A new study for the Equality Authority by researchers from the Economic and Social Research Institute on flexible working during the recession found a ‘marked increase’ in flexible working in Ireland in 2009 compared with a study carried out in 2003. In 2009, 30% of employees worked flexible hours including flexitime, 25% worked part time, 12% regularly worked from home and 9% were job-sharing. The study also looked at flexible working arrangements by sector and by gender.
Introduction
The incidence and impact of flexible working arrangement and equality policies in Irish workplaces are examined in a report, Workplace equality in the recession? The incidence and impact of equality policies and flexible working (1.18Mb PDF), commissioned by the Equality Authority and released by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in November 2011. The study draws on data from the National Workplace Survey 2009 (2.14Mb PDF), collected after Ireland entered recession, and compares the situation in 2009 with the findings of a similar survey conducted in 2003.
Key findings
The researchers found that part-time work is the most common form of flexible working available in Irish workplaces, with 61% of employees reporting it was available in their organisation in 2009 – up from 53% in 2003 (Table 1). Flexitime was also found to be ‘widely available, with 47% of employees reporting its availability’ in 2009. More employees in 2009 were found to be ‘personally involved in flexitime (29%) than in part-time work (26%)’. Home working and job sharing were ‘much less common forms of flexible working arrangement among employees and in 2009 only 12% of employees are involved in home working and 9% in job sharing’ (Russell and McGinnity, 2011, p. 39).
Table 1: Extent of flexible working arrangements (%)
| | 2003 | 2009 |
| Used in workplace |
| Home working | 13.6 | 21.3 |
| Flexible hours/flexitime | 42.9 | 47.7 |
| Part-time work | 53.4 | 61.3 |
| Job-sharing | 29.5 | 31.5 |
| Personally involved |
| Home working | 8.0 | 12.4 |
| Flexible hours/flexitime | 22.8 | 29.2 |
| Part-time work | 20.0 | 25.8 |
| Job-sharing | 6.1 | 9.3 |
Notes: 2009 figures are for home working in normal working hours. In 2003 the question was simply about home working.
‘Don’t knows’ at organisational level have been excluded and ‘don’t knows’ on personal involvement are included with the ‘no’ category.
Source: Russell and McGinnity (2011, Table 4.1)
Flexible working by sector
According to the study, the rise in the incidence of flexible working arrangements between 2003 and 2009 was ‘particularly notable in the private sector’ (Russell and McGinnity, 2011, p. xii). More private sector employees (13%) worked from home in 2009 than public sector employees (9.7%). This is a change from 2003 when 7.8% of private sector workers worked from home compared with 9% of those in the public sector (Table 2). In 2009, 23% of private sector workers and 16% of public sector workers reported that home working was available in their workplace. These figures were 13% and 15% respectively in 2003. The incidence of flexitime increased markedly in the private sector between 2003 and 2009, while the incidence of part-time work was high in both sectors in both years (Table 2).
Table 2: Extent of flexible working arrangements, by sector (%)
| | 2003 | 2009 |
| Public | Private | Public | Private |
| Used in workplace |
| Home working | 15.0 | 13.3 | 15.8 | 22.8 |
| Flexible hours/flexitime | 47.7 | 41.8 | 48.3 | 47.2 |
| Part-time work | 61.3 | 51.5 | 66.8 | 59.8 |
| Job-sharing | 58.0 | 22.7 | 55.4 | 24.8 |
| Personally involved |
| Home working | 9.0 | 7.8 | 9.7 | 13.1 |
| Flexible hours/flexitime | 26.8 | 22.2 | 29.8 | 29.0 |
| Part-time work | 22.6 | 19.6 | 23.9 | 26.4 |
| Job-sharing | 12.8 | 4.6 | 13.4 | 8.2 |
Source: Russell and McGinnity (2011, Table 4.2)
Flexible working by gender
Home working was found to be the only flexible working arrangement more common among men than women in 2009 (Table 3). The study found that ‘Flexitime, either availability of or personal involvement in, is more common for women, as was the case in 2003’. It also found that ‘gender differences are much more marked in the case of part-time work, with 39% of women personally involved in part-time work, compared with 12% of men’, while job sharing continued to be ‘much more common among women’ in 2009 (Russell and McGinnity, 2011, p. 44).
Table 3: Flexible working arrangements, by gender (%)
| | 2003 | 2009 |
| Men | Women | Men | Women |
| Used in workplace |
| Home working | 16.0 | 10.9 | 24.0 | 18.7 |
| Flexible hours/ flexitime | 38.5 | 48.0 | 44.3 | 50.5 |
| Part-time work | 39.0 | 69.6 | 45.5 | 76.6 |
| Job-sharing | 21.7 | 38.4 | 26.0 | 36.9 |
| Personally involved |
| Home working | 10.3 | 5.3 | 14.2 | 10.6 |
| Flexible hours/flexitime | 20.2 | 25.9 | 26.5 | 31.8 |
| Part-time work | 8.8 | 32.8 | 12.2 | 38.9 |
| Job-sharing | 3.3 | 9.2 | 6.8 | 11.8 |
Source: Russell and McGinnity (2011, Table 4.5)
Commentary
The study examines the incidence of flexible working arrangements in terms of both their availability in organisations and employees’ personal participation in them. In both cases ‘a marked increase in the incidence of most flexible working arrangements between 2003 and 2009’ was found. In particular ‘the incidence of home working, flexible working and part-time work has risen markedly: the rise in the proportion of job sharing is more modest’ (Russell and McGinnity, 2011, p. 39).
The authors conclude that ‘in spite of the challenging environment facing Irish workplaces’ in the recession, ‘flexible working arrangements have not been significantly curtailed’. The authors state that this is ‘encouraging’. ‘Given their generally positive impact on employee well-being, this is likely to be good for employees and the organisations in which they work’ (Russell and McGinnity, 2011, p. 106).
References
O’Connell, P.J., Russell, H., Watson, D. and Byrne, D. (2010), The changing workplace: A survey of employees’ views and experiences (2.14Mb PDF), The National Workplace Surveys 2009, Volume 2 Employees, Research Series Number 7, National Centre for Partnership and Performance, Dublin.
Russell, H. and McGinnity, F. (2011), Workplace equality in the recession? The incidence and impact of equality policies and flexible working (1.18Mb PDF), The Equality Authority and ESRI, Dublin.
Roisin Farrelly, IRN Publishing