Working-Arrangements

Introduction to working arrangements

• Working arrangements have changed significantly in recent years

  • Many UK workers have some say in where and when they carry out their work

    • Remote working has become increasingly popular since the Covid-19 pandemic, with around 40% of workers enjoying some ability to work from home

    • Around 60% of workers have some flexibility in how there hours of work are arranged, including 4-day working weeks and flexitime

  • Whilst most workers are employed on permanent contracts, employers frequently make use of a range of casual arrangements

    • In 2023, more than 1 million UK workers were employed on zero hours contracts

    • A further 900,000 workers were employed indirectly through agencies

Full-time and part-time contracts

• A full-time contract of employment requires an employee to work the total number of hours considered by the company to be full-time in a week

• Full time employees work more hours in a company than part-time employees

  • In the UK, full-time employees are classified as those who work 35 hours a week or more

  • At Save My Exams, a full-time employee works 40 hours each week

• Employees who work part-time may only work two or three days a week

  • Part-time employment may be more flexible and can be adjusted subject to employee availability and employer requirements

    • Part-time employees at the US company Costco work between 24 and 40 hours per week

• The choice between full-time and part-time contracts depends on the specific needs of both employers and employees

  • Employers often value the commitment of full-time staff but also the flexibility of part-time workers

  • Employees may prioritise a stable income or a good work-life balance

Benefits of full-time and part-time employment contracts

Flexible working

• Flexible working can involve a variety of employment arrangements

Casual contracts

• An employee engaged on a casual contract works whenever the business needs them

• This may be seasonal (summer or winter) or for a determined length of time

  • E.g. A ski instructor working for two months during a ski season at a resort in the French Alps

• A zero hours contract is where an employee agrees to be available for work as and when required, with no particular number of hours or times of work specified

  • In the UK, zero-hour contracts are controversial

    • Trade unions and the media have accused businesses, such as Sports Direct, of using them to exploit workers

    • In 2015, UK employers were banned from offering zero-hour contracts that prevented employees from working for another employer at the same time

Shift working

• Shift working means working different periods at different times, usually on a rota

• It usually refers to anything outside of the standard Monday-Friday working week

  • Some warehouse employees might need to work an early shift to ensure deliveries are ready to go

  • In many care homes, night shifts are a regular part of the job

  • Shift working allows energy facilities and factories to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week

• In the UK, around 14% of the total workforce is made up of shift workers

Flexitime

• Flexitime allows employees to schedule working hours around their individual needs and accommodate their commitments outside of work

• A flexitime schedule usually involves working some set hours, with the remainder of hours organised according to the employees’ needs

  • E.g. An employee may be expected to be at work between the hours of 10am and 2pm, but can choose when they complete the rest of their working hours

Working from home

• Advances in communication technology have enabled a larger proportion of workers than ever before to work from home

  • Employees use tools such as email, instant messaging, collaborative software, scheduling apps and videoconferencing to carry out work remotely

• Home working has a range of advantages and disadvantages, for both the business and its employees

Evaluation of working from home

Mobile working

• The availability of fast mobile data across the majority of UK locations means that employees can work in any location, including on public transport

  • Mobile network providers such as EE provide unlimited data that can be hot-spotted to digital devices such as laptops

  • Train operators such as Avanti West Coast provide free wi-fi access and charging points to users of its long-distance services

Job sharing

• Job sharing is where two or more employees divide a job between them to cover one full-time role

  • Pay, benefits and leave entitlement for job sharing are allocated on a proportional basis

• Job sharing can improve work-life balance as workers can manage work and personal time without sacrificing their position in a company

• However, communication between those sharing a role is vital to avoid duplication or omission of tasks

Self-employment

• In the UK, more than 4 million people are self-employed

  • They are often sole traders or the owners of small, private limited companies

  • The self-employed are concentrated in the tertiary sector

    • Examples include plumbers, gardeners and hairdressers, working for themselves

• The self-employed mostly work on their own, though around a fifth employ others within their businesses

• Benefits of self employment include:

  • The ability for a business owner to be their own boss, making all decisions and determining their work patterns

  • The opportunity to keep profit for themselves

  • The chance to work independently, setting their own targets and balancing work with personal commitments

• The self-employed need to manage their own tax affairs and may find it difficult to schedule holidays or cover for sickness.