Organizational Intentions Versus Leadership Impact: The Flexible Work Experience

Abstract

Understanding that there will arrive a time when workers return to their respective places of employment, it is imperative to be ready to review and if necessary, restructure and implement certain work policies that detract from social equities. For instance, flexible work arrangements (FWA) might be one way to improve the work environment, especially as they have increased in popularity in the past two decades. While FWA may represent a means to enable workers to manage their work and life commitments, it is important to note that they may also complicate prioritization of the organizational value proposition. Further, having an FWA program and effectively supporting it are not synonymous – and this bears impact on employees. This research highlights opportunities and implications for FWA management based on findings from a recent New England healthcare organization case study which illustrates how working mothers experience enacted flexible work arrangement policies. This article identifies methods for organizations and managers to improve the experience of workers who wish to or need to use FWA.