Not Your Parents’ Organization? Human Resource Development Practices for Sustainable Flex Work Environments

Abstract

The Problem. Everything we know and understand about flexible work arrangements (FWAs) revolves around extant research exploring the effects and effectiveness of FWAs based on samples in which organizations and/or employees freely adopted their use. In a post COVID-19 world, organizations implemented FWAs and employees who may not have been prepared for or desired such arrangements. This has resulted in implementing FWAs in situations where the job, culture, or person does not “support” FWAs. The Solution. We suggest the economic uncertainty of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic should shift Human Resource Development (HRD) attention to managing the organizational climate of work and work expectations, specifically with regard to FWAs. We discuss how HRD practitioners can help, specifically by preparing managers for enhanced communication and feedback, as well as through supporting employee development via proactive job crafting, to better prepare managers and workers to accept and flourish in FWAs both short and long term. The Stakeholders. The stakeholders for this article include decision-makers in organizations interested in driving success through long-term initiatives rooted in developing human capital. In addition, this article should resonate with HRD professionals interested in working with managers and employees to systematically build sustainable FWA systems.

Telework, Hybrid Work and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals: Towards Policy Coherence

“…Telework that involves substantial job autonomy can improve work-life balance and thereby reduce the incidence of burnout [62]. The issues of job autonomy and control, being central to the promotion of work-life balance by telework, also appear in other studies [63,64]. Schellhammer et al [65] argue that telework that provides job autonomy and control can be used by employees for primary preventive health care, such as ensuring sufficient sleep or breaks, or setting time aside when emails are not read.…”

“…Population ageing has two problematic economic effects, i.e., shrinkage of the taxpaying labour force, and growth of the elderly in need of caregiving resources. Research in Singapore found that many older individuals who had retired would likely return if employment involving part-time/flexible work in locations close to the home was available [93], and research in the US suggests that older employees value flexible work arrangements more than their younger counterparts [64]. Telework could support these two conditions, particularly for occupations where results are measurable, and hence make developed economies more sustainable.…”

“…Furthermore, it is possible that sustainable employment for employees with various disabilities, such as those associated with multiple sclerosis [95], could be facilitated by telework. The converse of this relationship is that caregivers of family members often maintain employment by engaging in flexible work arrangements [96] and generally value flexible work arrangements [64].…”

“…On the negative side, telework may be associated with overwork [70], and the type of mandated telework associated with COVID-19 lockdowns may also have increased workfamily conflict [64]. This is particularly problematic given it is often linked to 24/7 access of employees by employers and customers.…”

“…In response, Petryshyn and Hyliaka [98] note that, in 2016, France enacted a law enabling employees to turn off all digital communication during non-traditional working hours. More generally, many employees benefit from policies allowing segmentation of work and family time for teleworkers [64]. It is not obvious that strict standardisation would make sense in all countries, but the notion of restricting the reach of work into time spent on other aspects of life could help to make telework more sustainable in the long run.…”