Introduction
Performance management refers to the process by which the employees and the managers work together to achieve the determined goals of the organisation. It is important to plan, monitor and the review the performance of the associated workforce to ensure the productive approach towards meeting the organisational needs (Wiese 2015). The contribution of the human resources is much remarkable in ensuring the accomplishment of the organisational objectives. It is to be indicated that the maintenance of the work-life balance is much essential for making the employees focused and motivated (Goodwin and Graebe 2017). On the other hand, maintaining the proper flexibility in work-life balance is also much necessary. Working in the flexible hours is effective enough in maintaining the significant balance between their personal and professional life. Most of the organisations maintain a tight and fixed schedule that creates difficulties for the existing employees to manage their work-life balance. Therefore, it can be inferred that flexible working hours is not just the benefits; it is the necessity for the employees working in an organisation.
The study will explore the difference between the work-life balance and work flexibility. It is argued that work flexibility can replace the work-life balance. Hence, the comparison between these two variables would be described in the study to generate the relevant idea of the subject matter. To describe this subject matter, the study will provide the necessary implications for the associated employees, human resource management, and the managers. The information derived from this study will then conclude with the proper justification of the thesis statement.
Discussion
Currently, it has been observed that the need of the employees does not limit within the demands for flexible hours. The major need of the employees is to maintain the proper balance between their personal and professional lives. According to Lyness and Judiesch (2014), the majority of the companies have eliminated the idea of involving 9 hours of work per day. The emergence of the multinational and online companies is focusing on the availability of the 24*7 hours dealing with the clients. Even it has been noticed that after finishing the work shifts, many of the employees prefer to stay connected to the business clients through e-mail or other technological tools. Even though the work-flexibility is introduced to the employees for employee benefits, it is involved with many of the distressful outcomes (Galea, Houkes and De Rijk 2014). When the employees are working from their convenient location; they might miss some of the important discussions on the organisational functionalities. The management can maintain the high level of communication transparency by encouraging two-way flow between the employees and the management. In fact, the distant workers even can present their effectiveness through such communication flow. This implication is more beneficial for the off-site employees who are working on their own. The management can also combine the face-to-face communication, email communication and telephonic communication. Zapf and Weber (2017) implied that the navigation of the different types of business and employee needs depends on the greater deal of communication and reliability. The employers need to have faith on the employees that they can manage their schedule by structuring their works.
However, on the other hand, it is also to be considered that focusing on the personal lives is also necessary. Employees do not get the proper motivation when they have to work on the non-standard working hours. However, working on such non-standard working hours is also beneficial for the employees (Hörning, Gerhardt and Michailow 2015). During such working hours, the employees can work with the close supervision of the leaders. Moreover, during such working hours, the employees can even cultivate the strong relationship with the senior management at their workplace. It has been noted that many people make mistakes by considering that the work obligations are the necessities in their professional lives (Kotey and Sharma 2016). However, it is necessary to know that maintaining a balance between the personal and professional lives makes the employees more focused and motivated towards their works. Strengthened relationship with the family and the friend help the employees improve the health and reduce stress as well as stimulate creativity.
It is essential for the employees to ensure some of the benefits for the flexible working hours that can improve their professional lives and make them more focused towards their works. It is to be indicated that the flexible working schedules are varying from different ranges of work standards. Kecklund et al. (2017) implied that work flexibility needs to meet the necessity of both the employers and the employees. However, some of the necessary implications can be provided for the employees. The employers need to ensure that the employees would work for 40 hours every week. It is even necessary for the employees to be present at their workplace during the ‘core hours’. The arrival and departure times are needed to be adjusted as per the convenient schedule of the employees. The employers need to consider the new and standard working hours for the employees that may vary start or end times per week or daily basis.
Responsibility of employers
The employers need to promote the work flexibility as per the convenience of the employees. It is notable that each present the individual needs. Everyone has the different goal to achieve (Demerouti et al. 2014). However, providing the proper knowledge to the employees regarding the maintenance of the proper work-life flexibility would be beneficial to accomplish their career goals. The employees even need to avoid the rush-hour commuters and take more controls over the time off. Hence, every workplace needs to promote such knowledge and make the employees aware of such implications. The contribution of both the employers and the employees is necessary for to ensure the maintenance of the work-life balance (Lunau et al. 2014). The employers need to promote the work flexibility as per the convenience of the employees. The human resource management needs to consider the compressed workweeks and provide the benefits to the employees by permitting them with part time works.
Implications for the human resource management for employers
Similarly, every employer need to consider some of the implications for the human resource management as well. It is to be indicated that the human resource management plays the most significant role in managing the workforce within a workplace. The human resource management thus needs to consider some of the specific deals to promote the work life flexibility within the organisation. According to Mellner, Aronsson and Kecklund (2014), flexible hours determine the flexi-time schemes for the employees working within the organisation. The human resource management needs to consider the compressed workweeks and provide the benefits to the employees by permitting them with part time works. Job sharing is another part of the job flexibility. Allen et al. (2013) implied that job sharing is a diverse structure of the part-time work that requires the involvement of group cohesiveness. Some of the employers consider that while sharing the job, both the employees need to have one day in common for sharing information and briefing the current tasks and issues. The human resource management can even clarify the policies to mitigate the challenges faced during the promotion of work life flexibility. The human resource department even needs to keep track of the working hours to maintain the flexibility schedule of the associated employees. However, the employees need to be properly informed regarding such records. It will be helpful for them to understand the method of scheduling their works with proper sequential manner.
Requirement of human resource management
On the other hand, the human resource management needs to provide the flexible locations to the employees. For example, if the work location has the proper connectivity and transport system, it will be beneficial for the employees to reach there on time. Moreover, there will increase the fewer chances of absenteeism (Loretto and Vickerstaff 2015). It is even increasing the control over the works and decreases the disruptions of the daily commotions. The human resource management requires concentrating on the improved balance between the personal and professional lives of the employees. It will be beneficial for the employers as well. If the employees receive the opportunities to work from home location, the employers may need a smaller location for the office premises (Henly and Lambert 2014). It is important to understand that the employees can only be motivated or stay focused if they can give adequate time to their interests. The human resource management promotes the proper flexibility for the employees to ensure that they are quite interested in working as per their schedule. It will be even helpful in increasing the work productivity.
Requirement from management
Apart from the employees and the human resource management, it is necessary for the management to keep the concentration on several implications as well. The management of the organisation needs to consider that the flexibility maintenance goals are designed to ensure the work efficiency of the employees. The management can maintain the high level of communication transparency by encouraging two-way flow between the employees and the management. In fact, the distant workers even can present their effectiveness through such communication flow (Fiksenbaum 2014). This implication is more beneficial for the off-site employees who are working on their own. The management can also combine the face-to-face communication, email communication and telephonic communication. However, to motivate the employees, it is necessary for the management to communicate face-to-face. Moreover, the management can even ensure the effective team building and performance management process by introducing the changed environment. The telephonic communication is much effective to plan or review any particular strategy about organisational development. On the other hand, e-mail communication is most effective for conforming conversation and making quick contact.
In some of the cases, the management even can undertake the informal process to increase the formal process gradually. For example, the employees or the human resource management can discuss the organisational improvement with the higher management in both formal and informal ways. Flexible working schedules are varying from different ranges of work standards. Kotey and Kotey (2017) implied that work flexibility needs to meet the necessity of both the employers and the employees. However, some of the necessary implications can be provided for the employees. The employers need to ensure that the employees would work for 40 hours every week. However, it has been observed that the work flexibility is fruitful for the management to organize the well-structured plan by relying upon the face-to-face meeting. However, it is necessary for the management to ensure that the employees must not be ‘out of sight and out of mind’ (Todd and Binns 2013). It is necessary to determine that the maintenance of the work-life balance is much essential for making the employees focused and motivated. On the other hand, maintaining the proper flexibility in work-life balance is also much necessary. Working in the flexible hours is effective enough in maintaining the significant balance between their personal and professional life. The appropriate orientation created for the associated staffs is much fruitful for promoting work effectiveness.
Positive Implications
It is most necessary to strike a balance between the personal family life and the professional life. It is argued that maintenance of the proper work-life flexibility is gradually replacing the work-life balance. The information shared in this study is ensuring that the employees are much benefitted if they can avail the opportunities of proper flexible working schedule. However, it is necessary to structure the schedule in a significant and sequential way. Misbalance between these approaches can be harmful to the professional life of the employees. According to Bala and De Lange (2015), work-life balance reduces the occupational stress that is created due to the mismanagement of both the professional and personal life. The contribution of both the employers and the employees is necessary for to ensure the maintenance of the work-life balance. The employers need to promote the work flexibility as per the convenience of the employees. The human resource management needs to consider the compressed workweeks and provide the benefits to the employees by permitting them with part time works. Flexible working schedules are varying from different ranges of work standards. Wayne et al. (2013) implied that work flexibility needs to meet the necessity of both the employers and the employees. However, some of the necessary implications can be provided for the employees. The employers need to ensure that the employees would work for 40 hours every week. Job sharing is another part of the job flexibility. While sharing the job, both the employees need to have one day in common for sharing information and briefing the current tasks and issues. The human resource management can even clarify the policies to mitigate the challenges faced during the promotion of work life flexibility.
Disadvantages
Coenen and Kok (2014) pointed out that the flexible working practices have both the advantages and the disadvantages for the employees and the employers. Even though the work-flexibility is introduced to the employees for employee benefits, it is involved with many of the distressful outcomes. When the employees are working from their convenient location; they might miss some of the important discussions on the organisational functionalities. Even it has been noticed that after finishing the work shifts, many of the employees prefer to stay connected to the business clients through e-mail or other technological tools.
On the other hand, while providing the proper work-flexibility to the employees, the management can even make some of the necessary decisions without informing others. Hence, it becomes difficult to maintain the bureaucratic attribute for the organizational welfare. Hence, the disadvantages are quite noticeable in such cases. The information shared in this study is ensuring that the employees are much benefitted if they can avail the opportunities of proper flexible working schedule. However, it is necessary to structure the schedule in a significant and sequential way. Misbalance between these approaches can be harmful to the professional life of the employees. Providing the proper knowledge to the employees regarding the maintenance of the proper work-life flexibility would be beneficial to accomplish their career goals. The employees even need to avoid the rush-hour commuters and take more controls over the time off (Fiksenbaum 2014).
Conclusion
The knowledge derived the study determines that the maintenance of the work-life balance has both the advantages and disadvantages. The work-flexibility provides the employees appropriate opportunities to work from their convenient location. However, while working from home, the employees have to indulge their family environment into their professional work. On the other hand, the employees can even receive many benefits if the employers maintain the proper work-flexibility schedule. The arrival and departure times are needed to be adjusted as per the convenient schedule of the employees. Therefore, it can be implied that the work-flexibility is replacing the work-life balance. When the employees are working from their convenient location; they might miss some of the important discussions on the organisational functionalities.
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