Many businesses don’t have the technology to support flexible working

Many organisations are not offering flexible working options simply because they don’t have the technology in place to support it, according to new research.

A survey, by Pure Profile on behalf of Kronos, was conducted in May 2013 with 500 CEOs and 2000 employees in industries such as healthcare, retail and manufacturing.

The survey found 73 per cent of organisations are not using shift scheduling or rostering applications to manage their workforce, with 48 per cent of CEOs not allowing employees to work varied hours and 40 per cent did not supporting shift/roster work.

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Fear that flexible working will cause disruptions to the work environment is another reason why many businesses are not supporting it, the survey found. Fifty-four per cent of CEOs surveyed do not offer flexi-time options because they think it will cause disruptions.

Others cited complex work policies (37 per cent) or cost to business (33 per cent) as reasons not to offer flexible hours.

Kronos Asia Pacific vice president Peter Harte said it was “shocking” that many Australian companies fail to meet staff expectations for flexible working conditions.

“By not accommodating more flexible options, employers in Australia are missing out on an opportunity to retain human capital and organisational knowledge,” he said in a statement.

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