A Measure of Attitudes Towards Flexible Work Options

A short questionnaire, the Flexible Work Options Questionnaire (FWOQ), was developed to measure workers' attitudes to the use of flexible work options (FWOs) such as flexible hours and part-time work. The questionnaire was used with two groups of employees, 344 public service personnel, and 212 non-academic staff from a regional university. In Study 1, the FWOQ was shown to have moderate reliability and to consist of two factors: I, Work/family Balance, and II, Barriers. The Barriers factor did not emerge as a single factor in Study 2. Work/family Balance issues were stronger predictors of the use of FWOs than Barriers. These results were explained in terms of compromises that parents make in order to achieve family/work balance. Further development was suggested to refine the Barriers subscales and to investigate gender differences.