Complicated Working Time Arrangements: Construction Industry Case Study
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 138, Issue 3
Abstract
This paper extends the understanding of working-time changes and work-life balance (WLB) through analyzing a case study where a reduction in working hours designed to assist the workforce in balancing work and nonwork life was implemented. An alliance project in the Australian construction industry was established initially with a 5-day working week, a departure from the industry-standard 6-day week. However, a range of factors complicated the success of this initiative, and the industry-standard 6-day working week was reinstated for the project. The authors argue that this case is valuable in determining the complex mix of influences that work against a wholesale or straightforward adoption of working-time adjustments and work-life balance practices. It is concluded that although the prevailing workplace culture is considered an important factor in the determination of working time, structural and workplace principles and practices may also be critical in working to secure the successful introduction of working-time reduction and work-life balance initiatives in the construction industry in the future.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Allen, T., Herst, D., Bruck, C., and Sutton, M. (2000). “Consequences associated with work-to-family conflict: A review and agenda for future research.” J. Occup. Health Psychol., 5(2), 278–308.
Bluestone, B., and Rose, S. (1998). “The unmeasured labour force: The growth in work hours.” Public Policy Brief No. 39, Jerome Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, New York.
Boyar, S., Maertz, C., Pearson, A., and Keogh, S. (2003). “Work-family conflict: A model of linkages between work and family domain variables and turnover intentions.” J. Manage. Issues, 15(2), 175–190.
Brett, J., and Stroh, L. (2003). “Working 61 plus hours a week: Why do managers do it?” J. Appl. Psychol., 88(1), 67–78.
Brown, K., Ling, S., Bradley, L., Lingard, H., and Townsend, K. “Labouring for leisure? Achieving work-life balance through compressed working weeks.” Ann. Leisure Res., 14(1), 43–59.
Campbell, I. (2002). “Extended working hours in Australia.” Labour Ind., 13(1), 91–110.
Campbell, I. (2005). “Long working hours in Australia: Working time regulations and employer pressures.” Centre for Applied Social Research Working Paper Series, No. 2005-2, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
Chang, A., McDonald, P., and Burton, P. (2010). “Methodological choices in work-life balance research 1987 to 2006: A critical review.” Int. J. Human Resource Manage., 21(13), 2381–2413.
Clark, S. (2001). “Work cultures and work/family balance.” J. Vocational Behav., 58(3), 348–365.
Considine, J., and Buchanan, J. (2007). “Workplace IR on the eve of workchoices.” National Industrial Relations Conf., Workplace Research Centre, Univ. of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Dawson, D., and Fletcher, A. (2001). “A quantitative model of work-related fatigue: Background and definition.” Ergonomics, 44(2), 144–163.
Dawson, D., McCulloch, K., and Baker, A. (2001). Extended working hours in Australia—Counting the costs, Centre for Sleep Research, Univ. of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
Goldenhar, L., Hecker, S., Moir, S., and Rosecrance, J. (2003). “The ‘Goldilocks Model’ of overtime in construction: Not too much, not too little, but just right.” J. Saf. Res., 34(2), 215–226.
Greenhaus, J., Collins, K., and Shaw, D. (2003). “The relation between work-family balance and quality of life.” J. Vocational Behav., 63(3), 510–531.
Jacobs, J., and Gerson, K. (2000). “Who are the overworked Americans?” Working time: International trends, theory and policy perspectives, L. Golden and D. Figart, eds., Routledge, London, 71–95.
Kodz, J. et al. (2003). Working long hours in the UK: A review of the research literature, analysis of survey data and cross-national organizational case studies, Dept. of Trade & Industry, London.
Lingard, H., and Francis, V. (2004). “The work-life experiences of office and site-based employees in the Australian construction industry.” Constr. Manage. Econ., 22(9), 991–1002.
Lingard, H., and Rowlinson, S. (1994). “Construction site safety in Hong Kong.” Constr. Manage. Econ., 12(6), 501–510.
Netemeyer, R., Boles, J., and McMurrian, R. (1996). “Development and validation of work-family conflict and family-work conflict scales.” J. Appl. Psychol., 81(4), 400–410.
Osterman, P. (1987). “Choice of employment systems in internal labor markets.” Ind. Relat., 27(1), 46–47.
Osterman, P. (1988). Employment futures: Reorganization, dislocation, and public policy, Oxford University Press, New York.
Peetz, D., Townsend, K., Russell, B., Houghton, C., Fox, A., and Allan, C. (2003). “Race against time: Extended hours in Australia.” Aust. Bull. Labour, 29(2), 126–142.
Pocock, B. (2001). The effect of long hours on family and community life, Queensland Dept. of Industrial Relations, Brisbane, Australia.
Pocock, B. (2003). The work/life collision, Federation Press, Sydney, Australia.
Pocock, B., and Clarke, J. (2005). “Time, money and job spillover: How parents jobs affect young people.” J. Ind. Relat., 47(1), 62–76.
Shepanski, P., and Diamond, M. (2007). An unexpected tragedy: Evidence for the connection between working patterns and family breakdown in Australia, Relationships Forum Australia, Sydney, Australia.
Townsend, K., Russell, B., Peetz, D., Houghton, C., Fox, A., and Allan, C. (2003). Working time transformations and effects, Griffith Work Time Project, Dept. of Industrial Relations, Griffith Univ., Brisbane, Australia.
Van Wanrooy, B. (2007). “A desire for 9 to 5: Australians’ preference for a standard working week.” Labour Ind., 17(3), 71–95.
Wharton, A. S., and Blair-Loy, M. (2006). “Long work hours and family life: A cross-national study of employees’ concerns.” J. Fam. Issues, 27(3), 415–436.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 138 • Issue 3 • March 2012
Pages: 443 - 448
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 18, 2010
Accepted: Jun 13, 2011
Published online: Feb 15, 2012
Published in print: Mar 1, 2012
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.