Introduction
A flexible hours scheme, also known as flextime, is a special arrangement that involves a variable work schedule which is very similar to a standard work schedule, except for the fact that it is more flexible. As part of this arrangement, employees are required to spend a certain number of hours in the office and are allowed to finish their work in other locations, including their homes. In most cases, employees need to work for 40 hours per week and must complete their tasks using the flexible hours that the company has given them. For instance, an employee may work from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm, while the rest of the day is flexible, which means that they can choose where to work so as to achieve their daily hours. (Flextime, 2016)
Flexible work arrangements bring many benefits to companies and their employees. First of all, the employee will not have to commute during rush hour, which will reduce traffic and lower the risk of being involved in car accidents. Additionally, flexible hour’s schemes help employees improve their work-life balance, thus reducing their stress and making them more productive. For instance, thanks to flextime, an employee who needs to take their child to school or to see the doctor can schedule their work according to their meetings and appointments. Moreover, flextime has been found to have a positive impact on companies. Firstly, less employees means fewer parking spots, less computers, offices and, therefore, lower operational costs. Secondly, flextime can help companies reduce absenteeism and lateness, whilst enhancing employee performance and boosting their overall productivity. (Tarkan, 2011)
However, flexible working hours can also have a negative effect on companies and their employees. For example, managers may find it difficult to get in touch and communicate with their employees from time to time. (Snell & Bohlander, 2010) In addition, flexible working schedules can make teamwork extremely challenging as team members will have less time to work together and talk about their projects / tasks. (Kokemuller, 2016)
The purpose of this research is to investigate the difficulties faced by ADCO’s employees, whose standard work schedules often result in salary deductions, as well as other punitive measures, whenever they are late. It is believed that flextime will benefit both ADCO and its employees, who will finally be able to organize their lives and work. Therefore, I would like to test my hypothesis by persuading ADCO as well as other UAE Companies to switch to flexible hours schemes in order to increase their productivity while boosting employee satisfaction.
In this research I will discuss my chosen research question and objectives, as well as the methods that I will use to investigate the issue in analysis. Moreover, I will develop a work plan which will illustrate the activities that I will perform in order to meet my research goals.
Research Question and Objectives
Main Research Questions:
1) How would ADCO’s transition to a flexible hours scheme affect its employees?
Objectives:
To determine whether the employees are satisfied with flexible working hours policy.
To identify the positions within the organizations that are eligible for flexible hours.
To illustrate the numerous ways in which flextime can benefit ADCO’s employees and managers
To investigate the reasons why ADCO’s management is still reluctant to switch to flexible hours schemes.
Methodology
From an analysis of various qualitative and quantitative research methods, it appears evident that each approach presents several advantages and disadvantages. I have chosen a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods for a number of reasons. First of all, qualitative research will help me to evaluate why and how flexible working hours would benefit my chosen company and its employees by collecting a sufficient amount of secondary sources. Moreover, thanks to its exploratory approach, this approach will allow me to gain a deeper understanding of the issues faced by ADCO’s employees. Second of all, by using quantitative research methods like surveys and interviews, I will be able to collect numerical data concerning managers and employees’ views on flextime. Unlike qualitative data, quantitative data makes it possible for researchers to quantify their results and present them in an accurate manner, thus minimizing the risk of bias. It is also worth mentioning that while qualitative data can be very difficult to interpret and analyze, quantitative data can be processed in such a way to extract relevant information. Since I want my support my claims with original information, I have decided to collect primary data through a questionnaire which I will administer to a number of employees. This way, I will be able to base my conclusions and recommendations on accurate evidence, rather than having to manipulate pre-existing information. On the other hand, secondary data will allow me to gather relevant information in a time-effective and inexpensive way by using journal articles, books and other sources related to my chosen research topic. Furthermore, I will use online websites to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of flextime in greater depth.
The questionnaire will consist of fifteen questions, each of which will be formulated specifically to determine what employees think of flextime and whether they would like ADCO to offer such an arrangement to them. Furthermore, I will conduct three face-to-face interviews with at least one employee and a manager to investigate their perception of flexible working schedules and evaluate whether flextime would actually benefit ADCO and its employees.
Data will be collected on site in order to facilitate and accelerate the data collection process. The sample consists of fifteen randomly-selected employees from the company’s engineering department. Based on the assumption that all employees face similar difficulties in relation to their traditional work schedules, random sampling should help me understand whether ADCO’s employees want to have flexible working hours. After collecting a sufficient amount of data, I will extract it, analyze it and make it more understandable by creating a number of graphs which will help me determine how many employees are in favor of flexible hours schemes. On the basis of my findings, I will draw relevant conclusions and make adequate recommendations.
- Flexible work arrangements. (n.d.). Retrieved February 06, 2016, from hrcouncil.ca: http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/workplaces-flexible.cfm
- Flextime. (2016, January 13). Retrieved February 06, 2016, from Wikipidia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flextime
- Kokemuller, N. (2016). The Advantages & Disadvantages of Flexible Scheduling for an Employer. Retrieved February 06, 2016, from Chron: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-flexible-scheduling-employer-21190.html
- Snell, S., & Bohlander, G. (2010). Principles of Human Resource Management. United State: South-Western Cengage Learning.
- Tarkan, L. (2011, July 22). The Benefits of Flextime (to Employers). Retrieved February 06, 2016, from CBS Money Watch: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-benefits-of-flextime-to-employers/
