scholarly journals Flexibility

2010 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isik U. Zeytinoglu ◽  
Gordon B. Cooke ◽  
Sara L. Mann
Keyword(s):  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Work Schedules ◽  
Work Schedule ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Employee Survey ◽  
Flexible Work Schedules ◽  
Compressed Workweek

Summary This paper examines whether flexible work schedules in Canada are created by employers for business reasons or to assist their workers achieve work-life balance. We focus on long workweek, flextime, compressed workweek, variable workweek length and/or variable workweek schedule. In the last three decades, two streams of literature have emerged on flexibility. One stream of literature discusses flexibility as demand-driven, that is, a strategic initiative of employers to enhance the business requirements of the firm. The other stream of literature discusses flexibility as supply-driven, where employees have the ability to influence the decisions about the nature of their work schedules and where employees, especially women, demand flexible work schedules for work-life balance. Thus, we ask are flexible work schedules created for business reasons or to assist workers achieve work-life balance? Statistics Canada’s 2003 Workplace and Employee Survey data linking employee microdata to workplace (i.e., employer) microdata are used in the analysis. Results show that more than half of the workers covered in this data have at least one of the five specified types of flexible work schedules. Approximately 5% of workers have a long workweek, 36% have flextime, 7% a compressed workweek, 13% a variable workweek length, and 16% a variable workweek schedule. Only two in five Canadians have a standard work schedule. Employment status, unionized work, occupation, and sector are factors consistently associated with flexible work schedules. Personal characteristics of marital status, dependent children, and childcare use are not significantly associated with flexible work schedules, while females are less likely to have a flexible work schedule than males. Overall, results suggest that flexible work schedules are created for business reasons rather than individual worker interests. Thus, if public policy makers are committed to facilitating workers’ work-family-life balance interests, then our results suggest that separate policy initiatives designed specifically for workers will be required.

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.

scholarly journals Flexible Work Arrangements and Their Impact on the Employee Performance of Egyptian Private University Employees: (A Case Study on the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport)

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Eshak ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Flexible Work Arrangements ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
The Impact

This study aimed to analyse the impact of flexible work arrangements on the employee performance of employees in private Egyptian universities in Alexandria, mediated by work-life balance (applied to the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport). institutions to retain talented people, raise the efficiency of employee performance, and thus raise the efficiency of institutional performance and competitive capabilities of organizations. The researcher used the descriptive analytical method and the questionnaire as a tool for data collection, to measure the impact of flexible work arrangements (focusing on reducing working hours, benefits provided to employees, work policies towards parenting) on the work-life balance, and the extent of the impact of all this on raising the efficiency of employees' employee performance. A stratified random sample of 423 employees was used, and the data collected was analysed using SPSS and AMOS statistical software. The findings revealed a positive relationship between flexible work arrangements (reduced working hours, benefits provided to employees, and work policies toward parenting) and employee performance, as well as a positive relationship between flexible work arrangements and work-life balance, as well as a positive relationship between work-life balance and employee performance, and the researcher recommends implementing such policies.The recommendations also include the need to review current labour laws before legislators, and update them in line with contemporary technological development and the requirement to achieve a balance between the requirements of life and work. This study also recommends the adoption of reducing working hours as one of the flexible work policies offered by organisations to employees. The study concludes that flexible work arrangements and programmes are in fact a competitive tool that organisations can use to increase loyalty, improve performance, achieve commitment and job satisfaction, which enhances the organization's productivity.

scholarly journals Health and work-life balance across types of work schedules: A latent class analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 ◽  
pp. 102906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna Brauner ◽  
Anne M. Wöhrmann ◽  
Kilian Frank ◽  
Alexandra Michel
Keyword(s):  
Latent Class Analysis ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Work Schedules ◽  
Class Analysis ◽  
Life Balance

Class Difference in Mothers’ Work Schedules and Assessments of their ‘Work–Life Balance’ in Dual-Earner Couples in Britain

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colette Fagan ◽  
Linda McDowell ◽  
Diane Perron ◽  
Kevin Ward ◽  
Kathryn Ray
Keyword(s):  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Work Schedules ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Class Difference ◽  
Dual Earner

scholarly journals Boundary Management Preferences, Boundary Control, and Work-Life Balance among Full-Time Employed Professionals in Knowledge-Intensive, Flexible Work

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christin Mellner ◽  
Gunnar Aronsson ◽  
Göran Kecklund
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Control ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Boundary Management ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Management Preferences

Profound changes are taking place within working life, where established boundaries between work and personal life are challenged by increased global competition, ever-faster changing markets, and rapid development of boundary transcending information and communication technologies (ICT). The aim of this study was to investigate boundary management preferences in terms of keeping work and personal life domains separated or integrated, that is, segmenting or blending of domains, the perception of being in control of one´s preferred boundaries, and work-life balance among employees at a Swedish telecom company (N = 1,238, response rate 65%, men 73%, mean age 42 years). Psychosocial work factors, individual characteristics, sociodemographic factors, and work-life balance were investigated in relation to boundary management preferences and perceived boundary control. For high boundary control among segmenters, nearly all the studied psychosocial work factors were significant. Among integrators, this was the case only for clear expectations in work. For both groups, the individual capacity for self-regulation was associated with high boundary control. Regarding sociodemographic factors, cohabiting women with children who preferred segmentation had low boundary control. Finally, there was a main effect of boundary control on work-life balance. In particular, male segmenters perceiving high boundary control had better work-life balance than all others. Conclusions of the study are that segmenters need external boundaries in work for succesful boundary management. Moreover, self-regulation seems a crucial boundary competence in knowledge- intensive, flexible work. Results are of value for health promotion in modern work organizations in supporting employees achieving successful boundary control and subsequent work-life balance.

A Perspective on Work-Life Balance and Its Determinants

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 41-59
Author(s):  
Sonali Bhattacharya ◽  
Netra Neelam ◽  
K. Rajagopal
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Family Work ◽  
Familial Support ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Order Construct

With a changing demography and social structure, the work life balance (WLB) is a major concern felt by employees of most organizations. This study has attempted to have relook at the constructs of work-life balance from the perspectives of banking and information technology employees with various household structures. The present study develops a multidimensional work-life balance scale to measure existing levels of work-life balance. The scale considers work-life balance as a multidimensional second order construct comprising workplace inclusion, family support, employee benefit, time management, coworker relationship, and supervisor-subordinate relationship. The study reveals not only indicators of organizational family work culture, but also personal characteristics such as time management and familial support determine work-life balance. However, no significant difference was perceived in the work life balance was found between employees with different family structures and between the two sectors considered under the study. Also, there was no significant difference in perception of work life- balance between knowledge workers from IT and banking sectors.

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