What Is The Impact Of Flexible Working Arrangements?

Key findings

• 60% of employers are either positive or very positive about the impact of flexible working arrangements on their workplace.
• Small workplaces with fewer than five employees are more likely to be very positive about the impact.
• Workplaces which report positively on the impact of flexible working arrangements are more likely to report the availability of these arrangements. Workplaces which report negatively are less likely to have these arrangements.
• Employees who have access to flexible work arrangements are more likely to rate their work-life balance higher, and find it easier to achieve the work-life balance that is right for them.
• The availability of arrangements most closely linked with people's work-life balance rating are part-time work, flexibility in choosing when to work the number of hours you are employed to do, regular flexibility in start and finish times, buying additional leave in exchange for reduced pay, and job sharing.
• The arrangements most closely linked with how easy people find it to get the right work-life balance are taking unpaid leave (e.g. career breaks), regular flexibility in start and finish times, flexibility in choosing when to work the number of hours employed to do, and part-time work.

What impact do flexible working arrangements have on businesses?

Employers were asked whether they felt that flexible working arrangements had a positive or negative impact in the workplace. Sixty percent were either very positive or positive.

Figure 8: Impact of flexible working arrangements in the workplace as perceived by employers

Data Table for Figure 8

Small workplaces with fewer than five employees were significantly more likely to report that flexible work arrangements had a very positive impact (34%).

Perceived impact in relation to availability of arrangements

The impact of flexible working arrangements on the availability of arrangements is similar to the impact of attitudes. Workplaces which reported positively on the impact of flexible working arrangements were more likely to report the availability of these arrangements. Workplaces which reported negatively were less likely to have these arrangements.

What impact do flexible working arrangements have on employees' work-life balance?

Employees who reported that a particular flexible work arrangement was available to them were likely to rate their work-life balance more highly, and find it easier to achieve the work-life balance that is right for them.

The availability of the following arrangements is most closely linked with people's work-life balance rating:

• part-time work
• flexibility in choosing when to work the number of hours you are employed to do
• regular flexible start and finish times
• buying additional leave in exchange for reduced pay
• job sharing.

The availability of the following arrangements is most closely linked with how easy people find it to get the right work-life balance:

• taking unpaid leave, e.g. career breaks
• regular flexibility in start and finish times
• flexibility in choosing when to work the number of hours employed to do
• part-time work.

When looking at use of arrangements, rather than availability, the pattern is not as distinct. The exception is the use of part-time work and job sharing, particularly for women.

Women are more likely to be using job sharing and part-time work. For those who do not have access, women are more likely to want to be able to use job sharing and part-time work. Women who use job sharing and part-time work are more likely to have a better work-life balance.