Have liability insurance that covers the employees home whenever it is being used for the employers business. The resources provided will assist you with evaluating your department and employees requests. Data security is especially critical if the telecommuter works with health information that is covered by the electronic security rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Enhancing worker morale. instead of flex place, and give employees freedom to alter the start/end time of their workday or compress a standard workweek into fewer, longer days (e.g. 816-235-1621, Location and Maps Multiple countries have specific laws related . Downshifting refers to the slowing down of the pace of life as one begins to appreciate the finer things in life. use of onsite space and challenges to re-imagine the employee experience. For employers, it may sometimes be easier to find two people willing to work part-time hours, and theoretically, the amount of work done is the same as if a full-time employee were hired. Curated HR Templates for those last-minute emails! For one, more people are demanding a suitable work-life balance when applying for jobs. Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) are a business strategy that can help employers recruit and retain talented employees. Can the job responsibilities be performed just as well or better during the hours or at the location of the FWA being considered? Boosting productivity. Weve learned through social distancing how to have school at home, see a doctor from home and order groceries from home, but in reality, positions like educators, most medical professionals, and retail or factory workers are not ideal for flexible work arrangements. The Future of Flexibility at Work - Harvard Business Review The Telework Arrangement Form is completed to help the manager and employee have a shared understanding of the details of the telework arrangement. Many of these FWAs incorporate flex time instead of flex place, and give employees freedom to alter the start/end time of their workday or compress a standard workweek into fewer, longer days (e.g. If you think a flexible work arrangement is something you are interested in, please contact your manager to see what options are available for you. A Brown Bag Lunch is the name given to the informal training provided by a company which is. Avoid talking about how a flexible schedule will let you attend Little League games or improve your bowling score. Its helping even the playing field for those who disproportionately have to perform that type of labor.". The following offices can provide consultations on proposing a flexible work arrangement and provide tips on how to make a FWA successful. Learn how SHRM Certification can accelerate your career growth by earning a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. Improving retention of good workers. While your employer may specify certain times that you can work during the day, you typically have the option of when to begin and end your workday at a time that's more convenient to your personal schedule. The coronavirus simply accelerated the progress. Suggest a six-month trial period to see how it works. The most common flexible arrangement is the flextime work schedule arrangement, but others such as telecommuting, job-sharing, and compressed workweeks have been used in some industries. Or, visit the ViewSonic workplace solutions page for more valuable insights into productive work and business display solutions. Remote workers are not usually required to attend team-building sessions or office-based meetings, although they may participate through video conferencing. What is Organizational Culture? How can you be contacted if you are working at home? Once you have determined that the position is a good fit for an FWA, complete the following: Types of Flexible Work Arrangements(PDF). Volume 57, Issue 1 p. 381-395. You should prepare to discuss how youll cover vacations, overtime and work peaks. Shift work describes an arrangement where the working day is divided into different shifts, which are then allocated to employees, meaning different groups of workers will be carrying out their duties at different times of the day. Under flexible work arrangements, employees can change the place where their work is donefor example, by working from home or from a mobile locationor the hours when their work is done, with different work start and end times, job sharing or flexible or compressed workweek schedules. Turn in weekly time reports and any other work hour records your supervisor requests. What is the best way to approach my supervisor about flexible work arrangements? What Conditions Are Needed For Successful Flexible Work Culture? The global workforce is changing rapidly and demand for flexibility in the workplace is growing, especially as remote work and telecommuting have become more viable and as people have become more aware of the importance of achieving a good work/life balance. Apr 25 2022. Additionally, approval and denial letter templates have also been created to assist with creating a streamlined and formal follow-up process for all requests. Theres also this peace of mind for remote-workers who can focus completely on their contributions at work, as opposed to fixing their makeup, hair or clothes a certain way. What if my supervisor responds negatively? Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market. As technology changes the way people do things, the traditional workweek is likely to be replaced by more adaptable arrangements. Why Flexible Work Boosts Employee Productivity - Forbes The definition of flexible work arrangements continues to evolve into numerous forms. Each review will focus on multiple factors to consider when exploring the possibility of a flexible work arrangement. Creating a better work/life balance for workers. Part of your initial preparation should be preparing and practicing replies. Having a specific interview process with questions directed at these soft skills will aid in selecting the right candidates for flexible work arrangements. Susan R. Heylman, Esq., is a freelance legal writer and editor based in the Washington, D.C., area. The following are some examples of FWAs: UT Austin permits FWAs as long as they are in the best interest of the university, will enhance the productivity of the employee and will follow university rules, procedures and policies. Directory Organizations that embrace the hybrid work concept will generally provide a variety of work arrangements for different employees within the same company, with a goal of creating a happier, harder-working workforce through greater autonomy and better well-being. Specify a trial period for implementing an FWA and a date for review. Flexible work is a blanket term for the ways in which employees have more control over when and where they work. FWAs are a variation in where a job is performed (e.g., teleworking) or the time the work is performed (e.g., flexible schedule). Human Resources Director 3 Insurance Coverages Every Small Business Owner Needs To Know About, 3 Ways To Improve Employee Well-Being With Continuous Learning, How To Build And Manage Your Online Reputation, How Activists Can Play Environmental Watchdog, 8 Steps To Getting Your Dream JobWithout Submitting A Resume. What does true flexibility look like? Business 8 Types of Flexible Work Arrangements Explained, technology needed to carry out work and connect with colleagues, How to Optimize Collaboration in Remote Teams. I want to find a solution for my organization, I want to buy a ViewSonic product for myself, I want to sell or integrate ViewSonic products, 10 Benefits of Remote Work for Businesses, Business Will you check e-mail or voicemail when you are out of the office? Does the hybrid work model work for all businesses? Fax: 512-232-3524, Website problems? Flex-work employees must know the level of performance expected and what metrics will be used to measure their work. Ensure that telecommuters obtain any home office permit or license required by local zoning laws. Identify specific measures of productivity for this position. The following offices can provide consultations on proposing a flexible work arrangement and provide tips on how to make a FWA successful. In certain industries, there may be off-season periods during the year, but employers may still need some staff to continue to keep the business operational, and this may be another good example of when part-time employment can be beneficial. Include information on your assets(what do you contribute, what unique skill sets do you have, and what institutional knowledge do you have due to your length of service with the university). This can be especially useful for workers who feel at their most productive outside of the conventional working hours, those who prefer to perform high-focus tasks away from office distractions, or those who balance working life with other responsibilities such as care duties. Human Resource Service Center Consider the impact on communication, e.g., meetings, security concerns and availability for phone calls while teleworking. In todays world, flexible work arrangements are becoming more popular, even in industries where it was once thought unsustainable. | Organizational Culture or Corporate Culture is the overall culture and set of behaviours followed by the employees in an organization. ", University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 | 530-752-1011. By embracing the remote work trend and investing in the tools and people who will make it effective, you can be ahead of the curve and achieve a thriving flexible work culture that will attract the best people, promote growth and ensure the long-term success of your business. Each employee must accept responsibility for their specific job and know that others on the team will expect they accomplish their part productively. "Expanding flex work and having clear expectations for employees, managers and supervisors has been paying off in all kinds of ways. Telecommuters often live locally and split their time between working in the office and from home. In this article, we take a closer look at eight flexible work arrangements, who they suit, and why employers may want to consider them. Flextime can be especially useful for employees who might need to fit work around other commitments, such as dropping kids off at school or studying a college course. Teleworking: routinely working one or more days per week at a location that is not the regularly assigned place of employment. The teams in Human Resources were tasked with swiftly transitioning a significant portion of UC Davis employees the region's second largest workforce into remote/hybrid structures. The overall average number of paid days worked from home in June was 1.4 per week 28% of the work week according to the monthly Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes, which Bloom . Conduct inspections of telecommuters home offices for safety conditions, including ergonomic safety. Flexible work arrangements involve businesses giving their staff the freedom to schedule their own time and obligation fulfillment. Members may download one copy of our sample forms and templates for your personal use within your organization. Evaluating Flexible Work Opportunities: a guide for exploring the decision-making process. Talk to your supervisor about employer benefits: employee retention, avoiding recruitment and retraining costs, or research that shows a positive influence on productivity, absenteeism and morale. Would these proposed changes make it more difficult to supervise the employee and their work? Compressed work week: working more hours on some days of the week to complete the required 40 hours per week in fewer than five 8-hour days. If you are working from home, do you stop to pick up the kids from school or put a load of laundry in the dryer? 8. Tools and Training Prepare Managers for Workplace Flexibility, Flexible Work Arrangements include hybrid work, fully remote work, and modified work schedules. } All training may be found in MyTalent. However, it takes more than just allowing workers to operate from home to ensure a beneficial arrangement. PDF B University People may think those with flexible work arrangements are not actually working. With the rise of access to high speed business internet in homes and offices, flexible work arrangements are certain to be used more often. Creating a thriving flexible work culture will pay future dividends with increased employee morale and empowerment. And, although an employee generally is not covered for an injury when going to and from work, accidents that occur after an employees workday has begun often are compensable. Fusion Connect reduces the complexity of going remote with top IT solutions to make your flexible work programs successful. To evaluate each flexible work arrangement request, a guide and assessment have been created to assist managers with the review process. Evaluating Flexible Work Opportunities: a guide for exploring the decision-making process.