Redefining Workplace Flexibility: VTO, VET, and MET as Strategic Scheduling Opportunities

Journal of engineering and applied sciences technology, 2022

This paper explores the pervasive issue of overstaffing in the retail sector, its implications, and the potential solution of implementing Voluntary Time Off (VTO). Overstaffing, characterized by an excess workforce leading to decreased productivity, increased costs, and employee dissatisfaction, often results from flawed forecasting and hiring practices. The paper delves into the financial impact, employee morale, expansion limitations, and workforce planning challenges arising from overstaffing. To counter these issues, the concept of VTO is introduced as a strategic approach, allowing employees the flexibility of unpaid leave during periods of reduced workload. The study outlines the benefits of VTO, including enhanced corporate social responsibility, improved employee satisfaction, and operational efficiency. Through a multiphase approach, including defining overstaffing parameters, data collection methodology, and decision-making process, the paper proposes a systematized implementation of VTO, integrating it with workforce scheduling and forecasting. The conclusion underscores the importance of this approach in addressing overstaffing, promoting a balanced workforce, and fostering a positive organizational culture.

Harvard Deusto Business Research

This paper explores the effects of flexible working arrangements on employees and their managers in a service sector. Analyzing a case study of a global management consultancy, the study concerns the impact of flexible working arrangements on job satisfaction, commitment and performance as well as well-being. While it is generally accepted that flexible working arrangements have a positive impact on employees, there has been only limited theorizing and research explaining how and why such impact is generated and which contextual organizational factors might be significant in shaping the outcome. The study provides mixed evidence for benefits from flexible working arrangements where potential for increased employee performance, well-being and job satisfaction is offset by work intensification, blurred work/home boundaries, professional isolation and perceived organizational injustice. Practical implications of the study results have been intensified by accelerated organizational tran...

Social Service Review, 2006

management revu

strategic journals, 2018

ABSTRACT The business case for the provision of flexible work schedules relies on their ability to enhance recruitment and retention, job satisfaction and commitment and reduction of work-life conflict among employees. It makes intuitive sense that offering work-life balance practices would attract individuals to an organization, and that using these practices would result in improved employee attitudes and behaviours within the organization. However, the critical literature review on flexible work schedule reveal that despite the provision of these schedules, employee take-up may be low due to concerns that using work-life practices will result in reduced advancement opportunities or perceptions of the employee as being less committed to the organization. The need for supportive organizational culture, team work, proper communication and training of managers may be at the fore front in addressing this issue. The article offers a critical review of the literature on flexible work schedules through examining the types of flexible work schedules and supporting theoretical foundations. It also examines the conditions necessary for the success of flexible work schedules and the possible outcomes. There is further evaluation of the challenges involved and recommendation therefore.

Decision Sciences, 2002

In this paper we consider a different tactic by adjusting the length of workdays. Hours in excess of a 40-hour week are exchanged for compensatory time off at time and a half, and the total amount of accrued compensatory time is limited to no more than 160 hours in accordance with ...

Employment Relations Today, 2013

2020

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SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000

This article contributes to knowledge regarding determinants of happiness by examining the independent role played by having discretion over one's working time, using data pooled from two years of a nationally representative US survey. Controlling for a worker's income bracket and work hours duration, having work schedule flexibility in the form of an ability to take time off during the work day and, to a somewhat lesser extent, to vary starting and quitting times daily, are both associated with greater happiness, whereas an ability to refuse overtime work is weak at best. The associations are generally stronger among workers paid by the hour than by salary. Worker utility functions thus may be enhanced by including the timing and flexibility of working time. Policies and practices that promote more employee-centered flexible working time may not only help workers alleviate work-life time conflicts, but also promote worker wellbeing generally, especially among hourly-paid workers.

This study explores the influence of workplace flexibility on work-life conflict for a global sample of workers from four groups of countries. Data are from the 2007 International Business Machines Global Work and Life Issues Survey administered in 75 countries (N ϭ 24,436). We specifically examine flexibility in where (work-at-home) and when (perceived schedule flexibility) workers engage in work-related tasks. Multivariate results indicate that work-at-home and perceived schedule flexibility are generally related to less work-life conflict. Break point analyses of sub-groups reveal that employees with workplace flexibility are able to work longer hours (often equivalent to one or two 8-hr days more per week) before reporting work-life conflict. The benefit of work-at-home is increased when combined with schedule flexibility. These findings were generally consistent across all four groups of countries, supporting the case that workplace flexibility is beneficial both to individuals (in the form of reduced work-life conflict) and to businesses (in the form of capacity for longer work hours). However, work-at-home appears less beneficial in countries with collectivist cultures.