This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Lautsch, B. A. Articles by Scully, M. A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Restructuring time: Implications of work-hours reductions for the working class

Simon Fraser University, Canada, blautsch{at}sfu.ca

Maureen A. Scully

University of Massachusetts Boston and Simmons School of Management, USA, maureen.scully{at}umb.edu

This article examines the implications for working-class employees of reducing work hours, specifically when over time is cur tailed in hourly jobs. Much of the literature on work/life balance recommends a reduction in hours for professional employees. We find that the income from over time hours solves a host of work/family problems for working-class employees, ranging from the basic need to `make ends meet' to the more hidden strains of caring for extended families and dealing with divorce, illness, and addiction. Effor ts to reduce hours will be met with resistance not relief. Our depiction of working-class concerns helps the work/family literature to move beyond a focus on professionals and to tackle tough trade-offs regarding livelihood and quality of life.

Key Words: change • class • hours • resistance • time • work/family

Human Relations, Vol. 60, No. 5, 719-743 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726707079199


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?