Flexible working practices

Flexible working can be hard to define and can take many forms. For example, the CIPD (2019a) recently argued that it is simply anything that is not a standard 9 am to5 pm, Monday to Friday working pattern. One common

Flexible working for older workers 231 practice is part-time working, for which there is no standard definition but which usually comprises less than 30 working hours per week (Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2018). Other practices include: compressed working weeks, e.g. 37 hours across 4 days; or other forms of time compression, e.g. 9-day fortnights; term-time-only, where no work is scheduled in school holidays; job share, where 2 workers split a job role; and flexitime and annual hours, neither of which involve reduced working hours, but rather their flexible scheduling. These types of flexibility address hours of work; other types of flexibility address place of work, for example the ability to work remotely and/or from home. For more a detailed explanation of flexible working practices, see Torrington et al. (2020).

While other types of flexibility exist, they are not a focus of discussion in this chapter. Here we focus on flexibility that benefits workers and not that which is predominantly for employer benefit. Flexibility should be a contract of choice (Atkinson & Sandiford, 2016) and the negotiated work arrangements should be of mutual benefit (Smeaton & Parry, 2018). Good quality flexible work is important and we do not include practices such as zero-hours working, where no guaranteed hours of work are offered, as these often serve to undermine job quality (Taylor, 2017). It is nevertheless important to note that the over-65s form one of the largest groups on zero-hour contracts (CIPD, 2019a) and that these workers are often susceptible to job intensification, at the very time of their lives when they may wish to reduce the pressures upon them (Perera et al., 2015). Poor work-life balance can also reduce job quality (CIPD, 2019c) and so flexible working/good quality jobs go hand in hand. Recognition is emerging that the flexibility needs of older workers can be different to those of other workforce groups (CIPD, 2019a) and we discuss this in more detail in the next section. Here, we simply note that the over-50s indicate that the offer of flexible work would both encourage them to delay retirement and support those aged 50—64 who are out of the labour market, and who often struggle to re-enter it, to return (Thomson, 2018). Flexible working is thus important for the older workers themselves, organisations and wider society.

Formal flexible working arrangements for older workers

Definitions of flexible working arrangements usually comprise temporal flexibility, variations in time worked and spatial flexibility (variations in where the work is undertaken) (see e.g. Maxwell et al., 2007). Discussion of flexibility typically focuses on formal FWAs, that is, an offer is arrived at via use of organisational policy and leads to permanent rearrangement of working patterns. Formal FWAs are the focus of this section, although we note the increasing importance of personalised FWAs (arrived at by mutual agreement rather than policy) and informal FWAs (ad hoc or temporary arrangements) and consider these later. As noted above, FWAs are currently mainlydesigned to meet the needs of working parents rather than other groups such as older workers. There is much discussion, given demographic change, of the four generation (4G) workforce that includes workers aged from 18 to 80 plus and how to manage their diverse needs (Thomson, 2018). The notion that the needs and preferences of entire cohorts can be easily categorised is open to challenge (e.g. Smeaton & Parry, 2018) and we broadly agree that 4G is overly simplistic. That said, the flexible working needs of older workers can be very different to those of working parents (or of other groups, e.g. younger workers) (CIPD, 2019a). Here we consider FWAs that might particularly suit older workers, although that is not to say that they could not also benefit other workforce groups.

Buyens et al. (2009) carried out one of the most detailed studies of older workers and how their late career might be managed. They proposed several groups of practices (not all FWAs) that might support their retention in the workplace. We have grouped these as follows:

• • Adjustment in obligations related to contractual time: removal of shift work or overtime; taking extra holidays.
• • Adjustment of role: more/less demanding responsibilities; release from specific tasks; adjustments designed to improve efficiency and comfort in the working environment.
• • Adjustment in working hours: more flexible patterns; reduced hours.
• • Focus on development: extra training; career management support (neither discussed in this chapter).
• • Financial arrangements: partial drawing of pension; retention bonus for remaining past a particular date (only the former is discussed in the chapter as it supports flexible working).
• • Bridge employment: transfer to a different (often less demanding role) within the organisation; transfer to (a different often less demanding role in) another organisation.

What is immediately obvious is that Buyen et al.’s (2009) list, although including FWA arrangements that are temporal or spatial, goes beyond this to present different forms of flexibility. Of particular interest are adjustments of role and bridge employment, neither of which are typically present in current discussions of FWAs. Our own work supports their inclusion, with one of our projects, which explored the FWA needs of older workers, clearly highlighting their importance (Atkinson & Sandiford, 2016).

In Table 16.1, we present currently well-recognised FWAs relating to temporal and spatial adjustments. While these typical FWAs might suit older workers, we also indicate how they could be varied to better address their needs as many are usually designed to meet the (often different) needs of working parents. We also include adjustments of role and bridge employment and outline how these might be offered. We then discuss these FWAs in more detail in the rest of this section.

Table 16.1 FWAs for older workers