Employers Lax in Managing Flexible Work
Programs
April 30, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Employers are
embracing flexible work arrangements as a way to meet the
needs of a diverse workforce, but most have not structured
their programs to maximize the benefits, Hewitt Associates
found.
Eighty-eight percent of U.S. employers provide some
sort of flexible work arrangement to their employers, up
from 77% in 1998, according to a Hewitt announcement. Of
the companies who offer flexible work arrangements,
almost all (98%) said the benefits of workforce programs
match or outweigh the costs associated with implementing
them.
Two-thirds of survey respondents that offer
flexible work arrangements said the programs increased
employee engagement, and 64% said they improved employee
retention. Another 49% cited enhanced recruitment
results.
However, Hewitt found very few employers have
formal policies and consistent procedures in place to
manage their workforce programs. Just more than one
quarter (27%) indicated they have companywide, formal
written policies, only one-third have a formal employee
application process.
According to the survey, 39% of companies have
policies or guidelines that vary by location, business
unit, department, or job class, and 31% offer flexibility
at the discretion of individual managers. Programs
offered also vary by type of arrangement: the majority of
companies offer programs on an ad hoc basis, with job
sharing (46%), telecommuting (39%), and flextime (31%)
being the most prevalent. Part-time work is the most
likely program to be offered on a company-wide basis
(36%).