Working from home helps employees to avoid the dreaded traffic gridlock. Photo / Dean Purcell
Working from home helps employees to avoid the dreaded traffic gridlock. Photo / Dean Purcell
Movable employment hours and working from home help employers as well as giving workers a healthier work/life balance, and legislation now supports such choices.
Working nine to five may have been the standard a few decades ago - and the subject of a popular Dolly Parton ditty - but 21st century employees are increasingly able to negotiate flexibility in their daily routine. And in cities where traffic is an issue, this flexibility can make a huge difference when it comes to stress levels and traffic congestion.
Statistics New Zealand figures from 2012 revealed almost 50 per cent of employees were offered workplace flexibility at least some of the time.
In addition, the Flexibility and Security in the Workplace survey showed almost a third of employees spent at least part of their week working from home.
Employees now have a strong legal basis for flexible working options. The Employment Relations Amended Act, which came into place in March this year, extended the legal right to ask for flexible working arrangements from just caregivers to all employees.
According to Ella Zaykova from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the act also removed limitations on the number of requests a worker can make for flexible working hours each year, and reduced the timeframe within which an employer must respond to a request from three months to one month.
"Any refusals [of flexible working hours] must be explained in writing," she says. "These changes aim to improve participation in the labour market for people who would otherwise not be able to work because of competing responsibilities."
Flexibility in the workplace enables employees to achieve a healthier work/life balance. Such flexibility also makes it much easier for workers with family commitments or health conditions to attend work, as well as helping people who work in central city areas to beat the dreaded traffic gridlock.
According to Auckland Transport, peak hours in Auckland are from 7am (for people commuting from Whangaparaoa or down south) to 9am; the evening peak is from 4pm to 6pm. About 40,000 cars and other vehicles are on the road at peak times every day; this is exacerbated by inclement weather and long weekends.
Traffic flow in Auckland also tends to ebb and flow depending on the time of the year. Auckland Transport stats reveal March is the worst time for traffic as tertiary students return to study. School traffic is also a significant issue - during the school term traffic on arterial roads in Auckland increases by about 15 per cent.
With more companies making the central city their base (Fonterra, for example, has just moved to Auckland's CBD), the battle to reach work on time has become even harder.
Auckland Transport's travel demand team is charged with making life easier for commuters by encouraging work practices that mitigate traffic congestion.
Team manager Melanie Alexander says they work with a range of companies in the CBD and she has seen a marked move towards more workplace flexibility in the past five years.
"Large multinational companies that are based in the CBD are particularly keen to encourage flexibility," she says.
This is especially true when overseas operations are taking place outside regular Kiwi working hours - working late nights or early mornings allows the New Zealand-based employees to work at the same time as their colleagues abroad.
While traffic issues may seem insurmountable when you're stuck in gridlock, Alexander says even a small tweak of working hours can significantly cut daily commuting time.
"Even half an hour can make a difference. Of course, if everyone started work early and finished late it wouldn't make any difference to traffic flow," she says. "But if people start and finish outside of peak hours it enables them to get to and from work more efficiently."
As well as encouraging businesses to offer flexible working hours, Auckland Transport also sees the value in allowing employees to work offsite.
As the Statistics NZ figures show, many employees now work from home, and this is easily facilitated through modern digital technology.
"The internet, smartphones and high-speed broadband have made it much easier for people to work from home," Alexander says.
More companies are allowing their staff to have at least one home-based working day each week, or letting them work at home in the morning. It's far more efficient to clear your emails from home before you head to work, than being stuck in traffic for hours.
Alexander says improvements in public transport schedules are also important when making a difference to traffic flow. Auckland buses are now running more frequently, which allows workers to access transport more readily off-peak.
She also says Auckland's City Rail Link (which will cater to about 30,000 people at peak times) will make a big impact. Construction is due to start next year, with the projected completion date being 2019.
