Problems with the acceptance of reductions in working hours that are intended to secure jobs

Abstract

"The article deals with reductions in working hours intended to secure jobs, with which new ground has been broken in various respects. In contrast to the previous pattern of collectively agreed cuts in working hours, they are (1) dispensed far more strongly, (2) they do not give full compensatory wage increases, (3) they are of a temporary nature and (4) they include guarantees of employment. In this way they provide an economically efficient and socially agreeable alternative to redundancies. Based on representative surveys of employees at Volkswagen AG and Ruhrkohle AG, the study examines how the employees accept the reductions in income linked with the cuts in working hours, and how happy they are with the cuts in working hours. The results show that the degree of acceptance of these reductions in working hours that are intended to secure jobs depends on how acute the threat to the jobs is, on the employees' satisfaction with the particular concrete working hours model, their private income and living situation as well as on the changes in the working situation which are triggered off or influenced by the reduction in working hours, and in particular here the intensification of performance. Although only a minority of the employees are unhappy with the cuts in working hours, the arrangement could not be transferred to other fields without difficulty. The particular company employment situation also plays a central role. The findings also refer to three aspects which seem to be significant for further reductions in the collectively agreed working hours. Firstly the advantage to be gained from an extended amount of non-working time depends to a great extent not only on the quantitative dimension of the additionally gained time units, but also on the position of the time gained and the extent to which it is available to the workers. Secondly the acceptance of reductions in working hours could turn out greater, the more successfully the close connection between shorter working hours and intensified performance is broken down. Finally good acceptance can only be expected when there is at least an average income or agreed wage level and partial compensatory wage increases, at least for those in the lower income bracket." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Promberger, M., Rosdücher, J., Seifert, H. & Trinczek, R. (1996): Akzeptanzprobleme beschäftigungssichernder Arbeitszeitverkürzungen. Empirische Evidenz zweier Beschäftigtenbefragungen bei der Volkswagen AG und der Ruhrkohle AG. In: Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Vol. 29, No. 2, p. 203-218.