Work Life Balance and Flexibility

Question:

Write an essay on Work- Life Balance and Flexibility.

Answer:

Introduction:

The flexible working and the work-life balance are the two vital concepts, which are the concerns of each and every organisation for its smooth working. Both have their own pros and cons on the woking of the organisations.Every organisation focuses on the implication of such strategies which not only reduces the cost of the expenses of the organisation but also helps in enhancing the productivity of the employees (MacInnes, 2005). The organisations  focus on the strategies which help in reducing the redundancies which lie within the territory of the companies. Such strategies will help the organisation in the workforce flexibility and a serious effort for the work-life balance of the employees working in the organisation, Which helps the employee to maintain the balance between the professional life and the personal activities. 

Today fast run life have many challenges and responsibilities are to be faced by the employees in the life. Such responsibilities other from the work includes the; commitments of the care for the elders and the children of the family; the commitments for the education; interest or is outside the work; availability for the religious observances; an increased recommended sense of the reduced level of stress and the well-being. 

An improper balance of the commitment of the employees towards the work and the responsibilities may lead to age stress, low productivity and the high absence. The employees with the better balance of the work life of the offers the increased intellect of responsibility, ownership and control on the working life (Prowse & Prowse, 2015). An employer which helps its employee with the balance in the personal life and work life, increase the chances of the employee with commitment and loyalty towards the organisation. This so helps the employees to more focus more on their career or work. 

The original paradigm of flexibility:

The flexibility is repeatedly taken as the solution for the issues related to the work-life balance. According to  the human resource management, flexibility is referred as the ability which is adapted by the organisation according to the different needs of the Human resources. Whereas, in the actual sense flexibility, is not considered as the complete solution as flexibility in itself may cause may issue related to the work-life balance. This paper will help in significantly analysing the dilemma between the work life balance and the flexibility, while considering the current situation of the working environment.  The importance of achieving the two concepts while considering the stress on issues related to the implementation of the both (Gangwisch, 2014). Further, this paper will also help in understanding the positive and negative effect of the different options of the flexible working hours from both the perspectives of the employer and the employee. The employer must also implement such methods and policies which will help the organisation in achieving the balance between the work life and the flexible hours of working. 

Bourke was never ever with such kind of comfortable as far as the heading refers the reshaping of the argument of the flexibility. The flexibility which is experienced at the workplace increases the productivity plus diminishes cost of production of the materials. Bourke always was concerned to the flexibility statement as she thought it’s been shifted from the original one. The concept of flexibility states more production of the goods by lesser employee’s deployment (Huang, 2011). She always worried about the negative effects which may come out of the thinking.

The company can decrease working hours at the workplace for the employees in case they cannot hold the work pressure and are unable to pursue task for long hours. So, the concept of flexibility has got adverse impacts on the organisations. The assistance and the flexibility program of the workers are considered as the important element refer the strategy of flexibility. We clearly conclude that the flexibility concept is required to move away quite importantly from the actual paradigm that is inevitable and necessary (Jan Hatzius, 2009). The flexibility concept has both the positive plus the negative impacts and the outcomes.

Excessive working hours and the employees performance 

Many of the organisation have to extend the hours of working for the completion of the task. These extended working hours have the negative impact on the performance and the productivity of the company employees. It is also stated that there are many indications which directly connects the working hours and its direct influence on the employees productivity (Moore, 2011). The major outcome from the extended working hours id the tiredness, sleeplessness and very less time to share with the families and friends and complete their personal responsibilities. 

Hence for such situation the management of the organisation has to carry such training session which motivates the employees and refreshes them and boosts for the objectives of the organisation. Such training session will help the employees to learn to manage the time management and other techniques which help them in the time management. 

At some of the conditions, where there are strong cultures which that is in relation to the work-life and to the balance of the personal life here in such a condition the people working in the organisations are able to perform more and more work as they are boosted up at all of the times. The managers and the seniors of the organisation are very much associated with the good fare of the workers as they tend to understand the fact that they can only and only work harder in case they are free from any kind of the pressure whatsoever. The tension free mind of them shall help them perform even better and systematic manner and come out with the expected outcomes (Moore, 2011).

All kinds of biases are necessarily required to be excluded from the organisations structures and no kind of sense of insecurity must ever come into the minds of any of the employees. The employees are very sensitive and thus are required to b e handled with prompt care and due diligence, any small sense of insecurity in the minds of an employee can do much harm to the organisations. Thus, in the case of any kind of the downturn of the economy, if the organisations  are following the above-described points, there is no doubt that the organisations  shall definitely come out of it very soon and that too with much ease. No bigger disadvantage shall ever be faced by the organisations at all. The workplace and the economic dropdowns are a part of the changing business atmospheres, which shall come and go but if proper care is taken, no harm can be experienced and the organisations shall come out safe and sound.

The Work-Life Balance during the Economic Downturn: 

During the time of the downturn of the economic, the organisations are not in the condition to pay award the monetary payment to all of its workers refers the performances of them all through the year (Shagvaliyeva & Yazdanifard, 2014). The existing situation of the economic conditions, a very acute pressure is there to the companies for the enhanced productivity and do has necessarily to face the complex challenges of the situation of recession in a much advanced and better way; Such a situation is only and only possible in case the workers of the companies are much more involved refer the work as well as the workplace.

In present times, any of the companies which is avoiding the issues which is related to the life and work balance of the workers shall definitely  result in the lower outcome or the productivity of the organisations, that in turn shall find it very difficult to cut short or overcome the complex challenges of the situation of recession. The organisations avoiding or neglecting the life and work balance because of the pressure of the situation of recession is necessarily required to carefully understand and realise the importance of the workers engagement and the outcome plus the productivity which may be the result of the passage of time or can be said as in the longer term. This is also most required to encourage and promote the various initiatives of the life-work balance (Galea, Houkes, & De Rijk, 2013).  

In case the pressure of the situation of recession is concerned and attached to lesser engagement of the workers and the production from the workers shall generate fresh challenges for the long-term survival and the survival of the medium organisations (Bauman, 2009). At times of the economic downturn, the management of the workforce is very much required with the old/traditional and various other kinds of benefits that are to be provided to the workers like the insurance and the retirement plans. During normal times and situations of the companies, the workers shall be assisted and supported for the comeback in the company and also shall assist in the long life of the competition world. 

At times of the recession of the economy, the rules and the regulations or the set policies which are set and made for the employees are to be postponed or even at some of the situations cancelled that also creates a sense of impatience among the minds of the workers (Ryu, 2015). Many times, some kinds of excessive works and also the overburden upon the minds of the employees, leads to the ill health of the workers and thus reduces their productivity and outcome and such situation even causes acute loss to the companies as well as the ill healthy workers shall definitely work less and waste more of the time. In order to maintain good results and better outcomes for the employees, the companies are required to carefully examine the load of work which at all the times is being put on the shoulders of the workers and in case any of the employees is feeling any kind of pressure, the company is required to make efforts to reduce it as the earliest (Bauman, 2009). The companies are at this situation also expected to take appropriate steps so that the employees are made tension free and relaxed with some breaks, which may help them get back to the efficient way to work even harder.

 The situation which shall reduce the workload from the minds of the employees shall definitely bring out many positive results at the end as the employees shall emotionally get attached to the organisations  and shall always work for the good of the organisation (Pasamar & Valle Cabrera, 2013). He shall even work much harder so that the aimed goals of the organisations are timely met Proper harmony in the relationships between the organisations and the workers shall also mean over achievement of the targets and merry atmosphere everywhere in the company. The organisations are expected to empower the employees so that the sense of belongingness gets enriched in the minds of the employees and they gets retained with the organisations. Even at times of the economic downturn, the organisations should clearly express the sense of calmness and satisfaction so that at these sensitive situations the employees do not get into a situation of panic and work with the same energy and harmony as always (Seto, Morimoto, & Maruyama, 2006). Proper rewards and incentives are expected from the organisations to provide to the extraordinary performance employees, as this shall enhance the efforts which are made by the employees since past. The appraisals and appreciations are very important as this create energy in the minds of the employees and they remain totally boosted all of the times. At no step, the employers are expected to be partial, proper attention is required to be given to all of the employees, and the sense of equality must be always evident from the acts of the companies (Pain, 2014). The organisations are expected to see each and every employee with the same eye and no one is to be provided with any kind of partial advantage over the others (Doherty & Manfredi, 2006). 

 Conclusion:

At situation when the workers are to work for long hours, the leaders and the managers of the organisations are required to guide the workers and do the activity of handholding them, this shall develop the confidence of the workers and shall help them fight against all of the odds. Thus, they shall definitely come out with bright colours and very good and required results (Alleyne, 2016). The employees are also beside the support from the managers and the leaders required holding their nerves and understanding that such situations are a part of the business and come and go, but if in case they are focussed, the economic downfall can do no harm to them at all. The company people are expected to just stick to the basics in such occasions and hold their nerves and work continuously without being much altered by the outer changes. In case the proper patience is maintained, the organisations shall soon get out of the situation and there shall be no major harm to the companies from such a kind of alterations and changes (Underhill, 2005). The firm determination shall help the organisations come out of the adverse conditions very soon. 

References

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Doherty, L. & Manfredi, S. (2006). Action research to develop work‐life balance in a UK university.Women In Management Review, 21(3), 241-259. 

Galea, C., Houkes, I., & De Rijk, A. (2013). An insider’s point of view: how a system of flexible working hours helps employees to strike a proper balance between work and personal life. The International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 25(8), 1090-1111. 

Gangwisch, J. (2014). Work-life Balance. SLEEP. 

Huang, J. (2011). Work Disability, Mortgage Default, and Life Satisfaction in the Economic Downturn: Evidence from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Journal Of Disability Policy Studies, 22(4), 237-246. 

Jan Hatzius,. (2009). Beyond Leveraged Losses: The Balance Sheet Effects of the Home Price Downturn. Brookings Papers On Economic Activity, 2008(2), 195-227. 

MacInnes, J. (2005). Work-Life Balance and the Demand for Reduction in Working Hours: Evidence from the British Social Attitudes Survey 2002. British Journal Of Industrial Relations, 43(2), 273-295. 

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Prowse, J. & Prowse, P. (2015). Flexible working and work-life balance: midwives’ experiences and views. Work, Employment & Society, 29(5), 757-774. 

Ryu, G. (2015). Public Employees Well-Being When Having Long Working Hours and Low-Salary Working Conditions. Public Personnel Management, 45(1), 70-89. 

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Underhill, E. (2005). Winners or losers? Work/Life Balance and Temporary Agency Workers. Labour & Industry: A Journal Of The Social And Economic Relations Of Work, 16(2), 29-59.