MEMO
TO: Dr. General Manager
FROM: Manager, Language Department
DATE: 2 April 2008
SUBJECT: Flexible Working Hours
The issue of tardiness, absences and the lack of punctuality is gradually hurting university-wide performance and productivity, and it may impact future events. The numbers of people coming to work late for example is increasing and there are many reasons to account for such condition. There is a need for our staff to take their children to parent’s home in the morning before coming to work or their homes are relatively far from the University even exacerbated by traffics and other delays albeit the imposition of warning letters and fines.
Greatly realizing the necessity towards institutions rethinking, this report shall aim at proposing to adopt and implement flexible working hours or flexi-time for the facilitation our staff towards functioning as productive University members as possible. Accomplishment of such aim purports achieving the specific objectives as follows:
ü To address the low effectiveness and academic dissatisfaction resulting to high faculty turnover
ü To arrive at effective work load allocation schemas
ü To further faculty performance as reflected in, and eventual planning for faculty appraisals
ü To better involve faculty members to University decision-making processes
ü To achieve a proactive engagement among faculty members and staff
As we move towards achieving the University’s objectives, this report will be guided by the objectives that will serve as the focus area for future actions and to which the benefits will be based. Informations are gathered based on two criteria: a) contents of either published or unpublished material must focus on flexi-work hours as b) applied to Universities. As collated from online journal articles and related cases offshore, these are the following:
First, the flexible working hour initiative could provide an “inclusive, collegial and stimulating working environment” for our faculty staff. As Bedi, Goldberg and Gullett put it, connectedness and belongingness within [faculties] are crucial factor for achieving progress within the University which in return can persuade them towards better functioning and engaging in organizational activities based on working hours more conducive for them.
Second, the flexible working hour initiative should strike a balance between teaching and other activities vital for the individual growth of faculty members like research and consulting and administrative activities. Recently, workload allocation compared to faculty time is becoming an extra burden. As such, 55 to 75% of faculty time is devoted to teaching, 20 to 40% to researching and the remaining (5%) to administrative which leave no time for optimizing time for preparation and other out-of-class activities (Kumar, 2006).
Third, the flexible working hour initiative could hone transparent performance appraisal for the faculty. The tendency for faculty staff is to converge with irregular and untimely faculty appraisal that otherwise demean the ability to perform better aside from being the reason for dissatisfaction for quality faculty members. Combined with the second objective, flexi time framework could provide faculty members with enhanced performance from preparing for class onwards to accrual teaching and thus in faculty appraisals (Kumar, 2006).
Fourth, the flexible working hour initiative provides every member of the faculty the autonomy to work at a time more convenient to them while not minimising total work hours yet maximising “efficient result-oriented performance of responsibilities assigned to them” (Kumar, 2006). The premise is that flexi-work purports on respected and responsible members to participate in decision-making processes. To wit, flexi-work does not absolve them from coming to the University every working day.
Finally, the flexible working hour initiative would eliminate the antagonistic nature and inhospitable behaviour among colleagues. Structural speaking, flexi-work could narrow the gap between the authority and the faculty members and among them. How? Flexi-time could overcome professional isolation while improving communication at the collegial level (Kumar, 2006).
Benefits of flexible working hours for the University are immense. Apart from being the fist to apply the context in academic setting, which I believed has inherent shortcomings, nonetheless could be particularly advantageous to those staffs with caring responsibilities or who have to commute long distances (University of Bristol, 2008). More specifically, flexi-time would benefit faculty members towards better involvement on organizational activities, work-life balance, high proficiency, improved self-management and honing of harmonious working environment.
In particular, the combination of reduced teaching load and teaching schedule would enable faculty members to meet their goals outside their works while moderating service activities and research activities that would fir the reduce workload. Effective self-management specifically on setting on boundaries is another fruitful benefit of flexi-working hours and thus specifying expectations for performance while also developing valuable skills that could further their careers (Lobel, 2004).
However there are also drawbacks. Some of these would be the problem of tracking the number of working hours of each staff on a weekly basis, the possibility of unavailability to attend to student inquiries and the dilemmas of covers about other staff’s absence perhaps due to illness, personal bereavement or accidents and maternity leave.
To address such downsides, the University shall create and establish flexi-time policy, rules and a management system that requires documentation. The time wherein the staff may normally work will be recorded on their flexi-time sheet. Flexi-time sheet refers to the record of time spent by an individual on a work-related activity, calculating the total time worked as well as flexi credits and flexi debits. Faculty members should be as well be allowed to compress their working hours if applicable; meaning they are entitled to work their total of agreed hours over fewer working days (Flexi-Time Manager (FTM), 2008).
To provide people for the other two problems, job sharing especially between parents and non-parents will be included. Job sharing involves two people carrying out the work usually done by one person. Further, shift swapping will be allowed to enable faculty members to negotiate their working times by means of rearranging shifts among themselves with the proviso that the required time must be covered (FTM, 2008).
Flexible working would generally refer to time rather than alternate work places. As recommended, the lack of punctuality and the adverse effects that come with it will be solved through implementing the flexible working hours. The benefits of such centers on the high levels of participation especially in decision-making, honing vital skills that are otherwise necessary for future undertakings and thus high proficiency in an environment of conducive, responsive and mutually-benefiting. Countering dilemmas unique to the University, this paper proposes convergence with concept of flexi-time sheet, job sharing and shift swapping.
Bibliography
Bedi, K., Goldberg, M. A. & Gullett, E. (n.d.), Improving Effectiveness, Academic Growth and Collegiality among Faculty.
Flexi-Time Manager (FTM), 2008, Glossary of Terms for Flexible Working and Flexitime, retrieved on 2 April 2008 from http://www.flexitimemanager.co.uk/flexitime-glossary.html.
Kumar, M. (2006), Part 1: 10 ways to find, retain best tutors at IIms, IITs, Rediff India Abroad, retrieved on 2 April 2008 from http://ia.rediff.com/money/2006/nov/16iim.htm.
Lobel, S. (2004), Working Part Time After Tenure, American Association University of Professors Publication, retrieved on 2 April 2008 from http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2004/ND/Feat/ndlobe.htm.
Personnel Department, (2008), Flexible Working Patterns – A Guide for Staff, University of Bristol
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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