21

Impact of Flexible Working

Hours on employee
performance spectively. The literature lacks the evidence of flexible
working hours impacting on work-life balance; however,
ABSTRACT two concepts are frequently used together in the studies.
The paper proceeds with a brief discussion on a chosen
Nowadays, flexible working hours are becoming topic. And finally, conclusion is provided to summarize
important to the workplaces. A lot of organizations the ideas of the paper.
offer flexible working hours to employees due to the
benefits that flexibility gives to both employee and 2. Flexible Working Hours
employer. Greater employee productivity and
higher organization profitability are the most Work flexibility implies not only variation in time and
common benefits. Also, flexible work- ing hours place of the job, but also sharing of the job, career breaks
promote and facilitate work-life balance. Reduced (maternity/paternity leaves), part-time and term-time
stress and increased employee wellbeing are out- working [5]. In the other study on flexible work arrange-
comes of the work-life balance. In this paper, the ment (FWA), researchers discussed three broad catego-
relationship between flexible working hours and ries of FWA-flexi-time (flexibility in scheduling), tele-
work-life bal- ance is investigated. homeworking (flexibility in location), and part-time (fle-
xibility in length of the work) [6]. While each of the ar-
1. Introduction rangement could be used individually, they are frequen-
tly combined to compliment each other [7]. It should be
Flexible working hours have recently gained a lot of at- noted that work flexibility offers convenience in planning,
tention from organizations and scholars as family- not reducing the working time. Thus, flexibility in work
friendly policy. Nowadays, organizations are trying to might be summarized as the ability of employee to con-
incorporate a culture of trust by offering employees trol his/her working time duration as well as location of
flexibility in the workplace [1]. In addition, some work (remotely from office), this ability in scheduling
researchers argue that flexible working practices
facilitate work-life balance, and with shifting family
patterns such practices are be- neficial for both women
and men [2-4]. In this paper, relationship between
flexible working hours and work- life balance is
examined. This paper investigates whether flexible
working hours support and enhance work-life balance or
conversely create difficulties in balancing between work
and life roles.
Firstly, some previous findings on flexible working
hours are examined. With the use of existing evidence,
flexible working hours are considered from employee
and employer sides in order to show that flexibility in the
workplace beneficial is not only for employee, but for
employer as well. Secondly, existing literature on work-
life balance is scanned. Stress and employee wellbeing
are discussed as they are two key outcomes of work-life
balance, one is negative and the other one is positive re-

OPEN ACCESS AJIBM

American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 2014, 4, 20-23

work suppose to be offered by employer [8]. an effect of conflict between work and life responsibili-
ties [19]. In their study on the support for the work-life
2.1. Benefits for Employers balance, researchers found that emotional and instrumen-
Employers have introduced flexible working packages tal support for employee during the work has a positive
(part of work-life policy) in order to attract, recruit, and relationship with the work-life balance satisfaction [20].
retain highly qualified staff to their organizations [9]. The positive relationship has been found between work-
With the ability to schedule the work himself/herself, life balance and work performance [21]. Thus, successful
employee feels that employer cares about wellbeing and accomplishment of life responsibilities (family and pa-
non-working life of employee [10]. That leads to in- rental roles) results in better work performance. While
creased satisfaction with the job and employer, resulting finding a balance in life and work responsibilities in-
in higher work commitment [11]. According to some crease general life satisfaction [22].
other previous findings, flexible working result in em-
ployee loyalty and engagement, increased organizational 3.1. Stress and Work-Life Balance
commitment, and higher job satisfaction, also flexible Each person defines stress in a different way. For some
working packages help to recruit and retain talented em- stress occurs from working overtime, from pressure to
ployees for the organization [12]. Furthermore, increased meet deadlines, or from fear of failure. In general, stress
productivity, reduced employee turnover and absentee- occurs when person has no control over when, where,
ism have been identified as advantages of flexible work- and how he/she does the work [23]. High level of stress
ing for the employers [13]. Thus, flexible working prac- might result in mental and physical health problems, such
tices are beneficial for employers, hence flexibility was as headaches, depression, heart attack, and cancer; stress
embedded to the work in order to give employees an op- is also an antecedent of unhappy and disharmonious rela-
tion to choose at what time, how much time, and from tionships that cause work-life conflict [24]. The evidence
which place to work. suggests that those employees who have work-life bal-
ance difficulties experience higher stress then those who
2.2. Benefits for Employees
found balance between work and life responsibilities
Despite apparent advantages of flexible working prac- [25].
tices (employee personal control over work scheduling),
some employees, mostly men, think that such practices 3.2. Wellbeing and Work-Life Balance
result in lower income and higher employment insecurity
The definition of wellbeing is associated with health and
[14]. According to the same findings, men see flexible
wellness [26]. It is employer’s responsibility to create
working practices as a way to develop their organiza-
working environment (workplace wellness culture) that
tional commitment, while women associate flexibility
promote employee wellbeing [27]. Furthermore, authors
with the work-life balance improvement. The evidence
suggest that physiological wellbeing leads to mental
suggests that flexible working practices fit women more
wellbeing, and both are helping to achieve work-life
then men and are more likely to be employed by women
balance. The other previous findings suggest that em-
due to the ideology beliefs of motherhood [15]. The
ployee wellbeing directly influence productivity and per-
findings from previous research also assert that women
formance; as well as organizational commitment, job
request and access the flexible working hours more fre-
satisfaction, and work-life balance are outcomes of em-
quently then men [16]. However, due to the changing
ployee wellbeing [28-30].
family patterns and gender norms, as well as rise of
women workforce, flexible employment is slowly started
utilizing by men these days [17]. Flexible working prac- 4. Flexible Working Hours and Work-Life
tices help to fulfil work-life responsibilities and might Balance
result in work-life balance. The literature suggests that Flexible working hours have been introduced as a benefit
there is a positive relationship between flexible working for parent/caring employees in order to help them fulfil-
practices and health issues-employees’ better mental ling work and life responsibilities and achieving work-
health and stress reduction [18]. life balance [31]. In the recent work-life balance survey,
researchers found that employees believe that flexible
3. Work-Life Balance working practices improve workplace morale, which
might positively influence work-life balance; in addition
Work-life balance concept recently gained attention due
employees believe that employer is able to help them
to its relevance and importance to all employees, despite
balance their work and life roles [32]. As an example,
of their relationship status, family size, and number of
flexible working hours is one of the best activities to in-
children. Some researchers believe that lack of balance is
crease employee wellbeing, as it helps employee to deal

OPEN ACCESS AJIBM

 Impact of Flexible Working Hours on Work-Life Balance 23

with responsibilities outside the work [33]. the workplace gives employees time to perform outside
of the work roles and it helps balance employees’ work
5. Discussion and life.
Flexible working practices are beneficial for both em- Trust between employer and employee is an important
ployee and employer. Hence, in the first place flexibility issue when it comes to flexible working hours. If not
was introduced to the workplace in order to help em- monitored by manager, flexible working hours might
ployees with kids or employees who care after siblings to create some difficulties in the workplace. Further study
manage their time between work and life. As flexibility on flexible working hours need to be taken to understand
gives employee the ability to control when, where, and the drawbacks of such practices. Only after investigating
how much time do they work, flexibility definitely con- flexible working practices from both positive and nega-
tributes to improvement in allocation of work and life tive sides, organizations might consider applying flexi-
responsibilities. Thus, employee might end up fulfilling bility to the workplace.
his/her working as well as well non-working roles easily.
Finally, successful achievement of inside the work and REFERENCES
outside the work responsibilities leads to finding work-
life balance, which increase overall life satisfaction. To [1] Expert Group Meeting, “Work-Life Policy, Practice and
summarize, it might be said that use of flexible working Potential,” Presentation to the Management Committee
Office of the Focal Women in the United Nations, Office
practices positively influence on work-life balance and of the Focal Point for Women, United Nations, 2010.
overall life satisfaction of the employee.
[2] P. Thomson, “The Business Benefits of Flexible Work-
Looking from employer point of view, flexibility in ing,” Strategic HR Review, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2008, pp. 17-22.
the workplace also brought some important benefits. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14754390810853129
Higher satisfaction with the work and employer, better [3] E. Pruyne, M. Powell and J. Parsons, “Developing a
employee performance, greater organizational commit- Strategy for Employee Wellbeing: A Framework for
ment, and lower employee turnover and absenteeism are Planning and Action,” Ashridge Business School, Nuf-
all outcomes of flexible working practices that at the end field Health, 2012.
lead to increasing company’s productivity and profitabil- [4] D. Hofacker and S. Konig, “Flexibility and Work-Life
ity. Conflict in Times of Crisis: A Gender Perspective,” In-
The stress on the work impacts on employee’s per- ternational Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol.
33, No. 9-10, 2013, pp. 613-635.
sonal outside the work life, which creates difficulties in
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-04-2013-0042
finding work-life balance. Stress causes some serious
[5] D. Torrington, S. Taylor, L. Hall and C. Atkinson, “Hu-
mental and physical problems that negatively influence
man Resource Management,” Financial Times Prentice
on employee’s productivity and wellbeing. Thus, it might Hall, New Jersey, 2011.
be said that on the work stress decreases employee’s [6] D. Possenried and J. Plantenga, “Access to Flexible Work
work-life balance, while wellbeing contributes to higher Arrangements, Working-Time Fit and Job Satisfaction,”
level of work-life balance. It is the responsibility of em- Tjalling C. Koopmans Research Institute, Utrecht, 2011.
ployer to create the wellness workplace (stress-free and [7] H. Chung, “Flexibility for Whom? Working Time Flex-
trust-based environment) for employees in order to in- ibility Practices of European Companies,” Tilburg Uni-
crease their productivity. versity, Tilburg, 2009.
Previously, flexible working hours have been highly [8] C. Atkinson and L. Hall, “Flexible working and hapiness
requested and used by women due to their family roles. in the NHS,” Employee Relations, Vol. 33, No. 2, 2011,
However, flexible working hours are offered to men as pp. 88-105.
well. Nowadays, both women and men due to the new [9] R. Croucher and C. Kelliher, “The Right to Requiest
family patterns use flexible working practices, where Flexible Working in Britain: The Law and Organizational
Realities,” European Journal of Comparative Law and
both parents have equal family roles and dual family in- Industrial Relations, Vol. 21, No. 3, 2005, pp. 503-529.
come. Thus, it is important for both of them to success-
[10] W. J. Casper and C. M. Harris, “Work Life Benefits and
fully fulfil work and life responsibilities and achieve Organizational Attachment: Self-Interest Utility and Sig-
work-life balance. naling Theory Models,” Journal of Vacational Behavior,
Vol. 72, No. 1, 2008, pp. 95-109.
6. Conclusions http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2007.10.015
[11] C. Kelliher and D. Anderson, “Doing More with Less?
This paper examined flexible working hours from its
Flexible Working Practices and Intesification of Work,”
positive point of view. The investigation showed that in- Human Relations, Vol. 63, No. 1, 2010, pp. 83-106.
troduction of flexible working hours brought some bene- http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726709349199
fits for both employee and employer. Also, flexibility in [12] D. Anderson and C. Kelliher, “Flexible Working and

OPEN ACCESS AJIBM

View publication stats

22 Impact of Flexible Working Hours on Work-Life Balance

Engagement: The Importance of Choice,” Strategic HR

[22] M. Pina e Cunha and A. Rego, “Do the Opportunities fo
Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2009, pp. 13-18.
Learning and Personal Development Lead to Happiness?
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14754390910937530
It depends on Work-Family Conciliation,” Journal of
[13] Anon, “Flexible Working as Human Resource Strategy: Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 3, 2009,
Benefits to the Organization and its Personnel,” Strategic pp. 334-348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0014248
Direction, Vol. 24, No. 8, 2008, pp. 9-11.
[23] K. Lockett, “Work/Life Balance for Dummies,” John
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02580540810884584
Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2012.
[14] D. Hofacker and S. Konig, “Flexibility and Work-Life
[24] T. Looker, “Manage Your Stress for a Happier Life,”
Conflict in Times of Crisis: A Gender Perspective,”
Copyright Licensing Agency Limited, London, 2011.
In- ternational Journal of Sociology and Social Policy,
Vol. 33, No. 9-10, 2013, pp. 613-635. [25] G. Lowe, “Under Pressure: Implication of Work-Life
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-04-2013-0042 Balance and Job Stress,” Wilson Banwell PROACT Hu-
man Solutions, Kingston, 2006.
[15] S. Lewis and A. L. Humbert, “Work-Life Balance, Flexi-
ble Working Policies and the Gendered Organization,” [26] E. Pruyne, M. Powell and J. Parsons, “Developing a
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Jour- Strategy for Employee Wellbeing: A Framework for
nal, Vol. 29, No. 3, 2010, pp. 239-254. Planning and Action,” Ashridge Business School, Nuf-
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02610151011028840 field Health, 2012.
[16] N. Skinner and B. Pocock, “Flexibility and Work-lIfe [27] E. E. Kossek, T. Kalliath and P. Kalliath, “Achieving
Interference,” Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 53, Employee Wellbeing in a Changing Work Environment,”
No. 1, 2011, pp. 65-82. International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 33, No. 7, 2012,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022185610390297 pp. 738-753.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01437721211268294
[17] D. Hofacker and S. Konig, “Flexibility and Work-Life
Conflict in Times of Crisis: A Gender Perspective,” [28] R. N. Baptiste, “Tightening the Link between Employee
In- ternational Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Wellbeing at Work and Performance,” Management De-
Vol. 33, No. 9-10, 2013, pp. 613-635. sicion, Vol. 46, No. 2, 2008, pp. 284-308.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-04-2013-0042 [29] K. A. Jain, I. S. Giga and L. C. Cooper, “Employee
[18] M. Shapiro, C. Ingols, R. O’Neill and S. Blake-Beard, Wellbeing, Control and Organizational Commitment,”
“Making Sense of Women as Career Self-Agents: Impli- Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol.
cations for Human Resource Development,” Human Re- 30, No. 3, 2009, pp. 256-273.
source Development Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 4, 2009, pp. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01437730910949535
477-501. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.20030 [30] E. E. Kossek, T. Kalliath and P. Kalliath, “Achieving
[19] H. Lingard and V. Francis, “Managing Work-Life Bal- Employee Wellbeing in a Changing Work Environment,”
ance in Construction,” Spon Press, New York, 2009. International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 33, No. 7, 2012,
pp. 738-753.
[20] A.-K. Abendroth and L. den Dulk, “Support for the
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01437721211268294
Work-Life Balance in Europe: The Impact of State,
Workplace, and Family Support on Work-Life Balance [31] P. Thomson, “The Business Benefits of Flexible Work-
Satisfaction,” Work, Employment, and Society, Vol. 25, ing,” Strategic HR Review, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2008, pp. 17-22.
No. 2, 2011, pp. 234-256. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14754390810853129
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0950017011398892 [32] S. Tipping, J. Chanfreau, J. Perry and C. Tait, “The
[21] S. K. Lyness and K. M. Judiesch, “Can a Manager have a Fourth Work-Life Balance Employee Survey,”
Life and a Career? International and Multisource Perspec- Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS),
tive on Work-Life Balance and Career Advancement Po- London, 2012.
tential,” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 93, No. 4, [33] E. Pruyne, M. Powell and J. Parsons, “Developing a
2008, pp. 789-805. Strategy for Employee Wellbeing: A Framework for
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.4.789 Planning and Action,” Ashridge Business School, Nuf-
field Health, 2012.

OPEN ACCESS AJIBM