Lucyna Machol-Zajda The Development of Flexible Forms of Work
The development of flexible forms of work is one of the most discussed problems concerning the contemporary labor market. This article presents thoughts on the evolution of the concept of flexibility and its types to date. The presence of both negative and positive aspects of flexible solutions from the point of view of employers and employees is stressed. Potential applications of flexible forms of work improving relations between the professional and personal lives of workers are presented. The last section is devoted to factors impeding the introduction and use of flexible forms of work in Poland-legal regulations and a lack of awareness of organizational and time-based solutions and their methods of implementation.

Anna Cierniak-Emerych, Agata Pietroń-Pyszczek Employment Flexibility: The Employer's Perspective
This paper examines circumstances inducing employers to introduce employment flexibility policies. The issue is discussed in terms of flexibility in the quantitative, functional, time-related, and financial aspects of employment. At the same time, an effort is made to demonstrate that employer efforts at introducing flexibility in employment should be examined not only in terms of opportunities, but also risks. The primary risk is associated with limited receptivity on the part of employers towards the issue of employment security, with its resulting problems of organizational trust, decreased employee loyalty, and other consequences that impact company operation.

Beata Skowron-Mielnik Job Sharing: New Possibilities of Work Organization
The aim of this paper is a presentation of forms of flexible work organization, commonly known as job sharing, in both its theoretical and empirical aspects, on the basis of research conducted on a sample of sixty-five businesses. Job sharing has been in use since the 1960s. It is not widely known in Poland to date, but is presently being promoted by the EQUAL Common Initiative, where quite a few projects are financed by the European Social Fund. However, not all aspects of job sharing are stressed by the current wave of interest. In fact, they are quite often limited to its social meaning, thus restricting its use and value. This article argues that job sharing is also a form of work organization for specialized work teams, autonomous groups, and team working. Using job sharing in this context brings more benefits to the enterprise. This, in its turn, may serve as a means of enlarging the use of job sharing, including in its social economic meaning.

Urszula Feliniak Forms of Flexiwork as Instruments of Work-Life Programs: The German Experience
Using the experiences of German companies as a basis, this article presents possibilities for applying forms of flexiwork to restore work-life balance. The strong development of flexiwork observable in Germany for many years has contributed to businesses working out a multitude of solutions that effectively support the realization of workers' plans involving their private lives. The article discusses the strong and weak points of the most popular forms of flexible work in Germany, as well as tools enabling an assessment of the costs and benefits involved in the implementation of instruments aiding the work-life balance, including forms of flexiwork.

COMMUNIQUES
Anita Szymańska Possibilities for Applying Flexible Forms of Employment in the Shipbuilding Industry
This paper shows important trends on the contemporary labor market in the area of forms of employment. Possibilities for the implementation of flexible forms of employment in the ship-building industry are demonstrated in experience gained through the EUROSTER Project, financed by the European Social Fund. The paper examines the best employment structures for use in the businesses of this industry. Professions that can be performed applying flexible forms of employment are also looked at. Research among the managerial staff of the shipbuilding industry is used to present opinions on implementation of such forms and structures. Lastly, this paper looks at problems linked with barriers to undertaking changes in forms of employment in the companies.

PORTFOLIO OF METHODS AND TOOLS
Paweł Antonowicz Applying Information Technology Tools in Taking Decision in the Area of Optimum Forms of Employment This article presents a new software application called the DMML Editor, which is based on the Dialogue Moves Markup Language. This technology has been created by a EUROSTER Transnational Partnership working group financed by the European Union (European Social Fund and the EQUAL Community Initiative). This project is one of several results of work carried out over almost two years of cooperation among experts from the IT Agency as well as scientists from the University of Gdańsk and of the Gdańsk Institute for Market Economics of the Gdańsk Academy of Banking. This software application has been used for modeling decision processes connected with flexible forms of employment in the Polish shipbuilding industry.

Maciej Drozdowski How to Check the Work Predispositions of a Tele-worker
This article describes an online tool for preliminary (self-)diagnosis of personal competency potential from the perspective of telework. It was developed to meet the needs of the EFZ vertical portal (an Internet portal dedicated to flexible forms of employment). On one hand, the article presents the structure of the tool itself, including the implemented appraisal approach that is based on an analysis of a person's internal motivations as well as the proposed model of universal telework attributes. On the other hand, it describes the format of feedback information that is automatically generated by the tool, which is the result of the appraisal of the person's competency potential for undertaking activities of the telework type. The presentation of the tool includes comments interpreting appraisal results that may be obtained on the EFZ vertical portal, for example.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S SHOWCASE
Flexible Forms of Employment and Work Organization: A Selection of Literature - Ewa Wyglądała

REVIEWS, DISCUSSIONS
Z. Dziubiński and M. Kowalewski (Editors), Badanie czynników warunkujących wykorzystanie niestandardowych form zatrudnienia w Polsce [Examining factors impacting the application of non-standard employment forms in Poland] - Bogusława Urbaniak
M. Barrowcliffe, Face Facts: Flexi-working Doesn't Work - Bogusława Urbaniak
Economic Survey of the Netherlands 2008: Increasing Working Hours: Helping Reconcile Work and Family - Bogusława Urbaniak
H. Król, Editor [2007], Zarządzanie kapitałem ludzkim a konkurencyjność małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw [Managing human capital and the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises] - Grażyna Gierszewska
A. Miś, Koncepcja rozwoju kariery zawodowej w organizacji [A concept of professional career development in the organization] - Monika Rutkowska

CHRONICLE, INFORMATION
"Intercultural Management" Second International Conference - Łukasz Sułkowski
"Success in Management: Competencies and the Successful Management of an Organization" Conference - Sylwia Przytuła

SOON...
International HR Congress & Expo in Poland - Dorota Milke

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