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Cabrita, Jorge, Catherine Cerf & David Foden (2022): Overtime in Europe: Regulation and practice. (Eurofound research report / European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions), Dublin, 48 S. DOI:10.2806/095550

Abstract

"Despite the well-known adverse effects of regular long working hours on workers’ health, well-being and performance, many workers in the EU continue to work beyond their normal hours. Part of this additional working time is classified as overtime. This report takes a comparative overview of how overtime is regulated in the EU Member States, Norway and the United Kingdom, including its definition, the limits on its use and the compensation received by workers for working extra hours. The report assesses the extent of the phenomenon using national-level data, delves into the factors that explain it, and examines the potential consequences for workers and firms. Finally, the report summarises the current debate on the topic, as uncompensated working hours, structural overtime and monitoring of working hours are currently some of the most discussed work-related issues across the EU." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"Working Time and Work-Life Balance Around the World provides a comprehensive review of both main aspects of working time – working hours and working time arrangements (also called work schedules) – and their effects on workers' work-life balance. The report reviews hours of work from several different perspectives, highlighting that, globally, over one-third of all workers are regularly working more than 48 hours per week, while a fifth of the global workforce is at the opposite end of the spectrum working short (part-time) hours less than 35 per week. It also analyses actual hours of work compared with workers' preferred number of hours, finding that, in particular, working longer hours than desired has negative effects on workers' reported work-life balance. Finally, the report provides an overview of working time-related crisis response measures deployed by governments and enterprises during COVID-19 pandemic, such as work sharing or short-time work and home-based telework, which helped to keep organizations functioning and workers employed. This global report concludes by summarizing the key findings of the entire report, which suggest the need to promote reduced hours of work and offer flexible working time arrangements, such as flexitime and telework, more widely; these types of policies would help to improve work-life balance and thereby benefit both workers and employers." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Carreño Bustos, José & Burak Uras (2021): Macro-Welfare Effects of Flexible-Hour Contracts. (CentER discussion paper 2021-30), Tilburg, 45 S.

Abstract

"Motivated with the rise of flex-hour labour contracts in advanced economies, we develop a DSGE model and study the macroeconomic welfare effects of flex-hour contracts for a small open economy in a currency union. The framework exhibits two sectors: a fixed (rigid) sector and a flex sector. The fixed sector offers rigid contracts in terms of hours and wages while the flex sector offers flex contracts in both dimensions. We find that the flex sector has a welfare-enhancing role in accommodating short-term shocks in the economy if the fixed sector’s hour adjustment exhibits a high degree of rigidity. We also show that the wage flexibility in the fixed sector has a general equilibrium interaction with hours-work in the flex sector, inducing wage flexibility in the fixed sector to be relatively more desirable compared to an economy without a flex sector. Our results thus have important policy implications for a wide range of countries in European-Monetary-Union - characterized by large flex sectors." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gracia, Pablo, Wen-Jui Han & Jianghong Li (2021): Nonstandard Work Schedules in Cross-National Perspective. A Study of 29 European Countries, 2005-2015. (SocArXiv papers), 20 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/mz53c

Abstract

"Data from the ‘European Working Conditions Survey’ from 2005 to 2015 for 29 European countries show that the incidence of nonstandard work schedules (evenings, nights, weekends, rotating, shifts) differs remarkably across European regions with different public policies. Working nonstandard schedules differs by education, gender and parental status across Europe." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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McDermott, Grant R. & Benjamin Hansen (2021): Labor Reallocation and Remote Work During COVID-19: Real-time Evidence from GitHub. (NBER working paper 29598), Cambridge, Mass, 46 S. DOI:10.3386/w29598

Abstract

"We investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on labor activity using real-time data from millions of GitHub users around the world. We show that the pandemic triggered a sharp pattern of labor reallocation at both the global and regional level. Users were more likely to work on weekends and outside of traditional 9 am to 6 pm hours, especially during the early phase of the pandemic. We also document considerable heterogeneity between different user groups and locations. Some locations show a steady reversion back to historical work patterns, while others have experienced persistent trend deviations in the wake of COVID-19. The pattern of labor reallocation is slightly more pronounced among males in our sample, suggesting that men may have benefited more from the increased flexibility provided by remote work than women. Finally, we show that the pattern of reallocation was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in overall activity, though this effect is more transient. We discuss several potential mechanisms and draw tentative conclusions for broader workplace trends given our study population." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Gärtner, Johannes, Gabriele Michalitsch, Andrea Birbaumer, Marliese Mendel, Hans Binder, Helmut Stadlbauer, Agnieszka Piasna, Sybille Pirklbauer, Daiga Kamerade, Karin Sardadvar, Ursula Balderson, Simon Theurl, Senhu Wang, Dennis Tamesberger, Susanne Haslinger, Jürgen Figerl, Stan de Spiegelaere, Sylvia Stieler, Erich Pospischil, Hartmut Seifert, Adam Coutts, Michael Gogola, Bettina Stadler, Florentin Döller, Johanna Klösch, Benjamin Herr, Brendan Burchell & Waltraud Sawczak, Müller, Martin & Charlotte Reiff (Hrsg.) Gärtner, Johannes, Gabriele Michalitsch, Andrea Birbaumer, Marliese Mendel, Hans Binder, Helmut Stadlbauer, Agnieszka Piasna, Sybille Pirklbauer, Daiga Kamerade, Karin Sardadvar, Ursula Balderson, Simon Theurl, Senhu Wang, Dennis Tamesberger, Susanne Haslinger, Jürgen Figerl, Stan de Spiegelaere, Sylvia Stieler, Erich Pospischil, Hartmut Seifert, Adam Coutts, Michael Gogola, Bettina Stadler, Florentin Döller, Johanna Klösch, Benjamin Herr, Brendan Burchell & Waltraud Sawczak (sonst. bet. Pers.) (2021): Arbeitszeit. Rahmenbedingungen – Ambivalenzen – Perspektiven. Wien: OGB Verlag, 352 S.

Abstract

"Lebenszeit ist ein wertvolles Gut, da diese nicht vermehrbar ist. Einen großen Teil unseres Lebens verbringen wir mit Erwerbsarbeit. Somit sind Fragen der Arbeitszeit in unserem Leben von zentraler Bedeutung. In diesem Buch haben die Herausgeber*innen Beiträge aus verschiedenen Bereichen der Wissenschaft gesammelt, die unterschiedliche Aspekte von Arbeitszeit beleuchten. Das Spektrum reicht von Rechtswissenschaft bis zu Arbeitsmedizin, es wird die nationale wie auch die europäische Dimension beleuchtet. In Praxisbeiträgen werden darüber hinaus konkrete Vorschläge für Regelungen und Modelle zur Diskussion gestellt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Piasna, Agnieszka (2020): Standards of Good Work in the Organisation of Working Time: Fragmentation and the Intensification of Work Across Sectors and Occupations. In: Management revue, Jg. 31, H. 2, S. 259-284. DOI:10.5771/0935-9915-2020-2-259

Abstract

"This article addresses the issue of good work in terms of working time organisation by exploring the link between diverse working time practices and work intensity. Existing studies have demonstrated that non-standard working hours expose workers to the pressures of work intensification, which can be defined as the compression of work activities into a unit of time. This article expands existing knowledge by investigating how the outcomes of non-standard working hours differ by sector and occupation, as well as by incorporating detailed and comprehensive measures of working time organisation in the empirical analysis. Based on EWCS data from 2010 and 2015 for 28 EU countries, the empirical analysis uses multilevel regression models with workers nested within countries. The results show that non-standard working hours and employer-driven scheduling are, on average, linked to more intense work than regular daytime hours scheduled from Monday to Friday or under worker-led flexibility arrangements. Consistent with expectations, the study points to significant differences in this relationship between sectors and occupations. Among others, in low-skilled and routine occupations, and service sectors such as transport, commerce, hospitality and health, short hours of work and employer-led flexibility are associated with relatively more intense work. Even where workers have some control over their schedules, jobs in these areas are not linked to lower levels of work intensity. The findings also support the expectation of overwork in high-skilled jobs, where long hours of work and high levels of worker-led flexibility are linked to relatively more intense work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Chung, Heejung (2019): 'Women's work penalty' in access to flexible working arrangements across Europe. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 25, H. 1, S. 23-40. DOI:10.1177/0959680117752829

Abstract

"Many assume that women and workers in female-dominated workplaces will have better access to flexible working arrangements. Some use this as justification for the low wages found in these workplaces. Yet, empirical results are mixed. I explore this question by examining workers' access to schedule control across 27 European countries, and find no discernible gender differences in access to schedule control when individual and company-level characteristics are taken into account. However, working in female-dominated jobs and/or sectors significantly reduces access to schedule control for both men and women. This 'women's work penalty' in female-dominated sectors varies across Europe but nowhere was the access better compared to sectors where both genders are equally represented. This raises concerns regarding the lack of favourable working conditions, in addition to low pay found in female-dominated workplaces." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hall, Axel & Gylfi Zoega (2019): Welfare, employment, and hours of work. (Economics. Discussion papers 2019-01), Kiel, 27 S.

Abstract

"The authors propose an explanation of why Europeans choose to work fewer hours than Americans and also suffer higher rates of unemployment. Labor market regulations, unemployment benefits, and high levels of public consumption in many European countries reduce, ceteris paribus, the gains from being employed, which makes employed workers ask for higher wages relative to productivity. The higher wages make firms offer fewer vacancies, as well as raising the level of consumption enjoyed by workers, which makes them want to enjoy more leisure because consumption and leisure are complements in the utility function." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Martin, John P. (2018): Live longer, work longer. The changing nature of the labour market for older workers in OECD countries. (IZA discussion paper 11510), Bonn, 29 S.

Abstract

"Population ageing poses stark dilemmas for labour markets, social protection systems and cultural norms. It will put strong downward pressure on labour supply, leading to falling real incomes and huge financial pressures on social protection systems unless there is an offsetting increase in employment rates. This is especially true for older workers whose employment rates are well below those of prime-age adults. In this paper, I examine how the labour market for older workers has evolved in OECD countries since 1990, what are the main forces at work, what are the main obstacles to working longer and how might public policies help overcome them. I also speculate about the future for older workers faced with the challenges and opportunities posed by the gig economy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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(2018): Innovative Arbeitszeitpolitik im Dienstleistungssektor. Antworten der Dienstleistungsgewerkschaften auf arbeitszeitpolitische Herausforderungen. (Hans-Böckler-Stiftung. Working paper Forschungsförderung 091), Düsseldorf, 89 S.

Abstract

"Im Gegensatz zur öffentlichen Wahrnehmung ist der Dienstleistungssektor in den Ländern der EU durch schnelle Veränderungs- und Anpassungsprozesse, ein hohes Arbeitsvolumen, atypische Arbeitszeiten und eine wachsende Entgrenzung von Arbeit und Freizeit gekennzeichnet. Hier setzt die vorliegende Studie an. Sie dokumentiert und analysiert Antworten der Gewerkschaften des Dienstleistungssektors in ausgewählten europäischen Ländern auf neue arbeitszeitpolitische Herausforderungen. Berücksichtigt wurden dabei vor allem jene Länder, in denen Arbeitszeitstandards hauptsächlich durch Tarifverträge reguliert werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die programmatische Neuausrichtung gewerkschaftlicher Arbeitszeitpolitik im Dienstleistungssektor ein gutes Stück vorangekommen ist." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Sparreboom, Theo (2018): Occupational segregation by hours of work in Europe. In: International Labour Review, Jg. 157, H. 1, S. 65-82. DOI:10.1111/ilr.12017

Abstract

"This paper quantifies levels of occupational segregation between full-time and part-time work and attempts to identify some of the determinants of this segregation. In the first part of the analysis, segregation between full-time and part-time work is measured for all workers as well as within sub-groups of the employed - men, women, youth and adults for 15 European countries, using data from the European Labour Force Survey. The extent to which segregation is driven by constituent sub-groups is also analysed. It is demonstrated that occupational segregation by hours of work is generally higher for males than for females, suggesting that part-time pay penalties may be more important for men than for women, and higher for young workers than for adult workers.
The remainder of the paper uses regression analysis across countries to identify factors which drive segregation by hours of work. Three groups of variables are considered that are related to (1) the quantity of work; (2) the quality of work; and (3) institutional factors. It is found that segregation by hours of work for sub-groups of the employed is driven by different factors. In particular, segregation for men is correlated with the volume of work, while variables from all three groups are important for adult women and young workers." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Wingender, Asger M. (2018): A consistent measure of hours worked for international productivity comparisons. In: Economics Letters, Jg. 166, H. May, S. 14-17. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2018.02.009

Abstract

"Hourly labor productivity levels from the national accounts cannot be compared across countries, as national statistical offices use different data sources and methodologies to calculate hours worked. I compute a new, internationally comparable measure of hours worked for 25 OECD countries, and discuss the implications for productivity rankings." (Author's abstract, © 2018 Elsevier) ((en))

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Anxo, Dominique, Jean-Yves Boulin, Jorge Cabrita & Greet Vermeylen (2017): Working time patterns for sustainable work. (Eurofound research report / European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions), Dublin, 77 S. DOI:10.2806/736407

Abstract

"Working time is a recurrent topic of study because the nature of work, its content, the conditions under which it is performed and the labour market itself keep changing. This report provides an overview of the recent evolution of working time duration and organisation in the EU and highlights the most important trends and differences between Member States. Through an in-depth analysis of data from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey carried out in 2015, it examines - from a gender and life course perspective - the links between working time patterns, work - life balance and working time preferences, on the one hand, and workers' health and well-being on the other. Finally, the report explores the extent to which prevailing working conditions and working time patterns in EU Member States are sustainable in the long term." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dolton, Peter (2017): Working hours: Past, present, and future. Work hours have been falling in developed countries - But where will they go in the future? (IZA world of labor 406), Bonn, 10 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.406

Abstract

"Kürzere Arbeitszeiten sind ungleich über Länder, Branchen und Berufe verteilt. Zugleich hält der Druck an, die Arbeitszeit aus Gründen der Work-Life-Balance weiter zu reduzieren. Ob und wie dies durch den technologischen Wandel erreicht werden kann, ohne dass es zu Einkommensumverteilungen zum Nachteil weniger qualifizierter Arbeitskräfte kommt, wird kontrovers diskutiert. Hier ein optimales Gleichgewicht zu finden, wird eine der großen Zukunftsaufgaben der Politik sein." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Hylkema, Tjerk H., Martin Stevens, Jan Van Beveren, Paul C. Rijk, Hans Peter van Jonbergen, Reinoud W. Brouwer, Sjoerd K. Bulstra & Sandra Brouwer (2017): Preoperative characteristics of working-age patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. In: PLoS one, Jg. 12, H. 8, S. 1-14. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0183550

Abstract

"Objective: Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is performed more in working-age (<65 years) patients. Until now, research in this patient population has been conducted mainly among retired (=65 years) patients. Aim of this study was therefore to describe demographic, physical, psychological and social characteristics of working TKA patients and to subsequently compare these characteristics with retired TKA patients and the general population.
Methods: A cross-sectional analysis. Preoperative data of 152 working TKA patients was used. These data were compared with existing data of retired TKA patients in hospital registers and with normative values from literature on the general population. Demographic, physical, psychological and social (including work) characteristics were analyzed.
Results: The majority (83.8%) of working TKA patients was overweight (42.6%) or obese (41.2%), a majority (72.4%) was dealing with two or more comorbidities, and most (90%) had few depressive symptoms. Mean physical activity level was 2950 minutes per week. Compared to the retired TKA population, working TKA patients perceived significantly more stiffness and better physical functioning and vitality, were more physically active, and perceived better mental health. Compared to the general population working TKA patients perceived worse physical functioning, worse physical health and better mental health, and worked fewer hours.
Conclusion: This study shows that a majority of working TKA patients are overweight/obese, have multiple comorbidities, but are highly active in light-intensity activities and have few depressive symptoms. Working patients scored overall better on preoperative characteristics than retired patients, and except for physical activity scored overall worse than the general population." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Spiegelaere, Stand de & Agnieszka Piasna (2017): The why and how of working time reduction. Brüssel, 88 S.

Abstract

"After decades of incremental reduction in working time, recent years have shown signs of a reversed evolution. In response, the labour movement has reasserted its historic aim gradually to reduce working time. This guide aims to contribute to this debate by discussing why working time reduction can be desirable and how it can be organised. It is obvious that the effectiveness of working time reduction depends on how it is implemented. The many options are discussed using real-life experiments to illustrate their effectiveness. The review of the motivations behind working time reduction, the various ways of implementing it and an examination of five short case studies provide the groundwork for a much-needed discussion on how best to design a future-proof reduction in working time." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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(2016): Work-life balance: Creating solutions for everyone. In: Foundation Focus H. 19, S. 1-18.

Abstract

"This issue of Foundation Focus looks at work - life balance and some of the factors that help or hinder workers in combining working with non-working life. Since average working hours have been decreasing steadily, it asks whether work - life balance still matters. How can the Working Time Directive help, and what role do flexible working time policies have? What specific supports are needed by those with care responsibilities for children or adults? Work - life balance is connected to other aspects of life, including the need for high-quality childcare, addressing the gender employment gap and making provision for older workers who cannot continue in full-time work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Anttila, Timo, Tomi Oinas, Mia Tammelin & Jouko Nätti (2015): Working-time regimes and work-life balance in Europe. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 31, H. 6, S. 713-724. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcv070

Abstract

"The organization of times and places of work are key elements of working conditions, and define employees' possibilities for balancing work and other life spheres. This study analyses several aspects of temporal and spatial flexibility, and their associations with employees' work-life balance. This study separates four dimensions of temporal flexibility and one indicator of spatial flexibility. The dimensions of temporal flexibility are the number of hours worked, when the hours are worked, work-time intensity, and the degree of working-time autonomy. The workplace flexibility indicator is an index of work locations. Work-life balance is analysed with work-hour fit. The analyses were based on the fifth wave of the European Working Conditions Survey collected in 2010. We used data from 25 Member States of the European Union (n?=?25,417). Based on the hierarchical cluster analysis, this study found various types of flexibility regimes in Europe. Country clusters show a clear effect on perceived work-life balance even after controlling for flexibility measurements at the individual level. This study contributes to the existing research in analysing several dimensions of temporal and spatial flexibility at the same time, as well as their associations to work-life balance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kümmerling, Angelika & Steffen Lehndorff (2014): The use of working time-related crisis response measures during the Great Recession. (Conditions of work and employment series 44), Genf, 40 S.

Abstract

"In principle, two different types of working-time instruments were used to introduce working-time changes during the crisis. First, work-sharing schemes (with their country-specific institutional background and public subsidies); second, working-time adjustments based on unilateral or bilateral decisions taken at the level of the firm, with or without a framework of collective agreements, but in either case without public financial support. While the former have been studied extensively (Messenger and Ghosheh, 2013), the present report takes stock of working time-related crisis-response measures at the firm level beyond those supported by work-sharing schemes. It covers conventional instruments such as reductions of working time with or without financial compensation and variations in the use of overtime hours, but also more innovative approaches such as the use of working time accounts, 'working-time corridors' and various other forms of changes in working-time organization, such as teleworking or compressed working weeks." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))