Is Flexibility in the workplace flexible?

Résumé du document

The expression 'flexibility in the workplace' usually describes the possibility for firms to hire and fire employees, to adapt the workforce to the needs of production so as to achieve a better productivity. First associated with the American economy, the notion is nowadays extended to most developed countries. According to the notion, flexibility is usually not implemented by choice, but rather like a kind of protection against competition. It seems so, that flexibility belongs to the current economy, that it involves more people and that it has become a real, surely inflexible phenomenon. However, the question 'Is flexibility in the workplace flexible?' suggests that flexibility could be malleable, for instance in time, in place, or in nature.

Extraits

[...] But a rigid flexibility at all price is maybe not the only possible way to do it. What if we consider a “worker-friendly” society? Since the model of a rigid flexibility puts away the viewpoint of employees, it would be interesting to try to take it into account and to imagine the consequences. Instead of being rigid, flexibility would be chosen and personalized for each worker. The aim is to eliminate the more disadvantages as possible by making flexibility adaptable. [...]

[...] It is also necessary to rethink the pension regime, because workers are more and more bound to have consecutively several jobs in several businesses alternated with some unemployment periods, or continuing education periods, where they do not earn money and can hardly pay contributions. In addition, the media could play a part in the implementation of the personalized flexibility by communicating about changes, as it has a great impact on the opinions. Regarding firms, they would have to adapt to rules and regulations and to cope with a new organisation of work. Would this model be pertinent? [...]

[...] Is Flexibility in the workplace flexible? Is flexibility in the workplace flexible? The expression “flexibility in the workplace” usually describes the possibility for firms to hire and fire easily employees, to adapt the workforce to the needs of production so as to achieve a better productivity. First associated with the American economy, the notion is nowadays extended to most developed countries. This results from the tendency of adoption of the US model and from the growing impact of globalisation in these countries, according that flexibility is usually not implemented by choice, but rather like a kind of protection against competition. [...]

[...] Flexibility defines an evoluting concept bound to serve companies, but also a rigid phenomenon for workers. To satisfy many stakeholders, a compromise implementing a flexibility la carte” is maybe the solution. For the industrial revolution till today appeared consecutively different forms of flexibility in the workplace in correlation with the needs and means of companies. The present economy is run by the consumer's demand, and implies a lot of changes in the way of life. Flexibility is a topical subject and many facts are related to it: Relocations, decrease in manpower in firms, multiplication of contracts, continuing education, etc. [...]

[...] The word “flexibility” is here seen as the pressure which is put on workers to contribute to the success of corporations. As the profit has always been the main goal of a business, and as it turns out that the balance of power between bosses and the workforce has mostly advantaged bosses, it entails that flexibility exits for a long time. Nowadays, flexibility is justified by the consumer's demand, and it implements a way of work that models the way of life. [...]