The types of employees who can benefit from alternative work arrangements
Alternative work arrangements are suitable for a diverse workforce. In most cases, it provides motivation to the employees. In fact, the employees are able to perform better in an environment that is flexible and supportive given that they able to handle the demands for both work and personal life exhaustively (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2011). The employees get a feeling of empowerment when they get the ability to have work locations and schedules that suit them. There are no frictions between their personal life and work life.
A special group that alternative work arrangements would be suitable for our employees with physical disabilities. People with such disabilities may be so productive and skillful that the company needs them, but without the alternative work arrangements, they would get hindrances that would affect their productivity (Nelson & Quick, 2012).
With alternative work arrangements, it is also possible to get services from the best employees wherever they are without having to consider relocation. They are also able to work part-time without any inconvenience. The professionals do not have to be inconvenienced by leaving behind their families or sacrificing their personal needs based on relocation. The case also helps organizations in cutting down operations costs (Angelo & Ricky, 2008).
The potential drawbacks and limitations of using flextime, job sharing and telecommuting and their possible solutions
The first disadvantage is that the use of flexible work arrangements is not suitable for all employees or all kinds of jobs. Some of the means applied in the flexible work arrangements can drain the employees’ productivity. In some instances, flexible work arrangements may become disastrous, where they are used by employees who are not able to resist temptations at home (Nelson & Quick, 2012). The irresistible temptations are not related to such employees work, but they concentrate on accomplishing the responsibilities a whole day.
The use of flextime can also generate effects on customer service since there can be periods when customers have to wait for a while to be attended to while the employees have not yet reported (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2011). Such an occurrence may lead to a lack or reduction of trust in employees by customers leading to a possible reduction in the sales of the company.
The application of flexible work arrangements also requires adequate preparation and investment in technology to be successful. According to Griffin and Moorhead (2013), this may prove to be costly and time-consuming before it becomes fully effective.
To ensure that the company does not suffer based on its flexible work arrangements, HP should ensure that it puts in place measures for evaluating employees to ensure that they do not take advantage of the flexible work arrangements, which could lead to negative effects on the company. The company should also invest more in technology to ensure the efficiency of the system (Reference for business, 2015).
The effectiveness of using telecommuting for a student
Telecommuting will ensure that as a student, there are fewer interruptions by other students or peers that would lower the concentration of the student in studies. It would also promote flexibility by being able to study at the moments when the student feels that he is more productive or can absorb more knowledge. The student will be able to get time to take care of his personal needs (Griffin & Moorhead, 2013). Another advantage is that the student would have more time for studying since he would now not be using a lot of time to move to class. In turn, this will ensure that there is a reduction in the expenses incurred by the student.
References
Angelo, D. & Ricky, G. (2008). Human resource management. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Griffin, R. & Moorhead, G. (2013). Organizational behavior: Managing people and organizations. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Jackson, S., Schuler, R. & Werner, S. (2011). Managing human resources. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Nelson, D. & Quick, J. (2012). Organizational behavior: Science, the real world, and you. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Reference for business (2015). Flexible work arrangements. Web.