Sustainable rhythms in bounderyless work

International Labour Process Conference, 2013

Henrik Lund, Helge Hvid

About the ‘TiGa’ project:

‘Temporal order in boundaryless work’

• Temporal order – a new concept in Scandinavian work life research

• Boundarylesness in ‘ordinary work’• 6 case studies within– Manufacturing– Elementary schools– Conference centres

• Society's organisation around linier time • Acceleration and high speed society (Rosa 2010)• Temporal diversitet and temporal autonomi • Instant time (Eriksen 1999) • Extended present (Nowotny 1994)• Conflicting Time (Ylijoki 2003)• Scarcity of time or time famine (Perlow 1999)• Fragmented time and polychrome time • Compressed time• Lack of time gaps

3

Sociology of time as inspiration to why we have difficulty keeping rhythms in

everyday life

General change of time in contemporary work – boundarylessness

• Non-standard working time arrangements• High work pace• New temporalities of work – individualised and

task determined time (e.g. project organised work)

Result collective social rhythms are eroded both within and outside work

Psychosocial deterioration in work considered to be attractive

• Work employees wants boundaryless work due to influence, self realization and carrier opportunities

• Raped increase of work related stress, burn outs and depressions in boundaryless work (Docherty 2002)

Aim of the TiGa research project: Investigate the relations between rhythms in time and space, wellbeing, and mental health

Boundaryless working conditions –experienced ambivalences

In search of sustainable rythms

Lefebvre analyses of rhythms

Brutal rhythms DiscontinuityChaos

The Triangle of the Order of Time at Work

Brutal rhythmsDiscontinuityChaos

Sustainable rhythms

Sustainable rhythms

• Co-creator of rhythms• Rhythmic relations between work and pauses• Rhythmic relations between work and leisure• Demarcation of fast time• Time to exchange of information• Focus on core-competences• Rhythmic alternation between different types

of tasks

Re-regulation of time and work

• Develop a workplace specific regulation of time, meaningful temporal order related to work tasks and quality of work

• A general regulation, that – allow workplace specific solutions– protecting workers interest and health