizations like software companies implement this flexible hours method successfully.
DeleteFlexible working hours is suitable for some industries like IT, but it will not suitable for indulike banking as it is a service delivery industry which meet customers face to face. Good article.
ReplyDeleteYes.Before implementing an initiative like this its more important to analyse the type of the organization.So this can't be apply for banking sector, forces, hospitals and so on.
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