Flexible Work Arrangements Term Paper

Proficient human resource (HR) departments manage their organization’s employees and provide the stability they need to operate efficiently. Since the increase of competition is a significant challenge in the global marketplace, the ability of companies to manage the valuable resource has the potential to determine whether they realize their operational goals (Vermeeren et al., 2014; Werner, 2014). As a teacher at Science Tree Private School, I discovered that highly efficient HR departments often create the appropriate corporate culture. The institution has developed a section within its structures, known as the teacher’s welfare unit, which deals with the major issues affecting these employees.

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Through its worker-focused initiatives, the department has had a direct positive influence on productivity within the learning institution. They have noted that managing a workplace consisting of professionals with various backgrounds and personalities is not easy. For that matter, Science Tree has developed flexible work arrangements, such as flextime, compressed workweek, and telecommunication, to grant them better scheduling freedom. Through effective human resource management, the school recruits and selects top talent and improves employee retention.

Identify and Describe a Particular HR Issue
Science Tree uses flexible work arrangements to better balance demands from its multiple domains. The institution uses flextime to enable some of the teachers to choose their start and finishing times of work (Stavrou & Ierodiakonou, 2011; Timms et al., 2014). In school, students with special needs need more attention than their healthy peers. The HR department empowers the teachers to reschedule their working times to reflect the realities they face in the classroom. Therefore, these employees rely on flextime to accommodate the interests of all learners and improve their academic performance.

The HR department also uses compressed workweek to balance occupation demands. In this case, the teachers sometimes get the opportunity to work for a few days a week to meet the needs of the children (Stavrou & Ierodiakonou, 2011). These professionals must acquire additional skills and expertise so they attend seminars, conferences, and workshops. Others pursue advanced education for the same reasons. The Science Tree administration understands that their employees need time to improve their competence. For that matter, through the compressed workweek approach, the teachers meet their career obligations and advance their competence.

The school also sparingly uses telecommunication. Due to the enormous workload that these teachers have and the need to travel to different places for professional reasons, they are unable to attend some meetings or classes. The human resource department understands this challenge, and it has equipped the classrooms and offices with useful technology to enable learning to continue despite distance limitations (Perrewé, 2011; Werner, Anderson, & Nimon, 2019). For example, professionals sometimes use email, voice recorders, and videos to communicate with their students and colleagues. The school requires teachers to use this method sparingly since it appreciates that primary school students need close supervision. Additionally, information technology should complement one-on-one learning. In this regard, telecommunication can ensure that the teachers satisfactorily discharge their duties despite distance barriers.

Other flexible work arrangements that the private school uses are part-time work and family-specific solutions. These options give the teachers who have limited time the opportunity to instruct their learners. When the school needs teachers to handle a few subjects or students with specific needs, it uses this strategy (Bohlander & Snell, 2010; Hayman, 2009). Part-time systems ensure that the instructors are available to meet a number of specific needs. Employees who have family responsibilities prefer this system and other related ones. The analysis demonstrates that flexible work arrangements grant the school the opportunity to provide quality education by exploiting the expertise of professionals with limited time.

The Importance of Flexible Work Arrangement
Flexible work arrangements increase employee retention. The present trend toward flextime and other programs has influenced Science Tree to introduce new strategies that reduce the rate of losing its valued employees. Experts who have tight schedules but can affect the lives of learners positively have an opportunity to do so (Shockley & Allen, 2012; Zafar, 2013). Moreover, the instructors have a chance to pursue higher education and acquire knowledge through professional sources of information. The trend ensures that the limitations of staff members have no impact on the education of students. For that matter, a flexible work environment grants learners and teachers a friendly learning environment, which in turn promotes the rate of employee retention.

Furthermore, these HR programs enable organizations to increase employee loyalty. Using this strategy, an institution can win the support of resourceful workers without making expensive fundamental changes in its operations. Science Tree School reaps the most benefits from the options that require the least alterations (Sweet, Pitt-Catsouphes, & Boone James, 2016). Flextime and compressed workweeks are the most popular as they do not adversely affect the number of hours that teachers spend in the classroom. However, they enable the instructors to pursue many of their individual and organizational goals within the shortest time feasible. The experience makes the teacher consider the school one of the best workplaces. In this regard, the institution has won the loyalty of most of its staff without spending many resources or compromising the quality of education that it offers.

The HR arrangements also have a positive impact on the productivity of the school. When the employees can attend to their family and personal needs through these human resource structures, they are likely to be productive. As demonstrated by Vermeeren et al. (2014) in the scientific structural equation model, HRM has a direct relationship with employee satisfaction and many other factors. People are motivated to work hard when they lead stress-free lives and feel valued and respected. However, organizations need to use these tools sparingly to mitigate their adverse effects. At Science Tree, the administration requires teachers to discuss their requirements for flexible work programs (Sweet et al., 2016). A few independent staff members work at the teacher’s welfare department. They evaluate the requests of each employee to join different flexible working arrangements and cooperate with them to find the most appropriate solution. The unit empowers successful candidates to achieve their career goals. In this way, flexible work programs challenge the teachers to give back to the school by ensuring they deliver on their promises.

Science Tree uses the program to address some of its institutional problems. Lack of facilities can limit the ability of an organization to be productive. When the school holds large meetings in some of its relatively small offices, it explores telecommuting options (Peper, Doorne-Huiskes, & Dulk, 2005). The institution can hold staff meetings remotely and save time and money. Evidently, flexible work arrangements ensure the structure of the school accommodates more needs of the community than ordinarily possible.

The Role and Purposes of Managing Human Resources in the Organization
The human resource department helps organizations during the recruitment and selection process. The department often works with the private school’s management carefully to hire the best personnel. When enough applicants inquire about the position, experienced subject teachers advise HR professionals to ensure the success of the selection stage. During this process, the team uses specific instruments to choose the best candidates out of a pool (Jackson, Ones, & Dilchert, 2012; Mwaniki & Gathenya, 2015; Peper et al., 2005). It prepares role profiles, person specifications, and the appropriate terms and conditions. Moreover, the team attracts potential employees and sifts applications, interviews the teachers, makes contracts of employment, and offers jobs to the right professionals. These strategies determine the quality of teachers that the school hires. Therefore, the HR department ensures that the school faces limited difficulties in filling the vacant positions.

Organizations also use human resource departments to advance the well-being of their employees. Huawei Technologies was established in 1988 with few workers. Today, it has over 110,000 employees in 150 countries. Studies have shown that HRM plays a central role in ensuring the success of the firm (Schuler & Jackson, 2014). Science Tree has developed many strategies, including the flexible work arrangements, to take care of the varied needs of their teachers. The school uses this department to increase its ability to retain its staff for long periods. Through this initiative, the institution has been able to increase its productivity.

Conclusion
Flexible work arrangements help organizations increase their efficiency and create enhanced scheduling freedom. While these approaches are efficient, organizations need to consider a wide variety of factors before choosing any specific ones. Science Tree appreciates that every institution has different needs and operational environments and educates the instructors on the need to boost organizational performance. The department uses these programs to increase employee retention and loyalty. In addition, the school considers information technology the best remedy for some of its institutional problems, such as the lack of ample office space to conduct meetings involving hundreds of people. The overall objective of Science Tree is to increase productivity despite the fact that the arrangements are not perfect. Therefore, the school should explore the remedies for the possible negative consequences to discover and implement the most cost-effective programs.

References
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