How Does Working-Time Flexibility Affect Workers’ Productivity in a Routine Job? Evidence from a Field Experiment

Marie Boltz;Bart Cockx;Ana Maria Diaz;Luz Magdalena Salas
(2020) , 52 pages

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Authors
  • Marie BoltzBETA, University of Strasbourg, France
    Author
  • Bart CockxDepartment of Economics, Ghent University; IZA, Bonn; CESifo, Munich; IRES, UCLouvain; ROA, Maastricht University
    Author
  • Ana Maria DiazDepartamento de Economía, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
    Author
  • Luz Magdalena SalasDepartamento de Economía, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
    Author
Abstract
We conducted an experiment in which we hired workers under different types of contracts to evaluate how flexible working time affects on-the-job productivity in a routine job. Our approach breaks down the global impact on productivity into sorting and behavioral effects. We find that all forms of working-time flexibility reduce the length of workers’ breaks. For part-time work, these positive effects are globally counterbalanced. Yet arrangements that allow workers to decide when to start and stop working increase global productivity by as much as 50 percent, 40 percent of which is induced by sorting.
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Marie Boltz, Bart Cockx, Ana Maria Diaz, & Luz Magdalena Salas. (2020). How Does Working-Time Flexibility Affect Workers’ Productivity in a Routine Job? Evidence from a Field Experiment (IRES Discussion papers 2020030). https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/118393