KNOWLEDGE WORK AND TIME USE

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KNOWLEDGE WORK AND TIME USE

• Research project Knowledge work, time, place and
  household (2003-05)
• Funded by Finnish Academy and Finnish Work
  Environment Fund
• Reseachers Jouko Nätti, Timo Anttila
• University of Jyväskylä, Dept. of Social
  Sciences and Philosophy, Finland

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BACKGROUND Assumptions

• Working times in the post-industrial
  knowledge-based society are departing from the
  concept of normal working time.
• The limits of working time are blurring.
• Nature of knowledge work - as captivating in
  itself, and at least partly detachable from a
  certain time and place - changes the relations of
  work to time and place.

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AIMS

• To what extent does the nature of knowledge work
  change the relations of work to time (working
  time) and place?
• Duration
• Timing
• Tempo
• Autonomy
• Place of work

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DATA

• The main data is the Use of Time -study
  (1999-2000), collected by Statistics Finland.
• Interview data
• Time diary data
• 10,561 days
• 5332 individuals, which constitute over 3000
  households.
• Comparison of interview and diary data
• Focus
• wage and salary earners
• age 15-64 years old

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Operationalisation of knowledge work
Computer users (31)
Others (35)
Knowledge workers (34)
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Knowledge workers

• Over half of them (58) are women
• Majority of knowledge workers are upper-level
  white-collar employees (55)
• In most cases they belong to younger age groups
  (under 45-year-olds)
• They are over-represented in business services
  and financing, in research and in public
  administration
• They hold more strong and secure labour market
  positions than the other two groups

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DURATION OF WORKING TIME

• Focus on
• time for paid work
• exluding travelling time, lunch time
• all days / work days
• working day subjective classification (57)
• paid work at least 10 minutes during the day (62)

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Daily working time
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Weekly working time

• Estimate of weekly working time
• 7 daily working time (all days) 33,0 hours
• Interview data
• normal working hours 37,4 hours
• Comparisons
• interview data produces longer working time than
  diary data (knowledge work, gender)
• Distribution
• diary data unreliable?
• interview data lt 35 hrs (13) 41 hrs (6)

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Comparisons of working week
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(2) TIMING OF WORKING TIME

• Interview data working time arrangement
• regular daytime work
• 85 of knowledge workers, 66 of computer users,
  63 of others
• Diary data presence at work
• daily
• weekly

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Presence at work during the day ()
13
Presence at work during the week ()
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(3) TEMPO Feelings of hurry
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Lack of time

• 74 of those knowledge workers who felt hurry,
  also thought that because of lack of time they
  have to give up of some activities they otherwise
  would do.
• 62 of computer users and 54 of others

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(4) TIME AUTONOMY AT WORK

• Possibilities to define the starting and
  finishing times of ones work
• 71 of knowledge workers, 51 of computer users
  and 42 of others
• Gender differences

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(5) PLACES OF WORK

• Interview data
• Work at least partly at home
• 58 of knowledge workers, 27 of computer users,
  20 of others
• Work at home and uses computer
• 41 of knowledge workers, 13 of computer users,
  3 of others
• Diary data
• Paid work at home 17-24 ()

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Paid work at home 17-24 ()
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MAIN RESULTS

• Duration (daily, weekly) no clear differences
• Timing
• working time arrangement daytime work
• daily presence at work less variance (core
  hours)
• weekly work more often on Sunday, less often on
  Saturday
• Tempo feelings of hurry and lack of time common
• Autonomy highest working time autonomy
• Places of work work at home most common in
  knowledge work

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CONCLUSIONS

• Goodbye to normal working time?
• Continuity duration, timing
• Weak signals Work at home intensification
• Comparison of interview and diary data
• Larger differences in interview data
• Further research
• Multivariate analysis
• Differences within knowledge work
• Changes over time