Variable working arrangements to ensure sufficient numbers of staff to provide the right level of service to customers, whilst keeping fixed costs to a minimum. A wide range of flexible working practices are emerging. These include: the employment of part-time workers instead of full-time. This may include job sharing and term-time contracts; the use of temporary contracts instead of permanent contracts; flexitime, self-rostering, compressed working weeks; annualised hours contracts; zero hours contracts; home working (or teleworking); outsourcing.