scholarly journals For better or worse: How more flexibility in working time arrangements and parental leave experiences affect fathers' working and childcare hours in Germany

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Wanger ◽  
Ines Zapf
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Traditional Role ◽  
Use Of Time ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
The One

Objective: In this study, we investigate the effect of flexible working time arrangements and parental leave experiences on the actual working and childcare hours of men. Background: Many fathers want to spend more time with their children and actively participate in family life, but, after becoming a parent, most work even more hours than before. To better combine work and family, the possibility of flexible working time arrangements might play a crucial role for fathers, also to become more involved in childcare activities. Method: We use longitudinal data of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) to examine how flexible working time arrangements, parental leave experiences, working hours, and childcare hours are related. Based on data between 2013 and 2019, panel regression models were estimated. Results: The results show that a change from fixed to flexible working time regulations leads to an increase in working hours for men and fathers. The longer working hours of fathers go hand in hand with a reduction in the time spent on childcare activities when switching to flexible working time arrangements. However, experiences with parental leave in connection with flexible working hours show a change in the use of time. Conclusion: Flexible working time regulations prove to be ambivalent for fathers: On the one hand, they offer fathers new leeway, on the other hand, due to traditional role models, they lead to longer working hours and thus less participation in childcare; but parental leave experiences make a difference, which indicates the importance of these regulations for fathers.

The Effect of Remote Work on the Successful Development of Engineering Companies

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 4345-4356
Author(s):  
Anna Evgenievna Gorokhova ◽  
Elman Said-Mokhmadovich Akhyadov ◽  
Andrey Nikolaevich Shishkin
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Transport Costs ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Insufficient Physical Activity ◽  
Effective Organization ◽  
The One ◽  
High Level

The purpose of the present study is to identify the main advantages and problems of remote work for both employers and employees, and possible ways to solve them. The article shows a significant number of studies dealt with non-standard forms of labor organization, clarifies the essence of remote work, and examines the main aspects for its effective organization. The main advantages and problems of remote work for employers and employees, as well as possible ways to solve them, are identified based on an expert survey involving 36 experts. According to the conducted study, it can be concluded that the acceleration of scientific and technological progress and adverse epidemiological conditions contribute to the spread of remote work worldwide. This phenomenon has two aspects. On the one hand, remote work, firstly, reduces the unemployment rate and improves the image of the company; secondly, offers flexible working hours; thirdly, protects/retains customers and saves time/transport costs. On the other hand, remote work is associated with the difficulty in maintaining efficiency and teamwork at a high level; secondly, it restricts communication, makes it impossible to perform certain tasks at home; and thirdly, remote work leads to insufficient physical activity, causes difficulties with integration into the corporate culture, etc.

Werk/privé-cultuur en de houding van managers ten aanzien van werk/privé-beleid in de financiële sector

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura den Dulk ◽  
Judith de Ruijter
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Parental Leave ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Vignette Study ◽  
General Managers ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Female Employees

Work-life culture and attitude of managers towards work/non-work policies in the financial sector Work-life culture and attitude of managers towards work/non-work policies in the financial sector Laura den Dulk & Judith de Ruijter, Gedrag & Organisatie, Volume 18, 2005, pp. 280-295. What attitudes do managers in the financial sector hold towards work/non-work policies, such as flexible working hours and parental leave? To what degree do managers support requests of employees who want to exercise these policies and to what extent are their attitudes influenced by organizational culture? Attitudes of managers were measured in a vignette study in three organizations in the financial sector. Organizational culture was measured independently, through a survey among a sample of employees. The findings show that the more an organization supports the work/non-work balance, the more positively its managers respond to employee requests. In general, managers assess requests of female employees more positive than male employees' requests. Furthermore, characteristics of both the request itself and the employee filing the request, influence managers' assessments especially if the organizations' attitude towards work-life balance is ambiguous.

Flexible working arrangements and strategic positions in SMEs

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernice Adei Kotey
Keyword(s):  
Parental Leave ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industry Effect ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Paid Parental Leave ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Medium Firms

Purpose Under the Australian Fair Work Act 2009, employees can request flexible working arrangements (FWAs) from their employers. Provision of FWAs is costly to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). They can, however, use FWAs to achieve competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to investigate strategic positions associated with FWA availability in SMEs. It also examines the effects of size and industry sector on FWA availability in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach With a sample of 1,541 cases comprising micro, small and medium firms from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Business Longitudinal Database, binary regression models were used to analyse the relationships between FWAs and the independent variables: strategic position, firm-size and industry of operation. Findings Flexible working hours, flexible leave arrangements and roster/shift selection were used by SMEs pursuing a strategy focussed on human resources. In contrast, a strategic focus on cost correlated negatively with paid parental leave and flexible rosters/shifts. SMEs pursuing innovation were unlikely to provide flexible leave while job sharing was less visible in SMEs focussing on quality. An industry effect was evident with working from home unlikely for firms in industry sectors where employees had to be present at work. Micro- and small-sized firms were less likely than medium firms to provide FWA to their employees. Originality/value SMEs with competitive positions based on human capital could use FWAs to attract the required skills. Employees in SMEs that compete on cost may benefit from FWAs in the form of temporary and casual positions.

scholarly journals Mixed Working Hours in the Conditions of the COVID-2019 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (516) ◽  
pp. 207-212
Author(s):  
S. H. Rudakova ◽  
◽  
L. V. Shchetinina ◽  
N. S. Danylevych ◽  
A. S. Kohdenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Time Work ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Mixed Modes

The article is aimed at valuating the experience of using mixed modes in the context of the COVID-2019 pandemic based on the results of sociological studies as well as substantiating the potential for the development of legal and regulatory provision. In the context of the pandemic, many enterprises switched to remote work and the working hours changed. For Ukraine, this is a new experience in implementing online work and a more flexible working day, so it is important to study this issue. During the COVID-2019 pandemic, enterprises faced the only legal opportunity to organize their activities through work at home. The authors carried out a sociological study on the use of mixed modes in the context of the COVID-2019 pandemic, which found out that 69.6% of respondents work remotely, 60.9% work on a flexible schedule, and 43.5% of respondents account for part-time work. 73.9% of the respondents faced mixed working modes. Regarding the preparedness of business owners to work in the new conditions, it is found out that the majority of respondents are satisfied with how their organization has switched to a remote or mixed form of work. Remote work can be combined with other modes, such as part-time or flexible working hours and full-time work. This combination can be considered as a mixed working time mode. According to the outcome of sociological researches, the use of mixed working hours is already a common reality, not an exception. Use of them has its own peculiarities in various spheres of activity, which requires further research. The survey identified the respondents both satisfied and dissatisfied with mixed working hours. It should be noted about the available potential to improve the legal and organizational-economic principles of using mixed modes of working time organization.

Flexible working hours and individual diurnal rhythms

1973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Patkai ◽  
Kerstin Pettersson ◽  
Torbjorn Akerstedt
Keyword(s):  
Working Hours ◽  
Diurnal Rhythms ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Flexible Working

scholarly journals Boundaryless working hours and recovery in Germany

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Vieten ◽  
Anne Marit Wöhrmann ◽  
Alexandra Michel
Keyword(s):  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Overtime Work ◽  
Psychological Detachment ◽  
Representative Study ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Recovery Experiences ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Control ◽  
Extended Work

Abstract Objective Due to recent trends such as globalization and digitalization, more and more employees tend to have flexible working time arrangements, including boundaryless working hours. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships of various aspects of boundaryless working hours (overtime, Sunday work, and extended work availability) with employees’ state of recovery. Besides, we examined the mediating and moderating role of recovery experiences (psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, and control) in these relationships. Methods We used data from 8586 employees (48% women; average age of 48 years) who took part in the 2017 BAuA-Working Time Survey, a representative study of the German working population. Regression analyses were conducted to test main effects as well as mediation and moderation. Results Overtime work, Sunday work, and extended work availability were negatively related to state of recovery. Psychological detachment mediated these relationships. Furthermore, we found that relaxation and control mediated the association between extended work availability and state of recovery. However, no relevant moderating effects were found. Conclusions Altogether, our findings indicate that various aspects of boundaryless working hours pose a risk to employees’ state of recovery and that especially psychological detachment is a potential mechanism in these relationships. In addition, the results suggest that a high level of recovery experiences cannot attenuate these negative relationships in leisure time. Therefore, employers and employees alike should try to avoid or minimize boundaryless working hours.

scholarly journals Do Work–Life Measures Really Matter? The Impact of Flexible Working Hours and Home-Based Teleworking in Preventing Voluntary Employee Exits

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Charlotte K. Marx ◽  
Mareike Reimann ◽  
Martin Diewald
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Job Quality ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Flexible Working Hours ◽  
Flexible Working ◽  
Flexibility Measures ◽  
The Impact

Numerous studies have demonstrated the importance of work–life measures, which are designed to contribute to job quality and help reconcile employees’ work and personal lives. In our study, we asked whether such measures can also work as inducements to prevent employees from voluntarily leaving a firm. We considered flexible working hours and home-based teleworking as flexibility measures that are potentially attractive to all employees. To address the possible bias caused by sketchy implementation and their actual selective use, we chose to examine employees’ perceptions of the offer of these measures. We investigated the moderation of the effect by organizational culture and supervisor and coworker support. We controlled for several indicators of job quality, such as job satisfaction and perceived fairness, to isolate specific ways in which work–life measures contributed to voluntary employee exit, and checked for a selective attractiveness of work–life measures to parents and women as the main caregivers. Using a three-wave panel employer–employee survey, we estimated multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models for 5452 employees at 127 large German establishments. Our results confirmed that both types of flexibility measures were associated with a lower probability of voluntarily exit. This applied more to men than to women, and the probability was reduced by a demanding organizational culture. Both measures seemed not to be specifically designed to accommodate main caregivers but were attractive to the whole workforce.

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