Building Block -Flexibility

I think that defining and measuring flexibility is one of the hardest parts of the building block.

I think ‘flexibility’ implies change and adaptation to circumstances.

So, I’m not sure that customers per waiter necessarily captures that. I might be better measured by looking at customer waiting times in slack compared to busy periods to indicate that if things were busy more staff could be drafted in.

This is really what you are saying in your hairdressing example. You need an acceptable waiting time (speed) for every demand condition. So again, being able to call on more staff suggests flexibility.

In the UK some approaches to this type of flexibility are controversial. Some employees are on ‘zero hours’ contracts where employers are not obliged to offer their employees any hours of work (or any pay). Employees are effectively held on standby.