Flexible Working in Europe: The Evidence and the Implications

This article reports upon the current practice of flexible working amongst organizations in Europe: focusing on current developments in the use, by employing organizations, of different patterns of working time and a range of contractual variations. The article draws on both quantitative and qualitative evidence. It shows that across Europe there is a substantial amount of flexible working and that there has been a continuing increase in its use. It is argued that much of the academic literature and the strategies and behaviours of employers, trade unions, individuals, institutions, and policy makers at national and European level are based on assumptions about “standard” employment that are becoming increasingly less relevant and require radical rethinking.