The different ways in which we work are part of a changing landscape - one which has altered considerably since the Covid-19 pandemic, and which continues to shift.
In this article we’ll look at the different ways in which we work and our reasons for doing so, and how workers and employers navigate and negotiate recruitment, work environments and working conditions to achieve a balance which is mutually beneficial.
Full time or part-time?
Whether you choose to work full time or part-time may depend on your circumstances. A full-time contract is usually considered to be 35 hours a week or more, and hours below, part-time. Some of us have two or more part-time jobs which add up to the equivalent of full-time working – this could be because of difficulties finding a full-time position or it might be a purposeful choice.
In Great Britain, on average, 69% of employees work full time and 31% part-time (UK Business Register and Employment Survey).
If we dig a little deeper into the figures for how people work across different sectors however, it reveals more variation. For example, in the retail and hospitality sectors, 42% of people work full time and 58% part-time; in the health sector 60% work full time, and in construction and manufacturing 85% and 90% work full time respectively (UK Business Register and Employment Survey).
People choose to work part-time for a wide range of reasons including to fit around childcare and other caring responsibilities. Regardless of whether you’re employed on a part-time or full-time contract you should get the same treatment when it comes to pay rates (including sick pay and maternity or paternity pay), pension opportunities and holiday leave, but as a part-time worker you’ll receive this on a ‘pro rata’ basis.
If you see your dream job advertised as a full-time position but you only want part-time hours it may still be worth considering. Ask the employer about the possibility of splitting the role before you apply or in your application, or negotiate at interview, stating why you would be a good choice for part-time hours (such as your prioritising skills and how you can manage your time effectively).
Need to know? There are rules for the hours you can work If you’re aged between 15 and 17 years (including apprentices); these include working no more than eight hours in a day. The legal working time limits for young workers are set out clearly by Acas.
What is flexible working?
Flexibility is a quality generally considered to be a good thing – whether in or outside the workplace. Employers like employees who are able to adapt to change and open to trying new activities; increasingly, workers are looking for organisations that can offer them flexibility in their employment.
Flexible working is a broad term which covers when, where and how long you work for in a day or week. It can be individualised working patterns, job sharing, compressed hours, flexitime (choosing when you start and finish your working day), working from home (frequently abbreviated to WFH) or hybrid working (a combination of both home and workplace locations).
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many people to assess their current working situation. Not everyone’s work situation allowed them to manage their home life or caring responsibilities satisfactorily and, according to research from the CIPD, an estimated 2 million people left their job in 2022 due to a lack of flexibility at work, with a further 4 million people changing their career due to a lack of flexible options in their sector.
Need to know? From April 2024 all UK workers, including new starters, will be able to request flexible working. While this is intended to be a win-win for both employers and employees, a right to request doesn’t mean that the request will be accepted. The TUC claims that currently, 50% of dads and partners who are entitled to paternity leave have had all or some of their flexible working request rejected by their employer.
Need to know? Sometimes people want to keep their full-time hours but need, or would like, additional time in the week when they’re not working. Some employers will agree to an employee working compressed hours, which means fitting contracted working hours into fewer working days. It usually means working longer days but can help people to achieve a better work-life balance.
The rise of remote and hybrid working
Working from home is not a new phenomenon but technology which allows workers to access shared work folders and meet remotely with others has changed the nature of remote working.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, a growing number of people found themselves working from home by necessity. These were largely people in professional or office roles whose day-to-day work either didn’t involve face-to-face contact or didn’t require them to operate vehicles, machinery or equipment in a particular work setting.
There was a period of adjustment for many organisations and individuals once the restrictions of the pandemic began to abate (although you could argue that we’re still adjusting). Some employers closed offices permanently during the pandemic, forcing employees to work from home or another location, others expected all employees to return to the workplace, and some agreed to hybrid working – splitting the working week between home and the workplace.
The Institute of Fiscal Studies believes that 60% of employees are at their place of work full time and that about one in three have some form of hybrid working.
Employers are increasingly recognising the importance of offering employees a more flexible approach to work, especially in a tight labour market where some skills are hard to come by. And it’s likely to stay – a survey of graduates (Early Careers Survey 2023) found that 97% said that a work/life balance was important to them when looking for a job.
It might sound very appealing to be able to start your working day in your slippers without having to leave the house but this way of working doesn’t suit everyone. So, what are some of the positives and negatives to remote or hybrid working?
Positives include:
- Avoid or reduce the cost and time taken on the daily commute
- More time to spend with family (and pets!)
- Increased flexibility
- Perceived increase in productivity
Negatives include:
- Not everyone has a space at home they can comfortably work in
- Some people feel isolated and miss the social side of work
- A lack of visibility in the workplace can stifle career progression within a company
- Boundaries between work and home life can become blurred (hard to ‘switch off’)
- Difficulties settling into a new job if you don’t meet colleagues face to face when starting out
- Young people may find it hard to learn workplace etiquette
How you feel about hybrid working depends on the value you place on these different points, but many organisations have embraced hybrid working, for now at least.
Different types of contract
An employment contract sets out the employment conditions, rights, responsibilities and duties between employer and employee; these may be permanent, temporary (or fixed-term) or zero hours contracts.
Permanent contracts
A permanent contract guarantees you work unless it is terminated within employment law and usually with notice.
Temporary contracts
Temporary contracts often relate to short-term work such as covering for someone on maternity leave, working on a specific project, internships or seasonal work. You might be taken on by the employer themselves or gain work through an agency or you might be employed as a self-employed freelancer. Temporary employment can be a good way to gain experience in a range of different work areas or as a stop-gap while looking for a permanent job, but it can also make some people’s working lives insecure.
The vast majority of working-age people (16 to 64-year-olds) are in permanent employment (Office for National Statistics). Of the 5% in temporary employment, young people, women and people from ethnic minority groups are more likely to be in this type of work.
Zero-hours contracts
You may be aware of the bad press that zero-hours contracts have had in recent years. These tend to be work agreements - with an agency or directly with an employer - where employees are not guaranteed a fixed number of hours or regular shifts. This type of casual work means that workers can have unpredictable schedules and earnings because their hours can vary from week to week.
There have been calls to ban zero-hours contracts, which usually run with the suggestion that unscrupulous employers are using them to avoid giving workers employment rights, however, they can offer flexibility for some people who find that this way of working suits their needs very well.
In 2023, approximately 1.18 million people were on zero-hours contracts in the UK, compared with 1.03 million in the previous year and a net increase of almost one million since 2000. (ONS Aug 2023).
Need to know? New legislation reforms due to come into force towards the end of 2024 will give workers the statutory right to request a predictable working pattern - more details are due out soon.
What about self-employment?
Freelancer, sole trader, contractor, business owner, consultant, platform working and the gig economy, are all ways of describing self-employment. People who work for themselves have a responsibility to pay their own taxes and National Insurance and don’t receive statutory holiday pay, sickness benefits or workplace pension contributions.
Individuals who work in this way usually enjoy the flexibility it can bring and the autonomy of being in control of their own working lives; but it also brings an element of risk and requires good self-management skills. Examples of careers where self-employment is common include writers, business consultants, accountants, complementary therapists, construction trades, and media roles.
Increased uncertainties about job security during the pandemic led to a rise in the self-employed seeking salaried work, and the number of self-employed people in the UK has sharply declined. This has been particularly noticeable in the construction sector, although it still remains the largest self-employment industry.
Need to know? Over the last few years the appeal of co-working spaces has been on the rise. These shared workspaces offer some self-employed and employed workers a practical alternative to homes and cafés and can give individuals a sense of belonging and community as well as offering potential collaboration and networking opportunities.
Portfolio career
The rise of the portfolio career has been a topic of interest in recent years. This way of working exemplifies a growing trend for taking control of our working lives and enables people to pursue various, and often diverse, paid projects or income streams which may, or may not, be connected. It can be a dynamic and flexible way of working, often allowing an individual to play to their strengths and pursue a particular passion or creative skill.
People who work in this way may have a specific profession or set of skills that they wish to explore while maintaining a steady income. This could be through multiple part-time roles or combining self-employment with a part-time (or even a full-time) job. Finding an additional income stream to a permanent job (often referred to as a ‘side-hustle’) can provide the opportunity to explore different career areas or pursue an entrepreneurial dream. Someone who manages a portfolio career can develop a broad skill set, increasing their employability for the future.
Thoughts for the future
In today’s dynamic and multi-generational labour market we have many more ways in which we can work than ever before. In the future, we can expect to see employers become more flexible, driven by the need to attract talent in high-demand occupations. Flexible working arrangements will enable more women to enter the workplace and will align with the shifting priorities of younger generations who want to work for organisations that understand their values. And as well as looking to achieve a better work-life balance, more workers will seek to gain more control over when, where and how they work too.
Helen Janota
Helen is an experienced information and careers professional working as a freelance writer and trainer. She writes about careers and the labour market for a wide range of audiences and organisations and aims to produce easily accessible, informative content that reflects the current jobs and careers landscape.
