Flexible Work Arrangements and Organisational Communication: an Australian Retail Experience

This study uses an empirical case study to examine the relationship between flexible work arrangements (whether employees work on a full-time or part-time basis) and communication satisfaction. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from employees in a major Australian retail organisation resulting in 127 useable responses. The survey included the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (Downs and Hazen, 1977). Overall, respondents' ratings of communication satisfaction indicated that at best they were only slightly satisfied. Part-time employees were significantly more dissatisfied than full-time employees on four dimensions of communication satisfaction and the study provides evidence that part-time employees were outside mainstream communication in the organisation examined. The implications of the results for job satisfaction, performance, and human resource management are discussed. Future research directions are identified.