City Research Online

Abstract

There has been longstanding research interest in flexible working arrangements and a body of research into their use and implementation has accumulated over several decades. We argue it is now appropriate to take stock, assess the state of knowledge about these working arrangements, and consider the issues and questions that should be prioritized in future research. This chapter sets the scene by examining how flexible working arrangements have been defined, providing a brief history of their development and exploration of the context and background to the accumulated research. Analysis of this literature reveals an evolving field where greater clarity and some consensus on the drivers has emerged. Yet, it also shows the evidence on outcomes is mixed, that individual experiences vary and whilst the development of theoretical models has grown, it remains limited. Future research, we argue, is needed to address these limitations and those emerging from changing work contexts.

Publication Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	This is a draft chapter. The final version is available in A Research Agenda for Flexible Working Arrangements edited by Lilian M. de Menezes and Clare Kelliher, published in 2025, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035317622.00009
Publisher Keywords:	History of flexible working; Evidence review of drivers; Outcomes of flexible working; Conceptualisation of flexible working; Contextualisation of flexible working; Research agenda
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Departments:	Bayes Business School Bayes Business School > Faculty of Management
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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