Title: Importance of flexibility in the workplace: perception and preferences of employees in Kuwait

Authors: Dusana Alshatti Schmidt; Matus Barath

Addresses: Faculty of Management, Comenius University in Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 820-05 Bratislava 25, Slovakia ' Department of International Management, Faculty of Management, Comenius University in Bratislava, Odbojárov 10, 820-05 Bratislava 25, Slovakia

Abstract: The aim of this research is to examine the attitude of employees in Kuwait towards flexible working conditions, identify the factors that influence their perception of flexibility in the workplace, identify preferences of the selected flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and provide recommendations for their practical application. The data were obtained through anonymous questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed in the 'R' programming language with the application of univariate models, deviation analysis, Pearson's correlation test and post-hoc tests. The results show that the attitude of employees towards flexible working conditions is slightly positive. However, the employees' perception of flexibility differs by demographic characteristics (generation, gender and education), employment characteristics (sector, nature of the job), experience with flexible work practices and the level of management support. While flextime is the most preferred form of FWAs, employees have shown the least interest in telecommuting. The paper further proposes recommendations for improvement of working conditions.

Keywords: flexibility; flexible working conditions; employees; organisations; Kuwait.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2024.137022

Middle East Journal of Management, 2024 Vol.11 No.2, pp.200 - 231

Received: 15 Aug 2022
Accepted: 21 Nov 2022
Published online: 01 Mar 2024 *

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