Flexibility and the workplace: the battle to control working time
Abstract
Purpose
Seeks to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
Success in business involves to some extent having a workforce flexible enough to meet changeable demands. But flexibility has become a two way process and employees, particularly mothers of young children, are increasingly requesting work arrangements that allow them to better balance work and home life. One survey revealed several reasons for employees wanting to reduce their working hours but “spending time with family” was the most popular. The difficult challenge, therefore, is to develop workplace policies that serve the interest of both employer and employee alike. Flexibility at work now takes various forms and includes such as job sharing, variable working time and telecommuting alongside conventional part time schedules. These arrangements vary across different countries and reflect the amount of control over working time that employer or employee enjoys in relation to when the work is done and the number of hours worked during a specific period.
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
Keywords
Citation
(2006), "Flexibility and the workplace: the battle to control working time", Managerial Law, Vol. 48 No. 6, pp. 536-540. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090550610715936
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited