GCB 2033

INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT
GROUP ASSIGNMENT
WORKPLACE FLEXIBILITY:
ITS BASIS AND THE BETTERMENT OF THE CONVENTIONAL WORKING ENTITY
JANUARY 2013
Prepared by:
Group members

ID number

Nor Atiqah binti Mohd Suhaimi

16053

Nor Adiba binti Zulkifli

16078

Naqiatul Amirah binti Ab. Halim

16227

Fatin Najwa binti Abd Razak

16365

Muhammad Zulhilmi binti Noslan

16377

Fatin Syamimi binti Zailan

16447

Lee Weng Seng

16455

Prepared for:
Mr. Azamudin bin Badri
Management & Humanities Department

1. Introduction
Based on Human Resources, workplace can be defined by a specific place where
peoples used to do their specific task. Then, flexibility is one of the special properties of
matter. It is the ability of matter to be bent without breaking it. In other word, workplace
flexibility can be defined an organization, managers and employees, and highlights some
common types of flexible work arrangements. Basically, is about an employee and an
employer making changes to when, where and how a person will work to better meet
individual and business needs. While the basic concept stays the same, it's the type of
flexibility which makes the difference. Essentially, flexibility enables both individual and
business needs to be met through making changes to the time (when), location (where) and
manner (how) in which an employee works. Flexibility should be mutually beneficial to both
the employer and employee and result in superior outcomes.
Academic Researchers (29th and 30thNovember, 2010), business and labor leaders, and
government and military officials gathered in Washington, DC for a conference titled Focus
on Workplace Flexibility. Building on the momentum generated by the March 2010 White
House Forum on Workplace Flexibility, this national conference looked more closely at the
demographic and economic changes that are transforming work and family, as well as
effective business practices and practical public policy solutions to support workplace
flexibility.
"Research has proven that the widespread adoption of workplace flexibility practices
will be crucial to the continued strength of American families and businesses now and in the
future," said Kathleen Christensen, Program Director, and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
"There is growing consensus that workplace flexibility in its man The goal of Focus on
Workplace Flexibility was to strengthen existing partnerships; accelerate the process of
making flexibility a standard of the American workplace; and highlight the pioneering
contributions of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundations program on Workplace, Work Force and
Working Families forms can improve lives, support business objectives and strengthen the
economy."

2. Research Questions
1. What are the characteristics of workplace flexibility?
2. What are the effects of workplace flexibility towards practicing organisations?
3. How can the standard working system and environment be enhanced by practicing
workplace flexibility?

3. Aims of Study
The aim of the study is to analyse the characteristics of workplace flexibility. The study will
distinguish the typical features of workspace flexibility as compared to the accustomed
working environment. The outcomes of this study will aid in a deeper understanding of the
characteristics of a flexible workplace. Other than that, the effects it brings to practicing
organisations community as a whole will also be studied and revealed. The end result of this
case study will explain the improvements that can be altered to the custom order of the
working conditions and surroundings when workplace flexibility is applied.

4. Objectives
1. To investigate the characteristics of workplace flexibility.
2. To study the effects of workplace flexibility towards practicing organisations
3. To analyze the amendments and upgrades that can be made to the standard working
environment when workplace flexibility is practiced.

5. Literature Review
Ellen Galinsky, Kelly Sakai, and Tyler Wigton explore the time famine among
American workersthe continuing sense among employees of not having enough time to
manage the multiple responsibilities of work and personal and family life. Noting that large
shares of U.S. employees report feeling the need for greater workplace flexibility to enable
them to take better care of family responsibilities, the authors examine a large-scale
community-engagement initiative to increase workplace flexibility voluntarily.
Using the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce as a primary source of
data, the authors begin with an overview of the prevalence of flexibility in todays American
workplace.
They track which categories of employees have access to various flexibility options,
as well as the extent to which employees with access to various types of flexibility use those
options. Findings from the study indicate that the majority of employees want flexibility but
that access to it varies, with more advantaged employeesthose who are well educated,
have high salaries, and work full time, for examplebeing doubly advantaged in having
greater access to flexibility.
A number of employers, say the authors, tend to be skeptical of the value of
workplace flexibility and to fear that employees will abuse it if it is offered. But the study
data reveal that most employees use flexibility quite conservatively. When the authors use
their nationally representative data set to investigate correlations between access to
workplace flexibility and a range of workplace outcomes especially valued by employers
employee engagement, job satisfaction, retention, and healththey find that employers as
well as employees can benefit from flexibility.
Next, the authors discuss When Work Works, a large, national community-based
initiative under way since 2003 to increase voluntary adoption of workplace flexibility. The
authors detail the conceptual basis of the projects design, noting its emphasis on flexibility
as one component of effective workplaces that can benefit employers, employees, and
communities alike. Galinsky, Sakai, and Wigton conclude by drawing lessons learned from
the project and briefly discussing the implications of using research to bring about
workplace change.
The issue of workplace flexibility has become more uproar to the employees of the
organizations all around the world. In the hectic world nowadays, people have to work

around nine hours per day and even have to overtime to finish the work. This
incontrovertible situation brings headache to a lot of employees. Hence, when the
workplace flexibility become their concern, most of the employees agree and give their big
support as it will bring a lot of gains to them.
First and foremost, workplace flexibility programs allow employees to change their
work schedules, work locations, or bothmaking it possible for them to balance their
responsibilities at work with family care and other personal needs. Three-quarters of
Americans believe that employers should give workers more flexibility in their work
schedule and location. In spite of this overwhelming public support, the Working Families
Flexibility Actwhich is modeled on current laws in Europe and Australia, would allow
employees to request flexibility, and would ensure their requests were considered fairly by
their employershas not been voted on in the House of Representatives or the Senate
since it was introduced earlier this year.
Besides, flexible workplaces are good for businesses and the economy. Google is a
company well known for providing a unique work environment for employees that provides
plenty of benefits. Google appears as a top contender for most features, including unusual
perks, cafeterias, health cover and work environment. While the dress code might be
casual, the company attracts and retains some of the brightest minds in the technology
industry. There is a work hard, play hard atmosphere. The Google Mountain View, CA
headquarters is a campus-like environment. There are workout facilities, a caf, well
stocked snack rooms, and a dorm like environment.

6. Discussion and Findings

Basically, workplace flexibility cannot be defined by only one specific definition to us,
because it means different things to different people. In general, flexibility is about an
employee and an employer have decided to make changes in their way of working. This
includes the changes to when, where and how a person will work better to meet individual
and business needs. Based on the statement, the basic concept stays the same, its the type
of flexibility which makes the difference. Fundamentally, flexibility enables both individual
and business needs to be met by changing the style of their work by means of time (when),
location (where) and manner (how) in which an employee works to result in superior
outcomes.
Workplace flexibility is tightly linked with how people work and when do they work
that makes their workplace different than the one who only works in the office. Generally,
by only having a flexibility policy however is not enough to accomplish an organisations
goal. What is best practice workplace flexibility? To be best practice, workplace flexibility
must not only be communicated in a policy which is broad in nature and request, offering a
variety of flexible work options to a wide range of people but also implemented by a
business that is really committed to making flexibility work effectively.
Working from home can also be called as teleworking. Teleworking is defined as
working away from the main office either full time, and on a common or alternate basis.
Most people voted to work at home either occasionally or for an agreed number of days
each week. Moreover, in some industries, the employers and employees may be working
remotely. This is meant by working at a different office, or in clients workplace for some or
all of their working hours. Some of the practices used by some companies include, a work or
life choices programme involving a compressed work week and one day paid employee
volunteering. They also practices to give 22 weeks paid maternity leave, 10 days partner
leave at the time of the birth and 52 weeks leave without pay to raise children up to six
years of age to their employees.
When will these people work? Firstly, the employers will alter the start and finish
times of a working day, but in the same time, they are also maintaining the same number of
hours worked per week. For example, different from the custom order of working system,
they will start at 8am to 4pm instead of 9am to 5pm. This is also can be done by condensing
standard hours per week into fewer days (for example, four days per week at ten hours per

day). Other than that, part time work is also can be considered as flexible work practices as
it means working fewer than the standard weekly hours. For instance, an employee will
work two days instead of four days in a week.
There are a few ways on how people will work with this flexibility policy in working.
The first one, is by sharing their job. This is being done by two people sharing one full-time
job on an ongoing basis. People who work on this basis will work two and a half days each, a
two or three day split or working alternately between each other. Next, people can also
work in phased retirement. This only focuses on people who are close to retirement, where
their working days are being reduced from 5 days a week to only 4 days per week. It can
also mean becoming an alumni; retired employee returns to the workplace to cover peak
work periods or to help the other employees by providing specialist knowledge. Other than
that, employees can also be told to work within annualised hours which is based on a set of
number of hours per year instead of a number of hours per week.
A flexible workplace is one where employers and employees work together to decide
on working arrangements such as hours of work, work location and the way work is carried
out. It means thinking creatively about how working lives can be planned to match
individual and business needs. Effective flexibility means that that flexibility is not just an
idea on paper, but an accessible work practice. This means that when an employee starts
using their flexible work arrangements, their manager supports them in a positive and
practical way and there are no negative consequences, such as missing out on promotions
or dealing with snide remarks from fellow workers. Creating a flexible workplace is good for
business and has a number of advantages.
First is business leaders are aware that shareholders, employees, and consumers are
calling upon industries and employers to improve their environmental performance. While
there is no direct evidence that flexible work arrangements have a positive impact on the
environment, some indirect effects have been suggested, such as reduce the use of energy
in transportation, by allowing the employee to work in a location closer to home or at home
,
Allow for more efficient use of existing office space and reduce the need for new
construction and allow employees to commute at off-peak times, resulting in less fuel
consumption.
Besides, it can improve work-family balance. Based on Byron (2005), the availability
of a variety of flexible work arrangements can help employees maximize work-family

balance, which benefits both the employee and the employer. A recent study of the effects
of the availability of schedule flexibility at work on the work-to-family interface found that
flexible schedules reduced work-family conflict for women, but not for men. Schedule
flexibility provided employees with the opportunity to minimize work-family conflict, as well
as to promote work-family enrichment and improve functioning and performance at work
and home.
However, workplace flexibility would possibly affect the organizations performance
due to the maturity and understanding of the responsibilities by each employee is different.
It is crucial for the flexible workplace rules to be implemented successfully. There are
always workers which do not responsible enough and descent the productivity with aspects
like limited time of working. Without the leading of manager in the constant working place,
the goals of the organization would be unclear and employees might end up working at
cross-purposes, thus preventing the organization from moving efficiently toward its goals.
In conclusion, workplace flexibility, if implemented effectively, creates benefit for
employers and employees. It is important for employers to pay attention to the extent to
which initiatives actually fit the needs of their employees. Specific types of workplace
flexibility that work for one company might not be the most effective approach for another.
Friedman (2002) stated there are several options upon the enhancement of standard
working system by practicing a workplace flexibility which includes telecommuting, flextime
and flexibility for the employee to take a leave.
By practicing flexibility through telecommuting, the employees are given an option
to perform their work through home or another place that enable them to work as usual
with their department rather than going directly to the main office. Therefore, the
employee can integrate and manage their work and personal lives more effectively. Reduce
in commuting time to the workplace can help the employees to carry out their external
issues that need their attention. For example, parents can spend more time to take care of
their family. Instead of being stuck in the traffic rush hour making their way to work, they
can send their children off to the school gates in the morning and not worry of their
childrens well-being.
Flextime is also one of the practices of workplace flexibility. By definition, flextime
allows employees to select their working hours in accordance to their availability and
convenience. Usually, the employers will set a particularised working hour limits. Flextime

allows employees to work 4 days a week instead of the usual 5 days. The working hours
might be longer, for example from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. instead of the typical 9 a.m. to 5 p.m..
This compressed work week can greatly benefit the employees that are still continuing their
studies or considering returning to schools. Usually, these students will have to attend
classes during the weekend. By working fewer days a week, they get an additional day off
than the normal 2-day weekend. The extra day off can be used to completing their
assignments, reviewing the course materials as well as discussions among peers.
As an employee, there are many commitments to give in not only to work but there
has to be a balance between work, family and personal life. If there are circumstances that
block them to continue their work and be happy with it, the end result of their work will not
be meeting expectations. This will be a burden to the employers that want to see an
increase in their employees performance. As the relationship between an employer and the
employee is interrelated, this will add up to a tension between the two parties.
As discussed, workplace flexibility brings a lot of positive effects to the practitioners.
With a more flexible working environment, the rate of absenteeism and tardiness can be
lowered. With a more productive and lively workforce, the products and services offered by
a corporation will be highly produced and productively delivered. Productivity and job
satisfaction will also be greatly increased. When employees feel appreciated by being able
to work flexibility, it is greatly displayed on their work efficiency. When they enjoy doing
their work, employers need not worry about their employees being dissatisfied and leaving
the company. With a more working arrangement that is less rigid, both the employees and
the employers enjoy the benefits of having a more relaxed and adaptive environment.
7. Conclusion
Based on our research done, workplace flexibility brings a lot of positive impacts as
compared to the normal working conditions. As reflected in our discussion and findings,
with a more lenient working space, employees are given more freedom to work in
accordance to their comfort and ease level.
From this research, we found out that workplace flexibility can be differentiated by
its working place, working hours and the manners that the work is being carried out. By
exercising a flexible form of working, employees as well as the employers are allowed to
move more freely as they are not confined to a fixed work station and working time, in this
case, the usual 9 to 5. In addition, they are also allowed to complete their assigned tasks is

whatever manner they feel appropriate as long as the end result is as desired as their
provided job specifications. It is clear from these common characteristics of a more flexible
workplace that it gives more balance to their working life as well as their personal life.
There are many positive effects that a flexible workplace brings to its practitioners.
The most overlooked effect by the community is that it improves environmental
performance. One of the features of a flexible workplace is by getting a job where the work
station or office is nearer to the employees homes. Other than that, employees also use
public transportation to get to work or to move from point A to point B. Not only does this
save time but by doing so, the fuel consumption used is reduced by a lot and this saves the
earth from global warming caused by the excess release of carbon monoxide.
However, a flexible working environment is not for everyone. Some of us prefer to
be confined by a strict rules and regulations and we prefer to do work that requires us to be
in an office for a fixed period of time. These group of people enjoy being workers to the
industry and devote their time and commitment to their work for the betterment of the
community. Furthermore, there are also certain people that are not capable of handling the
freedom that comes with workplace flexibility. They might be overwhelmed by the
differences that a flexible workplace brings and use that for the wrong purposes.
When a more flexible approach is implemented to the workplace, both the
employees and employers could benefit greatly from the practice. The employees can work
in a stress-free environment which will result in a better productivity. As a result, the end
product of a corporation will boost in terms of revenue that will generate the net income of
the corporation. This will allow the employers to expand the business and establish a better
company. Other than that, when employees are able to work hand in hand with the
management and create a more harmonic environment that will develop a healthier
working culture.
As discussed at the end of the literature review, Google Inc. has been practicing a
flexible workplace and it is now undoubtedly one of the most successful organisations that
generate billions of dollars every year. Plus, the close connections between the whole
Google Inc. is very tight and family like. All of them look forward to getting up in the
morning to get to work which differs a lot from the majority of the people that work in the
normal working environment. It is a solid proof that flexible workplace is ideal to be
implemented slowly onto the traditional working environment.

8. References
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http://www.telework.gov.au/for_employees
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