Flexible Working: Resourcing the Organisation

This report discusses the reasons why organizations are adopting flexible working patterns, how it contributes to overall organizational success, and examples of practices to enhance credibility. The education sector is used as an example, with the University of Greenwich as a case study.

RESOURCING THE
ORGANISATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Critical evaluation of reason because of which organisations are increasing flexibility of
working patterns..........................................................................................................................1
Critical discussion of ways in which flexible working can contribute to overall organisational
success.........................................................................................................................................3
Examples of practice to enhance the credibility of one’s own work...........................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Flexible working pattern can be defined as a kind of schedule that allows employees to
start their workday whenever they want and finish whether they want. In other words, this
schedule allows employees to start and end their work as their preferred time period rather than
on set time period (Sidra, Abdullah and Mohamad Jani, 2017). This type of working pattern
today is being adopted by most of the organizations as it is beneficial for both employees as well
as for organizations as it helps organizations in having employees available in one way or the
other whereas it helps employees in working as per their suitable time period and manage
personal and professional life in more appropriate manner (Van den Heuvel and et. al., 2020).
This report will lay emphasis upon reason because of which organizations are increasing
flexibility of working patterns, ways in which flexible working can contribute to overall
organizational success. Industry selected for this report is education sector in which example of
University of Greenwich has been taken for explanation of advantages and disadvantages of
flexible working pattern.
MAIN BODY
Critical evaluation of reason because of which organisations are increasing flexibility of working
patterns
Today most of the organizations are focusing upon adopting flexible working pattern
within their organization. This is mostly because today working pattern is changing and
employees as well as employers are understanding importance of work life balance (Cook and et.
al., 2020). As workplace flexibility makes it much easier for employers to enhance overall
productivity of employees by making working conditions suitable for them in such a manner that
they can easily work within organization as per their suitable working environment and work
timing. Education sector is one of those sectors where flexible working hours are being adopted
by organizations in an appropriate and accurate manner.
Some of the main reason because of which organizations in education sector are focusing
upon adopting flexible working patterns is because it helps them in motivating their employees
and enhance overall satisfaction level of their employees as it helps employees in maintaining a
balance between their personal and professional life in an appropriate manner (Avgoustaki and
Bessa, 2019). University of Greenwich is alone of those universities in this educational sector
that has focused upon adopting flexible working pattern as it helps them in providing various
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kinds of benefits to their staff members. As per this organization an organization can gain
competitive advantage only when their staff members work in a productive manner and are
satisfied with their jobs. Adoption of flexible working pattern is beneficial for both employees as
well as employer (Van den Heuvel and et. al., 2020). This working pattern makes it much easier
for employer to have or gain access of their employees or have coverage of their employees in
one or the other manner. It directly helps University of Greenwich to make use of all of their
staff members in an appropriate and accurate manner that can directly help them in achievement
their desired goals and objectives in an appropriate manner (Hastie, Paice and Boath, 2018). But
one of the main reasons because of which University of Greenwich is focusing upon adopting
flexible working patterns is because adoption of this matter makes it much easier for university
to recruit and retain employees who have other major life commitments as well.
Increasing emphasis upon flexibility of working patterns is mostly because of its
advantages and disadvantages of this approach which directly affect University of Greenwich in
many different ways. Some of the main advantages of this approach are as follows: This
approach directly help employees in gaining more control over their timing which makes it much
easier for them to manage their personal and professional life in an appropriate manners. It
directly help employees in gaining control over their life so that they can provide their support to
their family or can manage their jobs if they have two or more than two jobs (Bhusan and Sar,
2020). Whereas for organizations like University of Greenwich it has various kinds advantages
like, they have access to employees during odd working hours as well because they pay
additional payment to their employees and convince them to work during odd working hours, it
direly helps them in increasing productivity of their employees and motivate them to work more
for the organization. University of Greenwich has acknowledged that employees or staff
members are more productive outside office or at their homely environment where they can work
in more relaxed manner. For employees who have children to take care of or women who have
small babies to take care of, flexible working pattern makes it much easier for them to take care
of their babies and work in an appropriate and effective manner (van den Heuvel and et. al.,
2020).
But this approach has its of disadvantages as well that can affect University of Greenwich
in many ways. Some of the main disadvantages of this approach are as follows: one of the main
disadvantages of this approach is that it often means that employees have to work from home.
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This working pattern was mainly made to ease employees work but it is seen that this working
pattern has increased wok burden of employees. They need to work at office as well as at home.
This pattern or approach has also increased communication issues because different employees
have different work timing as a result communication difficulties have increased. Employers of
organizations such as University of Greenwich need to find and adopt more appropriate
management approach which is situatable for them for management of their employees and staff
members.
Critical discussion of ways in which flexible working can contribute to overall organisational
success
Due to above identified advantages of flexible working patterns most of the organizations
are focusing upon adopting flexible working pattern approach (Chung and Van der Lippe, 2020).
Flexible working pattern has made it much easier for organizations to run business 24*7 as thy
have employees available for them who can further help in supporting business and its operations
at every possible time period. In education sector, adoption of flexible working pattern has
become one of the main reason and prominent reason that ha organizations like University of
Cambridge, University of Greenwich to achieve success and manage their business operations
successfully in an appropriate manner. Adoption of this approach has directly helped various
organizations in education sector to turn from a failure organization into an award- winning
organization or university.
For University of Cambridge adoption of flexible working pattern has directly help them
in achievement of success. In fact, due to this, they have adopted flexible working as a part of
university policy (Berkery and et. al., 2017). Flexible working directly help university in gaining
trust of their staff members and vice versa because providing working flexibility need or require
trust of employers or of employee. This directly help in enhancement of work relationship and
further help employees and employer in becoming support of each other. This support and trust
worthy relationship help employers in taking proper, effective and appropriate decision making
that can directly help in achieving success (van den Heuvel and et. al., 2020). Flexible working
policy adopted by University of Cambridge has directly helped them in enhancing overall
performance and productivity of their staff members and which has further made it possible for
them to provide high quality education and support in terms of education by other staff members
in an appropriate and effective manner. Whereas in university of Greenwich, work schedules of
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employees have been developed in such a manner that those timing are comfortable for them as
well as those timing are appropriate for employees as well as university which makes it much
easier for them to manage university operations in an appropriate manner.
Effective and appropriate way of adopting flexible working within organization can
directly help organization in achievement of success within organization. It directly helps
organizations in adopting hybrid working culture use within an organization in an appropriate
manner (Chung and Van der Lippe, 2020). There are many different ways in which flexible
working patter has helped organizations in achieving success because adoption of this approach
has directly helped organization in enhancing overall health of employees in an appropriate
manner. This approach has made it possible for organizations like university of Greenwich and
university of Cambridge to enhance overall wellbeing of their employees both physically and
mentally. If an organization wants to expand their business internationally then adoption of this
approach can directly help them in motivating capable employees to work on those projects as
per their convenient timing so that those international projects and work in international market
chosen can be completed in an appropriate manner.
Today have a diverse work force has become important for organization’s as it directly
helps them in working at global level as have global diverse working force can directly help
organization in understanding chosen international market and makes it much easier for
employees to work in selected market especially if they have complete knowledge of the chosen
market. hiring diverse work force directly help employer in providing opportunity to employees
so that they can work as per their comfortable working conditions (Van den Heuvel and et. al.,
2020). Both university of Greenwich and university of Cambridge are on such organizations that
have international students studying within their university. Due to this, it becomes important for
both the universities to have diverse workforce or staff members for their international students
so that those students can get help whenever required and they can also feel comfortable by
seeing diverse workforce working within university. This will directly help in making students
who have come to study within university from all over the globe feel comfortable within
university and can learn or study with more dedication and comfort in an appropriate manner.
This directly helps them in attracting a greater number of students and eventually helps
universities in achieving success and running their business successfully.
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Another reason that can help flexible working in contributing positively within
organizational success is because such kind of working environment help in attracting highly
talented and skilled employees (Van den Heuvel and et. al., 2020). In this education sector,
demand of flexible working environment is demanded and preferred by employees especially for
teaching staff members. This is because with the help of flexible working, they can give time to
their job, preparing from future lessons and further provides then time to keep them updated with
important and new knowledge in an appropriate manner. This is majorly because it helps staff
members working within universities in an appropriate manner. It can also be said that provision
of autonomy, freedom, and balance can directly help in bringing improvement within overall
performance of employees, engagement of employees can be enhanced, which eventually help
organization in achievement success. Enhancement of autonomy, freedom, and balance of staff
members working in education sector can directly help in provision of high quality of education
to students and can further enhance overall quality of work of university that can eventually help
in achievement of success (Van den Heuvel and et. al., 2020). In other words, it can also be said
that flexible working can directly help organization in education sector to have highly skilled and
successful employees which eventually help in achievement of overall success. University of
Greenwich is known for highly skilled staff members who focuses upon providing high quality
education and other kinds of services to their students which results in achievement of success.
Examples of practice to enhance the credibility of one’s own work
Flexible working today is being used as an appropriate strategy by human resource
department of most of their organizations. HR department are using this as a strategy for
enhancing productivity of employees. For example, within University of Greenwich provides
opportunity to staff members where they can create request for flexible working as per their
convenience. Not only this, if staff members are in certain situation that they cannot come to
university for working then in such case they can work from home till it becomes comfortable
for them to attend university for job. This type of support is directly provided to most of the staff
members within the university. It further helps in enhancing overall performance of employees in
an appropriate manner and make it much easier for organization to reduce effect of such situation
upon work.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that flexible working pattern or approaches
one of the most approaches types of an appropriate which is being adopted by most of the
organizations in education sector as it directly help in achievement of success and expand
business successfully. Adoption of this approach is beneficial for both employers as well as for
employees. It can help employees in manging their personal and professional life in much better
manner and can also help employers in making employees available and working for them
whenever they want. Which helps them in managing their business operation easily and
successfully. If an organization wants to expand their business outside their nation then with the
help of flexible working pattern they can easily focus upon running their business asper changed
time zone and can also ask employees to work as per their convenience for changed time of
working. Due to these reasons it can be said that flexible working patterns can directly help
organizations within education industry to achieve success.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Sidra, S., Abdullah, S.S. and Mohamad Jani, M.Y., 2017. Moderating effect of remuneration on
the relationship between flexible working hours and organization performance in public
sector higher education in Pakistan: A conceptual model.
Cook, R., and et. al., 2020. Fathers’ perceptions of the availability of flexible working
arrangements: evidence from the UK. Work, Employment and Society,
p.0950017020946687.
Avgoustaki, A. and Bessa, I., 2019. Examining the link between flexible working arrangement
bundles and employee work effort. Human Resource Management, 58(4), pp.431-449.
Hastie, A., Paice, E. and Boath, E., 2018. Flexible Working and Training for Doctors and
Dentists: Pt. 1, 2007. CRC Press.
Bhusan, B. and Sar, A.K., 2020. Critically analysing the concept of workplace flexibility and
how it impacts employee and organizational performance: A case of the retail industry
in India. Eurasian Chemical Communications, 2(9), pp.1001-1010.
van den Heuvel, M., and et. al., 2020. How do employees adapt to organizational change? The
role of meaning-making and work engagement. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 23.
Chung, H. and Van der Lippe, T., 2020. Flexible working, work–life balance, and gender
equality: Introduction. Social Indicators Research, 151(2), pp.365-381.
Berkery, E., and et. al., 2017. On the uptake of flexible working arrangements and the
association with human resource and organizational performance outcomes. European
Management Review, 14(2), pp.165-183.
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