Flexibility Working and Performance: A Contemporary Business Issue

This report examines the relationship between flexible working arrangements (flexitime) and employee performance within contemporary businesses. It explores how flexitime impacts employee productivity, stress levels, job security, and work-life balance. The report reviews relevant literature, including studies from the 1970s to more recent publications, to analyze the effects of flexitime on stress and security, control and discretion, and absenteeism and turnover. The findings suggest that organizations adopting flexitime strategies experience reduced employee stress, increased job satisfaction, improved employee control, and lower rates of absenteeism and turnover, ultimately leading to enhanced productivity and competitive advantages. The report emphasizes the importance of flexitime for organizations seeking to improve employee well-being and business outcomes.

Flexibility Working and Performance
Student Name: Student ID:
Module Name: Contemporary Business Issues Subject ID: UMPDN6-15-1
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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Aims.......................................................................................................................................3
2.0 Methodology..............................................................................................................................3
3.0 Literature Review......................................................................................................................4
4.0 Results & Discussion.................................................................................................................6
5.0 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................7
6.0 References..................................................................................................................................8
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1.0 Introduction
Globalization and technological advent have allowed catering to diversified customers
and employees (Barney, 2010). Employees are the primary driving resource behind any
organization and multinational corporations treat employees as assets. A concept oriented at
flexible working of employees has been rising across organizations. The concept has been
directly associated with organizational performance evaluated across various business cases. The
concept of flexible working arrangements (FWA) has been gaining prominence since the mid-
1970s, when several researchers were assessing impact associated with flexitime on performance
levels of worker. The concept relates to allowing freedom to the worker for completing tasks
assigned to them. The new generation employee, most commonly referred to as Generation
Millennials value freedom as a great parameter associated with their work (Golden, 2012). The
poster aims at explaining ways in which flexitime arrangements for workers have led to increase
in worker’s performance across organizations. A methodology followed by critical review of
relevant literature sources will help arrive at suitable interpretation regarding results.
1.1 Aims
The study aims at evaluating positive correlation between flexitime arrangements of
workers leading to increase in their productivity through various literature sources.
2.0 Methodology
An increasing contemporary issue in business is to analyse ways to increase productivity
amongst workers. While various methods have been deployed to arrive at ways and means to
increase workers’ productivity none had been promising (Kattenbach, 2010). Various behavioral
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scholars have been connecting the variable of productivity to teamwork, home-based work, flex-
time, purchased leave, part-time hours and many more. There had been multiple qualitative and
quantitative based analysis to help arrive at crucial findings related to the study. For the purpose
of this study, critical evaluation of relevant journals and articles have conducted in this relevant
area.
A comprehensive analysis followed by drawing of conclusion relative to study will be
entailed. An inductive reasoning will form the basis for methods used for interpreting results for
this study. Through secondary data, qualitative in nature and inductive reasoning analysis has
been conducted. Secondary or second-hand data had been collected and not primary data as there
was limited time availability to conduct the study. All ethical procedures had been followed for
the study. The study suffers from certain limitations of secondary data, that is bound to creep in.
In spite of several limitations, each data has been cross-checked and verified to determine
reliability. The methodology has been adopted in accordance to the study to arrive at its findings
easily.
3.0 Literature Review
In order to conduct this analysis it was pertinent to develop relevant literature sources that
could provide in-depth understanding related to the topic. For understanding this complex topic
several literature sources including books and journals had been utilized. L.M. De Menezes and
C. Kelliher (2011) provides an integral insight into the topic of flexitime arrangement ever since
its introduction (De Menezes, 2011). The article reveals way of flexitime that was practiced in
the 1970s by linking dataset of employees and employers. Many countries around the world have
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included statutory rights for employees allowing serious consideration for flexitiming
arrangements. Several employers have been advised by the government of countries to include
family-friendly employment practices. Aim behind government supporting such a movement
was to enable employees attain a better work-life balance with high demanding job roles, for
enhancing productivity. Empirical results depicts correlation between work time flexibility with
job insecurity and stress or burnout factors. 2004 Employment Relations Survey (WERS)
provides an employee and manager’s database on effective use related to flexible timings.
Though there were several limitations faced in the study yet it reflected potential areas for future
impact.
Another pertinent article in this area is by D. Eldridge and T. Nisar (2011) which
evaluates organization impact from employee flexitiming arrangements (Eldridge, 2011). The
scope of this article addresses job demands and employee stress that affects performance
amongst employees. Workers within organization experiences mental pressure and mental
fatigue which often leads to absenteeism, further aggravating into turnover. Organization that do
not indulge in employee work-life balance practices are more exposed to risks of high
recruitment, selection, induction and training costs due to high employee turnover. Strategies
adopted to allow employees cope with stress and deal with increasing workload were often left
redundant with minimum impact on creating job likeliness. However, when employers toyed
with the idea of schedule to match up with employee’s schedule it often helped yield positive
results. As employees now felt that the organization cared about them and they had job control
(Allen, 2013). Employees when allowed to undertake flexible timing performed in a better way
than they did when they were subjected to fixed schedules.
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J. Hayman (2010) analysed in his article that flexible timing had a high positive
correlation with employee well-being (Hayman, 2010). The characteristics feature of employee
well-being was found to be greatly associated with levels of job security and decision making
autonomy. Flexibility has been seen to reduce sickness absence, overtime, stress and turnover
overall impacting increase in productivity. This literature article clearly draws upon a positive
correlation between employee flexibility to perform a given role at the time that matches
employee is bound to increase performance, reducing negative impacts.
4.0 Results & Discussion
Reviewing pertinent literatures provides that organization that allowed employee
flexibility related to timing had been able to impact their productivity (Ernst Kossek, 2010).
There are various aspects of performance that is reflected to be impacted from employee being
allowed flexible timing. There are three areas in which the results and discussions are based as
given below; Results and Discussion 1 Flexitime impact on Stress and Security:
Organizations that included flexitime as a method by which employees could perform their job
roles had higher productivity. This was a result form the fact that employees now experienced
less amounts of stress and burnout factor as they were able to manage their home based
responsibilities. Employees also felt greater sense of job security and carried their roles with
higher skill set and diligence (Smith, 2010). There are a feeling of reliability that they developed
once allowed to perform their job roles according to their discretion.
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 Results and Discussion 2 Flexitime impact on Control and Discretion:
Employees revealed greater control and discretion over their job roles once they were allowed
flexible timings. Employees that were made to work in shifts had higher levels of dependence on
their floor managers or team leaders to complete their tasks. On the contrary when allowed
flexible timings at work, they took greater interests to perform the task with responsibility.
Levels of control increased with flexible timing as now employees had the responsibility to
complete their job roles as assigned. Moreover, they were seen to apply greater discretionary
power over their tasks which led to increase in productivity levels. Average performance levels
of employees were seen to increase when they were allowed flexible timings.
 Results and Discussion 3 Flexitime impact on absenteeism and turnover:
Contemporary businesses are keen on adapting the concept of flexible timing as several
researches reveal positive attributes with productivity. When employees were allowed to work
according to flexible timings they were found to be less absent (Nijp, 2012). Moreover
employees had experienced higher levels of engagement with the organization that led to
decreasing turnover. With decreasing absenteeism and turnover, organizations experienced less
costs associated with recruitment, selection, induction and training. Moreover, flexitiming helped
organizations achieve competitive advantages as well.
5.0 Conclusion
Analysing results related to employee flexible time arrangements with productivity in
organizations reveals various indicators. Most significant factor amongst employee being
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allowed flexi time is work-life balance that greatly helps reduce burnout. Organizations
especially multinational corporations are reorganizing their work practices for providing a better
work life balance to employees. This ensures that organization not only increasing job
commitment and employee retention but also keeping up with competitive practices. Relevant
literatures on flexitiming provides that organizations that do not adopt such practices are more
likely to lag behind in creation of competitive advantages. Flexitiming allows better job control
amongst employees and reduction in their stress factor with the job. Therefore, contemporary
businesses in order to gain competitive advantages in the market and achieve higher levels of
employee satisfaction needs to adopt flexitiming based strategies.
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6.0 References
Allen, T.D., Johnson, R.C., Kiburz, K.M. and Shockley, K.M., 2013. Work–family conflict and
flexible work arrangements: Deconstructing flexibility. Personnel psychology, 66(2), pp.345-
376.
Barney, C.E. and Elias, S.M., 2010. Flex-time as a moderator of the job stress-work motivation
relationship: A three nation investigation. Personnel Review, 39(4), pp.487-502.
Eldridge, D. and Nisar, T., 2011. Employee and organizational impacts of flexitime work
arrangements. Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations, 66(2), pp.213-234.
Ernst Kossek, E., Lewis, S. and Hammer, L.B., 2010. Work—life initiatives and organizational
change: Overcoming mixed messages to move from the margin to the mainstream. human
relations, 63(1), pp.3-19.
De Menezes, L.M. and Kelliher, C., 2011. Flexible working and performance: A systematic
review of the evidence for a business case. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13(4),
pp.452-474.
Golden, L., 2012. The effects of working time on productivity and firm performance, research
synthesis paper.
Hayman, J., 2010. Flexible work schedules and employee well-being. New Zealand Journal of
Employment Relations (Online), 35(2), p.76.
Kattenbach, R., Demerouti, E. and Nachreiner, F., 2010. Flexible working times: Effects on
employees' exhaustion, work-nonwork conflict and job performance. Career Development
International, 15(3), pp.279-295.
Nijp, H.H., Beckers, D.G., Geurts, S.A., Tucker, P. and Kompier, M.A., 2012. Systematic review
on the association between employee worktime control and work-non-work balance, health and
well-being, and job-related outcomes. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health,
pp.299-313.
Smith, K.T., 2010. Work-life balance perspectives of marketing professionals in generation
Y. Services Marketing Quarterly, 31(4), pp.434-447.
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