Flexible workforce 1.4.1

Flexible working - A range of employment options (e.g. part-time, job share) that provide an alternative to full-time permanent employment.

Multi skilling - Is the practice of training employees so that they have the ability to do a range of tasks, or of recruiting who have several skills.

Flexible hours/Flexi-time - Require the employee to work a certain number of hours in a given time period but mostly there are no fixed hours when they have to be on site.

Outsourcing - Refers to the situation where business tasks or processes are undertaken by an external provider. Inputs are brought in from another business that may be local or oversees.

Part-time work - A form of employment with less than 35 hours worked per week.

Temporary work - Where an employee is hired for a set period of time

Home working - Working from home in office-type jobs, or roles involving travel where home is used as a base.

 FLEXIBLE WORKING

Flexible working describes a range of employment options designed to help employees balance work and home life. It is because flexible working relates to working arrangements where there are a variety of options offered to employees in terms of working time, working location and the pattern of working.

Amongst the most popular flexible-working practices are:

• Part-time working
• Term-time working
• Working from home
• Career breaks
• Job sharing 
• Annual hours contract
• Shift swapping

Flexible workforce can adapt quickly: there may be a sudden change in customer demand and employees have to adjust to this. They may be able to move easily from one task to another or may be asked to work more or fewer hours. Some businesses use part-timers. In today's highly competitive markets, having a flexible and responsive workforce may be essential. In order to compete effectively, a business needs to think on its feet; restrictive working practices and lack of flexibility can increase production costs and reduce competitiveness, leading eventually to the decline of the business.

MULTI-SKILLING

Multi-skilling arises where staff are allowed to carry out a variety of tasks rather than specialise. Key points are:

1. It enables greater use of job rotation (with subsequent benefits for motivation)
2. Common in service industries - e.g. retail, hotels
3. Puts a greater requirement on training
4. Staff absences can be covered easily without any loss of production
5. The business can respond to any unexpected changes in demand and special orders
6. The business becomes more flexible
7. Employees may find their jobs less tedious or repetitive and respond to increased responsibility
8. All this provides a competitive advantage in today's fast moving and dynamic economy.

                                              PART TIME AND TEMPORARY WORK 
Many business are not suited to having full-time and permanent staff, demand varies according tot he times of the day or the season. Pubs, farmers and many other employers want help just when they need it.

ADVANTAGES TO EMPLOYERS

1. Pay for staff only when needed, reducing labour costs
2. Less costly in terms of employment rights

DISADVANTAGES TO EMPLOYERS

1. Employees may not be as committed or motivated.

ADVANTAGES TO EMPLOYEES

1. May suit some workers e.g. parents with school-age children or students
2. Flexible working hours suit some employees

DISADVANTAGES TO EMPLOYEES

1. Lack of job security and full employment rights.

Increasing numbers of people are offered zero-hours contracts; the employer does not have to provide the employee with any particular number of working hours, and the employee is not obliged to accept the hours offered. This ensures great flexibility for both but leaves employees without the security of a reliable income.

FLEXIBLE HOURS/FLEXI-TIME

So an employee could could start early and finish late and vice versa; by working an hour or two extra each day, they can take a day of when it suits them. This system is sometimes called flexi-time.

HOME WORKING

ADVANTAGES TO THE EMPLOYER

1. Less office space and other overheads means lower costs
2. Productivity can increase when away from workplace distractions

DISADVANTAGES TO THE EMPLOYER 

1. Employers must trust that the employee will work efficiently without supervision.

ADVANTAGES TO THE EMPLOYEE

1. Reduces the time and cost of commuting
2. Working hours may be more flexible and suit other lifestyle requirements.

DISADVANTAGES TO THE EMPLOYEE

1. Can be lonely without the company of fellow workers
2. The home needs to be equipped as a work space.

OUTSOURCING

Outsourcing involves delegating one or more business processes to an external provider, who then owns, manages and administers the selected processes to an agreed standard.

Outsourcing has become increasingly common for more complex businesses that want to focus on their core activities. It is also common to find smaller businesses outsourcing administrative functions e.g. bookkeeping, until they have reached a size that justifies having specialist skills on the payroll.

Outsourcing usually means that the business can reduce its labour costs and only buy in extra help as and when it is needed.

The main disadvantage is that the business may not have full control over the quality of the outsourced work and it requires very good communication.

Reputation is constantly on the line. If a company outsources its production and badly made products are being sold onto its customer, then the company is at blame. Furthermore, abysmal treatment of workers has affected reputation.

BENEFITS

•  Grow faster
• Access skills you don't have
• Quickly meet demand
• Could be cheaper as no need to invest in increased production e.g. building a factory

DRAWBACKS

• Could damage brand reputation if outsourcing to a poor business
• Quality control is being lost as well as management
• Danger that you will give away "your business ideas to the outsourced company"
• Not always the cheaper option particularly when outsourcing overseas.