What Flexible Working Arrangements Are Employees Using?

Key findings

• Almost all people who have flexible work arrangements available to them will use at least one arrangement.
• The most commonly used arrangements are flexible breaks, occasional flexibility in start and finish times, regular flexibility in start and finish times, and occasionally working from another location.
• Use varies by gender, age and caring responsibilities.
• People who do not have flexible working arrangements available to them would most like to have occasional flexibility in start and finish times, the ability to take additional paid leave, flexible breaks, flexibility in choosing when to work hours, and regular flexibility in start and finish times.

Employees who indicated that a particular flexible work arrangement was available to them were asked if they ever used it. Almost all people who had flexible work arrangements available to them used at least one arrangement. Only 6% reported not using any, most commonly because they did not need it. Very few employees chose not to use flexible arrangements because they were concerned about the impact on career progression.

Figure 4: Take-up of available work arrangements among those for whom they are available (n=988)

Data Table for Figure 4

Eighty percent of employees who could use flexible breaks (choose their own breaks) at their workplace reported that they did so. Other frequently used arrangements included:

• occasional flexibility in start and finish times (used by 77% of those who reported that the arrangement was available to them)
• occasionally working from another location, such as home (69%)
• regular flexibility in start and finish times (63%).

How it varies

Women were much more likely to report that they used:

• part-time work (49%)
• taking study leave (39%).

Those with carer responsibilities were significantly more likely to report they used part-time work (53% compared with 43% of non-carers).

Those aged 60 years or older were more likely to report that they used flexibility - e.g. compressed weeks, term-time working, annualised hours - in choosing when to work the number of hours they were employed to do (81% compared with 59% of total relevant sub-sample).

Twenty- to 29-year-olds are more likely to mention taking additional paid leave - e.g. unlimited sick leave (59% compared with 37% of total relevant sub-sample).

Maori were more likely to use flexible start and finish times (88% compared with 77% of total relevant sub-sample).

What would people like to be available?

People who indicated that a particular flexible work arrangement was not available to them were asked if they would use it if it were available.

Figure 5: Desirable flexible work arrangements among those for whom they are not available (n=999)[1]

Data Table for Figure 5

Among those who could not use different flexible work arrangements because they were unavailable, women were more likely to want to use:

• part-time work (32% compared with 22% of men)
• job sharing (33% compared with 23% of men)
• sabbaticals (31% compared with 22% of men)
• unpaid leave, e.g. career break (46% compared with 33% of men).

Younger employees (aged 20-29) were more likely to want job sharing if it was available (46% compared with 28%). Professionals were more likely to say they would take study leave (53%) or sabbatical (43%), compared with the total sub-sample (35% and 27% respectively). Those classified as legislator, administrator or corporate manager were more likely to want to work from another location, such as their home, if they could (47% compared with 32% of the total sub-sample).

Not all employees wanted access to flexible working arrangements. Eighteen percent reported they would not use any of the arrangements, even if they were available to them. Most frequently this was because they said they did not need to use such options.