Arturo Flores Medina

Human Resources Management

May 26, y

Flexibility in the Workplace:

A Critical Analysis
Workplace flexibility can be defined as, the opportunity to adjust
[the] where, when and how of work, (Linda L Putnam, 2014). Flexible
policies in the workplace are beneficial for employees and lead to a
positive impact on organisations, financially speaking (Williams, 2013).
The Australian Government has encouraged flexibility in the workplace. As
a result, Australian flexibility in the workplace has surged by almost 41
percent during the past ten years (Kramar, R, 1998). There are different
perspectives on the external and internal implications of flexibility in the
Australian workplace. In Mexico, flexible policies for the workplace do not
exist. Statistics from the OECD and the Worldbank in 2014 declare that
Mexicans work 33% more than Australians and earn 55% less.1 This paper
will critically analyse flexibility in the workplace and determine how
Human Resources practitioners can implement flexibility in the workplace,
and whether this flexibility can be used as a tool for HR managers to
improve the quality of life for workers in Mexico. Firstly, the advantages
and disadvantages of flexibility in the workplace will be discussed, along
with the impacts of technology on it, followed by how Human Resources
practitioners in the workplace can implement it correctly. Finally, the
importance of introducing workplace flexibility in Mexico, as well as the
associated external and internal implications, will be discussed.

1 GDP per person employed is gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total
employment in the economy. Purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP is GDP converted to
2011 constant international dollars using PPP rates. An international dollar has the same
purchasing power over GDP that a U.S. dollar has in the United States.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Workplace Flexibility

Workplace flexibility is a productivity tool that managers can use to
align employees and organisational interests and goals, and as a result
increase profits (Kossel, 2015). Studies have shown that flexibility has a
positive impact on job satisfaction, job engagement, employee retention
and employee mental health (Jacob, 2008). These are really important
advantages because they create a positive relationship between the
employee and the employer, while allowing the employee to maintain a
balance between work and life. However, a recent research paper informs
that employees working in a flexible workplace may feel isolated and may
fail to socialise with the organisations co-workers (Kossel, 2015).
Moreover, workers are encountering more stress, decreased morale and
they feel less loyal to their firm (Department of Industrial Relations 1995:
p. 283; James, 1990; Sheldrake and Saul, 1995; Morehead et al., 1997).
Changing the way people work is to innovative, but very challenging
because it requires directly changing peoples lives. For that reason, the
transition towards a flexible workplace needs to be gentle. The
government and the Human Resources managers are responsible for
constructing this transition and making it easy for the employees. The
government in Australia has taken huge strides in this movement,
creating new rights and regulating flexibility, because, for Australian
employees, the right to request flexible working arrangements is a right in
law and represents the states direct entry into employment matters, in a
space where the state had not previously been (Baird, 2011).
Furthermore, the increase of technology is facilitating managers and
governments to implement flexibility in the workplace. Information of
Technology is changing the way individuals live, work, communicate and
interact. It is no longer necessary to be present at a meeting or in an
office to be productive or to interact with your workmates. More than 20%
of organisations in Australia have increased their use of home-based work
and around 16% increased their use of teleworking (Kramar, 1998). This

data is important to understand how people are moving towards a more

flexible workplace in Australia. Not to mention, this information was
published almost twenty years ago. Now, the positive results of this
movement towards a more flexible workplace are even more evident as
we look at more recent findings such as Roy Morgans 2012 survey that
reveals that over 75% of employees were satisfied with their jobs. Even
though there will always exist the individuals who prefer a traditional
workplace, the future and present are all about flexibility. Furthermore,
developing a flexible workplace will have crucial positive impacts on the
triple bottom line, which, to me, is the most important reason for why
flexibility in the workplace should be the future of HR. While incrementing
home-based work, a firm reduces its office space and, thus, reduces its
ecological footprint as well as expenses. Finally, the positive social
implications, as seen before, come from having more satisfied individuals.
(Johnson, 2009)

Implementing a flexible workplace

As mentioned earlier, employees can sometimes feel isolated and fail
to communicate with their workmates and managers. However, this is the
reason why work-smart, team-based flexibility: linking employees,
technology, and the business, is emerging (Kossel, 2015). It is important
to develop an efficient form of communication between stakeholders, and
take into account the employees of all hierarchical levels in the decisionmaking process to successfully achieve a connection between employees
and organisations. To help individuals through the transition of flexibility,
"human resource practitioners need to more effectively monitor how well
employees are making the transitions involved in employment changes.
This could include monitoring the extent to which employees have moved
through the endings with the old ways and the neutral zone and the
extent to which they have embraced the new beginnings associated with
the changes, (Kramar, 1998). The correct implementation of flexibility in
the workplace is a two-sided task because it is necessary to find
agreements between the employees and the managers. Flexibility is more

about team work, a concept that is hard to understand when you think
about working alone from your house, but the reality is that flexibility is
about communicating effective and efficiently through technology with
your co-workers, managers, clients and providers.

Workplace Flexibility in Mexico

Mexicos population is more than 122 million; the Mexico City
Metropolitan Area is an overpopulated city with more than 20 million
people. If you live in Mexico City and commute to work you will spend an
average of 2 hours in the car. The work-life balance is unsatisfactory with
long working hours and low wages. As a result of highly polluted air in the
city, a new regulation states that if you own a new car, you are restricted
from driving two days per week. Flexibility in the workplace can be seen
as the possible solution to improve the quality of life in Mexico, homebased programmes and reduction of work hours will lead to a significant
decrease in automobile usage. Furthermore, the current minimum wage in
Mexico is 70.10 Mexican Pesos per day, or, 5.30 AUD.2 A part-time job and
flexible workplace will enable individuals to have more than one job
resulting in an increase in income per worker. In conclusion, flexibility in
the workplace appears to be an acceptable solution for Mexico. If the
government and HR practitioners succeed in its implementation, it would
have positive implications on the triple bottom line: socially, with the
increase of work-family balance; environmentally, with the decrease of
pollution; and financially, in the increase of profits. Although, it is
important to take into consideration that if the government fails to
regulate flexibility in the workplace, and HR managers fail to implement a
smooth transition, Mexico could fall into an economic crisis delivered by
deregulations in the workplace. However, all things considered, a
transition to a more flexible workplace is the right route for Mexico, so
long as those in charge of its implementation are successful.

2 Mid-market rates: 2016-05-05 12:11 UTC 1AUD equals 13.23MEXICAN PESOS

References
Kossek Ellen Ernst, R. J. T., Brenda A. Lautsch (2015). "Balanced Workplace Flexibility:
Avoiding the Traps." University of California Press Journals 57(4): 5-25.

Baird, M. (2011). "The state, work and family in Australia." The International Journal of
Human Resource
Management 22(18): 3742-3754.

Jacob Jenet I, Jeffrey Hill (2008). "Six Critical Ingredients in Creating an Effective
Workplace." The PsychologistManager Journal 11: 141-161.

Johnson M, (2009). Today's Workplace is About Flexibility. www,f inancialexecutives.org:

34-39.

Kramar, (1998). Flexibility in Australia: implications for employees and managers.

Employee Relations, MCB
UP Ltd. 20: 453-460.

Putnam, Linda, Bernadette M Gailliard (2014). "Examining the tensions in workplace

flexibility
and exploring options for new directions." Human Relations 67(4): 413440.

Williams John C, Jennifer L. Berdahl (2013). "Cultural Schemas, Social Class, and the
Flexibility
Stigma." Journal of Social Issues 69(2): 209-234.
https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=ANHRS
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.GDP.PCAP.EM.KD

Roy Morgan Survey

http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/5308-job-satisfaction-in-australia-201311200105
http://www.mexicocity.gob.mx/contenido.php?cat=11200&sub=0&idioma=en