Sustained Effects of Flexible Working Time Arrangements on Subjective Well-Being

Wie hat sich die COVID-19 Pandemie auf geschlechtsspezifische Ungleichheiten im Arbeitsleben und dem subjektiven Wohlbefinden Erwerbstätiger ausgewirkt? Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage analysiert dieser Beitrag drei Wellen einer nicht zufallsbasierten Onlinestichprobe für den Zeitraum Mitte März bis Anfang August 2020 und umfassen damit den Zeitraum des ersten Lockdowns. Die Ergebnisse unserer multivariaten Analysen zeigen: Frauen, Eltern und insbesondere Mütter waren überdurchschnittlich von Arbeitszeitreduzierungen betroffen. Bei der Wahrscheinlichkeit im Homeoffice zu arbeiten gab es nur geringfügige Unterschiede nach Geschlecht und Familiensituation. Die Zufriedenheit mit der Arbeit, dem Familienleben und dem Leben insgesamt ging bei Frauen, Eltern und insbesondere Müttern überproportional stark zurück. Die beobachteten Unterschiede verringern sich gegen Ende des Lockdowns wieder, jedoch unterschiedlich stark für die einzelnen Ergebnisdimensionen. Abstract: Gender Inequalities in Employment and Subjective-Wellbeing among the Employed during the COVID-19 Pandemic How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected gender inequalities in employment and the subjective well-being of the employed? To answer this question, we analyze three waves of a non-randomized online-survey from mid-March to the beginning of August 2020. The results of our multivariate analyses show: Women, parents, and especially mothers were disproportionately affected by working-time reductions. The likelihood of working from home differed only marginally by gender and family situation. Declines in satisfaction with work, family life and life in general were stronger among women, parents, and especially mothers. The observed differences decreased towards the end of the lockdown-phase, though to different extends for different outcomes.

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Flexible friends? Flexible working time arrangements, blurred work-life boundaries and friendship

Work Employment and Society ◽

10.1177/0950017012438571 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 464-480 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Vivi Bach Pedersen ◽

Suzan Lewis

Keyword(s):

Time Use ◽

Well Being ◽

Work Life ◽

Working Time ◽

Flexible Working ◽

Time Structures

The changing nature and demands of work raise concerns about how workers can find time for activities such as friendship and leisure, which are important for well-being. This article brings friendship into the work-life debate by exploring how individuals do friendship in a period characterized by time dilemmas, blurred work-life boundaries and increased employer- and employee-led flexible working. Interviews with employees selected according to their working time structures were supplemented by time use diaries. Findings indicate that despite various constraints, participants found strategies for making time for friendship by blurring boundaries between friends and family and between friends and work. However, the impacts of flexible working time structures were complex and double-edged.

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Effects of Long Working Hours and Night Work on Subjective Well-Being Depending on Work Creativity and Task Variety, and Occupation: The Role of Working-Time Mismatch, Variability, Shift Work, and Autonomy

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18126371 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (12) ◽

pp. 6371

Author(s):

Min-Gwan Shin ◽

Yoon-Ji Kim ◽

Tae-Kyoung Kim ◽

Dongmug Kang

Keyword(s):

Shift Work ◽

Working Hours ◽

Well Being ◽

Working Time ◽

Night Work ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Long Working Hours ◽

Task Variety ◽

High Level ◽

And Task

This study explored the effects of long working hours (LW) and night work (NW) on subjective well-being and the modifying effects of work creativity and task variety (WCTV) and occupation. In addition, we examined the influence of working time-related variables including working-time mismatch, variability, shift work, and autonomy on the effects of LW and NW. This study used data from the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey on 50,205 workers. LW and NW were defined as 52–60 h (L1) or >60 h (L2) per week, and 1–10 days (N1) or >10 days (N2) of night work per month. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the effects of LW and NW and the modifying influences of WCTV and occupation. Differences in ORs of LW and NW caused by working time-related variables were investigated, to determine effect sizes and directions. A high level of WCTV alleviated the risks of LW and NW. White-collar workers were more vulnerable to the risk associated with NW. Regarding working-time related variables, working-time mismatch and variability increased the risks of LW and NW, respectively, while shift work alleviated the risks of NW. In countries where flexible work systems are not well utilized, working-time autonomy might not be associated with the risk of LW or NW. This study showed that it is necessary to comprehensively consider the occupation and task characteristics of individual workers performing LW or NW. Further studies of the modifying effects of working time-related variables on LW and NW are needed.

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Work hours, work schedules, and subjective well-being in Korea

International Sociology ◽

10.1177/0268580920949724 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 25-48

Author(s):

Yoo-Jean Song ◽

Yun-Suk Lee

Keyword(s):

Well Being ◽

Work Hours ◽

Working Time ◽

Psychological Status ◽

Work Schedules ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Nonstandard Work ◽

Nonstandard Schedules ◽

Long Work Hours ◽

Nonstandard Work Schedules

Korea is well known for long work hours. This study examined the effect of not only the total amount of working time but also work schedules on individuals’ subjective well-being in Korea. Drawing on the 2014 Korean Time Use Survey data, the authors selected currently employed people aged 19–65 and examined the effects of total work hours as well as work schedules on feeling rushed, feeling tired, and life satisfaction. Based on the ordered logistic regression analysis, long work hours were negatively related to subjective well-being regardless of work schedules. After adding an interaction between standard and nonstandard work schedules, the study found that while work hours during both standard and nonstandard schedules are associated with declines in psychological status, the negative effect of working time during nonstandard work schedules on subjective well-being is stronger as the work hours during standard schedules decrease.

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Working Time Mismatch and Subjective Well-being

British Journal of Industrial Relations ◽

10.1111/j.1467-8543.2008.00705.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 147-179 ◽

Cited By ~ 119

Author(s):

Mark Wooden ◽

Diana Warren ◽

Robert Drago

Keyword(s):

Well Being ◽

Working Time ◽

Subjective Well Being

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Conflict Avoidance in Old Age

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000168 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 61-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Lia Oberhauser ◽

Andreas B. Neubauer ◽

Eva-Marie Kessler

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Perceived Social Support ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Conflict Avoidance ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adult Lifespan ◽

Set Up

Abstract. Conflict avoidance increases across the adult lifespan. This cross-sectional study looks at conflict avoidance as part of a mechanism to regulate belongingness needs ( Sheldon, 2011 ). We assumed that older adults perceive more threats to their belongingness when they contemplate their future, and that they preventively react with avoidance coping. We set up a model predicting conflict avoidance that included perceptions of future nonbelonging, termed anticipated loneliness, and other predictors including sociodemographics, indicators of subjective well-being and perceived social support (N = 331, aged 40–87). Anticipated loneliness predicted conflict avoidance above all other predictors and partially mediated the age-association of conflict avoidance. Results suggest that belongingness regulation accounts may deepen our understanding of conflict avoidance in the second half of life.

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Leisure Activities and the Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults in Croatia

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000179 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 31-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan ◽

Tihana Brkljačić ◽

Zvjezdana Prizmić Larsen ◽

Andreja Brajša-Žganec ◽

Renata Franc

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Leisure Activity ◽

Later Life ◽

Perceived Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Financial Status

Abstract. Research shows that engagement in leisure activities promotes well-being among older adults. The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between subjective well-being (flourishing) and leisure activities (total number of different activities in the previous year) in a sample of older adults in Croatia, thereby considering the variables of sex, marital status, financial status, and self-perceived health. The differences in the examined variables between the groups of older adults who reported to be engaged in new activities with those who did not were also examined. The sample of N = 169 older adults aged 60 years and above was drawn from a convenience sample of adult internet users in Croatia. Participants reported their self-perceived health and the number of leisure activities they engaged in over the previous year as well as completing the Flourishing Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that older adults who were engaged in more various leisure activities, who perceived better financial status, and who were married reported higher levels of flourishing. A comparison of the two groups of older adults with and without engagement in leisure activities showed that those engaged in at least one leisure activity were more likely to be women, reported higher levels of flourishing, and perceived their own financial status as better. This study indicated that engaging in leisure activities in later life might provide beneficial effects for the well-being of older adults.

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Intraindividual Variability and Stability of Affect and Well-Being

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000094 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 185-199 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Christina Röcke ◽

Annette Brose

Keyword(s):

Age Differences ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Emotional Experiences ◽

Short Term ◽

Regulatory Processes ◽

Functional Implications ◽

Methodological Approaches ◽

Underlying Processes

Whereas subjective well-being remains relatively stable across adulthood, emotional experiences show remarkable short-term variability, with younger and older adults differing in both amount and correlates. Repeatedly assessed affect data captures both the dynamics and stability as well as stabilization that may indicate emotion-regulatory processes. The article reviews (1) research approaches to intraindividual affect variability, (2) functional implications of affect variability, and (3) age differences in affect variability. Based on this review, we discuss how the broader literature on emotional aging can be better integrated with theories and concepts of intraindividual affect variability by using appropriate methodological approaches. Finally, we show how a better understanding of affect variability and its underlying processes could contribute to the long-term stabilization of well-being in old age.

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Changing Patterns of Subjective Well-Being

Contemporary Psychology ◽

10.1037/013992 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 166, 170-172

Author(s):

PETER LENROW

Keyword(s):

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Changing Patterns

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