Flexibility profiles of European companies

This report analyses European corporate practices in terms of working time flexibility as revealed by the European Company Survey 2009 (ECS 2009). Flexibility in working time is a central aspect of ongoing debates regarding boosting employment in the EU. Enabling employees to better balance their working time and domestic responsibilities is seen as a key way of encouraging more citizens to enter and remain in the workforce. At the same time, greater working time flexibility on the part of companies – and hence, employees – can enable European enterprises to be more responsive to market demands, so boosting the Union’s competitiveness.