Employees in organisations with flexible working arrangements and policies which promote equality are likely to have less stress, higher levels of job satisfaction and greater organisational commitment, new research shows.
The nationwide survey of 5,000 employees conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute found such policies benefited employers.
Almost one in four employees was involved in flexible working and one in five worked part-time. A much smaller figure worked from home (8 per cent) or did a job-share (6.5 per cent).
The research concluded that while flexible working had a positive impact on the performance of an organisation, not all forms of flexitime promoted a work-life balance.
Part-time working was associated with lower work pressure, less stress and reduced work-life conflict.
However, employees working from home experienced significantly higher levels of stress and greater work pressure.
This suggested, according to the report's conclusions, that flexible working arrangements were often implemented in response to the needs of a company rather than the needs of individual workers.
"The negative findings on the effects of working from home may suggest that attempts to integrate work and family commitments, far from promoting greater work-life balance, may lead to the erosion of boundaries between work and leisure," the report said.
The effects of part-time work were also mixed, the report found.
While it had a positive impact on an employee's sense of well-being by reducing pressure and stress, there appeared to be a trade-off in lower average earnings and reduced autonomy.
Overall, a formal policy on equality was found to be strongly linked to lower levels of work-related stress.
The findings suggested that workers in more progressive workplaces experienced much lower levels of stress and missed less days through illness.
Niall Crowley, the chief executive of the Equality Authority, welcomed the report's findings which, he said, underpinned the "business case" for workplace equality.
However, Mr Crowley added that it was important to review flexible working arrangements in companies to ensure that they met the needs of employees as well as employers.
"Otherwise the objective of work life balance will not be achieved and the potential benefits to employers and employees will not be realised," he said.
Dr Philip O'Connell of the ESRI, one of the authors of the report entitled Equality at Work? - Workplace Equality Policies, Flexible Working Arrangements and the Quality of Work, said it was clear that employees and employers stood to gain from the promotion of equality in the workplace.
"This report provides the evidence that promoting equality through workplace employment policy entails wide ranging benefits for both employers and employees.
"As such, it makes the business and social case for equality," Dr O'Connell said.
