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Flexible Work: Designing Our Healthier Future Lives

Designing our healthier future lives: Bridging science and policy for flexible work: The pervasion of ‘cog in the wheel’ workplaces across time The health, psychological, and economic costs of work-related stress Bridging science and policy to design healthier future lives at work: A flexible working future Book structure I — Introduction II — The impact of flexible working on health and productivity III — What makes flexible working work?IV— Flexible working for particular groups of workers References A flexible working future — the opportunities and challenges Our working lives and the future of work The case for more flexible working Patterns of work and the standard working week Definitions of flexible working Legislation and policy Use of different forms of flexible working The structural nature of employment and flexible working The variety of ways of working flexibly Barriers to flexible working Mindsets and cultures Perception and reality of disadvantage Involuntary flexible working and underemployment Hours versus wage rate Social attitudes and norms Issues of remote working Flexible working office environments The business case for flexible working Attraction of talent Improved engagement, job satisfaction and loyalty Reduced absenteeism and improved wellbeing Employee retention and progression Productivity Improving workforce gender diversity Engaging and retaining older workers Agility and responsiveness to market change Recommendations and conclusion References II The impact of flexible working on health and productivity Employees’ psychological health and the impact of flexible working arrangements Introduction Psychological health Why should organisations be interested in workers’ psychological health?Flexible working arrangements FWAs and their effects on workers’ health and wellbeing Employee engagement, productivity and flexible work arrangements Gender/generational differences and their FWA needs Future Research in FWAs Conclusions Recommendations References Workplace flexibility increases productivity throughout presenteeism: A conceptual framework Introduction Presenteeism and productivity Presenteeism climate Presenteeism and flexibility A new presenteeism framework HiFlexHiPro HiFlexRedPro LoFlexRedPro LoFlexHiPro Recommendations Note References Flexible working and quality of life: Compatible?Introduction Benefits and issues for individuals How are organisations using flexibility?Conclusion Recommendations Note References III What makes flexible working work?Leadership in flexible work systems Leaders facilitating flexible work systems for followers The benefits Employee mental health Employee’s individual workplace attitudes Organizational and employee performance The challenges Active encouragement Fairness Relinquishing control and trusting employees Communication and feedback Leaders experiencing flexible work systems for themselves Benefits Leadership behaviors Leader diversity Role modeling The challenges Managing boundaries Understanding role differences Changing how leaders think about their role Conclusion Recommendations Note References Line managers and flexible working Line managers influence who takes up flexible working Line managers influence flexible working through the negotiation of i-deals Line managers influence the ongoing effectiveness of flexible working Recommendations References The balanced communications diet for business: Principles for working smarter, not harder in a connected world The problem of workus interruptus When are we most productive?Brain juggling How do we prefer to communicate at work?Introducing the balanced communications diet for business Location Rules Awareness Education Balance Recommendations Acknowledgements References The impact of the commute on our mental health and physical health within the context of flexible and non-flexible working Introduction Work in the context of commuting The impact of commuting on mental health The impact of commuting on physical health conclusion Recommendations Acknowledgement References Flexible working and skill-biased inequality: Causes and consequences Introduction The flexibility gap: the employer perspective The different meanings of flexible working and the employee experience The implementation gap Work intensification Perceptions of organizational unfairness Recommendations References Control over working time — a twenty-first-century issue The history of workers’ struggles over working time Contemporary issues in working time Conclusion: a workers’ agenda for working time Recommendations References IV Flexible working for particular groups of workers Supporting employees with invisible disabilities via flexible work Introduction Understanding the challenges for workers with invisible disabilities Invisible disabilities and legislation Barriers to accommodation at work Flexible work arrangements Flexible work arrangements to support employees with invisible disabilities Conclusion References Workers with disabilities: The role of flexible employment schemes Introduction The role of flexible employment in job satisfaction The role of flexible employment in absenteeism, employee loyalty and performance at work Conclusions Recommendations Notes References Lone parents and blended families: Advocating flexible working to support families in transition Introduction Family transitions and complex family arrangements Lone parents in the workplace Blended families in the workplace Gender and the state of flexible working arrangements Families in transition and flexible working The ‘dark side’ of flexible working Lone fathers and flexible working Conclusion and future research directions Recommendations References Employee FWA needs and employer provisions across diverse age groups Introduction Employer flexible workplace practices and FWA provision Types of flexible work arrangements requested by employees Employee age and life cycle theories Employment profiles and FWA needs and access among the age groups Summary and conclusions Recommendations References Flexible working for older workers Introduction Flexible working practices Formal flexible working arrangements for older workers Temporal flexibility Removal of shift work/overtime Extra holiday Elder care leave Phased retirement Adjustments to accommodate health needs Work-role flexibility Adjustment of role Bridge employment Improving comfort/efficiency in the work environment Spatial flexibility Personalised approaches to flexibility Informal approaches to flexibility Offer of flexible working for older workers Uptake of flexible working by older workers Line manager attitudes Structural and cultural resistance Recommendations References

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Designing our healthier future lives: Bridging science and policy for flexible work: The pervasion of ‘cog in the wheel’ workplaces across time