Should employers possess legal rights for demanding flexible working hours?
Should employers possess legal rights for demanding flexible working hours?
In the present corporate world, the companies that have to work according to the US and UK timings provide flexible working shifts to people. But that is not an option but a requirement. However, going ahead UK has introduced a new law under which the employees will possess the legal rights to demand flexible working hours. The law is catching the attention of many other countries and can be followed by them too. What do you think? Should employers possess legal rights for demanding flexible working hours?
Yes
• It is a form of progressive law that is based on psychological factors mostly ignored in the corporate world.
• Providing employees with flexible working hours is the key to enhance their morale that will ultimately have a positive impact on the productivity.
• Flexible working hours will be an addition to the already existing form of telecommuting that will cut down the costs of transportation and will save commuting time.
• It is a world of modern technology and has got all the required devices and techniques through which work can be completed from the comfort of home.
• Sometimes flexible working hours is must as it helps the employees to handle their temporary problems resulting in low rate of attrition.
• Flexible working hours can help the employees to balance their personal and professional life well.
No
• The law can result in a lot more unreasonable requests that can disturb the internal structure of any organization.
• The flexible working hours won’t be easy to manage and can result in the additional costs and more man power requirement.
• Allowing flexible working hours will not only affect the cost structure of company but will ultimately have a negative impact on the economy.
• The work is not about an individual alone but requires interaction between the individuals and different departments that is possible only in office premises.
• It can create differences between the employees who get the permission and who don’t ultimately leading to loss of team spirit.
• Flexible working hours will affect the quality of work and the most importantly the time in which it has to be completed.
Conclusion
Flexible working hours don’t seems a wise idea. It can result in a number of organizational problems that are not visible at first glance. Poor quality of work, no monitoring, mingling the official and personal work, no job learning etc are the many problems that will rise from the flexible working hours. And it is therefore wise to keep home as home, and not convert it into a second office.
Discussion
- RE: Should employers possess legal rights for demanding flexible working hours? -Deepa Kaushik (07/04/14)
- Flexible working hours are good as an option, but the same when forced as a law disturbs the frame-work of the work structure and the working atmosphere. It is always nice to have some leniency in the working hours, as the employee can utilize their time of high productivity to complete the task with utmost perfection at the earliest. This type of timely work definitely adds to the quality of the production output for any organization.
But the flexibility in the working hours from the employer point of view is an all to whole different scenario. A demand for the flexible working hours from the employer is like devoting whole 24 hours without any privacy or personal time. The work requirement could arise anytime round the clock and the legal rights for such a demand would be something against humanitarian grounds.
Such a demand could be on the debate in under-developed and developing countries only, as they are the once who work for the developing nations with the emergence of the MNC culture. The developed countries maintain the privilege to comfort the employees from their home countries with suitable work hours and good employee benefits.
Taking into account these grounds, the demand for the flexible working hours from the employers will drag the common man to the era of slavery once again. Such a right should not be passed in order to safeguard the freedom, health and privacy of the citizens.
