Flexible working arrangements: a tool only for women?

Charles de Vries

Directorate LGBT and Gender Equality

20 October 2011, Cracow

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NL in EU top working women...

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... and EU champion part-time work.

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Women in NL work standard part-time...

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... at an average of 24 hours per week.

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Steadily growing female labour market participation...

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... after birthrate dropped (and remained constant).

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Less young mothersretreating from the labour market...

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... and the single earner making placefor the one-and-a-half earner.

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Women increased their working time between 1975 and 2005; but what about the men?

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0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21

zondag maandag dinsdag woensdag donderdag vrijdag zaterdag

1975 man 1975 vrouw 1985 man 1985 vrouw 1995 man 1995 vrouw 2005 man 2005 vrouw

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Although the number of part-time working men has slightly increased…

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… their working time per weekhasn’t diminished.

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Preferences arrangements on work life balance (INTOMART 2010)

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Legislation for greater flexibility of working hours

• Labour legislationreview of Health and safety act on obstacles for working from home

• Working time adjustment actchanging contractual hours according to need ofemployee (within possibilities of employer)

• Work and care actflexible use of parental leave (within possibilities of employer)

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Employers

• Corporate Governance: ‘Modern employership’

• To encourage ‘family-friendly’ HRM policies:- flexible working hours- working from home

• More chances for women to work

• More chances for men to care

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How to encourage employers?

• Legislation can be supportive, but can be dependent on national industrial relations.

• To encourage by showing the business case...- to keep present employees- to be attractive for new employees- more chances to recruit women and men- contented employees perform better- working from home gives higher labourproductivity per hour- allows for flexible use of workforce

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Thank you!