Exploring the nexus between working benefits and company characteristics in creative industries

Research background: Creative industries nowadays stand as one of the driving forces behind modern knowledge-based economies. Despite their many advantages, this research focuses on some of the less positive aspects of their development, notably less than optimal working conditions. Purpose: One aspect that significantly influences working conditions is the provision of working benefits. This paper aims to assess the prevalence of working benefits and determine the company characteristics that influence their distribution. Research Methodology: The occurrence of individual working benefits is analysed using descriptive statistics tools. To analyse the impact of the selected company characteristics on the prevalence of working benefits, a Working Benefits Model is developed and validated using confirmatory factor analysis tools. Analysed data are obtained from a questionnaire completed by eighty-two small and medium-sized companies in the Czech Republic. Results: The most common benefits include flexible working hours, home office options, and providing mobile phones and/or laptops to employees. From the perspective of company characteristics, the presence of unpaid work within a company, the number of employees, and the location within highly urbanised centres all significantly impact the prevalence of working benefits. Novelty: This research enhances the comprehension of working benefits in creative industries, revealing the relationship between company characteristics, and working benefits.