Guide to developing BALANCED WORKING TIME ARRANGEMENTSGuide to developing balanced working time arrangementsInternational Labour Office GenevaCopyright © International Labour Organization 2019First published 2019Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Neverthe-less, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publications (Rights and Licensing), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: rightsilo. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications.Libraries, institutions and other users registered with a reproduction rights organization may make copies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. Visit ifrro to find the reproduction rights organization in your country.Guide to developing balanced working time arrangementsInternational Labour Office Geneva, ILO, 2019ISBN 978-92-2-133239-8 (print)ISBN 978-92-2-133240-4 (web pdf) ISBN 978-92-2-133241-1 (epub)ISBN 978-92-2-133242-8 (mobi)The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of ma-terial therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers.The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval.Information on ILO publications and digital products can be found at: ilo/publns.This publication was produced by the Document and Publications Production,Printing and Distribution Branch (PRODOC) of the ILO.Graphic and typographic design, layout and composition, printing, electronic publishing and distribution.PRODOC endeavours to use paper sourced from forests managed in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner.Code: CMD-JMB-REPiiiAcknowlegmentsThe Guide to developing balanced working time arrangements is the culmination of nearly two decades of ILO research and technical assistance regarding how to develop and im-plement working time arrangements in a manner that is beneficial to both workers and employers. It was developed primarily by Jon Messenger, the team leader of the Working Conditions Group and the ILOs technical expert on working time, with substantial techni-cal support from Paul Wallot, technical officer. Shervin Tadi, an external communications expert, provided invaluable assistance with restructuring the presentation of the Guide to make it more visually appealing and more user-friendly for a business audience. Last, but certainly not least, Anne Drougard provided essential administrative support with editing, formatting, and quality control in the preparation and production of the final version of the Guide. The authors would also like to acknowledge the continuous support and guidance of Philippe Marcadent, Chief of the Inclusive Labour Markets, Labour Relations and Working Conditions Branch, in the development of this Guide.vTable of contents1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12. Guiding principles for developing “balanced” WTAs: The five dimensions of decent working time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.1 Healthy working time. 42.2 Productive working time . 52.3 Family-friendly working time . 52.4 Gender equality through working time . 62.5 Choice and influence regarding working time . 73. How to structure different types of WTAs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113.1 Overtime work . 113.2 Shift work, including night work and weekend work . 133.3 Part-time work arrangements, including job sharing . 163.4 Staggered hours. 193.5 Compressed working weeks . 213.6 Hours averaging schemes, including annualized hours . 233.7 Flexi-time arrangements and time-saving accounts (“time banking”) . 253.8 Work sharing. 274. How to design and implement WTAs collaboratively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Step 1: Identify. 32Step 2: Design . 35Step 3: Plan. 38Step 4: Implement . 415. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Appendix: Glossary of key terms and concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Guide to developing balanced WTAsviFiguresFigure 1. The five dimensions of decent working time . 3Figure 2. The DOs and DONTs for a balanced shift work system . 14Figure 3. Key policy areas for promoting quality part-time work . 17Figure 4. Examples of compressed working week . 21Figure 5. The “process” of realizing new WTAs. 31Figure 6. Key questions for designing new WTAs. 361IntroductionThe International Labour Organization (ILO) has developed a concept of “decent work” that involves promoting opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity, in order to decrease the differences which exist between peoples aspirations regarding their work and current work situations. An important step in the ILOs quest for decent work is the enhancement of working time. Working time was the subject of the very first international labour standard, the Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919 (No. 1), and continues to be central to the work of the ILO. Over the years, the ILO has adopted international standards on a variety of working time-re-lated subjects, including standards on working time limits, daily and weekly rest periods, paid annual leave, protections for night workers, and the principle of equal treatment for part-time workers. The regulation of working time is one of the oldest concerns of labour legislation . Already in the 19th century it was recognized that working excessive hours posed a danger to workers health and to their families . New economic trends during recent decades have resulted in working hours that are in-creasingly diverse, decentralized and individualized. They have also led to greater tensions between workers needs and preferences and enterprises business requirements. These developments include an increased use of results-based employment relationships, the division of working time into smaller segments, and the expansion of operating and shop opening hours towards a “24-7” economy. Working time is also a key issue in global sup-ply chains. Competitive pressures and purchasing practices often lead to excessive working hours with extensive overtime.1The very first ILO Convention, adopted in 1919, limited hours of work and provided for ade-quate rest periods for workers . Today, ILO standards on working time provide the framework for regulated hours of work, daily and weekly rest periods, and annual holidays . These new realities have raised concerns regarding time-related social inequalities, particu-larly in relation to gender, workers ability to balance their paid work with their personal lives 1Guide to developing balanced WTAs2and family responsibilities, and the relationship between working hours, rest periods, and social times. In order to improve working conditions around the globe, working time issues need to be tackled on multiple levels in order to close the “gaps” between workers actual and preferred hours of work, as well as to advance the sustainability of enterprises. These situa-tions include workers who: work “excessively” long hours on a regular basis, work part-time and would prefer to work more hours to raise their earnings, or workers more concerned with the arrangement of working hours than the number of hours worked (those working at night, on weekends, and on irregular, unpredictable, or rotating work schedules).Balanced working time arrangements (WTAs) can benefit firms in many ways including:increased productivity;reduced rates of absenteeism and staff turnover;improved employee attitudes and morale; andmore sustainable enterprises . This Guide is designed to provide workers, employers, and governments with practical infor-mation that can be used to develop “balanced” WTAs that are mutually beneficial for work-ers and enterprises. It aims to explain the concept of WTAs, its most commonly used forms, and includes a practical step-by-step guidance on when and how they can be implemented.How to use this GuideThe Guide to developing balanced working time arrangements is intended to serve as a tool for any enterprise, in particular, medium to large-sized enterprises to use when considering a new, or a change to, existing WTAs. Section 2 of this Guide outlines guiding principles for developing balanced WTAs and ex-amines five key dimensions needed to incorporate decent working time within an enter-prise. Section 3 provides a practical approach for implementing decent working time and reviews modern WTAs. Finally, section 4 of the Guide offers concrete, practical suggestions on how to structure and implement various types of WTAs (work schedules) in line with the principles of “decent working time”.It is important to note that the variety of work schedules that exist can be beneficial to both workers and employers. The right WTA for an enterprise and its workers will depend on each enterprises circumstances and can vary greatly among firms. A comprehensive re-view of the enterprises and workers needs is of utmost importance when introducing a new one or changing an existing WTA.3Guiding principles for developing “balanced” WTAs: The five dimensions of decent working timeBased upon both international labour standards related to working time (e.g., hours of work, weekly rest, paid annual leave, night work, part-time work, workers with family re-sponsibilities) and recent research findings on working time and its effects, the ILO has identified five significant dimensions of decent work in the area of working time, or “decent working time”. The five dimensions focus on:promoting health and safety; advancing the productivity and sustainability of enterprises;being “family-friendly” and improving work-life balance; promoting gender equality; andoffering workers a degree of choice and influence over their hours of work. 2Figure 1: The five dimensions of decent working time