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Flexible Workforce Model
The theoretical approach of flexible workforce model is connected with the practical consideration of the flexible workforce in an organizational setting. Today, the growing competitiveness of the business demands that organizations focus on the approach of the flexible workforce to achieve desired outcomes effectively and efficiently. A flexible workforce is established as the attainment of the staff that can successfully optimize when it is required ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"bK3aj9o4","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Chen, 2011)","plainCitation":"(Chen, 2011)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1057,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/JEJ4L5M2"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/JEJ4L5M2"],"itemData":{"id":1057,"type":"article-journal","title":"The changing workforce","author":[{"family":"Chen","given":"Lisa"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2011"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Chen,et,al 2011). The range of flexible workforce comprised of different forms of recruitments such as the domains of full-time, part-time, and temporary workers in the large business set-up. Here the particular focus is to illustrating practical strategies that can be helpful to implement a flexible workforce model.
When it comes to the proper management of the flexible environment and the development of flexible workforce model than there comes a need for adopting different aligned strategies. At the first stage, it is important for the management of the organization to develop a proper flex strategy. This form of consideration helps to recognize the practical implications of the overall flexible workforce model (Nasr,et,al,2019). The recruitment process is also important to ensure the hiring of multi-skilled employees with the consideration of the proper execution of the flexible workforce model ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"zWUHPOVK","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Deery & Jago, 2002)","plainCitation":"(Deery & Jago, 2002)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1056,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/N4HR8G8M"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/7Hi3kAOD/items/N4HR8G8M"],"itemData":{"id":1056,"type":"article-journal","title":"The core and the periphery: an examination of the flexible workforce model in the hotel industry","container-title":"International Journal of Hospitality Management","page":"339-351","volume":"21","issue":"4","author":[{"family":"Deery","given":"Margaret"},{"family":"Jago","given":"Leo K."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2002"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Deery & Jago, 2002). Recognized the performance of the key employees for the organization is also essential to enhance the productivity level of working through the perspective of a flexible workforce. Training of the workers and the managers are also essential to enhance their understanding level about the suitable handling of the flexible working environment. When workers start feeling their connection with the organizational setting than it eventually helps to perform well through the perspectives of flexible specialization. The practical strategies linked with the size of a workforce also play a critical role in the proper adoption of flexible workforce model.
To conclude the discussion about the practical implications of the idea of a flexible workforce model, it is necessary to mention that this particular approach can implement in different forms or types. Flexible specialization and flexible staffing are two aspects that are adopted by the organization to achieve the business objectives with the help of multi-skilled workers. It is established that the complexities of the large business organizations can better handle by the multi-skilled workers.
Approach
Numbers of approaches are there for finding the stats of a business. These approaches include taking a look at the primary sources that would prove helpful for checking whether any difference has been seen after practicing a flexible workforce. Previous documents could be also looked upon for tracing the old records by comparing whether flexible workforce has proved effective or not. Also, reliable search engines could be also used for observing the effectiveness of a flexible workforce.
Flexibility at the workplace had its peripheral presence in organizational behavior and human resource researches. In most of the cases, some pockets of researches that are related to the HRM are people flexibility, labor flexibility, behavioral flexibility, etc. (Deery,et,al,2002). For addressing the question of flexible workforce, qualitative methodology has been used. An interview was conducted in which almost six companies were included for conducting an interview. In these interviews, various questions were asked including top management, who was being asked, questions about the strategies that they implement in their companies. They were also questioned about the HRM and flexibility for which some of the interviewees used details of their companies from the previous documents. At the time of the interview, internal reports and documents were also analyzed. It was found that data collected from all the documents and interviews helped them in comparing the numeric that showed difference of performance after implementing effective flexible workforce (Sekhar,et,al,2018). Categories for which these interviews were conducted include company characterization, employer/employees relationship, organizational flexibility, HRM policies and practices and HRM director and department. There was a part of the interview in which questions were being asked from the employees so that data could be conducted from their perceptive as this interview was for the flexible workforce that is directly related to employees.
Focus
The focus of this paper is to study workforce flexibility. Many problems have been witnessed at many business organizations where policies are being made. Many companies have faced various issues when they tried to maintain a flexible workforce. Kraft Foods (a company of food and beverages) that including its subsidiaries employ is operating in more than 150 countries. It has 62,000 employees working in its 100 plants. Out of this only 59 % of employees comes under the category of hourly working employees. This company went through a serious issue of employee's dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction was particularly among the hourly. Many proposals were given for solving this issue, but one of the most effective solutions, selected for resolving this issue was the implementation of "Fast Adapts” for all the employees as well as supervisors who work 24/7 in these manufacturing plants.
Literature review
Being one of the main topics of the present scenario, many researches have been conducted over Flexible workforce. Literature on flexible working covers various policies and out of which only some support work-life balance. Most of the organizations form policies that give a push to the work-life balance. According to Drew, for having a flexible workforce, first of management should focus on strategy making. Effective strategies would encourage the workforce to deliver the best and expected outcomes. According to the researchers, multi-skilled employees are selected so that greater benefit could be gained and companies suffer considerably if the multi-skilled leave. Many surveys have been conducted for throwing light on the movements that show increasing flexible working.
According to Lisa Chen, rivalry among business organizations has become competitive than ever before. The workforce is the main factor that determines production. Flexibility in work is the main thing that appeals to the assets at any workplace. Part-time work is one of the best form designed by HM to allow talented employees to do the job and flex themselves if their life changes (Hermans,et,al,2018). Lisa Chen claims that most of the organizations who want to attain top positions in the competitive market HR need to be more efficient. HR makes such strategies that would facilitate the employees by devising new techniques and ways, how they are going to retain their top talented employees.
The prime focus of large numbers of companies or their management is to make policies that would not only fascinate the skilled people but also help them in retaining them. Considering the present situation, both males and females are equally sharing the responsibilities so giving them opportunities that would balance their work-life, proves to be the key of success for these companies. As per the research work of Lisa Chen, non-permanent workers could be experts in various fields and areas that would ultimately help the company for securing a high rank in the list of companies. Certain fields i.e. technical and creative needs brilliant minds, so mostly professionals want to be an independent contractor so that they could choose projects, they are really interested in (Heilmann,et,al,2018). In most cases, such experts want to have a flexible work schedule.
The range of flexible workforce comprise of different forms of recruitments such as the domains of full-time, part-time, and temporary workers in the large business set-up (Chen,et,al,2018). Particular focus of HR is to illustrate practical strategies that could prove helpful in flexible workforce model.
According to the work of Atkinson that he did on the flexible work, business setups need more plasticity when it comes to the fluctuating market and unpredictable business environment.
There are four basic strategies in the area of workforce flexibility i.e. internal, external, qualitative, numerical and functional flexibility that needs to be focused.
At the workplace, employees need to have various skills that would help them in various fields. Taking a look at the skill flexibly, Lengnick-Hall claims that employees who may have set of a wide range of skills in them just need to know how they are going to use their skills under different situations (Öncü,et,al,2018). It is one of the responsibilities of human resource management to quickly recognize the skills in each of the employees and assign them tasks that they could perform at their best.
The research work proposed by Dr. Rabindra Kumar Pradhan, claims that there are various types of flexible workforce and these include behavior flexibility, human resource practice flexibility, behavior flexibility and skill flexibility, etc.
Results
Taking a look at the above-mentioned research it could be said that considering the different types of the flexible workforce, HRM has to take a close look so that they could decide which type of flexible workforce they could implement in their organization (Somerville,et,al,2018). It is evident that HRM has to make policies by taking a look at the needs of employees who becomes one of the productive parts of the organization. From the above the qualitative analysis, it could be seen that there exist a strong relationship between HRM and flexibility. One of the major findings of this paper is that functional flexibly could be achieved by using a single HRM. This study also offers new ideas to the companies how effectively they could make strategies and policies that would help them in growing in particular markets (Rowan,et,al,2018). This research proposed various ideas that support, why and how flexible workforces help the companies for attracting and retaining the employees who becomes need of the companies but are not willing to give proper time to them. Pieces of evidence have shown that by combining different types of flexibilities i.e. numerical and functional flexibilities (Snaith,et,al,2019) greater results could be achieved.
Conclusion
For effective implementation of flexible workforce, HR has to take the responsibility of providing a healthy environment to the employees. Different strategies should be devised as per the company’s need. It is also important for the management to train people, how to handle a flexible working environment. One of the main roles that the HRM has to play is recognition of the skilled and multi-talented employees who would prove productive for the organization. When employers start learning how to accept and adjust with the flexible workforce setting the main aim (facilitating employees) seems to be accomplished. By taking a look at the overall paper and considering the approaches that has been mentioned in this document, it could be said that there are numbers of benefits that a company or setup could get from flexible workforce including more engagement of employees in tasks they are being assigned as sometimes they choose tasks that suits them. Flexible workforce should be implemented in all those companies that want to secure top positions in market. Flexible workforce should be implemented as it increases the ability of HRM for recruiting one of the best employees.
References
Heilmann, P., Forsten‐Astikainen, R., & Kultalahti, S. (2018). Agile HRM Practices of SMEs. Journal of Small Business Management.
Hermans, M. (2018). 23. Comparative HRM research in South America: a call for comparative institutional approaches. Handbook of Research on Comparative Human Resource Management, 427.
Nasr, W. W., & Jaber, M. Y. (2019). Specialized and flexible servers subject to the effects of learning and forgetting. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 131, 477-487.
Öncü, E. (2018). Globalization and changing nursing workforce within the framework of flexibility model. Journal of Human Sciences, 15(2), 1185-1192.
Rowan, B. H., Robinson, J., Granato, A., Bla, C. K., Kouyaté, S., Djety, G. V., ... & Gloyd, S. (2018). Workforce patterns in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in Côte d’Ivoire: a qualitative model. Human resources for health, 16(1), 4.
Sekhar, C., Patwardhan, M., & Vyas, V. (2018). Linking work engagement to job performance through flexible human resource management. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 20(1), 72-87.
Snaith, B. (2019). expanding the diagnostic imaging workforce: how assistants are supporting uk service delivery. MULTIPARAMETRIC MRI MAPS OF THE LIVER, 64.
Somerville, L., Davis, A., Milne, S., Terrill, D., & Philip, K. (2018). Exploration of an allied health workforce redesign model: quantifying the work of allied health assistants in a community workforce. Australian Health Review, 42(4), 469-474.
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Chen, L. (2011). The changing workforce. Retrieved From:
Deery, M., & Jago, L. K. (2002). The core and the periphery: an examination of the flexible workforce model in the hotel industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 21(4), 339–351.
