A study found that older people, and those who worked non-standard hours (such as shift workers), were less likely to feel integrated into society than others. Working uncommon hours could have the same implications as worklessness for people's opportunities to engage and feel integrated in society.
Source: Matt Barnes, Making Time Use Explicit in an Investigation of Social Exclusion in the UK, Economic and Social Research Council
Links: Report | ESRC press release
Date: 2011-Dec
A paper examined whether employees who worked more hours than they wanted to suffered adverse health consequences, based on data for Germany and the United Kingdom. Work-hour 'mismatches' had negative effects on workers' health. In particular, 'overemployment' – working more hours than desired – had negative effects on different measures of self-perceived health.
Source: David Bell, Steffen Otterbach, and Alfonso Sousa-Poza, Work Hours Constraints and Health, Discussion Paper 6126, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined the effect of long working hours on mental health. It concluded that there was evidence that working long hours was a risk factor for the development of depressive and anxiety symptoms in women.
Source: Marianna Virtanen, Jane Ferrie, Archana Singh-Manoux, Martin Shipley, Stephen Stansfeld, Michael Marmot, Kirsi Ahola, Jussi Vahtera, and Mika Kivimaki, 'Long working hours and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a 5-year follow-up of the Whitehall II study', Psychological Medicine, Volume 41, Issue 12
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined the characteristics of European employers that permitted their employees to make individual-level adjustments between full-time and part-time working. Employer policy varied markedly across countries and within countries. The sector, establishment size, presence of a trade union, and gender/skill composition of the workforce all had a significant influence on whether employers permitted individual-level working-time adjustments.
Source: Colette Fagan and Pierre Walthery, 'Individual working-time adjustments between full-time and part-time working in European firms', Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Volume 18 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
A think-tank report examined the lives of people who worked at night. Regular night working exposed people to a range of dangers and risks, and affected their social and family lives.
Source: Will Norman, Rough Nights: The growing dangers of working at night, Young Foundation
Links: Report
Date: 2011-May
A report said that tens of thousands of workers in low-paid, low-skilled jobs were being denied their legal right to take time off. Denial of paid holiday entitlement was widespread, especially among small employers in low-profitability sectors of the economy.
Source: Give Us a Break! The CAB service s case for a Fair Employment Agency, Citizens Advice
Links: Report | Citizens Advice press release
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined key trends and developments in working time across Europe. The author presented some policy suggestions designed to advance the International Labour Organization concept of 'decent work' in the area of working time.
Source: Jon Messenger, 'Working time trends and developments in Europe', Cambridge Journal of Economics, Volume 35 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
Researchers simulated the macroeconomic effects of extending working lives. A one-year extension of working life increased real national income by around 1 per cent about 6 years after its implementation.
Source: Ray Barrell, Simon Kirby, and Ali Orazgani, The Macroeconomic Impact from Extending Working Lives, Working Paper 95, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Working paper | DWP press release
Date: 2011-Jan
A paper examined the relationship between part-time employment and job satisfaction for mothers in the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, France, Spain, and Germany. Poor-quality jobs could diminish any positive effects of part-time employment on well-being. Mothers in part-time jobs in the UK experienced higher levels of job satisfaction, but not of overall life satisfaction, compared with their full-time counterparts.
Source: Jenny Willson and Andy Dickerson, Part Time Employment and Happiness: A cross-country analysis, SERP 2010021, Department of Economics, University of Sheffield
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jan
A report examined the practice of reduced working time across Europe, and looked in detail at how it was implemented in 10 member states – with a view to determining the contribution that such schemes could make in implementing the common principles of 'flexicurity'.
Source: Irene Mandl, John Hurley, Massimiliano Mascherini, and Donald Storrie, Extending Flexicurity: The potential of short-time working schemes, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
A report provided an overview of flexible working time arrangements and gender equality in the 27 European Union member states and the three EEA-EFTA countries. The focus was on internal quantitative flexibility – flexibility in the length of working time, and flexible organization of working time.
Source: Janneke Plantenga and Chantal Remery, Flexible Working Time Arrangements and Gender Equality: A comparative review of 30 European countries, European Commission
Links: Report | European Commission press release
Notes: EEA = European Economic Area; EFTA = European Free Trade Association
Date: 2011-Jan
A report examined part-time work in Europe. Part-time work was spread very unevenly across member states, reflecting differences in legislation, infrastructure, and cultural conventions.
Source: Sandor Eszter, Part-Time Work in Europe: European Company Survey 2009, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Date: 2011-Jan