View cases - Stewart McKelvey

61[293] Mr. Sheridan responded that “we negotiated a VSSA to allow greater flexibility to allowemployees to get that predictability.” This new VSSA allows regular employees more time off onweekends. Mr. Sheridan also felt that the imposed 34 hour or less part-time schedule for thoseseeking family status accommodation was, in itself, consistent with supporting work-life balance.[294] Among the information in the Work/Life Balance FAQs was the following:a) “How can our organization do this when we are expected to operate in a 24-7environment?There isn’t any work environment, any job, any position, that can’t be in some waydesigned to allow the individual to achieve a sense of work-life balance. The realquestion is, how can we, in a 24-7 environment, a shift work environment….createa workplace that recognizes work-life and well being as critically important forindividual and organizational resiliency, for short-term and long-term success.Organizations need to take a look at … workload, to work structure, to worksystems, to work-life, to wellness, to safety, to health.”2010 CHRT 20 (CanLII)b) If our organization begins to support work-life balance, how can we be surethat no everyone will want a flexible arrangement?What we know is that most people prefer their work life to be fairly predictable,fairly routine, and fairly consistent from one week to the next. It doesn’t matter ifyou’re a night shift worker or a day shift worker or a Monday to Friday 9 to 5-er.Most employees are looking for predictability and consistency. The myth aboutflex is people come and go whenever they want. They take time off and they getpaid for it and other people get stuck doing the work. In fact, a flexible workingarrangement requires clear communication, negotiation and documentation of theway of working in a consistent way.c) What can organizations do with employees that say, “It’s not fair. I don’t havekids. This just benefits some people”?You can also prevent backlash by making sure that processes are in place that allowall people to apply easily for flexible work arrangements or have access to thebenefits. It is crucial that the process is consistently an fairly applied, clearly andwell documented…