'Flexible Hours' Often Mean More Work—Especially for Women Workers want the freedom to set their own hours. But sociologist Heejung Chung says social expectations push employees to expand the work day.
OVER THE PAST couple of years, workers have gotten a taste for flexible work, and they’re hungry for more. Multiple recent surveys show that many workers rank flexibility among their top priorities, topping even pay. But University of Kent sociologist Heejung Chung says those who chase flexibility—defined as some control over one’s time and place of work—might be setting themselves up for trouble.
In her book The Flexibility Paradox, out March 4, Chung compiles her own research and that of hundreds of scholars to show that when workers are given flexibility, they generally work harder and longer—and they think more about work during non-work time. One analysis of 32,000 German workers found that those with control over their schedules logged four additional hours of overtime a week compared with people on fixed schedules. Another study using the same data showed that homeworking mothers in particular did more unpaid work, spending three more hours on childcare than their office-bound counterparts.
(wired.com)