The Flexibility Paradox: Why Flexible Working Leads to (Self-)Exploitation

Front Cover
The Flexibility Paradox: Why Flexible Working Leads to (Self- )Exploitation
Copyright information
Dedication
Table of contents
List of figures, tables and box
Acknowledgments
1 Introduction: The flexibility paradox and contexts
	Introduction
	The contexts
		Contexts of the increase in flexible working
			Increase in female employment and demand for better work-life balance
			Developments in digital technologies
			Commuting, and office and travel costs
			COVID-19
		Contexts of self-exploitation
			Always-on culture
			Insecurity
			Work-centred society
			Passion
	The book
		Flexibility paradox
		Background
		Outline of the book
		How to read this book
		Quick word on methodologies
	The take-home message
	Notes
2 The demand for and trends in flexible working
	Introduction
	What is flexible working?
		Definitions
		Flexibility as an arrangement or an approach?
	The demand for and provisions of flexible working
		The demand for flexible working
		Government response to the demand for flexible working to date
			European Commission directive on work-life balance
			UK
			The Netherlands
			Italy
			Finland
			Australia
			Korea
		Empirical data on the use and provision of flexible working
			Provision of flexitime across Europe11
			Access to flexible working
		Has there been a growth in flexible working?
	Conclusion
	Notes
3 The dual nature of flexibility: family-friendly or performance-oriented logic?
	Introduction
	The dual nature of flexible working
		Flexible working as a family-friendly arrangement
		Flexible working as a high-performance management system
	Theories on the determinants of flexible working provision and access
		Principle of need/family-friendly demands
		Principle of equity/expected performance outcome
		Higher status
		Bargaining power
		Structural factors
	Empirical data analysis results
		Provision of flexitime – company-level analysis
		Access to flexitime/working time autonomy – individual-level analysis
		Outside Europe
	Conclusion
	Notes
4 The outcomes of flexible working
	Introduction
	Summaries of existing studies
		Performance outcomes
		Workers’ well-being
		Work-life balance
		Enhancing employment of mothers and carers
		Work-life balance satisfaction
	Empirical analysis results
		Data and variables
	Conclusion
	Notes
5 The flexibility paradox: why more freedom at work leads to more work
	Introduction
	Theories behind the flexibility paradox
		Gift exchange, enabled and imposed intensification
		Self-exploitation
		Organisational culture and self-exploitation
		Entreprenurialisation of self and careers
		Subjectification of self
	Manifestations of the paradox: passion at work as the basis for self-exploitation
		Passion
		Busyness as a badge of honour
		Passion paradox
		Millennial burnout
	Conclusion
	Notes
6 The empirical evidence of the flexibility paradox
	Introduction
	Evidence of flexible working and longer working hours
		Association between flexible working and long hours of work
		Flexible working leading to long hours of work
		Flexible working, mental spill-over and additional work effort
	Differences across groups of individuals
		Gender and parental status
		Occupational variations
		Arrangement variations?
	Conclusion
	Note
7 Gendered flexibility paradox
	Introduction
	Background context of the gendered nature of the flexibility paradox
		Subjectification of self and the family
		Intensive parenting
		Intensive mothering and gender norms
	Gendered flexibility paradox
		Flexible working and the expansion of unpaid work
		Empirical evidence of the gendered flexibility paradox
		Exploitation model and traditionalisation of gender roles through flexible working
		Class variations or arrangement variations?
		Gendered nature of flexible working and access to flexible working
	Conclusion
	Notes
8 Flexibility stigma and the rewards of flexible working
	Introduction
	Flexibility stigma and its prevalence
		Defining flexibility stigma
		Prevalence of flexibility stigma
	Flexibility stigma and gender
		Femininity stigma
		Rethinking the gendered stigma
		Evidence of the gendered flexibility stigma
	Conclusion
9 The importance of contexts
	Introduction
	Which contexts matter?
		Work centrality
		Gender norms
		Family and social policy
		Workers’ bargaining powers
		Economic and labour market conditions
		Prevalence of flexible working
	Empirical evidence of the impact of national contexts
		Provision of flexible working2
		Use and access to flexible working
		Flexibility stigma
		Outcomes of flexible working4
	Conclusion
	Notes
10 COVID-19 and flexible working
	Introduction
	COVID-19 context
		COVID-19 global context
		COVID-19 context in the UK
	Flexible working during the pandemic
		The prevalence of working from home during the pandemic
		Changing the perception towards flexible working
			Managers’ perception
			Employees’ perception
	Outcomes of flexible working during the pandemic
		Long-hours work
		Blurring of boundaries
		Reduction of hours
		The division of household labour and childcare
	Conclusion
	Notes
11 Conclusion: Where do we go from here?
	Introduction
	Future scenarios of flexible working
		Are we going to see a rise in flexible working?
		Will flexible working be accessible for everyone in the future?
		Will flexible working help tackle gender equality in the future?
		What are the implications of flexible working on workers’ well-being?
	What do we need to do? Policy recommendations for governments
		Better rights and protection for flexible workers
		Reshaping normative views around work-life balance and gender
		Changing the long working hours culture
		Recommendations for companies and managers13
			Redefining productivity and KPIs
			Ensuring a clearer boundary between work and non-work spheres
			Removing the stigma around flexible working for care purposes
		Recommendations for individuals and families
			Maintaining clear boundaries
			Gender division and housework, childcare
			Doing less
	Conclusion
	Notes
	Data used
		European Company Survey 2013
	European Working Conditions Survey 2015
	Variables: European Working Conditions Survey
		1643964843593_187
			Flexitime, working time autonomy and schedule control
			Teleworking/home working
			Work-to-family, family-to-work conflict variables
			Spill-over, work during free time variable
			Work-family conflict index for Chapter 9
			Control variables; access to and use of flexible working models
			Control variables; work-family conflict models
	Appendix Figures and Tables
	Appendix to Chapter 3
	Appendix to Chapter 4
	Appendix to Chapter 6
	Appendix to Chapter 9
	Appendix to Chapter 10
		COVID-19 data sets
		UK
		US
		Canada
		Australia
		The Netherlands
		Germany
		Cross-European
Appendix
	Data used
		European Company Survey 2013
	European Working Conditions Survey 2015
	Variables: European Working Conditions Survey
		Flexitime, working time autonomy and schedule control
		Teleworking/home working
		Work-to-family, family-to-work conflict variables
		Spill-over, work during free time variable
		Work-family conflict index for Chapter 9
		Control variables; access to and use of flexible working models
		Control variables; work-family conflict models
	Appendix Figures and Tables
	Appendix to Chapter 3
	Appendix to Chapter 4
	Appendix to Chapter 6
	Appendix to Chapter 9
	Appendix to Chapter 10
		COVID-19 data sets
		UK
		US
		Canada
		Australia
		The Netherlands
		Germany
		Cross-European
References
Index
Back Cover