The implications of introducing shift work and flexible working hours into the UK clothing industry were examined, with special reference to the effects on personnel, plant utilisation and garment costs. A total of 37 garment manufacturing establishments, within 17 companies, were visited; 91 managers (for production and economic data)and 1018 supervisors and operatives, 87% female and 13% male, (for social data) were consulted. The main points arising from the survey are:- 1 . Social (i) The average age and length of service of respondents were respectively 30.4 and 7.1 for women and 40 and 13.9 for men. Nearly three fifths were married and over half of the women had children, most of them at school or pre-school stage. (ii) Over four fifths were committed to some kind of housework; 3 to 5 hours between 17.00 and 24.00 hours were usually spent on this task but about 9% spent more than 5 hours on it. (iii) Over half would be very much bothered by the inability to carry on their individual and/or group social activities. About two thirds would also be concerned by a change in the period of and time for sleep and meal times. Nearly two fifths used public transport for the journey to work. (iv) Only 15% had worked on multiple shifts previous to their present employment and 16% left their previous job because of being on shifts or unsuitable hours. About one fifth worked currently part-time and only 13% wanted to change their existing working system so that they might gain extra convenience and leisure in their working life. (v) The unsolicited personal choice of working systems were mainly shifts (13%), flexible working hours (14%) and part-time day work (30%); working only in school hours appeared to attract the choice of about 40% of the women. (vi) From the points above, it seemed that a high proportion of married female workers, mostly with dependent children and committed to housework, would probably react against shift work. The availability of part-time work together with the normal day work habit acquired would also affect the employees' attitudes towards the acceptance of even flexible working hours. 2. Production (i) The main problems involved with introducing shift work were considered to be sharing of equipment, bonus and piece rate payment and responsibility for quality failures. Dislike of sharing machines by operatives was considered to be a severe problem in sewing section and the extent of this dislike seemed higher in traditional rather than non traditional clothing areas; the operatives' age and length of service appeared to affect their attitudes. The smaller the period of time for each job then the less the problem of sharing payment and responsibility could become. (ii) Introduction of flexible working hours could create the difficulties of shortage and/or excess of supply of work within the production flow with interdependent operations; the extent of the problem could vary with the amount of work in progress and the period of time spent by each operative on the garment and/or its parts. Economic (i) Garment cost elements are material, labour, variable and fixed overheads (survey averages 50.6%, 24.9%, 8% and 16.5%), of which labour and variable overheads would be affected by introducing multiple shifts and only fixed overheads by flexible working hours. There should be a decrease in variable overheads per garment because of sharing a fixed amount of cost between shifts, an increase in labour cost due to shift premium and an increase in fixed overheads because of longer opening hours of the plant on flexible working hours. (ii) The capital employed on plant and machinery, C, could often be divided by the number of shifts so that this could help to increase profitability by a factor of 2 or 3. (iii) General formulae were established, using the most relevant variables, for calculating the profitability and profitability ratios of different working schemes. Generally, if the number of shifts are increased then the profitability of the plant could be very greatly increased. This was well illustrated from the calculated profitability ratios of about 2 and 3 respectively, when industrial survey values were used, for 2 and 3 shift systems replacing a single shift system. Profitability of flexible working hours would, theoretically, be less than that of single shift, but there might be some economic gains, such as reduced rates of labour turnover and absenteeism (which are currently high in the garment industry), arising from the introduction of flexible working hours. / Iranian Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Teheran Polytechnic

AtkinsonThis study explores Work Life Balance (WLB) in two Palestinian organisations. It argues that the nature and content of WLB policies and the reasons for their adoption in many Arabic organisations differ from those in Western organisations. Additionally, research is under-developed concerning the role of line managers in interpreting access to WLB practices, and to what extent such WLB practices are accessed and utilised by individuals. Based on a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews with 49 employees and managers, this study shows that WLB policies involve, particularly for female employees, mainly family support, and financial, social, and religious benefits. These reflect cultural and religious characteristics of an Arab, Islamic country. In addition to identifying the role of government, and the needs of a female workforce, this study develops a new theoretical framework explaining the role of religious and cultural variables, as well as international networking of the organisations, as factors underlying adoption of WLB policies. Line managers often used Wasta, being the political and religious origin of individuals as criteria in granting benefits to individuals. WLB practices are useful for women, but males made less use of these practices, preferring strong ‘breadwinner Arabic cultural norms. A valuable contribution in understanding the extension of WLB policies in Arabic settings is offered, as well as cultural, social and religious reasons for their implementation. The study presents a theoretical model of the adoption and application of WLB policies which can be used in further crosscultural research.

Yes / This article presents midwives’ views and experiences of flexible working and work-life balance. Both flexible working and work-life balance are important contemporary agendas within midwifery and can have both positive and negative consequences for midwives. Full-time midwives and those without caring commitments feel disadvantaged by flexible working and work-life balance policies as they have to fit when they work around part-time midwives and are increasingly expected to cover extra work. They feel their work-life balance is marginalised and this is fuelling discontent and resentment among midwives and leading to divisions between full and part-time staff that reinforce flexibility stigma. Although flexible working and work-life balance are important for recruiting and retaining midwives they are part of the ongoing tensions and challenges for midwives and the midwifery profession. Keywords flexibility stigma, flexible working, full-time work, marginalisation, midwives, National Health Service,

Yes / A global response to Covid‐19 pandemic has triggered issues related to stress and social restrictions; thus, mental health is seen as a particular area of concern for social well‐being for both policymakers and corporate regulators/companies. Given that mental health intersects with most, if not all, of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), this research brought to light issues surrounding employment of people with mental disabilities (PWMDs) and the financial merits of employing them. An online survey was administered to PWMDs to elicit what possible flexible opportunities could enable them to gain or stay at work. Interviews were also conducted with human resource managers and financial managers. Our results show that there are currently no flexible working opportunities available for PWMDs, which could enable them work effectively to improve both self and general economic growth.

Flexibla arbetssätt som i distansarbete, flexibla arbetstider och frihet över genomförande av arbetet är något som blivit vanligare på företag och därför är det intressant att undersöka närmare om fenomenet flexibelt arbete. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vad anställdas uppfattning är gällande motiven till att företag inför ett flexibelt arbetssätt och vad anställdas uppfattning är gällande hur produktiva de upplever sig vara i sitt arbete med ett flexibelt arbetssätt. En kvalitativ studie genomfördes baserad på 12 semistrukturerade intervjuer av chefer, HR-personal och övriga anställda på tre IT-intensiva företag i Sverige: Ericsson, Spotify och Hyper Island. Som komplement till intervjuerna gjordes en mindre observation av respektive arbetsplats. Studien visar att för merparten av de anställda upplevde införandet av flexibla arbetssätt som något positivt. Det möjliggjorde för dem att skapa en bättre balans mellan arbetets och privatlivets krav och villkor. Anställda ansåg att införandet av flexibla arbetssätt var motiverat både av personalhänsyn och verksamhetsintressen. Vi fann att informanterna upplevde att det flexibla arbetet bidrar till att öka deras produktivitet i arbetet på lång sikt men det ibland minskar anställdas produktivitet i arbetet på kort sikt. Utifrån informanternas upplevelser verkar det finnas ekonomiska bakomliggande motiv till införandet av det flexibla arbetssättet då det leder till minskade kostnader och ökad lönsamhet. / It is more common that companies introduce flexible working arrangements such as teleworking, flexible times and freedom over how to plan and carry out duties and therefore it is interesting to examine this phenomenon more closely. The objectives of this study is to investigate employees view on what they think are the companies’ motives to having flexible working arrangements and how the employees experience the flexible working arrangements affects their productivity in their work. A qualitative investigation was conducted based on 12 semi-structured interviews of managers, HR employees and other employees at three IT-intensive companies in Sweden: Ericsson, Spotify and Hyper Island. An observation of each workplace was made to complete the interviews. The results show that for most of the employees, the introduction of flexible working arrangements was experienced as something positive, which enabled them to create a better work-life balance. Employees felt that the introduction of flexible working arrangements was justified by both employee considerations and business interests. We found that the employees experienced that the flexible working arrangements generally increased their productivity in their work in the long term, but sometimes made them less productive in the short therm. Regarding the employees` experience there seems to be economic underlying reasons for companies to introduce flexible working arrangements as it reduces costs and leads to increased profitability.

The diploma work addresses the Work-Life Balance concept and identifies the various tools that can help to successfully balance work and personal life. Alternative work arrangements and the actual implementation in the Czech Republic and abroad are introduced. It focuses on the availability of child care facilities, maternity and parental leave and on the reintegration of parents into the work process. The analytical part examines the extent of the support offered by financial institutions for the harmonization of work and personal life. Programmes from selected institutions are presented as well as an analysis of employee job satisfaction in these companies conducted via a survey.

Šiame darbe, aptariama šeimos – darbo balanso teorija ir jos taikymo svarba. Išanalizuojamos pagrindinės lanksčios darbo organizavimo formos bei aptariama jų reikšmė šeimų stabilumui, darbuotojui bei darbdaviui . Lanksčios darbo organizavimo formos yra priemonių visuma, leidžianti darbuotojui pasirinkti tinkamiausią būdą atlikti profesines užduotis, suderinti darbinius bei asmeninius įsipareigojimus ir išlikti darbo rinkoje net kritiškiausiais šeimos gyvenimo ciklo momentais, tokiais kaip vaiko gimimas, neįgalių asmenų priežiūra namuose ir kt. Šių priemonių įgyvendinimas priklauso ne tik nuo valstybės valdžios sprendimų palankios šeimai politikos įgyvendinime, tačiau ir nuo pačių darbdavių požiūrio , jų turimos motyvacijos taikyti palankios šeimai politikos priemones. Darbe siekiama atskleisti darbdavių požiūrį į darbuotojų, auginančių vaikus, šeimos ir darbo sferų derinimą. Taip pat palyginti darbdavių nuomon su darbuotojų požiūriu į tas pačias problemas. Remiantis A.Maslauskaitės teorija (2004 m), jog rinkos ūkis kuria šeimai nedraugišką aplinką, o darbo rinkoje sėkm pasiekia tik tie individai, kurie nėra saistomi asmeninių įsipareigojimų, atliktas anketinis lyginamasis dviejų oponuojančių grupių nuomonių tyrimas. Autorės atlikto tyrimo rezultatai rodo, jog žymiai daugiau darbdavių, nei darbuotojų link manyti, kad darbuotojai turi pakankamai laiko asmeniniam gyvenimui, savo šeimoms, kad užimtumas darbe nebūtinai riboja individų tarpusavio santykius. / This thesis is a comprehensive analysis of work-family balance theory and the implications of its implementation. The thesis investigates major forms of flexible work organization as well as examines their impact for employer, employee and stability in the family of employee. Forms of flexible work organization aggregate to a set of measures which enable the employee to choose the most suitable way to perform entitled tasks, coordinate professional and personal obligations and remain in the labour market during critical periods of the family life cycle such as birth of a child, homecare of people with disabilities, etc. The successful implementation of these measures depends not only on the decisions of governmental institutions but also on the approach of employers and their motivation to implement flexible measures for favourable family policy conditions. The thesis is aimed to reveal employer‘s approach to employees who seek to combine family and work. Also, analyse and compare the opinions of employers and employees to the same problems. The research part consists of a comparative opinion survey between two opposing groups. It has been carried out on the basis of A. Maslauskaitė theory (2004) which suggests that existing rules of labour market create unfavourable conditions for family while successful career is available only for those who are not bounded by personal obligations. The results of the research indicate that there are many more employers than employees who... [to full text]

Magistro baigiamajame darbe išanalizuoti Lietuvos ir užsienio autorių lankstaus darbo laiko organizavimo teoriniai aspektai, siekiant atskleisti lankstaus darbo laiko organizavimo motyvacinę reikšmę organizacijų darbuotojams. Remiantis mokslinės literatūros analize, atlikta teorinėje dalyje, įvykdytas įvairių organizacijų darbuotojų požiūrio į lankstų darbo laiką motyvacijos aspektu tyrimas, kurio metu nustatyti motyvaciniai darbuotojų veiksniai bei lankstaus darbo laiko poveikis respondentų motyvacijai lyginant su kitų motyvacinių veiksnių poveikiu. Anketinės apklausos būdu surinkti empirinio tyrimo duomenys leido nustatyti, kad lankstus darbo laikas labiau motyvuoja tik atskirus darbuotojus, pagal individualius jų poreikius ir nėra svarbiausias darbuotojų motyvacinis veiksnys. / This master’s final paper analyzed the Lithuanian and foreign authors of flexible working time arrangements theoretical aspects, in order to reveal flexible working time arrangements motivational significance of workers organizations. Based on literature review, carried out the theoretical part, employees of various organizations committed approach to flexible working time of the motivation aspect of investigation, during which the motivating factors for workers and flexible working time on the motivation of the respondents in relation to other motivational factors. The questionnaires collected by means of the empirical survey data revealed that more flexible working hours only motivates individual employees, according to their individual needs and not the primary motivating factor for employees.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:39:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5205.pdf: 1937599 bytes, checksum: cb5568d8d7a5d02714461aa04eaa6b2b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-04-11 / This dissertation dealt with job in the multinacional fast fashion retail. The research analysed speeches of permanent workers, that make part of an organization of flexible working, logic skills and multifunctionality, in search of targets in the carrier plan. In this context, we realized the process of job insecurity and work intensification when workers assume the responsability of personal and professional targets set by the enterprise. We also observed the impacts on their physical and psychological health. As results, we noticed that the work intensifies and become complex with the increasing of demand in celebratory events. Moreover, there are an increase of responsability and accumulation of tasks that appears according to the carrier plan. The research was made in two C& A stores in Aracaju-Sergipe in 2011. It was conducted through interviews with the workers, observations during working time, raising of materials and public documentation about the enterprise. / Esta dissertação tratou sobre o trabalho numa multinacional fast fashion do comércio varejista, tendo como centro de análise os trabalhadores estáveis que estão inseridos numa organização do trabalho flexível, numa lógica de competências e multifuncionalidade, na busca de metas presentes no plano de carreira. Nesse contexto, constatamos processos de intensificação e precarização do trabalho ao investigarmos como os trabalhadores absorvem as responsabilidades das metas (profissionais e pessoais) colocadas pela empresa e seus impactos na saúde física e psíquica desses trabalhadores. O trabalho se intensifica e se complexifica com o aumento da demanda em eventos comemorativos , com acréscimo de responsabilidades frente às metas e o acúmulo de tarefas e responsabilidades que surgem com o plano de carreira. A pesquisa foi realizada em duas lojas da rede C&A de Aracaju - Sergipe, no ano de 2011, com a utilização de entrevistas com trabalhadores, observações do trabalho, levantamento de material e documentação pública sobre a empresa.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:52:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ElviaFT_DISSERT.pdf: 1717706 bytes, checksum: 50527d3fe910ed3ef6e674dc7f8f8968 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-12-09 / Information Age has been providing accelerated development of technologies in teaching, which is making the increase in distance courses and flexibility in the tutors everyday work. In this context, it was aimed to study the influence of flexible work in the development of activities and personal life of the tutors in Distance Education at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. More specifically, they have been sought to compare the types of flexibility detected, identifying the extent of the day's work in mentoring; investigating the relationship between flexible working time and productivity; evaluating the Quality of Working Life (QWL) and for Work and Family Relationship of the tutors. Thus, work is justified by the importance of academic and organizational achievement. To meet the goals, it was obtained a sample of 75 respondents (45.73% of the population). The data collection instrument was comprised of 48 variables mainly based by Walton (1975) and Paschoal, Tamayo and Barham (2002). The statistical techniques used were: analysis of frequency, ratio test, factor analysis and regression. The results collected have shown that the presence and distance tutors experience similar realities, but have different profiles; the day of their work is on average three hours daily; in view of the tutors, flexibility has a relation with the production, QWL work-family balance were evaluated in a satisfactory manner and the statistical techniques used have shown significant influence between the QWL and flexible working day. It is therefore concluded that flexibility at work can influence the development of activities and personal life of the tutors. Thus, the flexible working day may be used in a strategy way of routine in many organizations / A Era da Informa??o vem proporcionando o desenvolvimento acelerado das tecnologias na doc?ncia, o que est? viabilizando o aumento de cursos ? dist?ncia e a flexibilidade na jornada de trabalho dos tutores. Nesse contexto, objetivou-se estudar a influ?ncia do trabalho flex?vel no desenvolvimento das atividades e na vida pessoal dos tutores na Educa??o ? Dist?ncia da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Mais especificamente, buscou-se comparar os tipos de flexibilidade detectados; identificar a extens?o da jornada de trabalho na tutoria, investigar a rela??o entre o hor?rio flex?vel e a produtividade, avaliar a Qualidade de Vida no Trabalho (QVT) e a Rela??o Trabalho e Fam?lia dos tutores. Diante disso, o trabalho justifica-se pela relev?ncia dos resultados alcan?ados no meio acad?mico e organizacional. Para atender aos objetivos obteve-se uma amostra de 75 respondentes (45,73% da popula??o). O instrumento de coleta de dados foi composto por 48 vari?veis fundamentadas principalmente em Walton (1975) e Paschoal, Tamayo e Barham (2002). As t?cnicas estat?sticas utilizadas foram: an?lise de freq??ncia, teste de propor??o, an?lise fatorial e regress?o. Os resultados coletados demonstram que os tutores presenciais e a dist?ncia, vivenciam realidades semelhantes, por?m apresentam perfis distintos. A jornada de trabalho deles ? em m?dia tr?s horas di?ria. Na vis?o dos tutores, a flexibilidade apresenta rela??o positiva com a produ??o. A QVT e o equil?brio trabalhofam?lia foram avaliados de modo satisfat?rio e as t?cnicas estat?sticas aplicadas demonstraram influ?ncia significativa entre a QVT e as horas de trabalho flex?veis. Assim, conclui-se que a flexibilidade no trabalho pode influenciar o desenvolvimento das atividades e a vida pessoal dos tutores. Desse modo, a jornada flex?vel de trabalho pode ser utilizada de modo estrat?gico no cotidiano de muitas organiza??es