Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Workers who request a flexible schedule to accommodate their biologically-determined sleep-wake cycle (chronotype) may face prejudice if supervisors perceive them, particularly “night owls”, as lazy or unconscientious. Such bias may be exacerbated in organizational cultures characterized by stability and control. Thus, chronotype bias was examined in a 2 (rigid vs. flexible organizational norms) X 3 (morningness chronotype, eveningness chronotype, educational pursuit/control as reason for a flexible schedule request) online scenario study. Participants were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (N=398) and were instructed to act as managers to decide whether to approve a fictitious employee’s request for a flexible schedule. Organizational culture and reason for schedule request were orthogonally manipulated in the scenarios. Ps completed measures of schedule approval (including an open-ended justification item), beliefs about the employee’s performance (job-specific task performance, contextual performance, personal discipline, and conscientiousness), and manipulation checks, as well as measures of their own chronotype. Ps were less likely to approve a flexible schedule request for employees with chronotype-based requests (both morningness and eveningness) compared to control (educational pursuit/control request). Task performance beliefs mediated the effect. Organizational norms had both a direct and moderating effect on schedule approval, such that approval was higher and chronotype bias was weakened in the flexible norm condition compared to the rigid norm condition. Ps’ own chronotype had no direct or moderating effect on schedule approval. Qualitative content analysis of Ps’ justification for the schedule approval decision revealed that Ps justified their decision on the impact of schedule approval on the organization.

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University lecturers have a job that is characterized by flexible working conditions and lack of boundaries. This study investigates how this is experienced by lecturers at a Swedish university and how they manage the flexibility in order to achieve a balance between work and leisure. The empirical part of the study is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with five senior lecturers within the Faculty of Social Sciences. Boundary theory and Work / Family Border Theory are used to interpret the informants' stories. The study shows that senior lecturers have a mixed experience of flexible working conditions. On the one hand informants expressed positive aspects of having choices in their work in terms of time, space and content; on the other hand, informants recounted the difficulties that can arise when it comes to finding an appropriate balance between work and leisure. The strategies individuals deploy to manage flexible working vary in line with variations in experience and awareness.

The goal of this investigation was to examine personal and environmental factors that may influence levels of daily physical activity in a sample of university staff employees who use flexible work arrangements (flextime or telework). Our first aim was to investigate the link between self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and flexible work arrangements on daily physical activity. Our second aim was to investigate the link between work stress, job burnout, work-to-family conflict and flexible work arrangements on physical activity. Lastly, we investigated if the use of flexible work arrangements buffered the relationship between barriers, as well as job burnout, on physical activity. University staff employees who worked full-time, currently used a flexible work arrangement, lived with at least one family member were eligible to participate. Using a daily diary design, data were collected from 61 university staff employees. Participants completed an initial survey followed by daily diaries over the course of one workweek, resulting in 281 diary days. Data were analyzed with multilevel negative binomial models. Daily barriers and use of flextime were associated with lower physical activity. Self-efficacy, telework, work stress, and work-to-family conflict were not significantly associated with daily physical activity. Flexible work arrangements did not moderate the association between barriers and physical activity. However, flextime moderated the association between job burnout and physical activity. Individuals with high job burnout engaged in more physical activity on flextime days compared to non-flexible workdays. Implications regarding physical activity, flexible work arrangements, and workplace wellness programs are discussed. / Doctor of Philosophy / The goal of this study was to examine minutes spent engaging in physical activity each day among university staff members who use flexible work arrangements. Flexible work arrangements can help employees have more control over their work hours and schedules. In our sample, we were interested in exploring how personal factors, such as the confidence in their ability (i.e. self-efficacy), and barriers influenced the amount of time staff spent engaging in physical activity each day. We were also interested in exploring how work factors, specifically stress from work, feeling burned out from work, and feelings of work interfering with family, influenced the amount of time spent engaging in physical activity. Lastly, we examined how the time spent engaging in physical activity differed on workdays staff used a flexible work arrangement and on days they did not use a flexible work arrangement. We collected data from 61 university staff employees. Participants completed an initial survey followed by short surveys each night for one workweek. We found that the more barriers an individual reported, the less time they spent on physical activity. In addition, on workdays when staff used a flextime arrangement (i.e. control over when work is completed), they engaged in fewer minutes of physical activity than on days they worked typical hours. Self-efficacy, work stress, feeling that work interfered with family, and telework (i.e. control over where work is completed) did not influence physical activity. Interestingly, we found that on workdays that flextime was used, staff with high levels of burnout from their job engaged in more physical activity compared to standard workdays (i.e. no control over their schedule). Implications regarding physical activity, flexible work arrangements, and workplace wellness programs are discussed.

The workforce of today is a far cry from the workforce of yesteryear. Not only have there been changes in who works, but how one works as well. The traditional nine-to-five work day has been replaced by a plethora of flexible work options, including flextime, telecommuting, and part-time employment. Until recently, most part-time workers were those who worked in low-level, low-paying jobs. However, with the influx of women in the workplace, as well as the desire for more leisure time and the need for retraining and updating of skills, more people than ever before desire professional part-time jobs. Although considerable research exists comparing full-time to part-time workers, little research is available which examines the experiences of the professional part-time employee. The central question of this study concerned which factors exist within an organization, as well as within the part-time professional and supervisor, to influence levels of job satisfaction and commitment. A questionnaire was mailed to 805 members of the Association of Part-Time Professionals which gathered demographic characterics about the employee and supervisor, and the provision of benefits for employees. Additional questions concerned attitudes of co-workers, anticipated effects on career advancement, access to staff training, and provision of space, equipment, and clerical support. The final sample included 319 part-time professionals across the career spectrum. A variety of statistical techniques was used to examine the relationships among organizational and supervisor characteristics and the individual characteristics of the participants. Factor analyses were employed to identify the different participant attitudes. The bivariate relationships between attitudes and respondent and organizational characteristics were used to develop multivariate models. Participants generally had high levels of job satisfaction and relatively neutral levels of commitment. Part-time professionals felt positive about their access to equipment, clerical assistance, and office space, but less so about their economic compensation. They were generally satisfied with the work they were asked to do and their treatment by supervisors and co-workers. Access to benefits was variable. Implications for the Adult Educator/Human Resource Specialist are discussed with recommendations made as to how both can promote and advance the needs of the part-time professional. Areas for future research are also presented. / Ph. D.

M. Tech. Business Administration / Working from home is a worldwide trend and effect companies in various ways. With advancement of the information technology and Internet the virtual organizations have become a trend with more and more professionals working from home. Several studies have focused mostly in developed nations with little or no research found in the South African context. This study focused on South African circumstances and examined the cost saving implications for Business Connexion and their employees if they would be able and allowed to work from home. Further, relationships between operational and professional factors, with virtual work were studied.

Denna undersökning som genomförts i en norrlandskommun belyser en grupp av femton kommunanställdas upplevelser av arbetstider vars schemaläggning förläggdes med hjälp av time-caresystemet i jämförelse med en grupp av sjutton kommunanställda som hade fast schema och heroma-önskeschemasystemet. Undersökningen som genomförts med kvantitativ metod syftade till att i ett urval av anställda i en norrlandskommun se upplevelser av arbetstider förlagda med och utan time-care avseende variabilitet (arbetsgivarens schemastyrning) och/eller flexibilitet (individens handlingsfrihet och självständighet).  Trettiotvå respondenter besvarade frågeformulären. Resultatet visade signifikant att respondenterna med time-care upplevde mer överåtagande, mindre möjligheter till förutsägbarhet över en månad, mindre rättvist ledarskap och att arbetet mer påverkar deras fritid än respondenterna som hade fast schema och heroma-önskeschemasystemet. Resultatet visade även att fast/heroma-önskeschemagruppen upplevde mindre överåtaganden, mer kontroll av arbetstakt, samt en högre grad av förutsägbarhet och att de upplevde mer rättvist ledarskap än en normgrupp vilket kan belysa fördelarna med önskeschema.  Nyckelord: oregelbundna arbetstider, flexibelt arbete, flexibel arbetstid, psykosocial / This study carried out in a northern municipality highlights a group of fifteen municipal employees' experiences of working hours whose scheduling was carried out using time-care system in comparison with a group of seventeen municipal employees who had fixed schedule and the heroma-wishful scheduling system. The survey conducted by quantitative method aimed at a sample of employees in a northern municipality see experiences of working placement with and without time care regarding variability (employer's schedule control) and / or flexibility (the individual's freedom and independence). Thirtytwo respondents answered the questionnaires. The results showed significant that respondents with time-care experienced more of overcommitment, less potential for predictability over a month, less fair leadership and to work more affecting their leisure time than respondents with fixed schedule and the heroma-wishful scheduling system. The results also showed that the staff with fixed/heroma-wishful scheduling system experiences less of overcommitments, more in control of the pace of work, and a higher degree of predictability and that they experienced more equitable leadership than a norm group which can highlight the benefits of wishful schedule. Keywords: irregular working hours, flexible work, flexible working, psychosocial

Denna uppsats syfte har varit att undersöka hur det flexibla arbetet upplevs och hanteras av fackförbund. Studiens huvudobjekt har varit tjänstemannaförbundet Unionen där fyra kvalitativa intervjuer gjorts och en rad officiella dokument granskats. Utöver Unionen så har två intervju gjorts med en deltagare var från Vision och Handelsanställdas förbund.Fackförbund möter idag nya typer av frågor. Det handlar om frågor som rör hur arbete idag organiseras och hur medlemmarnas inställning till fackens verksamhet förändrats. Det flexibla arbetet är en sådan fråga. Flexibelt arbetet som fenomen framstår som något komplext för fackförbund. Komplexiteten skapar en situation där problem befaras uppstå om inga förhindrande insatser görs samtidigt som det förekommer relativt få konkreta fall eller ärenden hos Unionen. Unionens arbete med flexibilitet analyseras utifrån ett legitimitetsperspektiv i förhållande till sin omgivning. Hur Unionen hanterar frågor kring det flexibla arbetet problematiseras också i förhållande till mer övergripande utmaningar som dagens fackförbund ställs inför såsom medlemsförluster, individualisering av samhället och nya former för att organisera arbete. / The aim with this paper has been to explore how flexible work is perceived and handled by trade unions. The study's main focus has been the white-collar union Unionen, where four qualitative interviews were conducted and a number of official documents were reviewed. In addition to the interviews with Unionen two interviews were held with participant from Vision and Handelsanställdas förbund. Trade unions today face new challenges. These challenges involve questions that relate to how work today is organized and how members' attitude towards unions and their activities have changed. Flexible work is one such challenge. Flexible work as a phenomenon appears to be somewhat complex for Unionen. This complexity creates a situation where problems are expected to present themselves if no preventive efforts are made, while in reality there are relatively few actual errands for Unionen. Unionens work with flexibility is analysed from a legitimacy perspective in relation to Unionens environment. How Unionen works in relation to flexible work is also problematized in relation to the challenges of today’s unions where they are faced with decreasing number of members, individualization of society and new forms for organizing work.

In this study, the way how the new challenges faced in the post-Fordist period affected labour work arrangements and European social policy making is analyzed. In this regard, the formation of flexible work arrangements and forms of flexibility are examined. The attempts of the European Union to produce effective strategies to connect economic developments to social progress are discussed.

Många arbetsplatser på dagens arbetsmarknad präglas alltmer av ett flexibelt arbete. Detta har inom sociologin beskrivits som ett gränslöst arbete där individens gränsdragning mellan arbete och fritid blir svårare att hantera. Friheten inom det flexibla arbetssättet innebär också att det blir upp till individen att sätta gränser mellan till exempel arbete och fritid. Det faktum att arbetsbeskrivningar inom vissa branscher har blivit allt flexiblare bidrar också till att ett större ansvar åläggs individen att organisera och strukturera det egna arbetet. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur det flexibla arbetet upplevs av anställda inom tjänstemannasektorn samt hur de hanterar sin situation. Den tidigare forskningen fokuserar på innebörden av det flexibla arbetet och hur det upplevs och hanteras av individen. Studien undersöker individernas upplevelser med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer i en organisation inom energibranschen. Denna studie visar på att upplevelsen av det flexibla arbete är övervägande positivt men att det också finns baksidor som individen själv förväntas lära sig hantera. Det konstateras även att det är en viktig förutsättning för att kunna bedriva sitt arbete. Följaktligen visar studien att upplevelsen och graden av flexibilitet i arbetet verkar variera beroende på vilket yrke vederbörande har. / Many workplaces today on the labor market is characterized by a flexible work. This have been theorized in sociology as a situation of boundaryless work for the individual were the limit between work and leisure becomes difficult to handle. The freedom that flexible work makes possible moves the responsible to the individual to set limits between work and leisure. The fact that the terms of employment has become vaguer has led to that the responsibility to organize and structure work more and more lies on the individual. The aim of this study is to investigate how the flexible work is perceived by white color workers and how they handle their situation. Previous research focus on the meaning of flexible work and how the individual perceive and handle it. This study focus on the meaning of flexible work by using qualitative interviews with white color employee in an organization in the energy-industry. The result of the study shows that the flexible work is percieved as predominant positive but that it also can consist of negative aspects that the individual needs to handle. It is also found that the flexibility is important in order to do this kind of work. The result also shows that the percieved degree of flexibility seems to differ depending on occupational status.