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This report, published in association with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, is the first to examine attitudes towards flexible working and family life in the UK. Drawing on a questionnaire study of over 1,500 members of the Amalgamated Electrical and Engineering Union (AEEU) and interviews with 53 AEEU shop stewards, the report: examines attitudes to, and uptake of, flexible working practices among employees who work full-time; compares the attitudes of women and men, those who do and do not have caring responsibilities and those of different occupational levels; considers the ways in which workplace culture and individual circumstances determine attitudes to flexible working; and explores the career implications of flexible working. The report addresses key questions around rights and benefits, employer's attitudes, gender differences and the effects of flexible working on employees' health and well-being. It also considers what types of workplace culture facilitate the use of flexible
List of contents
Introduction; Methods used in the research; What is flexible working?; Employment rights and benefits; Attitudes and intentions towards flexible working arrangements; Family, stress and conflict; The impact of workplace culture on flexible working, conflict and occupational outcomes; A model of orientation to work and personal life; Conclusions and implications for policy.
About the author
Dr Diane Houston runs the Work-Life Research Group at the University of Kent, where she is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology. She has also worked in an advisory capacity for the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Women and Equality Unit in the Department for Trade and Industry. Julie Waumsley was the research associate on the Attitudes to Work and Family Life research project. She is currently completing a PhD in work psychology and also training to become an Accredited Sports Psychologist.
Summary
This report is the first to examine attitudes towards flexible working and family life. Drawing on a study of over 1500 members of the AEEU and interviews with 53 shop stewards, the report addresses key questions around rights and benefits, employer's attitudes, gender differences and the effects of flexible working on health and well-being.
