Women Working in Nonstandard Forms of Employment: Meeting Employee Interests

Abstract

Purpose: The main aim of this article was to present characteristics of the employment of women working in nonstandard forms of employment in Poland considering employee interests. Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on the narrative literature review, hypotheses and research questions were formulated and the meaning of key categories was clarified. Data for the analysis were derived from quantitative research conducted using the CAWI technique. The survey was conducted on a representative sample of 1,000 working Poles. The analysis of the results was performed using the methods of descriptive statistics and statistical tests to check the correlations between variables. Findings: The research results did not confirm the beneficial effect of nonstandard forms of employment on the labor activation of women. Women do not work in these forms more often than men, but they are more frequently employed involuntarily. The possibility to choose the form of employment is linked to a better meeting of the interests of working women. In the standard forms, women's interests that are satisfied include employment stability, protection and access to social benefits, health services at the employer's expense, good occupational safety and health, training at the employer's expense and assistance during redundancy. In nonstandard forms, these mainly include a good atmosphere and the possibility to influence working time organization. Practical Implications: The results of the research can be used in making the decisions of political character, concerning the applicability and share of particular forms of employment in the labor market. From the perspective of usefulness to employers, important results were obtained concerning the possibilities of choosing the form of employment and meeting specific interests of women. Originality/value: Previous research results have been relatively often based on secondary data from labor markets. A survey questionnaire was used in this project. Original and representative research results were obtained on women's work in nonstandard forms of employment in Poland, taking into account the criteria of voluntariness, type of forms and meeting of employees' interests.