Flexible work schedules : the future of work arrangements in Finland and Germany

Abstract

Even though there is a great diversity of available work time arrangements, the majority of work contracts still include standardized eight hour a day work time arrangements. However, flexible and self-defined work arrangements can be beneficial for employers and employees. The thesis aimed to research the importance of flexible and self-determined work time arrangements for the next employee generation in Finland and Germany. Additionally, it researched the possibilities of performance-based salary systems.

The trust-based work, the compressed workweek and remote work are possibilities for flexible and self-determined work arrangements, which all obtain different benefits for organizations. The performance-based salary systems are based on already existing models of the public sector.

The key findings of this research include that flexible and self-determined work arrangements would be an opportunity for organizations to meet the expectations and utilize the skills of the next employee generation. Moreover, a majority of the study participants perceived performance-based salary warily.