The Principles and Practices of Work-life Balance and Flexibility: A Case Study

The Influence of Flexibility on Work-life Balance

Questions:

Write an essay on Work-Life Balance from given case study and answer the question 

Case Study: Flexibility and work-life balance: who benefits? (pg. 315-316 of the textbook) Based on the above-mentioned case study, write an essay entitled “Work-Life Balance” to critically discuss the following questions: 

1. Do you agree with Juliet Bourke that the use of flexibility has moved away from its original paradigms? 

2. Critically discuss the implications of excessive working hours on the performance of employees and managers. 

3. Analyse ways in which employers could facilitate work-life balance during an economic downturn.

The current study presents sheds light on different aspects of the principles and practices of the work-life balance that refers to the process of proper prioritizing between professional and personal life. The study draws special reference to the principle mentioned in the present case study that suggests that flexibility initially assists in augmentation of the productivity of both the workforce as well as the corporation can also limit the process of preservation of the work life equilibrium. Nevertheless, the businesses can deploy diverse work-life balance strategies that might possibly help employees to improve the balance between professional lives with the personal accountabilities. Again, this segment also draws special reference to the case study so as to exemplify different concepts of the work-life balance in addition to flexibility and the manner in which the concept has digressed from the original hypothesis in due course. However, this study also helps us to highlight different intricacies that encompasses around diverse facets of flexibility and work life balance in corporations drawing examples of different organizations.

Yes, there are ample evidences that can help us to ascertain that the concept of flexibility has digressed from the original paradigm that emphasizes on the influence of flexibility and work life balance on higher productivity as well as efficiency of both the employees as well as the organization. According to the present case study, it can hereby be ascertained that the stratagem of flexibility is normally agreed to by the corporations with the intention and purpose of development of the economic results. However, as suggested in the case study, the supposition of Juliet Bourke surveys undertaken by the Hewitt Associates reflects the fact that the employees desire flexible hours of work in order to do away with the probabilities of redundancies and at the same time offer greater flexibility in the working schedules on the whole.

The case study clearly discloses the fact that over and above 60% of the workforce do not take leave on a daily basis. In addition to this, there is three quarter of the workforce who works for very low number of hours. Therefore, the suppleness in particular organizations has consecutively increased the level of expectations of administration of different organization that fundamentally desire to lessen the costs of carrying out operational activities. This is the reason why the people require working for more number of hours in a bid to attain the requisite outcomes. Consequently, the managers also get unfavourably influenced by the specific anticipation of organization regarding long hours of work that is basically further more than the normal working hour employees (Mondy & Mondy, 2012). The expectation in the provincial centres of diverse Multinational businesses encompasses around the issue that the individuals in the managerial position need to attend conference calls through diverse time zones of the world. Therefore, the senior managers of diverse US Multinational businesses need to operate through different swinging shifts. This is therefore exerting excessive pressure on the employees. Martin et al., (2010) suggests that the stress of the work force put forth enormous influence on the individual’s private life that is entirely clear of the work life of the workforce. Therefore, this in turn creates complexities in maintaining the work-life balance and thereby decreases the productivity of their own and the overall operations of the organization (Noe, 2014). Nevertheless, the work stress generates different mental on top of physical concerns that can adversely affect both the efficiency in addition to wellbeing of diverse employees. For that reason, it might be established that work stress as a result diminishes the work-life balance of workforce at different level. The workers might possibly counter burnout because of the long work hours that are connected to the supple schedule of work (Rothwell et al., 2012). On the other hand, the level of burnout can inhibit the rate of efficiency in organizations, leaving workers susceptible to different errors, unpredictable behaviour towards other contemporaries and associates and obstruct their potential to focus on the daily tasks of the employees. In addition to this, the workforce undergoing the irregular schedules might probably counter issues while acquiring the provision of the child care when performing jobs in a flexible schedule (Sharma, 2010). Consequently, workers may attend to the work late or else wind up the entire work before the intended hours owing to child care hours established. So, this can exert adverse influence on the business if the employees cannot be available during the requisite as well as the selected hours of job. Also, the workforce over and over again counters a number of issues with their relations that include family, acquaintances as well as associates, that are the people who are not acquainted with flexible work schedules (Torrington, 2011). Yet again, the workforces who select to work outside the premises of the offices and at flexible work hours as per their own convenience usually require different arrangement of internet as well as computers arrangement for establishing connections with the particular intranet of the company and to access different resources essential for carrying out the work imperative for successful completion of their tasks. On the whole, this requires the support of the information technology segment and the corporation requires incurring certain amount of costs for successful accomplishment of their activities (Truss et al., 2012). The activities of the employees as well as their availability require availability of the employees at the time when the customers require them, therefore flexibility also need to match the requirements of the business. 

The Digression of Flexibility from the Original Paradigm

As rightly put forward by Werner et al.,  (2012), the insinuations of the excessive working hours on the overall performance of the workforce including the managers chiefly refers to the amplified health problems among the workforce, increased risk as regards the safety, decreased productivity as well as creativity, increased non-attendance in addition to enlarged turnover rate.

According to the case study, it can be hereby established that, the employees get unfavourably affected by the specific anticipation of the association of employees working for extremely long hours that is basically further than the hours of the regular shift time and the working schedule of the workforce. Thereby, the workforces start underperformers and get disillusioned and at the same time resentful as also mentioned in the case study. The case study draws attention to the case where the Managers in the multinational corporations work in different shifts in order to available across different time zones across different parts of the world. This essentially breaks up the work life balance of the executives working in the managerial positions and said to creep up on the particular workforce. Therefore, this particular conversation reveals the fact that the legislation approved Fair Work Act becomes more complex for the owners of the organization to takeover consequence rate. As a result, the employers continue redefining the scope and the common hours of work (Werner et al., 2012). 

As rightly put forward by Werner et al., (2012), the health issues associated to the extremely long hours of work imposed by the employers in the name of flexibility leads to the  lower back damage, blown up troubles of blood pressure, amplified problems of mental health, increase in the overall lost rate of injury.An earlier study carried out by the Cornell University discloses the fact that approximately 10% of the workforce that operates in excess of 50 to 60 hours in each week face painstaking work-family conflicts and disagreement (Brewster, 2011). Therefore, this number is expected to rise more than 30% for the workforces that operate for more than 60 hours. Nonetheless, the rate of divorce among the employees also rises as the hours of work per week rises (DelCampo, 2011).

The increased security risk associated to the extremely long working hours can be related to the augmented risk of security as mentioned in different studies that refers to security as well as well being at different business units, weakened performance besides decline in awareness and more or less a threefold increase in the accident rates (Truss et al., 2012). Again, a German study also revealed the fact regarding the problems that doctors face who operates for more than 48 hours each week and counter increased inclination to face accidents at the time of attending patients and even at the time of driving on account of extreme pressure of work (Machado & Davim, 2014).

Earlier studies indicate the fact that the employee productivity also suffer mainly because of the raise in overtime work hours (Truss et al., 2012). Specifically, the presentation of the white-collar occupations reduces by approximately 23% if the workforces functions in excess of 60 hours in a particular week. In addition to this, the theories proposed by J. Nevison of Oak Associates can inn turn validate the event of decline in general performance. Again, the excessive overtime can lead towards non-attendance of employees owing to ill health, fatigue and in some cases the workers might simply desire to take a break from work and require some days of leave. Again, the unfavourable consequences of the excessive absenteeism direct the way towards the rise in the rates of turnover due to the lack of the work life balance ("HRM online - Your HR news site", 2016). 

The Impact of Work Stress on Work-life Balance and Productivity

The academic literature that provides a body of knowledge as regards the work-life balance depends on an array of theoretical frameworks that the human resource management of organizations can take into account for framing the strategies or work life balance. This refers to the principles of spill-over, rewards and compensation, resource drain, enrichment, work-family disagreement, segmentation, facilitation among many others.

As rightly indicated by Mahapatro (2010), the theory of spill over refers to the procedure in which the experiences in a certain role can influences experiences in different other roles. The theory suggests that there occur mood related spill overs where individuals carry the work associated emotions to the home that can affect the work life balance. Again, the Compensation theory indicates the efforts proposed at defying depressing experiences in a particular domain by means of augmented efforts for encouraging experiences in a different domain. Mathis & Jackson (2011) suggest that the Resource drain theory talks about the relocation of resources from a particular domain to yet another due to the fact that resources such as time and money are limited, thus the existing resources in the existing domain get decreased.

The regular ways in which the company can assist the work-life balance of workers refers to the employment of strategies of employee assistance program, particular leave, child care, hours of work, flex time among many others (Mathis et al., 2014). Nevertheless, taking into consideration the current economic downturn, theatrical alterations have occurred in the manner in which the business concerns evaluates various work-life balance programs. Particularly, businesses are these days are mindful about the cost as regards the introduction of different programs while the management appreciates the consequences of the work life balance initiatives. Despite the significant views concerning the work-life initiatives, the advantages of different Employee Assistance Initiatives can be considered as a traditional offering (Potoker, 2011). However, as mentioned in the case study, the management of commonly take advantage of the flexibility scheme in the work life balance initiatives by imposing the rules of working for extremely long hours with the intention of attaining the organizational objective of operating at lower operational costs.

However, during the period of global financial crisis, the agenda of work-life balance following the theories of different work life balance was an added bonus to exert a pull on as well as to hold on to capable and skilled employees. However, in this day and age, the work-life compensation has transformed from providing the business cars, huge amount of bonuses, and supplementary perks to employee fitness hub and laundry centres. Consequently, the work-life balance programs can be hereby be observed as new forms of diverse “Recession Perks” (Torrington et al., 2014). A number of firms cannot however meet the cost of the offering monetary recompenses that the corporations could deliver during 1990’s. Nevertheless, the businesses brood over the idea of implementation of different cost-effective “Recession Perks” as a practice to augment the employee engagement at the time when layoffs become widespread phenomena during the economic downturn (Torrington et al., 2014)

Issues Faced by Workforce with Flexible Schedules

The work-life initiatives also refer to the leaves of parents, work hours, child care, holidays and telecommuting and many other initiatives. According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, the Australian Government has determined the effectual Work hours by the workforce that suggests that the workforce in Australia can toil for utmost 39 hours in a week and in addition to this the time toiled outside the regular work hours can draw the overtime rates. However, this particular legislation is necessarily the result of the government initiative that in turn can make certain work life balance of the workforce in Australia ("Hours of work - Fair Work Ombudsman", 2016).

As rightly put forward by Mahapatro (2010), the Paternity leave refers to an important matter of concern that has of late drawn the interest of people and organization after the introduction of the family and Medical Leave Act proposals. The intention of the Family as well as Medical Leave Act was primarily to balance out the authorities of the human resources regarding the family leave. However, this particular model of the new leave was initially planned to shield the privileges of numerous working mothers although the scope of the act extended to meet up the altering requirements of family. Again, the provision of the Child care during the period of recession takes account of the school incentives initiative, sponsored initiatives of child care, development of child care spending accounts and many others. 

Conclusion

The above study helps in understanding different notions of the notion of the work-life balance that refers to compartmentalising the professional as well as the personal lives of the workforce. In addition to this, the study also helps in understanding the way the individuals might suffer due to the flexible work schedule that has actually moved away from the original paradigm.  Besides this, the study also helps in gaining deep insight regarding the advantages as well as the restraints of the supple timing as a technique of preservation of the balance of the work life equilibrium. Consequently, the current study also suggests diverse implications of the extreme hours of functioning with particular point of reference to different concepts of the extreme work schedules and work hours mentioned in the pertinent case study. At last, the current study also explicates diverse work life balance initiatives that the firms can undertake during the period of the recession in a bid to make it certain that the firm can enhance employee relationship as well as the process of employee engagement that in turn can augment the efficiency of the association.  

References

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