What does it mean for enterprises and institutions to implement flexible working system?

Flexible working system refers to the system that employees can flexibly and independently choose specific working hours on the premise of completing the specified work tasks or fixed working hours, instead of a unified and fixed commuting time. In Europe and America, more than 40% of large companies have adopted the "flexible working system", including famous large companies such as Xerox and Hewlett-Packard. In Japan, Hitachi, Fuji Heavy Industries, mitsubishi electric and other large enterprises have also carried out similar reforms to varying degrees. In China, more and more factories and enterprises are trying out this system. Starting from 20 14, the central government and local governments in South Korea will implement the "five-hour flexible working system", allowing employees to arrange their working hours flexibly.

Recently, the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the 20 13 Notice on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution in Winter, proposing mandatory measures such as stopping production and limiting production, restricting motor vehicles, controlling dust and prohibiting open-air barbecues. It also requires that when issuing the highest-level warning, measures such as suspending large-scale outdoor activities, suspending classes in primary and secondary schools and kindergartens, and implementing flexible working systems in enterprises and institutions should be taken. When it is predicted that there may be heavy polluted weather, it will give an early warning and take timely countermeasures.

With the rapid development of information technology, the rapid change of working methods and the accelerated pace of life in modern society, the traditional working method of nine to five has been more and more severely tested.

According to a market survey, more than half of white-collar workers in China prefer the traditional "nine to five" working style. They believe that the pace of modern work and life is too tight, so we must have more flexible working methods to arouse their work enthusiasm, help them adjust the biological clock that is most suitable for their work and rest habits, and ensure that they have enough rest time to "decompress" and "decompress" and keep their heads clear at all times.

In the field of human resource management research, the application of incentive theory in practice also makes this new and more suitable for the development of the times? "Flexible working system" came into being.

superiority

Compared with the traditional fixed working hours system, the flexible working hours system has obvious advantages. The advantages of flexible working system for enterprises or organizations are mainly reflected in:

Flexible working atlas

1, flexible working hours can reduce absenteeism, lateness and employee turnover.

2. Flexible working hours can improve the productivity of employees. A study found that flexible working hours reduced delays by 42% and increased productivity by 33% among the companies surveyed. The explanation of this result is that flexible working system can make employees better arrange their working hours according to their personal needs, and make employees exercise certain autonomy in their work arrangements. Therefore, employees are more likely to adjust their work activities to the most productive time, and at the same time better coordinate their working hours and activities outside work.

3. Flexible working hours increase working hours and reduce overtime expenses (for example, after a German company adopted this system, overtime expenses decreased by 50%).

The advantages of employee flexible working system are:

(1) Employees have certain freedom to choose working hours. They can work and rest freely according to their own needs, avoid commuting traffic jams, avoid nervousness caused by fear of being late or absent from work, arrange time to participate in important private social activities, and facilitate family life and hobbies.

(2) Because employees feel that their personal rights and interests have been respected, they have met high-level needs such as socialization and respect, generated a sense of responsibility, and improved their job satisfaction and morale.

disadvantage?

However, the flexible working system also has some shortcomings.

First of all, it will make it difficult for managers to guide their subordinates' work outside the core common working hours, resulting in chaotic work shifts. Secondly, when some people with special skills or knowledge are not on site, it may make the problem more difficult to solve, and at the same time make the planning and control of managers more troublesome and costly.

In addition, many jobs are not suitable for flexible work, for example, salespeople in department stores, office receptionists and operators on assembly lines, whose jobs are related to others inside and outside the organization. As long as this interdependence exists, flexible working system is usually not a feasible scheme.

Flexible working system-realization factors

Implementation conditions

The implementation of flexible working system also needs certain conditions.

First of all, this work can accurately assess individual performance (quality and quantity);

Secondly, the production technology and technical specifications of enterprises should allow flexible working system;

Third, enterprises have strict management rules and regulations to ensure;

Fourth, managers at all levels of enterprises, including grass-roots managers, have high management level and support this reform measure;

Finally, employees have enough knowledge and understanding of this system.

Success factor

If the organization operates in a more traditional way, you will consider the following two questions: Can flexible working hours work? What are the difficulties in implementing and managing these affairs? There are nine factors that determine the successful implementation of flexible working system.

1, find the most suitable solution for you. Any flexible work arrangement (and any talent management strategy) must serve the organization and its customers. Whether the arrangement is appropriate is a question that must be considered.

Flexible working atlas

Not every position is suitable for flexible working system. Some people's personality is doomed that they can't handle flexible working system well. Establishing reasonable judgment criteria is very helpful for organizations to identify competent candidates.

2. Focus on retaining employees. Enterprises that advocate flexible working system must focus on the "overall situation" of retaining employees, that is, taking care of their personal satisfaction. If a high-potential employee requires flexible working hours or reduced working hours, he should find a solution for his needs, instead of strictly abiding by the existing rules and regulations. In order to improve employee satisfaction, organizations must recognize the overlap between employees' life and work. In the past, it was enough to launch public relations activities and tell employees how good the company was. Now, you must listen to what employees are saying and understand what their needs are.

3. Clear responsibilities. Sometimes, the human resources supervisor will give guidance and advice when the manager decides whether the employee is suitable for flexible working system, and supervise it. Sometimes, the human resources department sets guidelines, and the department manager is responsible for implementing these principles.

No matter what the command system is, department managers and human resources directors should work together in the research and implementation of the plan. Involving the human resources department can help managers to consider flexible work plans from the perspective of how to benefit the organization.

4. Work hard on communication. The successful implementation of flexible working system is inseparable from communication. It is important for employees and managers to have a clear understanding of the new role. Managers must listen to employees' ultimate expectation of flexible work plan: want to improve work efficiency? Want to spend more time with your family? Find time to pursue interests outside of work? Or do you want to reduce the time on the way to and from work to relieve stress?

In order to keep in touch with employees, many organizations regularly conduct employee satisfaction surveys. Some organizations will conduct one-on-one interviews with employees. In these interviews, managers and employees review the advantages and disadvantages of flexible work plans together, and refine the work objectives to ensure that the plans can continue to benefit employees and employers.

5. Get high-level support. Without the support of CEO and senior management team, any big project cannot be sustained. The support of senior management sends a signal to employees that the company is willing to do anything to ensure employees' job satisfaction and success. If authorized by the senior management team, managers will be more willing to adopt and implement flexible work plans.

No matter what kind of flexible work plan, extensive organizational support depends on the value that company executives see from it.

6. Equip employees with equipment. Employees who choose flexible working hours need corresponding technical tools (such as laptops and mobile phones) to work effectively, keep in touch with the team and be monitored by the manager.

Flexible system will bring a benefit, that is, employees can not work according to fixed hours. However, employers must ensure that employees can be found during normal working hours. Some employees don't know when to turn off communication tools, and as a result, they are disturbed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The manager should clearly state when he expects to find employees. Managers must also respect employees and cannot make unreasonable demands on employees just because they have flexible working hours.

7. Self-management of employees. Flexible working hours may take a long time to get used to. "People who practice flexible working system are often their biggest enemies. It takes about three years to get used to the flexible working system. In this process, you should learn what to do and what not to do. This process is very difficult, you always have to make a decision. "

Employees who choose flexible working hours must be responsible for their own work and report to the manager regularly. Organizations can also consider asking employees who want to adopt flexible working hours to submit a work plan after studying the basic principles announced by the company.

8. Don't make value judgments. Choosing flexible working hours is not a bad thing, nor is it a reflection of one's ability or dedication. Organizations must have this understanding. However, there are still some corporate cultures that do not attach importance to employees who work in traditional time, and think that they are lazy, irresponsible, lack of direction or put the cart before the horse.

Companies should strictly avoid making value judgments on employees who choose flexible working hours. If, for some reason, the flexible working system does not produce the expected results, employees should not have any bad ideas. Employees who choose flexible working hours may find it difficult to manage. Many employees even chose to return to the traditional working system in the end. What managers need to do is to help this role change achieve a smooth transition.

9. Fully accept employees. Many organizations realize that their success depends on employee satisfaction. Takeda Pharmaceutical's corporate culture admits that "to be successful, the company first needs employees to be successful-not only at work, but also in all areas of life." To this end, the organization has adopted various flexible work programs, such as job sharing programs.

An employee wants to reduce working hours after becoming a mother. She suggested that she and another part-time employee share a job and share tasks equally. They all work according to the set part-time schedule, and one day both of them go to work to attend staff meetings or face-to-face exchanges.

Like other new human resources projects, the success of flexible working system takes time and trial and error. Listen to employees, respond, constantly adjust and adapt until success. After establishing a successful project, we should continue to improve it to meet the needs of both enterprises and employees.

Flexible working system-the significance of implementation

Because everyone's life needs different styles and habits, the traditional fixed working hours force everyone to work at the same time, which is a relatively rigid way and can't meet people's needs, so it can't give full play to people's maximum efficiency. In this sense, the flexible working system has seen people's position in the work and paid attention to people's needs, so its implementation has produced good results. Due to the popularization and application of flexible working system and its incentive consequences, it has become one of the important contents of studying organizational development and change.

Flexible working system-national implementation

In Europe and America, more than 40% of large companies have adopted the "flexible working system", including famous large companies such as Xerox and Hewlett-Packard. In Japan, Hitachi, Fuji Heavy Industries, mitsubishi electric and other large enterprises have also carried out similar reforms to varying degrees. In China, more and more factories and enterprises are trying out this system.

On September 8, 20 13, the Ministry of Employment and Labor of Korea issued the Core Project and Specific Plan for Achieving the 70% Employment Rate. The central government and local governments of Korea will implement the "five-hour flexible working system" from 20 14, allowing employees to arrange their working hours flexibly.

According to the plan, the government will fully implement the "two-person five-hour flexible working system" from 20 14, while most work units in South Korea only implement the "1 person eight-hour full-time working system". According to the plan, even if employees choose "5-hour flexible working system", they will enjoy the same treatment as employees who choose "full-time working system" in terms of salary and promotion.

In order to popularize the flexible working system, the government will cooperate with 30 major enterprises such as Samsung and Pohang to actively guide private enterprises to participate, and will also provide various preferential policies such as tax reduction and exemption to enterprises that implement flexible working system. The government will also promulgate the Law on the Protection and Employment Promotion of Employees with Flexible Working System, and establish a support center to protect employees who choose flexible working system.

From 2065438 to August 2005, the State Council issued a document to encourage flexible work and rest. Zhang Jilin, spokesperson of the National Tourism Administration, said that encouraging flexible work and rest mainly refers to optimizing summer work and rest according to law, excluding other seasons, let alone adjusting the existing vacation system. Zhang Jilin said that flexible work and rest is an incentive measure, not an institutional arrangement. It is not an adjustment of the existing vacation system in China, nor is it to shorten the legal working hours by 40 hours a week to realize Friday afternoon vacation. This is an advocacy measure, not a mandatory requirement, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Flexible work and rest should be based on compliance with relevant laws and regulations. Conditional places and units can take various ways to optimize and adjust according to the actual situation.

Flexible working system-matters needing attention

Smooth and efficient communication

No matter what method is adopted, "communication" is undoubtedly the most important part of implementing flexible working system. Especially when everyone works at different times, the definition of so-called "responsibility" must be more clear.

Although electronics and the Internet are very developed, you can't see the attitudes and expressions that people may show when they communicate face to face. These hidden factors are often very important for the decision-making of supervisors.

Although written communication through E-mail can sometimes offset some negative emotions that may appear in the process of interpersonal communication, what really matters is not the convenience of communication tools, but whether everyone clearly receives the premise and objectives of work planning in a flexible working environment.

Therefore, in addition to making good use of convenient e-mail, all departments must also have common time to share with each other. Especially for supervisors, it is necessary to master and share the status of all members at the same time, so that there will be no cognitive gap between employees.

Flexible working atlas

Self-disciplined and pragmatic corporate culture

Under the flexible working system, in order to give consideration to both discipline and efficiency, sometimes the best way is not necessarily to set up another set of strict norms, but to form a "self-discipline" culture within the company, and it is the most effective to influence and restrain the behavior of employees through culture. Usually, the more competitive the talents, the more effective "self-discipline" is than designing any prevention system.

Although the flexible working system is based on humanization and allows employees to have different working modes, the operation of the company still needs discipline. If the specification is not clear, it will easily lead to excessive management differences between departments. At this time, as a supervisor, it is best to have a set of standards, especially the personnel supervisor, to clearly define the scope of flexible work and remind the supervisor not to make too much difference within the company's departments.

Maintain the consistency of system implementation

For supervisors, the attitude of "time is tight and time is loose" should be avoided in management, because the flexibility of freedom is often "hard to recover". If you really have to adopt strict management policies, the supervisor must be prepared for communication, especially before subjectively trying to "correct" the employee's behavior. This process is very important. Never arbitrarily announce new regulations just because you have an idea or listen to the opinions given by others. Communicate more new ideas with employees and listen to their opinions, thus increasing the chances of implementing the new policy. In fact, young employees, as long as you explain the reason behind the new system clearly, are usually not easy to accept the new management concept.

In addition, the supervisor will also encounter the management problem that "the stronger the ability, the more opinions", and sometimes it is difficult to keep the decision-making opinions unaffected, so it is inevitable to solve them in a special way. But more importantly, the company's system is still the main body after all, and never let personal problems form management challenges. If the horizontal and vertical communication is unimpeded on weekdays, the voices of employees will naturally decrease.

Flexible working system-case study

Should "flexible work" be paid?

Zhang used to be the doorman of a company in Ningbo. After the expiration of the labor contract in 2008, the two parties subsequently signed a labor contract. The contract period is from April 1 day to March 3, 200811day. His post is clean and hygienic, and his monthly salary is 850 yuan, including lunch allowance, communication fee, bonus and overtime pay. The average salary of Zhang before leaving his job 12 months was 988 yuan, and the actual salary after deducting overtime every month was not lower than the minimum wage standard in Ningbo. The enterprise originally provided accommodation for Zhang in the guard room, and then Zhang rented a house outside, but he still slept in the guard room the next night, engaged in simple work such as opening and closing the door, checking and alarming. On March 2, 2009, the enterprise terminated the labor relationship with Zhang on the grounds that Zhang was not competent for the job, and paid economic compensation of 2,523 yuan, with an additional salary of 960 yuan in April. Zhang believes that during his work in the company, the company arranged for him to engage in cleaning work during the day and arranged for him to work as a doorman 12 hours the next night, but the company only paid for cleaning work. Zhang asked the company to pay the night guard a total salary of 23,400 yuan and 25% of the economic compensation of 3,900 yuan. After Zhang's request was rejected by the Labor Arbitration Commission, Zhang filed a civil lawsuit with the court.

Regarding Zhang's claim, the defendant believed that Zhang had no place to live at that time, and the defendant arranged for him to sleep in the guard room. Zhang only occasionally opens and closes the door at night to check the alarm, and there is no safety responsibility. In June 2008, 5438+065438+ 10, the company was stolen, with a loss of 7000 yuan. Zhang didn't notice at that time, and the defendant didn't pursue Zhang's responsibility, because Zhang didn't have the obligation to be a janitor. Therefore, there is no factual basis for Zhang's request to pay the doorman's salary.

The court held that the plaintiff and the defendant had clearly agreed on the plaintiff's post and salary in the labor contract, and the contract was binding on both parties. The plaintiff is mainly engaged in cleaning work in the defendant's unit, and sleeping in the guard room at night is only a simple subsidiary work. The plaintiff did not provide evidence to prove that the two parties agreed to pay the supplementary work separately, and the plaintiff did not advocate paying the salary separately during his tenure, which should be regarded as the plaintiff's approval of the salary and work content, so the plaintiff's claim was not supported. Therefore, the court rejected the plaintiff's claim.

Analysis: the laborer provides labor according to the agreement of the labor contract, and the employer pays labor remuneration according to the agreement of the labor contract. However, in practice, employers often adjust the specific work content of workers because of the needs of the company's production and operation, such as temporarily assigning workers to do some "extra" things, commonly known as "flexible work". Whether "flexible work" should be paid separately has become the focus of frequent disputes between workers and employers.

When there is a wage dispute between the two parties, it is necessary to explore the true will of both parties to provide labor and get wages to determine the rationality of wage payment. In this case, the court held that the plaintiff's main job was cleaning, and the defendant only let the plaintiff sleep at the doorman because he had no place to live. The plaintiff only provided simple work such as opening and closing doors at night, and the defendant did not pursue the plaintiff's negligence responsibility for stealing the company's property, and the plaintiff never advocated the salary of this job during his tenure. Therefore, the court held that the plaintiff's "flexible work" was only auxiliary work, and the enterprise should not pay other remuneration.

Does the "string post" injury constitute a work-related injury

Liu is the promoter of carding workshop of a textile company in Ningbo. The carding workshop where he works is adjacent to the cleaning workshop. One day in March of 20 13, Liu left the carding workshop where he worked and went to the flower cleaning workshop without being assigned by others. He found that the cotton picker in the flower washing workshop was blocked, so he cleaned the cotton picker in the flower washing pool by hand. The blocked machine suddenly ran after cleaning up, causing Liu's right arm to be broken and Liu's right upper limb to be amputated due to serious injuries.

After the accident, Liu applied to the labor and social security department for work-related injury identification, and the labor and social security department determined that Liu's injury was a work-related injury after investigation. Textile Co., Ltd. filed an administrative lawsuit against the identification of the labor and social security department, arguing that the flower pond was not Liu's workplace at all, and no leader arranged or entrusted him to clean cotton. Liu's "string posts" during his work violated work discipline. In addition, there are obvious "warning signs" in the flower pond. Liu jumped into the guardrail without permission and cleaned the cotton picker by hand in violation of the operating rules, which did not meet the requirements of "work place" in the identification of work-related injuries and should not be identified as work-related injuries.

After trial, the court held that all areas where work tasks are completed should be recognized as workplaces. In this case, Liu's motivation was that he was afraid that the damage of machinery and equipment would cause losses to the company, and he was injured when he took the initiative to enter the flower pond to clean up the blocked cotton, which constituted a work-related injury, so the work-related injury identification made by the labor and social security department was maintained according to law.

Analysis: Working time, workplace and working reason are the three elements of work-related injury identification stipulated in the Regulations on Work-related Injury Insurance. However, the Regulations do not clearly define the scope of "working hours" and "workplace", and the scope of "working reasons", especially some "flexible work" for workers, which mostly comes not from the distribution of employers, but from the sense of responsibility of workers as members of enterprises. Workers sometimes "do bad things with good intentions." For example, in this case, Liu cut off his right arm to clean up the blocked machine, and the company will pay more for it. Isn't the "flexible work" decided by the laborer himself not recognized as a work-related injury just because it is not in his "workplace" or within the scope of his duties?

The legislative spirit of industrial injury identification in China is to protect the medical treatment, economic compensation and rehabilitation rights of workers who have been subjectively injured due to work or work-related activities, and to protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers who are in a weaker position than employers. In the case that the legal provisions on the determination of work-related injuries are too general, principled and unclear, we should try our best to understand them from the perspective of benefiting workers, so that workers can get economic relief after being injured. Therefore, "working hours" does not mean the time between commuting. All preparation time before and after performing work obligations should be regarded as working time, and "workplace" should not be limited to the employee's post area. All areas where work tasks are completed or related to work should be regarded as workplaces.

The victims should be compensated as much as possible.

Summary and analysis:

The above two examples, even from the moral intuition, the average person will think that the court's decision is fair.

However, some "flexible jobs" are recognized as work-related injuries because they are far from the "relevance" of the work, and they are often not recognized by the public. For example, a few years ago, Li, an accountant of Dongba Middle School in Gaochun County, Nanjing, died suddenly after drinking with his superiors. The school planned to apply for work-related injuries for him, which caused an uproar in public opinion at that time. The case was influenced by public opinion, and Li finally failed to enjoy the treatment of work-related injuries.

The same thing, in Korea, is accepted by the public, and using wine to communicate feelings has become a part of Korean corporate culture. Some companies even encourage employees to do so to strengthen team spirit. However, drinking alcohol will obviously harm the health of employees. Therefore, the Korean Ministry of Labor also lists diseases caused by drinking alcohol at work as the scope of industrial accident insurance, and victims can get compensation.

How to identify work-related injuries? There is indeed "flexibility" in understanding. Under normal circumstances, people can accept the explanation that "whether employees perform their duties or not, regardless of working hours, working places or working reasons", but it is another matter to meet those who are far away from work, especially those who are close to eating and drinking.

I believe many people in China have to eat and drink with them after work. Li, an accountant, died suddenly at work, and all the consequences were borne by his family. In fact, this is unfair.

It is expected that the law can improve the relevant regulations as soon as possible, so that the "flexible work" of workers can be protected to a greater extent. After all, most of the "flexible work" injuries are ordinary employees. Some of them were injured when they took the initiative to perform their duties, and some were involuntarily injured in remote related positions.