The Flexibility of the Workplace and Working Time

2017 ◽  
pp. 287-304
Author(s):  
Beata Skowron-Mielnik ◽  
Grzegorz Wojtkowiak
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Market Volatility ◽  
Legal Regulations ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Place Of Residence ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Strategic Plans

Organisations are more and more interested in ensuring flexibility of working time and space for their employees. This approach is enforced both by labour market volatility and company strategic plans, e.g. relocation. However, employers begin to realise that employees' flexibility is limited. While the reasons behind it might be objective (lack of legal regulations, commuting expenses), in some cases it is the employees' personal views that stand in the way. In such situation the company is much more limited in its attempts to offer a greater flexibility to its workforce. The research problem that arises here is as follows: is it possible to define the characteristics and situations in which employees are willing to accept flexible conditions of working time and space? Therefore, the aim of the study is to indicate how to increase work flexibility on the side of employees. The study focuses on four areas, i.e. changing the place of residence due to work, frequent business trips, long commuting and flexible work arrangements.

The Flexibility of the Workplace and Working Time

2021 ◽  
pp. 1159-1176
Author(s):  
Beata Skowron-Mielnik ◽  
Grzegorz Wojtkowiak
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Market Volatility ◽  
Legal Regulations ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Place Of Residence ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Strategic Plans

Organisations are more and more interested in ensuring flexibility of working time and space for their employees. This approach is enforced both by labour market volatility and company strategic plans, e.g. relocation. However, employers begin to realise that employees' flexibility is limited. While the reasons behind it might be objective (lack of legal regulations, commuting expenses), in some cases it is the employees' personal views that stand in the way. In such situation the company is much more limited in its attempts to offer a greater flexibility to its workforce. The research problem that arises here is as follows: is it possible to define the characteristics and situations in which employees are willing to accept flexible conditions of working time and space? Therefore, the aim of the study is to indicate how to increase work flexibility on the side of employees. The study focuses on four areas, i.e. changing the place of residence due to work, frequent business trips, long commuting and flexible work arrangements.

scholarly journals Teilhabe für arbeitsmarktferne Arbeitslose durch einen Sozialen Arbeitsmarkt – Chancen und Risiken eines notwendigen Instruments

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-163
Author(s):  
Peter Kupka ◽  
Joachim Möller ◽  
Philipp Ramos Lobato ◽  
Joachim Wolff
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
German Government ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Lock In ◽  
Job Finding ◽  
Job Coaches

Abstract We discuss a new scheme of subsidized jobs for unemployed people with extremely low job finding prospects. This scheme, referred to as Social Labour Market, primarily intends to promote their social inclusion. Research on public employment schemes has shown that it is of utmost importance to define very narrow criteria for participation in order to avoid lock-in-effects. Due to health issues and other severe employment impediments of the participants, the design of a social labour market should allow for flexible work arrangements and include some kind of mentoring (“job coaches”). We conclude that the scheme planned by the German government basically meets many criteria recommended by labour market researchers but still bears some risk of “creaming”. We recommend to start with a small number of participants. This should help to test the process of assigning participants and assess the effectiveness of different designs of the scheme before boosting the number of participants to the ultimate size.

Caring Masculinities and Flexibilisation of Labour Markets: Fathers in Precarious and Managerial Employment in Slovenia

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Majda Hrženjak ◽  
Živa Humer
Keyword(s):  
Gender Relations ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Identity Change ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Limited Participation ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Young Fathers ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Managerial Positions

The starting point of this article is that transition from breadwinning to involved fathering is not only a matter of men’s identity change, but is profoundly shaped by broader societal structures, among which labour markets appear as crucial. Given that in Slovenia flexibilisation of the labour markets is a salient issue, this qualitative study, based on explorative, in-depth, semi-structured, individual interviews with fathers in precarious and managerial employment, analyses how insecure and flexible work arrangements shape fatherhood practices, impact on chances for being an involved father and structure gender relations. Narratives of fathers in managerial positions point to the persistence of the breadwinner model of fathering with limited participation in childcare, expressed as “weekend fatherhood,” but also to a more egalitarian share of childcare mainly among young fathers in managerial positions. Though the experiences of fathers in precarious employment point to their pronounced involvement in childcare, some cases in our sample indicate that precarious working relations can also, in a peculiar way, lead to the strengthening of the breadwinner model and re-traditionalisation of gender relations.

scholarly journals Has the Economic Lockdown Following the Covid-19 Pandemic Changed the Gender Division of Labor in Israel?

2021 ◽  
pp. 089124322110012
Author(s):  
Meir Yaish ◽  
Hadas Mandel ◽  
Tali Kristal
Keyword(s):  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Unpaid Work ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
The Family ◽  
Allocation Of Time ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Families With Children

The economic shutdown and national lockdown following the outbreak of COVID-19 have increased demand for unpaid work at home, particularly among families with children, and reduced demand for paid work. Concurrently, the share of the workforce that has relocated its workplace to home has also increased. In this article, we examine the consequences of these processes for the allocation of time among paid work, housework, and care work for men and women in Israel. Using data on 2,027 Israeli adults whom we followed since the first week of March (before the spread of COVID-19), we focus on the effect of the second lockdown in Israel (in September) on the gender division of both paid and unpaid work. We find that as demand for housework caused by the lockdown increases, women—especially with children—increase their housework much more than men do, particularly when they work from home. The consequences of work from home and other flexible work arrangements for gender inequality within the family are discussed.

Flexible Work Arrangements: A Human Resource Development Tool to Reduce Turnover

2021 ◽  
pp. 152342232098293
Author(s):  
Marvin Bontrager ◽  
M. Suzanne Clinton ◽  
Lee Tyner
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Employee Development ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Black Swan ◽  
Flexible Work Arrangements ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Development Tool

The Problem. An increasing number of organizations are experiencing concerns from employees regarding work-life balance. Organizations that have chosen to implement formal flexible work arrangements (FWAs) have experienced reluctance from their employees to participate. COVID-19 has forced the hand further toward FWAs, and created additional work life balance concerns. The Solution. FWAs present an opportunity for organizations to address work-life balance concerns, especially amid the black swan event of COVID-19. Implementing FWAs provides opportunity for organizations to reduce turnover and facilitate employee development through work life balance programs. The Stakeholders. The informal processes of FWAs should receive due attention by HRD practitioners and scholars alike.

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