Decent Working Time for Women and Men:

Balancing Workers’ Needs with Business Requirements

Jill RuberyEuropean Work and

Employment Research CentreManchester Business School

University of Manchester

Standard working time as decent working time? Standard working time regular, 5 day week daytime working important labour standard, limiting the power of

employers, guaranteeing continuous work and income and providing for shared family time

But increasingly viewed as a rigid form of work

organisation- not attuned to lean production, the 24/7 service economy etc

and based on male breadwinner model of work- full-time continuous employment with limited opportunities to adjust working hours to meet family and personal commitments.

Moving beyond standard working time

But are current trends towards diversification of standard working time promoting gender equality?

Criteria for gender quality

Opportunities for both men and women and parents/non parents to reconcile work and personal life commitments over the life course

Working-time preferences should not exclude employees from types of jobs, promotion opportunities etc.

New working time arrangements should not promote work intensification/ reduced income and social security protection etc.

Different patterns of working time diversification

Results-based full-time work from standard hours to results –based

contracts- long, unsocial and unpredictable hours

Fragmented part-time work Fragmented and variable schedulesEmployee-oriented diversification Reduced hours Flexible scheduling Remote working

Problems of recent trends for gender equality

Results-based--- Extended/unpredictable hours Women less able to choose to stay on in full-time

work-risk that both partners facing long and unpredictable hours

Results-based contracts create problems for offering reduced hours work in higher level jobs

Risk of marginalisation on so-called ‘mommy tracks’ if opt for reduced hours

Need to tackle long hours culture and presenteeism in order to provide quality part-time/flexible work options that do not disadvantage women

Problems of recent trends for gender equalityFragmented time Increased problems of reconciliation if need to be

available for flexible scheduling Loss of guaranteed income, social protection and

risk of increased work intensificationEmployee-oriented diversification-swimming against

the tide? Trends to results-based work and fragmented-time

means that employee-oriented flexibility may be more difficult to introduce

Increases risks of marginalisation within high intensity careers

Paradoxes if present trends continue

Towards dual earner households and towards extended and unpredictable working hours

Towards higher educated women and their concentration in low quality part-time jobs

Towards increased health and longevity –but less time to spend with your young children

Rethinking the framework for working time regulation

Improved sustainability is in the interests of both employers and employees. Need re-regulation in order to:

Utilise and retain potential- both women and men Open up opportunities over the life course and

reduce pressure to succeed when young Focus on changing organisational practices and

men’s behaviour-tackle the long hours culture Adopt regulations at pan-national and national level

that require employers and trade unions to think more innovatively about new ways of organising work and working time

If equal opportunities policies beneficial for employers, is intervention at international and national level still necessary?

Reasons why employing organisations may not take action Inertia/ influence of custom and practice and received

wisdom Focus on short term costs/ discount longer term benefits Managers are mainly men and may not perceive the

problems Costs not evenly distributed across organisations/sectors Employers need to know that competitors are also being

required to change Not all benefits captured by organisations- society also

benefits from higher and more sustainable employment/better utilisation of talent pool/ maintenance of fertility rate etc.