Flexible small firms? Why some small firms facilitate the use of flexible workplace policies

Abstract

This paper examines why some small firms offer Flexible Workplace Policies (FWPs) while others do not and what factors contribute to the offering and use of FWPs within small firms. A multiple case study is employed using multiple data sources on seventeen information technology (IT) small firms in Canada. Findings reveal three types of firms with regard to their flexibility, working hours, and approaches to time. Among these firm types, discernible patterns emerged based on the owners' past employment experiences and personal approaches to work-life balance. Our results suggest that structured social relations experienced through past places of employment have lasting effects on small firm owners in their current firms.