Alternative work arrangements.
Quality of Work Life: Meaning Specific issues in QWL QWL
and productivity Strategies for improvement of QWL.
KPMG UK
Flexibility helped KPMG UK successfully negotiate the
economic crisis of 2008.
Having invested heavily in their workforce, KPMG was
understandably loath to let go of the very people they
strived so hard to recruit and train.
In January 2009, therefore, KPMG asked its 11,000 UKbased people to volunteer to reduce their working week
by one day unpaid, or take between 4 and 12 weeks
leave at 30% pay.
Staff could volunteer for either or both of these options, with
the maximum annual salary loss capped at 20% and a
continuation of full benefits.
Alternatively they could also choose to remain on their
current terms and conditions
Case
Business Continuity at Ernst & Young At the professional services firm Ernst
& Young, client coverage is crucial.
Flexible working has allowed many employees to work in ways that more
closely match the needs of their customers by moving away from the
traditional 9 to 5 setup and towards a more blended working life that
acknowledges individual project needs.
In particular, flexibility has recently allowed Ernst & Young to leverage its
world-class fraud investigation services to help anti-corruption work in
Africa.
Though the team was based in the UK, their flexible arrangements allowed
them to quickly deploy to Angola for an intense two-week project and then
return to a less demanding schedule in the UK.
This provided the team with a crucial recuperation period. The ability for
employees to scale workload up and down is premised on the assumption
that delivery is more important than hours committed.
This focus enables employees to work in a more agile way, meeting client
demands as they arise.
1. Staggered Scheduling
This option involves developing fixed, staggered
daily attendance schedules for staff in a
department.
An example of this option would be to establish,
say, three alternative 8-hour schedules (for
instance 7-4, 8-5, 9-6, or 7-4, 7:30-4:30, 8-5) for
staff.
Each staff member would then have the option
to work one of these shifts," depending on
individual needs and preferences, and would
remain on this shift on a regular basis
It is easier to maintain control over
staffing schedules and work hours than
other flexitime options.
Staff can adjust work schedules to
better
suit
individual
lifestyle,
commitments, and traffic concerns.
Staff are available for customer service
over a greater number of office hours.
Staggered scheduling can be a useful tool
for recruitment and retention of staff.
Staffing coverage could be disrupted at critical points in
the workday because certain shifts are more popular
than others.
Schedules may not be compatible with unit operations
or customer service obligations.
Staggered scheduling may require more supervision,
due to the potential for abuse of early start-times or late
finish-times.
Options past 8 AM may not be attractive to staff, because
of parking problems, school schedules, or related issues.
Staggered scheduling is more complex to administer,
especially for non-exempt staff.
Potential as a recruitment tool may be marginal.
Flexible work hours
A variation of the previous
this involves
establishing a policy where staff are allowed to
maintain a flexible work schedule around a
core work period (say 10:00 to 3:30).
During this core period, all staff are required to
be at work to meet customer service and internal
department needs.
In this case, each staff member is required to
work eight hours each day, but the timing of
those hours is determined individually, provided
s/he is at work during the core work period.
ADVANTAGES
Added scheduling flexibility provides staff with
more options for meeting personal and
lifestyle needs, and
provides staff an opportunity to be in charge
of their lives, leading to improved morale.
Attractiveness as a recruitment and retention
tool is enhanced over staggered shifts.
Scheduling flexibility may lead to an increase
in work efficiency and less non-productive
time on the job.
Disadv
Flexibility of hours on a day-to-day basis may create
significant problems in areas where customer service
is critical. Coverage at the beginning and the end of the day
has to be carefully managed under a flexible scheduling
arrangement.
Staffing and scheduling can be harder to monitor and
control due to lack of fixed daily schedules.
Administration
of
flexible
schedules
may
be
prohibitively complex in large departments, particularly
where a large number of staff is non-exempt.
Establishment of flexible scheduling in departments where
some staff are not able to participate due to business
needs may lead to a perception of favoritism and resulting
morale concerns.
Compressed Work Week
This option involves establishing fixed work
schedules that allow staff to take time off
during a workweek in exchange for extended
hours on the days worked.
An example of a compressed 40- hour week
would be a 10-hour day for four days of
the week in return for one flex-day off in the
week.
Alternatively, a staff member may work a 9hour day for four days and receive a
halfday off one day per week in return.
ADVANTAGES
An extra day off during the working week tends
to be well received by the staff and can lead
to improved morale.
Scheduled days off can reduce the incidence
of sick leave and other forms of leave.
Compressed workweeks can be a significant
recruitment and retention tool.
Compressed workweeks can be used as an
opportunity for cross-training and job
enrichment for staff.
CONCERNS
Extended work hours can lead to decreased productivity,
particularly toward the end of the day.
Staff will typically opt for a Monday or Friday as their day off,
creating the potential for coverage problems on those days,
and/or creating potential for morale problems if staff perceive
they are competing for the most desirable days off.
Key staff may not be available at critical times in the working
week. Customer service coverage could be compromised.
Some staff may consider compressed weeks unattractive due
to the increased impact on annual leave accruals when leave
is taken.
Compressed workweeks are more complex to administer,
particularly where time sheets are involved, and must be well
managed in order to minimize potential for staff misuse.
Telecommuting
This is an ambitious option and may have limited
application,
depending
on
department
operational requirements.
Many ITs are already using this alternative
successfully and are considering expanding its
use.
This option involves allowing staff to work from
home on job-related tasks on specified days of
the workweek.
For instance, coming to work four days in the
week and telecommuting on one specified
day.
ADVANTAGES
Telecommuting allows staff time away from the office environment
where they may have greater focus and ability to complete certain
projects and assignments.
Telecommuting may improve the quality of the work environment
for those in the office by reducing workplace overcrowding.
There is potential for extended employment opportunities for people
with disabilities, including staff who have partially recovered from an
injury and can do the job from home.
Potential exists to expand recruitment options and promote diversity
by expanding the geographic recruitment pool.
There would be decreased use of motor vehicles and time spent
traveling to and from work.
Significant potential exists for use as a recruitment and retention
tool.
Concerns
The
infrastructure
supports
needed
for
telecommuting are potentially inadequate, including
lack of access, phone lines, home office space,
and/or equipment.
Computer network congestion could also result
in significant downtime.
Management concerns over control of the work
are higher than in other alternative work
arrangements.
Many jobs will not lend themselves to this option
since they require staff presence at the
workplace to be effective.
Job Sharing
In some cases it may be feasible for staff to reduce
their FULL TIME EMPLOYEE a reduced-hour shift.
For example, a staff member may opt to reduce
FULLTIME EMPLOYEE from 1.0 to .75 and work
from 9 to 4, or 8 to 3.
As an extension of this option, it may be
possible to readjust the work arrangements
of two or more staff to become a job-sharing
relationship, in which part-time staff share
the duties and responsibilities of one FTE over
an 8-hour day or a 40-hr week
ADVANTAGES
This may give managers an opportunity to
review their organizational structure and work
requirements and to possibly increase
organizational efficiency.
Complementary skills of two or more staff
sharing a job may make the whole greater
than the sum of its parts.
Reduces the number of staff traveling to and
from work at peak traffic times.
May give staff opportunities to work nonstandard hours to accommodate lifestyle
issues and personal needs
Concerns
A limited number of staff may be interested in reducing
work hours, since reduced hours also mean reduced
salary and benefits.
Benefits to the COMPANIES are limited unless there is an
overall reduction of FTE in the work unit.
There could be significant continuity, customer service,
and/or coverage problems associated with differing skill
levels and job focus between job sharing partners.
Potential exists for interpersonal conflict between job
sharing partners, resulting in reduced overall job
effectiveness.
There may be physical limitations to the accommodation of
job-sharing, particularly where a shared workstation would
cause difficulties.
Part-year Work:
Workers work only a certain number of
months per year.
Examples:
A semi-retired accountant works for an
accounting firm during its busy season from
January through May. He takes the
remainder of the year off to travel.
A teacher works a nine-month year.
An otherwise full-time professional does
not work for 8 weeks in the summer.
Alternating Location:
Workers work part-year in one
location and part-year in a second
location.
Example:
A couple works at Company-A in
Location A from April to September,
and then moves to other location B
for the colder months, working from
October to March.
Transition Period Part Time:
Workers gradually return to work after a major life
event (e.g., birth or adoption of a child) by
working part time for a set period and eventually
returning to full time work.
Examples:
Following a six-week maternity leave, a worker returns to
work three days a week for six months, four days a week for
the next six months, and then to full time work thereafter.
A workers spouse dies unexpectedly and the worker takes
off a full month from work. The worker returns to part-time
work for two years and then returns to working full time
when her children have adjusted to the changed
circumstances.
Part Time Work/Reduced Hours
Schedule:
Workers who usually work less than 35 hours
per week.
Examples:
A worker works a three-day per week
Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule on a regular
basis.
A worker works 20 hours per week and
determines her own schedule on a weekly basis.
A worker goes from working full time to 30
hours per week as she phases into retirement.
Flexible Benefits (buying / selling holiday time)
the option to buy extra holidays or if
you need some extra cash, sell a day
or two of your holidays.
By taking up this benefit you can vary
the amount of annual holiday you can
have during the holiday year
Allowing employees to buy or sell
annual leave can boost staff
morale and save organisations
money
The ability to buy and sell holidays is
one of the more popular benefits
help staff make ends meet, by
providing an extra source of income
through the ability to sell or
allowing
them
to
purchase
holiday which could negate the
need for expensive childcare.
Sabattical / Career breaks
Electronic Immigiraton
..\Desktop\Backup 05.2016\sjcc2015-1
6\2016-2017\Flexible working_ The wa
y of the future_ _ Dr
Heejung Chung _ Think Kent.mp4
The employee context of flexible working is well known, and
the benefits around choice and diversity are clear. What is
now needed is a deeper understanding of how flexibility
addresses the business context by enabling complexity
and creating agility.
It is important that companies are aware of the barriers to
flexibility and have the capacity to overcome cultural
inertia.
Raising awareness around the four barriers (a lack of senior
sponsorship, a culture of presenteeism, a lack of guidance, a
risk-averse culture) is necessary in preventing undue failures
in flexible working arrangements.
Education around the enablers of flexibility is also essential
The different domains are not independent
of each other; they tend to form clusters or
subsystems within a bigger system.
human beings life is -=== life in an
environment with many parts
a physical environment - a habitat with its
natural resources and its climate;
a cultural environment - a society with its
constitutions and codes of conduct, with its
political system, its traditions and other
cultural expressions;
a psychological, close environment consisting of relatives, friend and co-workers.
Lifes satisfaction!
the satisfaction people experience in
the domains
self, standard of living, family life,
marriage, friends and work
have
the
greatest
influence
in
accounting
for
the
level
of
satisfaction people feel with their
lives in general
Occupation, for example, will affect
standard of living; it
guarantees
financial security;
to a great extent it will have something
to do with how satisfied people are with
themselves in terms of their
achievements,
which, in turn, influences their
self-esteem.
QWL- 1970s
quality of work life in organisations is a
major component of quality of life in general
An individuals work experience can
have positive or negative effects on
other spheres of his or her life.
A balanced approach to work should
incorporate
work schedules,
career demands and
travel requirements which do not intrude on leisure
and family time on a regular basis
ILO
As far back as 1944, the ILO adopted
the
Philadelphia
Declarations
principles, which made improving
the quality of work life a priority,
and committed all its member
nations to achieving this goal
through
public
policies
and
programmes.
DEFn
Organizations are seeking the ways for
increasing the QWL in order to retain the best
employees and attract the most talented
employees.
QWL is a way of thinking about people, work,
and organizations (Nadler Lawler 1983).
The quality of work life means something
different for each individual, and is likely to
vary according to the individual age,
career stage, and/or position in the industry
(Kiernan Knutson 1990: 102).
Quality of work Life is a Persons life.
It covers a persons feelings about
every dimension of work including
economic rewards and benefits,
security, working condition,
To sum it
activity or a process at all levels of organisation
Benefiting all stakeholders- mgnt, union, employees- enhancement of
Human dignity and growth.
HOW?
Working together
Determining actions, changes, improvements desirable and workable
o achieve goals of improved quality of life at work.
HRDs role in QWL
The role of human resource department in QWL
efforts varies widely.
In some organizations, top management
appoints an executive to ensure that QWL
and productivity efforts occur throughout the
organization.
In most cases, these executives have a small
staff and must rely on the human resource
department for help with employee training,
communications, attitude survey feedback, and
similar assistance
Indian Scenario
In India, some of the companies that emphasize
the quality of work life are Hewlett-Packard,
Smith Kline Beecham, American Express, Colgate
Palmolive, Gillette, Dr.Reddys Laboratories,
Reliance and Maruti Udyog Limited.
HP allows flexible working arrangements for
its
employees
and
follows
certain
innovative practices such as allowing
employees to avail leave for special occasions
(marriage, exam preparation, adoption of a child,
bereavement in the family, and paternity)
Importance of QWL
QWL Richard E Walton said 6 measures of
QWL
1. Adequate and fair compensation.
2. Safe and healthy working
conditions.
3. Opportunity to develop human
capacities
4. Opportunity for career growth
5. Work and quality of life
6. Social Relevance of work.
Work and quality
of life
Special Issues in QWL
1. Pay and stability of employment
2. Occupational stress
3. Organisational health programmes
4. Alternative Work Schedules
5. Participative managment and Control of work
6. Recognition
7. Congenial work and supervisor relationship
8. Grievances procedure
9. Adequacy of Resources
10.Seniority and Merit in Promotion- ops and managerial
11.Employment on Permanent Basis
12.
Ergonomics
Does QWL cost much to the
company?
The process of creating a QWL is improvement
of salary, working condition and benfit
BUT
The RATE OF INCREASE IN PRODUCTIVITY
IS HIGHER THAN THE COST OF QWL
IMPROVED PERFORMANCE NOT ONLY
PHYSICAL OUTPUT BUT IMPROVED
WORKERS BEHAVIOUR.
IMPROVED WORKERS
BEHAVIOUR.
Benefits of QWL
QWL and Productivity
Romac Industries
Strategies for improvement of QWL.
Self-managed work teams
Job redesign
Job enrichment
Effective leadership
Supervisory behaviour
Career developmentpromotion ,
recognition
Alternative work
schedules
Job security. Including
non-economic
Fun@workplace
Social association ,
belongingness,
achievement of work results etc
Self-managed work teams--results in increased
motivation to work
Autonomous groups of workers based on
guaranteeing the freedom of the individual groups
of employees to decide on basic issues such as:
Members of the group
Select the group leader (in some cases)
Deciding on the distribution of tasks to be performed
Deciding on sequence tasks
Deciding on how to perform tasks
Autonomous groups can be used in all types of enterprises in
both manufacturing and services.
Autonomous group well-suited for service companies,
particularly operating in the modern information technology.
Plan , co-ordinate & control activities with the help of team
leader including employee participation
Job redesign, Job enrichment
REDESIGN IS A Process of deciding the
NTENT OF THE JOBIN TERMS OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES
THE METHODS USED TO CARRY OUT THE JOBIE TECHNIQUES SYSTEMS PROCEDURES ,
THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE JOB HOLDER
AN HIS SUPERVISOR
SUBORDINATES,
COLLEAUGES.
HETHER TO MAKE THE JOB HIGHLY SPECIALISED AND ROUTINE OR
HIGHLY ENRICHED AND ON-ROUTINE.
