KEY POINTS:
In today's competitive market, companies are constantly striving to identify new ways to ensure they are an "employer of choice".
The shortage of skilled labour in New Zealand, coupled with many organisations' desire to have the strongest personnel in their respective sectors, mean businesses need to act smarter.
There is a need for organisations to enhance their capability and effectiveness in the areas of staff acquisition and retention.
In doing so, New Zealand employers are focusing efforts around developing and implementing standardised processes that support the development of the company's talent and organisational capability.
Talent management, performance management, learning and development, recruitment, and change management are key strategies for a business' HR function.
One organisational topic in particular is proving to be the focal point within many businesses.
Employers are viewing work/life balance as an increasingly important business issue.
Smart organisations, and the HR businesses within them, have figured that responding to employee needs regarding working hours, leave and work methods can improve their engagement with employees and also lift profits.
Case studies by the Labour Department offer some supporting evidence around flexibility: "Over the last decade the evidence for the business benefits of work/life balance policies has been growing in volume and strength. The studies show strong links between work/life balance policies and reduced absenteeism, increased productivity and job satisfaction.
Other benefits include improved recruitment and retention rates with associated cost savings, reduced sick leave usage, a reduction in worker stress, and improvements in employee satisfaction and loyalty, greater flexibility for business operating hours, an improved corporate image." (Department of Labour Work/life balance project Factsheet 2 business).
So who is driving the charge towards flexible working practices? Is it politicians, business leaders or HR professionals?
To assist with this question it's worthwhile looking into why the demand for flexible working hours is becoming more of an issue today. First, as more women take up paid work, there are more dual income families, more solo parents in the workforce and greater potential for conflict between work and family life.
Secondly, thanks to an ageing population, more of the workforce is likely to be involved in caring for elderly relations.
Finally, more workers are putting in long hours, and the developments in telecommunications and remote access technologies are making it easy for work to spill over into personal time ultimately blurring the lines between personal and work time.
The HR profession is certainly playing a big part in the charge towards implementing workplace flexibilities and when you look at the profession's demographic profile it's easy to see why.
A survey conducted in 1978 (NZIPM 1979) showed women represented 22 per cent of HR professionals in New Zealand, in 1990 women represented 31 per cent of HR managers (Stablein and Geare 1993) and, more than a decade later a survey of membership of the NZ Institute of Personnel Management concluded women accounted for 59 per cent of HR professionals and confirmed females made up three-quarters of those under 40.
Today, the statistics conclude that the HR profile is female, European, and aged between 30 and 39. Align these figures with the New Zealand fertility rate and the findings are interesting. Statistics NZ says Demographic Trends 2006, the median age of women giving birth in the year ended December 2005 was 30.4.
Fewer women in their 20s are having children. Conversely an increasing number of women in their 30s and 40s are having children. Women aged 30-34 years had the highest fertility rate in 2005.
Clearly, the HR profession is significantly exposed to the demand for flexible working practices.
Given over half of this country's HR departments are responsible for managing policy and operational HR issues and activities, HR will continue to play a considerable role in developing and managing strategies in workplace design and organisation.
As a result, HR managers, advisers and partners are displaying a greater appreciation towards the benefits workplace flexibility provides a business.
It is this broader appreciation coupled with their personal experiences that aids an HR professional's ability to influence stakeholders towards introducing flexible work policies within their businesses.
