¶ … Demand for More Work Flexibility
As times change, the workforce of today and tomorrow will be different than of the past. Work conditions and standards alter per demand and evolution of the human resource department. With need for quality human capital within companies, HR managers must respond to the professional and personal needs of employees to keep turnover rates low and retention high. The answer to the retention problem may be flexible staffing schedules and work hours. By companies implementing policies that include flexibility in working hours, employees can benefit and maintain a higher level of satisfaction at work.
Demand for more work flexibility began as early as the 1960's. In the 1960's certain dynamics within the family/work balance shifted. For example, more women joined the workforce. Later, as technology developed, telecommuting options strengthened the idea of flexibility in working hours. Research into emergence of family and work balance problems within the United States, offered four key areas to examine. They are:
1. History of family/work balance
2. Changing needs of present and future employees
3. New issues companies face
4. Programs implemented by companies to handle demand for flexible work hours
History
The 1960's heralded the beginning of two-income households. With men and women working, the demand for more flexible work hours increased. The traditional 9-5 work hours became less appealing and...
"By the late 1960's and 1970's temp agencies were openly recruiting men and selling temp agency work in a variety of 'breadwinning' jobs, including occupations in the technical,
medical, and industrial sectors" (Fu, 2015, p. 42). After the increase of temp jobs in the 1960's, the 1970's saw an even bigger increase to 185,000 temps each day. The 1970's took another progressive step towards demand of more flexible work hours due to economic crash of 1971 and the subsequent swelling
number of women entering the workforce. "This sharp rise in women's work activity, combined with the increase in the female population, has more than doubled the number of American women in the
labor force, increasing it from 26.2 million in 1965 to 69.3 million in 2005" (Becker, 2006, p. 38).
Thus, companies began creating and establishing policies that permitted increased flexibility in work hours through development of flexible work schedules. Soon the balance of home and work life became synonymous with the American employee. The change in the working
population was not the only aspect to generate increased demand. In the 1990's the use of new technology allowed for telecommuting, making work from home possible, providing accommodation for…
