Goudswaard, Anneke

The report examines working time flexible arrangements implemented in five companies of the retail and automotive sector in Hungary and Belgium and the Netherlands using the case study methodology. The main aim of this research was to explore and show whether and under what conditions working time flexible arrangements in companies are implemented and can increase productivity and at the same time preserve or improve quality of work in general and especially with regard to work–life balance.

Literature review on flexibility and working conditions.

This report sets out to contribute to the present debate on the need for European companies and their workers to become more flexible and adaptable in the face of ongoing economic change and business restructuring. The guide should therefore provide useful and practical tips for company-level actors concerning the potential benefits of developing more flexible internal workplace policies. Equally, it has been developed to assist practitioners and social partners wishing to review and/or learn more about developing such initiatives. An executive summary is available.

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions has commissioned a research project to analyse the impact of flexible employment policies and human resources management on working conditions at the corporate level. Research institutes of seven countries participate in this project. For each country two or three cases are studied of organisations applying different flexible employment solutions. The seven countries are: Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and The United Kingdom.

The idea that functional flexibility is positive for skills development is an assumption based on qualitative case study research, as is shown in a Foundation report on the impact of flexibility on working conditions (Goudswaard & Nanteuil [1], 2000). Now a large-scale quantitative study has been carried out by TNO Work & Employment, using a representative sample of around 3,600 Dutch companies, involving over 11,000 employees in all sectors, with the exception of the civil service and education (Goudswaard [2], 2003). [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/publications/ef0007/2014/undefined/flexibility-and-working-conditions-a-qualitative-and-comparative-study-in-seven-eu-member-states [2] http://www.arbeid.tno.nl/en/publications/20040129.html

This working paper uses data from the third European Survey on Working Conditions to look at changes in employment relations between 1996 and 2000. It analyses the relationship between employment status and working conditions. The concept of employment status is two-dimensional. The research distinguishes between two types of employment contracts: permanent or open-ended contracts versus non-permanent contracts (fixed term, temporary, seasonal contracts). It distinguishes between full-time (>35 hours) and part-time employees (10-35 hours). These two dimensions are linked together, with a higher proportion of part-time jobs with non-permanent contracts. It examines the effect this has on working conditions.

This report compares the work situation of permanent workers and those in 'non-standard' employment: part-time jobs, non-permanent employment and self-employment. It covers aspects such as working time, task flexibility, skills development,...

Flexibility raises many new risks and challenges. and its widespread take-up underlines the growing importance of working conditions issues. This report explores the impact of flexibility on working conditions and the resultant health and social effects on workers engaged in this kind of work. The report examines potential tools for improving the overall health of workers and recommends that social partners at national and European level adopt a holistic approach in the negotiation and implementation of improvements to working conditions.

This summary stems from a research project that aims to define working conditions in a broad sense and to examine the reliance on various forms of flexibility, both external and internal. The research is based on national case studies that set out to analyse the impact of employment policies and human resources management on working conditions at corporate level.