Relating flexible work arrangements and work attitudinal outcomes among millennials in Malta : Implementing sustainable flexibility in the Maltese labour market

Abstract

There has been growing awareness on the need for a work-life balance, both globally and nationally. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it forced the labour market to resort to flexible work arrangements which have frequently been associated with work-life balance and which, in Malta, had been largely experienced by those with care responsibilities only. Flexible work arrangements had been perceived as perks, as ‘nice-to-haves’, before the pandemic. After the pandemic, they became ‘must-haves’ with many media outlets portraying them as measures that create positive employee attitudes throughout. Such measures have also been increasingly associated with millennials, who are gradually taking over the labour market, and who are also perceived as being a difficult generation to manage because they value their personal time more than their working time. These are all general assumptions being made by the various stakeholders within the labour market. The situation created a split between employees demanding flexibility in their work and employers being reluctant to offer it because they fear it would give too much control to the workers. Simultaneously, it encouraged certain employers to eagerly start offering more flexibility at work without having the proper guidance on how these should be implemented to ensure that they do not have counter effects on the employees or the company’s operations. Essentially, the pandemic rushed a delicate process that shook traditional human resources management practices. This research study provides better insight on how flexible work arrangements should be offered and implemented sustainably to benefit both the employer and the employees in the long term. It exhibits the relationship between flexible work arrangements and specific work attitudinal outcomes, them being job satisfaction, employee engagement, employee well-being, and intention to leave, and illustrates how this relationship goes through a transition as measures become standard practices. The research also provides insight on how millennials and non-millennials perceive flexible work arrangements, establishing that there is minimal difference between the generations as these measures are important for the entire labour market, irrespective of age. It further provides better understanding on the struggles that employers may be facing when managing millennials and the reasons behind certain attitudes being shown by this generation. Finally, the research study provides a framework for the sustainable implementation of flexible work arrangements, which is based on support, trust, and feedback.