Give and Take

This report summarises the findings of a research project conducted by the Families Commission, exploring families’ experiences of flexible work arrangements, and their impact on family life.

Flexible work allows people to make changes to the hours or times they work, and
where they work. It helps people to organise their careers to accommodate their other commitments, and to manage transitions in and out of the workforce. For flexible work to be described as ‘quality’, these changes must not adversely affect income, career progression, availability of scheduled leave or access to high-quality work for those who take it up. In addition, quality flexible work confers benefits on both employees and employers.

Major changes to the labour market, as well as social and demographic changes, are driving an increased demand for flexible work in New Zealand and internationally. This trend is likely to increase as more people engage in further education and training, more women take up paid work, skill shortages grow and the population ages.

The Families Commission commissioned this project to explore families’ experiences of flexible work arrangements and their impact on family life. The key aims for the project were to gather information on:

• the types of flexible work arrangements that support families, and factors influencing take-up of these arrangements
• the current barriers to access to and take-up of flexible work and what will remove them.

In particular, the project focuses on the following questions:

• What flexible work arrangements do adult family members have available to them,
• which arrangements are used, and why?
• What is the impact on the family of different degrees and types of 
• workplace flexibility?
• What flexible work arrangements would family members like to be available,
• both now and in future, and why?
• What are the barriers to accessing or taking up flexible work arrangements?
• What might improve access to and take-up of quality flexible work arrangements?