Working Time and Workers' Preferences in Industrialized Countries: Finding the Balance / Edition 1

by Jon C. Messenger

Overview

The gradual reduction in weekly working hours in the first half of the last century, which culminated in the widespread adoption of the 'standard' working week by the 1960s, was grounded in a concern for health and safety and for the preservation of time outside of paid labour.

Over the last few decades, however, this progressive standardization of working time has given way to a diversification and individualization in working hours as employers have responded to the competitive pressures of globalization by requiring that productivity be enhanced through changes in working-time schedules.

As we enter the new century, a common goal has emerged: the removal or liberaliZation of restrictions on unsocial hours and on the variation of working hours. This books draws together an international team of contributors to examine the process.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415701082
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/09/2004
Series:	Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy , #50
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jon . Messenger is a Senior Researcher with the International Labour Office (ILO), Switzerland.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Working Time in Industrialized Countries Dominique Anxo, Colette Fagan, Sangheon Lee, Deirdre McCann and Jon C. Messenger 1. Regulating Working Time Needs and Preferences Deirdre McCann 2. Working-Hour Gaps: Trends and Issues Sangheon Lee 3. Working Time Patterns Among Industrialized Countries: A Household Perspective 4. Gender and Working Time in Industrialized Countries Colette Fagan 5. Working Time at the Enterprise Level: Business Objectives, Firms' Practices and Workers' Preferences Jon C. Messenger 6. Implications for Working Time Policies Dominique Anxo, Colette Fagan, Sangheon Lee, Deirdre McCann and Jon C. Messenger

Editorial Reviews

'The authors provide valuable international comparisons on working time that can be used by trade unionists campaigning on ... vital issues.' - Labour Research

From the Publisher