Types Of Working Flashcards
Zero hours contract
A contract between an employee and an employer where the employer is not obliged to provide any minimum working hours and the worker is not obliged to accept any work offered.
Benefits of zero hours contracts
Creates leaner, more profitable businesses as there is no obligation to offer hours (business)
Increases the number of jobs available (employee)
Flexibility suits some workers, such as students (employee)
Helps to react to fluctuations in demand (business)
Disadvantages of zero hours contracts
Creates exploitation of workers - denied in some employment rights and may be worried about complaining due to fear of losing hours (employee)
Keeps wages low due to lack of upward pay pressure / lack of bargaining power (employee)
Business reputation may be harmed (business)
Creates anxiety for some workers, ie they do not know if they can pay their bills from month to month and will be unable to obtain mortgages (employee)
Remote working
This involves allowing the employees to work away from the business premises.
Advantages of remote working
Employee saves time and money travelling to work
Businesses can increase the number of staff without needing more office space
There may be less distractions at home so concentration will be better
Possible motivation increase because of trust element
Disadvantages of remote working
Not all employees will work effectively at home because of distractions
Employees might miss the social interactions from being physically present at work
Some employees may not have a designated working space at home or access to good WiFi
There isn’t the defined separation from work and home
Some employees may do less work without discipline
Some employees will enjoy the commute as a time for reflection
Flexi-time
Gives employees some choice over the actual times they work their contracted hours.
Most flexible working hours schemes have a period during the day when employees must be present, known as ‘core time’.
Other than the core time, employees may choose when they start and finish work within flexible bands at the beginning and end of each day.
Why might employees like flexi-time?
They do not have to book time off work for appointments because they can work around it
They have the flexibility to choose when they start and finish
They can avoid rush hour / peak time prices
Allows for a healthy work-life balance
Disadvantages of flexi-time
Communication may be disrupted
Meetings may be more difficult to schedule
Employees may be unproductive during any unsupervised hours
There may be tension if not all employees are allowed to work in this way
Some variable costs may increase as a result of the premises being open longer
Part-time working
A form of employment with less than 35 hours worked per week
What are the impacts of part-time working for businesses?
Helps the business cover sickness and busier periods
Makes the business cost efficient as they don’t have full time staff without the business demand
Increased retention as more ‘family friendly’
Leads to more training, appraisals, etc (there is a cost implication of this)
Communication could be more difficult
Term-time working
Where the working hours mirror term-time days.
The employee will work as normal during term time, but will not work during the school holidays.
Benefits of term-time working
The employee can look after his or her child or children during the school holidays
Can improve staff retention
Can reduce absenteeism
Time off in lieu
Where employees may be asked to work longer hours during busier periods with the number of additional hours being recorded to enable the employee to take time off in compensation (in lieu) during less busy periods.
There may be some limits on the number of hours that can be ‘saved up’ in this way.
Benefits of time off in lieu
Can improve employee’s work-life balance because they can choose when they take their time off
It can increase productivity and efficiency because employees can feel well-rested and are taking time off in quieter periods
