Use Of Part-time Work Research Articles

Part-time work and sickness absence – an organization-level analysis

BackgroundAbsenteeism is consistently higher in public than in private organizations, as is the use of part-time employment. The aim of this study is to identify whether there is a relationship between part-time work and sickness absence at the organizational level.MethodsThe data is a six-year panel for the full population of Norwegian municipalities (N = 422), linking objective register data on both part-time employment and sickness absence. Using OLS regression with fixed effects for municipality and time, we estimate the statistical effects of the municipalities’ use of part-time work on sickness absence.ResultsThe bivariate correlation between percentage position at the municipal level and percentage sickness absence is positive and significant (Pearson’s r = .25, sig LE 0.01). When controlling for fixed effects for municipality and time, as well as municipality economy, municipality size, ratio of female employees in the municipality and characteristics of the general population, the multivariate regression coefficient is still positive but insignificant (coefficient = 1.56, robust standard error = 1.31).ConclusionsThe main findings are that the organizations’ use of part-time work is unrelated to sickness absence indicating that organizations with extensive use of part-time work do not experience higher levels of absenteeism than those having less extensive use of part-time employees.

Are the ideal worker and ideal parent norms about to change? The acceptance of part-time and parental leave at German workplaces

ABSTRACTThis study examines the extent to which the use of part-time work and parental leave is accepted at German workplaces. Is there evidence for a weakening of ideal worker and ideal parent norms? Interviews were conducted with 95 employees in different status positions in hospitals, police stations and industrial companies. The results indicate that even though ideal worker norms and ideal parent norms still prevail, especially in higher-status positions and typical male professions, they have shifted partially for some employees. Partial change can be observed for mothers in high-status positions (part-time) and for men up to mid-level positions (parental leave). There is greater acceptance of fathers’ parental leave, mainly due to the reform of the German parental leave legislation. Part-time for women in upper-level positions has become more accepted due to work-life balance policies at the company level. Norm changes, however, have stalled at the halfway mark. Fathers are still expected to prioritize their career and to schedule parental leave according to their organization’s business needs. Part-time working mothers in high-status positions are expected to deliver performance similar to that of full-time workers. Moreover, norm changes are hindered by economic constraints, mainly staff shortages.

What Are the Benefits of Having More Female Leaders? Evidence from the Use of Part-Time Work in Italy

Using three waves of a representative survey of Italian private firms, the authors explore the impact of female managers on a firm’s use of part-time work. Building on a literature that suggests female leaders display relatively more altruistic values compared to their male counterparts, the authors assess whether these differences manifest themselves in relation to working time arrangements offered by firms. Results, robust to controls for several time-varying firm-level characteristics and unobserved fixed firm heterogeneity, indicate that female managers are significantly more likely to limit the employment of involuntary part-time workers and correspondingly make greater use of full-time employees. Female managers also are more prone to grant part-time arrangements to employees who request them. Results also suggest that increasing the number of female business leaders may mitigate the problem of underemployment among involuntary part-time workers and contribute to the work–life balance of workers with child care or elder care activities.

The impact of part-time work on firm productivity: evidence from Italy

In this article, we explore the impact of part-time work on firm productivity. Using a large panel data set of Italian corporations for the period 2000–2010, we first estimate firms’ yearly productivity by removing the output contribution of the labor and capital inputs aggregates. We use different approaches aimed at solving input simultaneity, including a version of Ackerberg et al.’s (2015), control function approach, that also accounts for firm fixed effects. We then match the productivity estimates with rich information on the firms’ use of part-time work obtained from survey data for the years 2005, 2007, and 2010 and estimate the impact of part-time work on productivity. We find that a 10% increase in the share of part-timers reduces productivity by 1.45%. The results suggest that this harmful effect stems from horizontal rather than vertical part-time arrangements. We also find that firms declaring to use part-time work to accommodate workers’ requests suffer the most. Moreover, we show that the so-called “flexible” and “elastic” clauses are successful in cushioning the negative impact associated with part-time work.

Which are the Benefits of Having More Female Leaders? Evidence from the Use of Part-Time Work in Italy

Using three waves of a uniquely rich survey on Italian private firms, we explore the impact of female managers on the use of part-time work. Building on a literature arguing that female leaders are more sensitive to their employees' needs and more self-transcendent than their male counterparts, we assess whether such attitudes manifest themselves also in relation to working time arrangements. Results indicate that female managers are indeed more responsive to their employees' needs: they heavily limit the employment of involuntary part-time work, correspondingly increasing full-time employment, and concede more part-time arrangements to employees asking for them. All in all, our results show that there are some hitherto unexplored benefits from increasing the number of female leaders: on the one hand, they strongly contain the widespread phenomenon of involuntary part-time employment and, on the other hand, they enhance the work-life balance of workers engaged in child care or elderly care activities.

Part time work, productivity and institutional policies

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a multilevel framework for examining the links between part time work, productivity and institutional context. The authors emphasize the importance of integrating different theoretical perspectives to enrich the understanding of nonstandard work arrangements such as part time and organizational effectiveness such as productivity.Design/methodology/approach– The authors used data from 2,839 businesses in 21 OECD countries. At the firm level, primary data were collected from the 2008 to 2010 survey of the Cranet research network. At the national level, the authors used information from OECD and Boteroet al.(2004). The authors analysed the data using hierarchical linear modelling.Findings– Firm use of part time work relates negatively to employment legislation but positively to gender empowerment. The relationship between part time work and productivity at firm level is moderated by employment legislation.Research limitations/implications– This study provides a basis for research in nonstandard work, firm outcomes and institutional policies to further advance.Practical implications– Results indicate how managers should consider the relevant institutional context when deciding whether to promote the use of part time work. Results also show that policy-makers should be careful since employment policies may have adverse effects on use of part time in specific contexts.Originality/value– The authors make theoretical and empirical contributions to the study of nonstandard arrangements by introducing a framework that better captures the complex interrelations between use of part time work, productivity and institutional context. Theoretically, the authors combine the resource based view with institutional theory into a multilevel framework that challenges the conventional model of the flexible firm.

"Part Time Work, Productivity and Institutional Policies"

This paper proposes and empirically tests a multilevel framework for examining the links between part time work, firm productivity and the institutional context. This framework combines the Resource Based View (RBV) with Institutional Theory to explain firm use and outcomes of a nonstandard working arrangement, therefore challenging conventional management perspectives concerning organizational boundaries and flexibility. We propose that national level institutional factors create direct pressures towards increased use of part time in firms and indirectly affect the relationship between part time work and firm productivity. We used data from 2839 businesses in 21 OECD, which we analysed using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM). Results indicate that firm use of part time work relates negatively to employment legislation but positively to gender empowerment. Further, the relationship between part time work and productivity at firm level is moderated by employment legislation: where employment legislation ...

The Impact of Part-Time Work on Firm Total Factor Productivity: Evidence from Italy

In this paper, we explore the impact of part-time work on firm productivity. Using a large panel data set of Italian corporations’ balance sheets for the period 2000-2010, we first estimate the total factor productivity (TFP) of each firm for each year. We use different approaches aimed at solving input simultaneity, including a version of Ackerberg et al.’s (2006) control function approach, which accounts for firm fixed effects. We then match the TFP estimates with rich information on the firms’ use of part-time work obtained from survey data and estimate the impact of part-time work on TFP at the firm level. We find that an increase of 1 standard deviation in the part-time share reduces TFP by 2.03%. The results suggest that this harmful effect stems from horizontal rather than vertical part-time arrangements. We also find that firms declaring that they use part-time work to accommodate workers’ requests suffer the most. Moreover, we show that the so-called ‘flexible’ and ‘elastic’ clauses are successful in reducing the negative impact associated with part-time work.

Factors that Determine the Use of Flexible Work Arrangement Practices in Spain

Despite the great significance attributed in recent years to flexible work arrangement practices the factors that determine their use are not clear. Drawing on data from a representative sample of workers in Spain, this article shed light on how personal, work, and firm characteristics explain the use of flexible work arrangement practices. Despite general similarity in terms of flexible work arrangement practices strategy, employee characteristics provide the most comprehensive account of the use of part-time work. People with more family responsibilities are those that use more this practice. However, work characteristics enable the most complete profile-description of workers using flexible work arrangement practices. Work characteristics, such as position or high-performance work practices, determine the use of timetable flexibility, timetable set by self, work from home and days off.

The role of part-time employment among young people with a non-university education in Spain

For some people, a part-time job is merely an intermediate state that serves as a stepping stone to further employment and makes labour market integration easier. Yet, part-time work also appears in highly unstable careers. The present research aims to determine the role of part-time employment for young people with non-university studies. Using the Survey on Transition from Education/Training and Labour Market Integration (ETEFIL-2005), we build the monthly sequence of labour states for young people from when they finish their non-university studies until the time of the survey. The analysis allows us to conclude that part-time work is fairly atypical in the early stages of a career but that those who have part-time jobs spend quite a long time in them. In addition, we identify several patterns in the use of part-time work, the ‘integrative’ pattern proving to be the most prevalent. Factors such as education and early preferences are seen to have a major impact on career paths.

Prelude to a RIF: Older Workers, Part-Time Hours, and Unemployment

Since the beginning of the most recent recession in December 2007, involuntary part-time employment (part-time for economic reasons) in the United States has increased from 4.2 million workers to 9.1 million, more than doubling. In this paper, we examine whether such increases in involuntary part-time employment have helped combat unemployment in the past or placed a disproportionate burden on older workers. Using Current Population Survey (outgoing rotation group) data from 1983 to 2002, we find that increases in involuntary part-time work in an industry raise the industry unemployment rate. Furthermore, the connection between rising rates of involuntary part-time work and unemployment is stronger among older workers than among younger workers. We conclude that reducing work hours through the use of part-time work does not ameliorate the effects of recessions on workers. Rather, it is a harbinger of unemployment, especially among those older than 55.

Part-time work among older workers with disabilities in Europe

To analyse the use of part-time work among older workers with disabilities compared with their non-disabled counterparts within a European context. Cross-sectional. Data were drawn from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The key advantage of this dataset is that it provides a harmonized cross-national dimension, and contains information for European individuals aged 50 years or over on a wide range of health indicators, disability, socio-economic situation, social relations, etc. Older people with disabilities (aged 50-64 years) are more likely to have a part-time job compared with their non-disabled counterparts. Although there is an important employment gap between the two groups, many older workers with disabilities use part-time work to achieve a better balance between their health status and working life. The econometric analysis corroborated that being disabled has a positive effect on the probability of working on a part-time basis, although this effect varies by country. Policy makers must encourage part-time employment as a means of increasing employment opportunities for older workers with disabilities, and support gradual retirement opportunities with flexible and reduced working hours. It is crucial to change attitudes towards older people with disabilities in order to increase their labour participation and reduce their levels of poverty and marginalization.

Causes and Consequences of the Divergent Working-Time Patterns of Employed Mothers in the UK and the US: Developing a Comparative Analysis

The paper aims to develop a framework to understand the variant use of part-time work by employed mothers in the UK and US. In particular, this paper seeks to explore how diversity in the use of part-time work can be explained when both countries are associated with a neo-liberal form of capitalism (Hall and Soskice, Varieties of Capitalism: the institutional foundations of comparative advantage, 2001) and welfare regime (Esping-Andersen, The three worlds of welfare capitalism, 1990). It is argued here that by combining aspects of the Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) and welfare regimes literatures with Gender Regime theory (Walby, Social Politics, 11(1):4–29, 2004), a gender centred analysis of both the causes and consequences of divergent working-time patterns can be more adequately achieved.

Part-Time Occupational Mobility in the Service Industries: Regulation, Work Commitment and Occupational Closure

Whether stereotypical perceptions of part-time workers' commitment to work are accurate is a matter of contention. Commentators such as Hakim (1996) suggest that full- and part-time workers have qualitatively different orientations to work, while others (Fagan 2001) argue that, as most women work full- and part-time over the life course, such a view is overly static. This paper investigates firms' structuring of part-time work, focusing specifically upon the processes through which part-time work becomes marginalized. It is argued here that the organisational context and use of part-time work mediate managers' and full-time workers' perceptions of part-time workers' commitment to work and together, these factors structure part-time workers' selection for career development. The paper argues for making conceptual distinctions between legislation, organisational policies and workplace practices in understanding patterns of change and, more importantly, continuity in the use and structuring of part-time work. Furthermore it is argued that the stratification of part-time work can be explained through processes of informal occupational closure.

The Determinants of Part-Time Work in EU Countries: Empirical Investigations with Macro-Panel Data

This paper aims to identify the contribution of the business cycle and structural factors to the development of part-time employment in the EU-15 countries, through the exploitation of both cross-sectional and time series variations over the past two decades. Key results include that the business cycle is found to exert a negative effect on part-time employment developments. This is consistent with firms utilising part-time employment as a means of adjusting their labour force to economic conditions. Correspondingly, involuntary part-time employment is found to be countercyclical, being higher in troughs of economic activity. Splitting our sample reveals a very significant effect of the business cycle on the rate of part-time work for young and male prime-age workers. Conversely, the effect is very weak for women and insignificant for older workers. Institutions and other structural factors are also found to be significant and important determinants of the rate of part-time employment. Changes in legislation to part-time employment are found to be effective, having a strong and positive impact on part-time employment developments. Moreover, employment protection legislation is positively correlated with the part-time employment rate, which is consistent with the use of part-time work as a tool for enhancing flexibility in the presence of rigid labour markets. Less robust evidence suggests the presence of unemployment traps for some potential part-time workers. Cross-country evidence also indicates that the lower labour costs borne by firms when employing part-time workers has a large and positive influence on the part-time employment rate.

Flexible employment practices in Europe: country versus culture

Abstract This paper examines extent to which variances in flexible employment practices across fourteen European countries may be attributed to cultural variances. Data were gathered through a survey of human resource practices in 4,876 companies. The results indicate that national differences between flexible employment practices were explained by cultural differences. Specifically, we find use of part-time work is related to power distance and individualism; contract work is related to uncertainty avoidance and individualism; shift work is related to uncertainty avoidance, power distance and individualism; and telework is related to femininity.

Flexible employment practices in Europe: country versus culture

This paper examines extent to which variances in flexible employment practices across fourteen European countries may be attributed to cultural variances. Data were gathered through a survey of human resource practices in 4,876 companies. The results indicate that national differences between flexible employment practices were explained by cultural differences. Specifically, we find use of part-time work is related to power distance and individualism; contract work is related to uncertainty avoidance and individualism; shift work is related to uncertainty avoidance, power distance and individualism; and telework is related to femininity.

France, Germany, Great Britain: The Organization of Working Time in Large Retail Food Stores

In France, Germany and Great Britain, large-scale food retailers have increased working-time flexibility by the use of part-time work and precarious forms of employment. There are however considerable differences between countries in the proportion of part-timers, in weekly working time and in the variability and predictability of work schedules. On the basis of case studies carried out in each of the three countries, the authors argue that the management of working time is heavily influenced by the domestic division of labour as well as by the prevailing legal and institutional norms.