Implementing Flexible Labour Strategies: Challenges and Key Success factors

Oke, Adegoke; Idiagbon-Oke, Moronke

doi:10.1080/14697010701254912

Cited by 4 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Thus, flexible work practices have been studied from different perspectives in different academic disciplines. For example, the effect of flexible working on morale, absenteeism, and work–life balance has been explored in the field of organizational behaviour (Poelmans, Chinchilla, & Cardona, 2003) and its relationships with aspects of manufacturing flexibility (such as mix, volume, and new product flexibility) have been investigated in the operations management field (Oke & Idiagbon‐Oke, 2007). In addition, its relationship with employment structure and contracts has been a focus in the human resource management literature (Atkinson, 1985).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, Jack and Raturi's (2002) study reveals a positive relationship between the ability of an organization to use flexible human resource management practices (such as overtime, cross training, and flexi time) and volume flexibility. Furthermore, Oke and Idiagbon‐Oke (2007) noted that the use of annualized hours contracts (AHC), job sharing, overtime, and banked hours system are fundamental enablers of flexibility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In such situations, firms may engage their core (and specialist) workers in overtime hours during peak demand periods and return them to normal working hours during off‐peak periods. However, there are many limitations to the use of overtime hours including social and financial costs and the institutionalization of overtime hours (i.e., workers may become addicted to overtime hours and could become demotivated when it is withdrawn, Oke & Idiagbon‐Oke, 2007). Therefore, there is a need for flexible work practices that can overcome the drawbacks of overtime hours.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…AHC refers to an arrangement in which a worker's contracted hours are calculated over a year, with a majority of work shifts allocated upfront and the remaining hours reserved so that the worker can be called in at short notice as required (Oke, 2005; Oke & Idiagbon‐Oke, 2007). AHC is a programme that is more widespread in Europe and has been used in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom (see e.g., Blyton, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Blyton (1995) contends that AHC would be favoured in industries characterized by high reliance on overtime work, and where demand is seasonal or unevenly distributed throughout the year. In support, Oke and Idiagbon‐Oke (2007) identified two conditions for implementing AHC – a seasonal demand scenario and a relatively predictable aggregate annual demand. Employees may be required to work more hours during the peak periods of the season and less hours during the off‐peak period, but the total annual hours must be set a priori and must be relatively predictable (Oke, 2005; Oke & Idiagbon‐Oke, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Implementing innovative flexible work practices in Nigerian local firms: Implications for management of change in less‐developed countries

Idiagbon-Oke

Oke

2011

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

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There is an increasing interest in Africa as a potential sourcing location and a target for foreign direct investment (FDI). However, because of the uniqueness of the African context, there is a need to investigate whether management theories that have worked effectively in organizations in developed countries may be applicable within the African context. In this study, using a multiple case study approach, we investigated change implications and the effectiveness of implementing flexible work practices in local firms in Nigeria. Our results revealed that employees in local firms in Nigeria were compliant with the introduction of the practices, despite their negative perceptions about the potential impact of implementing the change and the 'management of change' process. Our study revealed that social, cultural, and religious factors, along with the value systems of the Nigerian context played a major role in influencing employees' reaction to the successful implementation of the flexible work practices. The implications of the study for theory and practice within the broader African context are discussed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Implementing innovative flexible work practices in Nigerian local firms: Implications for management of change in less‐developed countries

Idiagbon-Oke

Oke

2011

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

Self Cite

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Optimizing the Labor Strategy of a Professional Service Firm

Santos

Fuciec³

et al. 2019

IEEE Trans. Eng. Manage.

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Work–life balance policies: Challenges and benefits associated with implementing flexitime

Downes

Koekemoer

2011

SA j. hum. resour. manag.

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Orientation: Helping employees to balance their work and family lives is a business imperative. Work–life balance policies (like flexitime) aim to support employees to do so. However, implementing these policies is problematic.Research purpose: The aim of this article is to report on the challenges and benefits associated with implementing flexitime as a work–life balance policy.Motivation for the study: Organisations must develop and implement work–life balance policies. This requires human resource practitioners to investigate and understand experiences and perceptions about the challenges and benefits of flexitime.Research design, approach and method: The researcher used a qualitative research design with an exploratory approach. She drew a nonprobability purposive and voluntary sample (n = 15) from the financial sector. She used semi-structured in-depth interviews to collect the data and conducted content analyses to analyse and interpret them.Main findings: The researcher extracted four main themes (individual and general challenges, the aspects organisations need to implement flexitime effectively and the benefits that would follow its implementation) from the data. Its benefits vary from work–life balance to employee loyalty and commitment. Some challenges are maintaining productivity, a shortage of critical resources and understanding flexitime.Practical/managerial implications: The research identified requirements that human resource practitioners should attend to in order to ensure that organisations use flexitime more effectively.Contribution/value-add: The researcher obtained unique findings about the minimum requirements for implementing flexitime effectively. They could assist organisations to address the challenges that employees face.How to cite this article: Downes, C., & Koekemoer, E. (2011). Work–life balance policies: Challenges and benefits associated with implementing flexitime. SA Journal of Human Resource Management/SA Tydskrif vir Menslikehulpbronbestuur, 9(1), Art. #382, 13 pages. doi:10.4102/sajhrm.v9i1.382

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Implementing Flexible Labour Strategies: Challenges and Key Success factors

Cited by 4 publications

References 24 publications

Implementing innovative flexible work practices in Nigerian local firms: Implications for management of change in less‐developed countries

Implementing innovative flexible work practices in Nigerian local firms: Implications for management of change in less‐developed countries

Optimizing the Labor Strategy of a Professional Service Firm

Work–life balance policies: Challenges and benefits associated with implementing flexitime

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