Organisational structures - EduqasThe evolving nature of working practices

Employees are usually employed on a part-time or, full-time basis. Many companies offer flexible-hours or zero hours contracts, as well as home working and job sharing. Which basis is used usually depends on a mixture of business requirements and the requirements of employees. Traditionally, employees worked either full time (more than 35 hours per week) or part time (less than 35 hours a week, usually over less than five days per week). More modern approaches to employment have adapted these types of working.

Flexible hours

Having flexible hours is a more modern way of working. Employees are given a set number of hours to work in a week, month or year but get to choose when they work. For example, a business might let employees start work any time between 7am and 10am, then depending on start time, finish between 3pm and 6pm.

Flexible-hours workers may work any number of hours up to full time, so they may be either full or part time. Flexible hours are often beneficial to both businesses and employees, as offering flexible working can lead to higher staff retention and better productivity, while also providing employees with flexibility in their personal lives.

Zero hour contracts

Some businesses have begun offering flexible hours in the form of zero hour contracts. In a zero hours contract, an employee has no specified number of hours per week. Instead, they are given work when the business requires them. This is beneficial to the business as it fills business shortages. It also provides employees with a lot of flexibility, but it can lead to uncertainty about whether they will get any work, and they may not receive a regular income.

Home working

Home working is where employees are able to work from home or somewhere that is not the main working environment of their employer. This is because technology has enabled them to work at home in a similar way that they would in an office. Not all roles are able to take advantage of remote working. For example, police officers and retail workers usually cannot work from home.

Home working means that employees have more flexibility – they may not have to travel as far and are less likely to take time off because of sickness or be late. However, employees working remotely may not always work as hard and they may not be able to seek help easily when required.

Job Sharing

Job sharing takes place when two or more employees share one complete job role. This may mean that employees only work on specified days. This is a common approach where a business has a full role available, but employees only want to work on a part time basis.

This approach can benefit employers as it provides more skills and ideas in a business, employees will benefit from having their preferred employment type. However, it could lead to issues such as jobs being missed or done twice due to a lack of communication.