A Critical Examination Of Flexible Working Practices As A Strategic Element Of People Resourcing Essay

A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF FLEXIBLE WORKING PRACTICES AS A STRATEGIC ELEMENT OF PEOPLE RESOURCING

INTRODUCTION

The world of work has changed tremendously and more people have to combine both responsiblities at home and in the workplace and this has an enormous impact about how employees feel about work relating to our conditions of work in terms of pay, hours of work, holidays, flexibility and work–life balance.

Businesses now realize that flexible working and work-life balance is something they can’t be ignored. More women are in work; the ageing population is on the increase and more people have caring responsibilities. Organizations are competing for talent in a tight labor market, technologies changing the way we work and more businesses needing to deliver services on a 24/7 basis, managers are beginning to understand more of employees’ responsibilities outside of work. According to CIPD report, in 1998, 84% of managers believed it was up to an individual employee to balance their work and family responsibilities, by 2004, this had decreased to 65%.
The number of workplaces offering staff the opportunity to work flexibly and also work – life balance has almost doubled in the last six years, according to the latest ACAS- and DTI-sponsored Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS).
Recent CIPD research also demonstrates that flexible working policies are now becoming the norm in organizations. In the research, four in five employees reported that their employer offers some form of flexible working. This report will also highlights the potential benefits of flexible working and work life balance from an employer’s perspective in such areas as improved retention, recruitment and a positive psychological contract and also focus on providing an insight into how organizations are addressing the issue of delivering flexible working so that it works for the business and the individual.

FLEXIBLE WORKING PRACTICES

The term...