Accelerating technologies and globalization intensify our sense of increased competition in the business world. In recent years, companies have delivered products and services more efficiently with the reduction of economic barriers and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has necessitated a restructuring of work and responsibilities. As a result, executives have been driven to seek out new ways of working to sustain their businesses. Therefore, companies have turned to flexible working arrangements to boost employee satisfaction, which is critical for maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction in an increasingly competitive business landscape.
A flexible working system has emerged due to the latest innovations and technological advancements. It replaced the traditional concepts of work, workplace, and over time with flexible working hours to boost employee motivation by helping them work more freely without definite space and time boundaries.
The concept of “flexible working” has arisen with the introduction of new working arrangements and refers to a non-standard working style that can be tailored to the needs and expectations of the workplace, business, and personnel. According to Turkish Labor Law no. 4857, regular working hours are 45 hours per week, evenly divided among the business days. If there are six business days a week, these hours can be increased to 11 hours daily, or 66 hours overall. However, in a flexible working arrangement, the employer and the employee can negotiate a working schedule based on their preferences regarding location, duration, and division of work.
The following are some of the most popular flexible working models around the world: Part-Time, Job Sharing, Flexitime, On-Call Work, Working from Home, Telework & Remote Work, Temporary Employment Relationship, Compressed Workweek, Smooth Transition into Retirement, Distributed Work, Shift Work, Mini Jobs (Micro Jobs), Billable Hours, Freelance Work, and Rotating Shifts.
While flexible working arrangements are born out of today’s business circumstances and employee demands, they still present several risks and disadvantages for employers and employees.
What are the Disadvantages and Risks of Flexible Working?
In Türkiye, Flexible Working is still a new concept. Even though the country has had regulations for this working model for some time, the system has begun to be widely adopted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, employers and employees face challenges since they are not accustomed to this work.
To begin with, both employers and employees are having difficulties adapting to the new system. Therefore, employees sometimes cannot focus on their tasks while employers have trouble assuring team collaboration.
Generally, employees working with a flexible schedule perform their duties in spaces requiring less discipline outside the workplace. As a result, they are exposed to various distractions and have difficulty ensuring work-life balance, preventing efficient time management. As such, employees can feel disengaged from their work and lose motivation.
Another critical issue affecting both employers and employees is that when a business meeting or a work-related problem is required, employees struggle collaborate with employers. Since employers have less control over employees in this model, undesirable working conditions may also emerge.
Consequently, working in an environment without regular discipline and relationships increases work-related stress and causes a loss of motivation rather than boosting work motivation and productivity. Research shows that people working under a flexible schedule feel lower engagement; therefore, they work overtime to prove that they are working efficiently and experience more stress due to a sense of guilt, thus being more likely to struggle with depression.
Disadvantages of flexible working include employees seeking new employment opportunities, switching jobs frequently, and holding multiple positions due to their decreased commitment to both their job and employer and being uncertain about their future career path.
In practice, flexible working poses the greatest danger regarding work accidents. A work accident does not have to occur at the workplace since accidents that appear outside the workplace during job duties are also categorized as work accidents. Therefore, the employer’s liability can be challenging to determine under flexible working arrangements even when all the necessary occupational health and safety precautions are in place.
Moreover, employees frequently take advantage of deficiencies witnessed in occupational health and safety measures due to challenges regarding the externalization of employment and the determination and limitation of the working environment. Indeed, we observe an increase in work accidents in the employees working under a flexible arrangement.
In conclusion, flexible working arrangements that have emerged due to economic, social, and technical changes in the labor market entail both advantages and disadvantages. As a result, employers and employees must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of flexible working and reach an agreement that meets their mutual needs and expectations.
