The business world isn’t necessarily built around the nine-to-five schedule anymore. More and more companies are exploring flexible work arrangements that let employees work from home for one or more days a week, set their own hours (within reasonable limits), or ease into retirement by working part time. A 2017 Gallup survey shows that 43% of U.S. workers worked remotely from home some of the time. That’s up from 39% in 2012. The same poll showed that the percentage of employees who work remotely 80 to 100% of the time has jumped from 24% in 2012 to 31% in 2017.1
So, what’s going on here? It turns out that some companies have come to realize that flexible schedules can have a positive impact on their bottom line. For starters, employees who can work hours that better suit their lifestyle tend to be happier and more productive in their jobs. They also tend to be more loyal, resulting in less job turnover and lower hiring costs. Moreover, a more accommodating work schedule can result in less stress and reduced absenteeism. Customers also can benefit; with employees working different hours, the business may able to offer service over an extended period. And, the company brand can be burnished as it gains a reputation for being employee- and customer-friendly.
Flexible work arrangements include more than working from home. Such an arrangement could include flex time, which allows workers to set their hours; a compressed work week—perhaps four 10-hour days; job sharing, which allows two employees to share one full-time job; and partial retirement, which gives older employees an opportunity to work part time with no firm retirement date.
Should a company always use a flexible work schedule? As a human resource (HR) manager, you may work with executives to help decide what kind of employee schedules best meet the needs of the company and its workers. A human resource management career includes much more, however. It is a broad field that covers employee training and development, recruiting, compensation and benefits, and labor and employee relations, among other things.
One great way to earn your degree is by enrolling at an online university, where you have great flexibility in how you complete your coursework. Taking courses online allows you to study without quitting your job and to proceed according to your own schedule. And when you’ve earned your advanced degree, you will be equipped to design workplace strategies that can make employees happy and improve the company’s bottom line.
Walden’s MS in Human Resource Management program provides access to the practical learning experiences and SHRM-aligned coursework that can give you the advanced skills you need to make a difference as an HR manager.2 The program also offers two capstone options, one of which is for students who wish to prepare for SHRM certification exams.
Walden University is an accredited institution that offers an MS in Human Resource Management. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
1Source: http://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/206033/america-coming-workplace-home-alone.aspx
2Source: Walden’s MS in Human Resource Management program fully aligns with the Society for Human Resource Management’s HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates, which helps define HR education standards and helps business schools develop degree programs that follow these standards.
Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.