Flexible
Working Hours
& Work-Life
Balance
A Presentation by Novera
Ansar
A Piece of News
PTCL implements flexible work arrangements ( Islamabad): PTCL has
introduced new flexible work arrangements to facilitate its employees.
The new steps include flexible working hours for all employees and
work from home facility for the working mothers of the company.
Launched under the umbrella of ‘WorkEase’, these initiatives are
designed to further promote a culture that encourages work-lifebalance, diversity inclusion and boost employee engagement.
Work Life Balance
Nowadays work-life balance has become a common
apprehension for both employees and employer due to:
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demographic changes
women participation in work
increasing number of dual career families
and change in work settings.
Work life balance is the state of equilibrium where any person is
able to get satisfies with personal and professional life.
Research Background on Work-Life Balance
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‘Overworked Employees’ and ‘Time squeeze.’
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Adoption of International HRM practices.
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Idea of high-performance or high-commitment work
systems.
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Evidence of employer practices increasing work
demands: groups/teams, performance related pay,
appraisals.
Main questions for our discussion

Why do conflicts between working life and family life
arise?
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Do long hours increase employees’ feelings of
conflict between work and family life?
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Do specific HRM practices increase these feelings?
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Do flexible working hours & time choices reduce
these feelings?
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Are feelings of work-family conflict higher in women
with young children?
Negative ‘work to home’ Spillover
‘How often would you say the following statements are true of
yourself? (Almost always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never)
1.
After work I have too little time to carry out my family
responsibilities as I would like.
2.
My job allows me to give the time I would like to my
partner/family.
3.
My partner/family gets a bit fed up with the pressure
of my job.’
Some Of The Changes Occurring In The Society
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globalization
informatisation
cultural diversity
customer orinted-ness,
dynamics of demands on the job market
intellectual capital
key competencies
new HRM systems
dealing with stress
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What is Workplace Flexibility?
Workplace Flexibility or Flexible Work
Arrangement is a business strategy that allows
workers to make choices about core aspects of
their work, such as:
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Time - when and how long work is performed,
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Place - where work is performed, and/or
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Task - the specific tasks that are performed at work.
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Flexible Work Arrangements
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Compressed Work Week: fewer, longer days
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Flextime: A work schedule with variable starting and
ending times, within limits set by one’s manager.
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Part-time Work
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Personal or Family Leave: A block of time off while retaining
one’s job. maybe paid or unpaid)
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Home based - Staff conduct business from their homes.
Telecommuting/telework center: - Two or more staff
members share office operations and space for a single
employer to reduce commute time, alleviate
traffic/parking/congestion problems.
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Flexible Work Arrangements (cont.)
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Virtual office - Staff have the skills, equipment, tools and
technology to perform job duties from wherever the person
needs to be: home, office, car, etc.
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Job Sharing - two or more part-time employees share the
responsibilities of one full-time job at a pro-rated salary.
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Job Carving – Customizing a position by keeping one or more,
but not all, of the tasks from the original job description.
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Which employers are Flexible?
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Currently, employers most likely to be moderately to
highly flexible:
 are non-profits;
 are larger; >500 employees
 have more women in their workforces;
 have fewer hourly employees;
 have more part-timer employees, and
 have more women and racial or ethnic minorities in
top/ senior positions.
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Employers Main Reasons For Implementing
Work Life Balance Initiatives
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Retention of employees
Help employees manage work and family life
Improves Morale
Legal mandates
Responsive to needs of workforce and workplace
Integrates Work-Life-Health
Increases job satisfaction, loyalty and engagement
Lowers stress and health care costs
Improves productivity and performance
It is the right thing to do
What if a company is not concerned about work life
balance ?
An employee:
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is not able to work in an effective and flexible way
is not able to concentrate on his/ her tasks
makes mistakes, even causes accidents
may not respect some procedures and regulations
is often on a sick leave
may avoid changes and new challenges
may leave the company
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Myths
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Flexible workplace strategies are only for special
interest groups such as individuals with disabilities or
women with small children or favor for Individuals.
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Flexible strategies are too expensive to implement,
especially for small employers.
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Offering flexibility to low-wage employees isn’t
worth the investment.
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Flexibility is wasted on employees in high- turnover
industries such as retail, hospitality, restaurant, and
tourism.
Make Changes in your Mind Set & Perceptions
So: stop, then: feel and think……………don’t expect others to do
that for you.
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What is important for you?
What would you like to achieve?
Who would you like to be?
Expand your imagination.
Take your decisions.
Be calm.
Specify your goals.
Find a balance.
Take your first step 
References
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ODEP Workplace Flexibility Toolkit - http://www.dol.gov/odep/workplaceflexibility/
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Employer Alliance Work-Life Toolkit – http://www.employeralliance.sg/toolkit/
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How to Ask for a Flexible Work Arrangement - http://www.workoptions.com/fastestway-to-get-flexible-work
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Customized Employment and Flexible Work Arrangements http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/CustomizedEmployment.htm
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Negotiating with Employers http://www.dol.gov/odep/categories/workforce/CustomizedEmployment/practical/
negotiate.htm
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Campaign to support WLB http://www.workplaceflexibility2010.org/
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Work-life Balance and the Economics Of Workplace Flexibility
http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/100331-cea-economics-workplaceflexibility.pdf
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Business Impacts of Flexibility
http://www.cvworkingfamilies.org/system/files/Business%20Impacts%20of%20Flexibility
.pdf
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www.acas.org.uk