Informal flexible working better than formal

Employees who set up flexible working arrangements by talking to their line manager informally are judged to perform much better than those who use formal flexible working policies, according to a survey of 2,665 UK employees. The researchers from Cass Business School and Cranfield School of Management examined the relationship between flexible working arrangements designed to accommodate employees’ needs – for example, remote working and flexitime – and the outcome of individual performance appraisals.

Report co-author Professor Clare Kelliher said the findings show that formal flexible working is negatively associated with performance:

‘It is possible that those with formal agreements perform poorly because they have less face time with their managers and co-workers. They might have fewer opportunities for training or collaborating with colleagues. If their performance is dependent on interacting with co-workers then this might be hampered by some forms of flexible working.’

‘Flexible working, individual performance, and employee attitudes: comparing formal and informal arrangements’, Lilian De Menezes and Clare Kelliher, Human Resources Management, published online 27 December 2016: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hrm.21822/abstract?campaign=wolearlyview