Incentives – will flexible working work for buyers?
Their advice included using exit interviews to inform future policies, ensuring employees are being constantly challenged and providing work-life incentives.
One such incentive is flexible working and the government recently announced plans to extend flexible working rights to all parents with children under the age of 16 (an extra 4.5 million parents).
Is flexible working a practical option for buyers?
What are the potential benefits/pitfalls managers and buyers should be aware of?
What other incentives should managers consider in order to hold on to top purchasing talent?
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I am on flexible working hours, and its a great system. It does make it easier to integrate home and work commitments, and as my daughter gets older I imagine it will become more useful still.
Since most buyers will spend a lot of time away from their desks anyway, I can’t imagine flexible working will make much of a difference when it comes to ease of contacting them.
As long as people remember that the work/life balance has to be balanced both ways, I think it is an excellent motivating factor.
The pitfall is whether the buyer is hourly paid or on permanent employment.
Purchasing and supplies is a profession and it will be insulting if the boss employs the buyer on flexible hours. In his mind, the buyer should strive for the best within the paid hours of work every day. He wonders if the buyer is sub-standard should he fail to accomplish tasks on time. He will sack the buyer any time. The buyer is at risk. It will be a different story if the buyer is on permanent employment. He himself sets the time-table daily. He works on own flex-hours. I am sure this context is acceptable to all of us. In such environment, the buyer will perform to the best to keep himself staying on the post. Also, I dare say such situation appears in the government, utilities or sizeable organisations.
Like other professionals, say, lawyers, accountants, adjusters, engineers, doctors and dentists, we are the one who set the flex-hour schedule but not the organisation. In case we accept flex, the organisation will say to us one day “you are too flex to leave”.