Flexibility: reshaped for the worse?
Juliet Bourke, a partner at management consultancy Aequus Partners, is not entirely comfortable with where the “reshaped” argument for flexibility is heading. While workplace flexibility can reduce overheads and boost productivity, she is concerned that the point of workplace flexibility has shifted - and not for the better.
Bourke, who recently launched www.workplaceflexibility.com.au to assist companies in developing flexible work practices, said: “I am concerned that the whole paradigm has shifted to something a little negative - that is, flexibility is now about ‘How we get more out of fewer people?’, and I fear for the unintended consequences of this line of thinking.
“Will employers see the economic crisis as an opportunity to push flexibility in ‘nasty’ ways? Would they reduce an employee’s hours when that is not needed, or to make [other] staff work even longer? Have we done enough to embed a win/win, or mutual respect approach, to ensure that employment practices will benefit both employers and employees?” she asked.