On 25 Nov 2025, Nemanja Berber, Eleni Stavrou, Agneš Slavić, Dimitrije Gašić published an article titled ‘Flexible Work Arrangements in Central and Eastern Europe: Effects on Organizational Outcomes’ in the Journal of East European Management Studies (JEEMS).

 

Nemanja Berber, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics in Subotica, University of Novi Sad. He teaches courses at the undergraduate and master’s levels, including Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior, Employee Reward Systems, and Talent Management, as well as the doctoral course Implementation of Scientific Research in Economics and Business. He is the author of numerous publications in national and international journals and scientific conferences, as well as textbooks and monographs. His primary research interest focuses on the development of human resource management practices in Central and Eastern Europe. He is also a visiting professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Ulm, Germany, and at the University of Cyprus in Cyprus.

Author's Interpretation

Before reading the text interpretation below, we invite you to watch the author’s video commentary, where the key findings and implications of the study are explained in a clear and accessible way. The video highlights how different forms of flexible work arrangements affect innovation, absenteeism, and employee turnover in Central and Eastern Europe.

Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) are increasingly important in contemporary organizations because they can shape both employee-related and organizational outcomes. This study examined how FWAs cluster into distinct bundles in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and how those bundles relate to profitability, innovation, employee turnover, and absenteeism across 1,073 organizations in ten CEE countries using Cranet data, principal component analysis, and hierarchical linear modelling. Three bundles were identified: Flexible and Remote Work (flexitime and remote work), Non-Standard Working Hours (shift work, weekend work, overtime), and Non-Standard Work Arrangements (part-time, temporary, and contract work). The findings show that Flexible and Remote Work is associated with higher innovation and lower absenteeism, while Non-Standard Work Arrangements are associated with higher innovation but also higher employee turnover. By contrast, Non-Standard Working Hours were not significantly related to the examined outcomes, and none of the identified bundles showed a significant relationship with profitability.

Overall, the study demonstrates that FWAs in CEE should not be treated as a single homogeneous practice, because different bundles produce different organizational consequences. The results suggest that employee-friendly forms of flexibility, especially remote work and flexitime, can support healthier and more innovative organizations, while temporary and contract-based flexibility may help innovation but also carry retention risks. The study is especially significant because it extends FWA research beyond Western settings and shows that the effects of flexibility are shaped by the institutional and labor-market context of CEE countries. In this way, the paper contributes to comparative HRM, social exchange theory, and institutional theory by showing that the value of FWAs depends not only on whether flexibility exists, but also on which type of flexibility is implemented and in what context.

Original Article:

Flexible Work Arrangements in Central and Eastern Europe: Effects on Organizational Outcomes: https://www.imrpress.com/journal/JEEMS/30/4/10.31083/JEEMS44450

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Digital Balance: Exploring the Nexus Between Remote Employee Well-Being and Productivity in East European Workforces: https://www.imrpress.com/journal/JEEMS/30/4/10.31083/JEEMS42402