NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF FLEXIBITY IN WORK

FLEXIBILITY AT WORK :

 Flexible Work Arrangements have been looked upon either from the viewpoint of organizations or the viewpoint of employees. The attributes and characteristics ascribed to flexibility from each of those perspectives vary widely. From the organization’s perspective, flexibility is one of the keys to success and survival in a changing, competitive and technologically challenging environment. The second quadrant, employee oriented flexibility is an arrangement whereby the company does not demand its employees to be flexible but offers them flexibility programs. Essentially this means that employees have a choice over the way in which they do their jobs but are not required to constantly adapt to changing organizational demands. 

TYPES OF FLEXIBILITY:

External flexibility (ELF) refers to the ability to change the dimension of the workforce by hiring or subcontracting people or outsourcing activities, depending on the demand. This includes the numerical flexibility and exemplified by temporary and fixed-term contracts, agency work or self-employment.

 Internal labor flexibility (ILF) has been synonymized with functional flexibility. Indeed it consists of the ease with which the workforce can be allocated to different tasks, which can be characterized as upward, downward or horizontal flexibility.

UNDESIRABLE OUTCOMES OF FLEXIBILITY IN WORK

High work intensity: Work intensification can manifest itself as increased work time (extensive effort or hours spent in work activity), greater effort (intensive effort or pace and intensity of work) or a combination of both. Flexibility is a tool to adapt to competitive pressures and changing environmental conditions. Rendering work more flexible implies passing competitive pressure on to employees, hence requires them to work more intensely.

Employee health and well- being:  Evidence shows that high work intensity, especially when referred to work time (long working hours), has a detrimental effect on health (Gospel, 2003). Sparks et al. (1997) conduct a meta-analytic study on the literature related to work time extension. Their results indicate a positive and significant correlation between long work hours and health problems (both physical and psychological). 

Unsuitable for some employee roles: Some employee roles are not appropriate for flexible scheduling. Customer or client-facing positions, for example, may require an employee to maintain a consistent schedule. For example, if an office relies on a receptionist to greet guests, direct phone calls and control access to the work environment, it is critical that the receptionist keep consistent hours. Employees who do not qualify for the same flexible scheduling parameters as their coworkers may find themselves feeling resentful.

Availability and communication issues: When employees work different schedules, scheduling meetings and communicating about projects can be difficult. Over time, scheduling incompatibilities and lack of spontaneous communication can slow down projects and result in missed opportunities. In addition, workers may become frustrated at their inability to work collaboratively with colleagues who are not in the office and are difficult to reach.

Lack of accountability: Some flexible scheduling systems offer employees a great deal of freedom to choose a schedule that works for them. In some cases, employees arriving and leaving at different times can make it difficult for managers and supervisors to determine whether workers are actually meeting their required work hours. This can result in losses for the company, as well as damaged workplace morale.

Liability and security concerns: Employees who are at work significantly earlier or later than their colleagues may find themselves working in an empty, or near empty, office. In some instances, this could present liability issues for an employer should an accident occur and there is no one to assist the employee. Security logistics may also become a challenge, particularly when accommodating the schedules of non-key holders or individuals who work in secure buildings where access is regulated by security personnel.

Triggering overtime: Occasionally, flexible scheduling can inadvertently result in nonexempt employees working overtime, costing an employer money it did not plan to spend.