Idiosyncratic Deals at Work

Idiosyncratic deals (I-deals) are individualized work agreements negotiated between employee and employer. Examples include working from home, shortened work days and/or weeks, and taking on responsibilities not enumerated in the job description. I-deals fulfil unique employee needs that lay outside the employer’s standard offerings, and engender a wide range of positive outcomes for both parties, such as employee well-being, work-life balance, career development, and enhanced job performance and citizenship behaviors. I-deals have the potential to be a strategic HR device for addressing the changing needs and preferences of employees, employers, and the wider society in the post-pandemic era.

This new collection provides a holistic, integrated and interdisciplinary overview of i-deals from leading scholars in the area. In addressing topics such as the sociological impact of i-deals, issues of power, privilege and fairness, and HR differentiation, this volume examines i-deals at the individual, team, organizational, and societal levels. The book will be useful to scholars and practitioners alike by offering a nuanced understanding of i-deals in workgroup settings, extending research on this relevant topic, and offering managerial prescriptions for institutionalizing i-deals as a global strategic human resource management device.