Flexible working time arrangements and workers’ health: an analysis for France
Résumé
This presentation contributes to the literature about the links between flexible working time arrangements and workers’ health, using individual data from the French working conditions survey. First, it shows that two main types of flexible working time arrangements can be distinguished: the first one concerns atypical working hours; while the second dimension could be seen as a “work overflow”. Then, using a fixed-effect model based on panel data, it provides causal evidence that both types of flexible working time arrangements have a deteriorating effect on workers’ self-rated general health, as well as on mental health as measured by the WHO-5 index. Finally, using linked employer-employee data for 2019, regressions show that control over working hours improves workers’ health and reduces the negative impact of flexible working time arrangements. Furthermore, workplace-level practices present ambiguous relationships with workers’ health. Workplace practices involving social dialogue and workers’ participation seem to have more favorable effects.