Flexible working and employee well-being: Why does the difference between formal FWAs and informal flexibility I-deals matter?

Relying on conservation of resources theory, this study investigates whether the association between flexible working and employee well-being differs according to the formal or informal nature of arrangements. We claim that informal flexibility i-deals have a stronger association with well-being than do formal flexible working arrangements. We further explore (1) how work effort mediates the link between the two types of flexible working and well-being; and (2) whether the existence of a gap between informal flexibility i-deals and formal flexible working arrangements (for example, when informal exceeds formal flexibility) relates to well-being. Using data from a consultancy firm in Spain, results show a positive and significant association between informal flexibility i-deals and employee well-being and that informal i-deals have a stronger association with well-being than formal flexible working arrangements. Further, we find that work effort acts as a mediating mechanism to this relationship and that individuals take formal flexible working arrangements as a baseline to contrast their informal deals, revealing that having more informal than formal flexibility improves employee well-being compared to having more formal flexibility than informal flexibility.