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The impact of the recession on reduced hours and other flexible working initiatives : evidence from the UK
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Lyonette, Clare (2011) The impact of the recession on reduced hours and other flexible working initiatives : evidence from the UK. In: The 10th Conference of the European Sociological Association - Conference Theme: Social Relations in Turbulent Times, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, 7-10 Sep 2011
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Official URL: http://www.europeansociology.org/
Abstract
Throughout the global economic crisis, many employers have been vigorously pursuing strategies to retain staff for as long as possible, rather than making redundancies. This allows them to minimise recruitment costs at a later date and to best position themselves for the economic up-turn. Different forms of flexible working, including the increased provision of part-time work, have been enthusiastically adopted by many UK employer organisations, both large and small, and recent figures from the Labour Force Survey (October – December 2010) show that the number of people in part-time employment is now 6.9 million. However, there are still huge gender differences in the take-up of part-time work, with women making up 78 per cent of the part-time workforce. Against this background, the Government Equalities Office funded a research project which aimed, in part, to explore the provision of “quality” part-time work and other reduced-hours or flexible working measures throughout the recession. This qualitative study explored two key issues: (a) How are organisations responding to the recession and has there been any increase in the provision of part-time work or other reduced hours measures, as well as various forms of flexible working? (b) Will these measures have a lasting impact on working patterns on men and women within the organisation, or are these flexible working patterns still highly differentiated by gender? The study drew on 39 telephone interviews with human resources and diversity managers, part-time workers and line managers in 23 organisations from across the UK economy. The research indicates that many employers have taken steps to increase flexible working options, which include reducing hours and allowing or encouraging employees to work from home. Where reduced hours measures have been introduced, they varied in duration implementation and take-up. Those organisations with a recognised need for part-time employees were much more likely to embrace the increased provision of flexible working options and these were likely to continue beyond the recession, although these also tended to be in traditional “female” occupations. Even short-term experiences of introducing reduced-hours measures and other forms of flexible working may provide more scope for employees and HR teams to better argue the business case for flexible working in the future.
Item Type: | Conference Item (Paper) | ||||
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Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor | ||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Institute for Employment Research | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Labor market -- Women -- Great Britain, Part-time employment , Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009 | ||||
Official Date: | 2011 | ||||
Dates: |
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Status: | Not Peer Reviewed | ||||
Conference Paper Type: | Paper | ||||
Title of Event: | The 10th Conference of the European Sociological Association - Conference Theme: Social Relations in Turbulent Times | ||||
Type of Event: | Conference | ||||
Location of Event: | University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland | ||||
Date(s) of Event: | 7-10 Sep 2011 |
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