- 215 881 7596
Lonnie Golden
Pennsylvania State University, Labor Studies & Employment Relations, Department Member
This chapter focuses on flexible working time arrangements and presents flexible work schedule practices as they vary among individuals, organisations and nations, explaining reasons for observed variations. It highlights the need to... more
This chapter focuses on flexible working time arrangements and presents flexible work schedule practices as they vary among individuals, organisations and nations, explaining reasons for observed variations. It highlights the need to focus on specific types of flexible work options; distinctions between availability, access, and use; as well as formal and informal use practices. We show that, depending on the metric used, flexibility can be seen as widely available, or as seriously constrained or limited. If structured as employee-centred, flexible work arrangements can improve work-family harmonisation. Creating contexts with flexible work options that can enhance employee well-being requires attention at the organisational level, with cultural contexts that support both formal and informal implementation, as well as national level policies that regulate the terms under which work hours can be, and should be, open to adjustment by employees.
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nrpages: 389status: publishe
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Fair Workweek legislation has sprung up organically around the country in response to the prevalence and consequences of work schedules that may be unstable, unpredictable or unreliable. Labor standards need to be updated to deal with the... more
Fair Workweek legislation has sprung up organically around the country in response to the prevalence and consequences of work schedules that may be unstable, unpredictable or unreliable. Labor standards need to be updated to deal with the widespread use of last minute, on-call or inadequate work hours, and their adverse consequences for workers. A new survey of 1,717 workers throughout the state of Illinois workers was conducted between October, 2017 – March, 2018, including full-time, part-time and non-standard (e.g., contractor, temp) workers. It oversamples Chicago residents, low and middle income households and hourly paid workers. It uses both online and in-person survey collection methods. Over 40 percent of hourly paid workers have at least occasional on-call work, often with very short advance notice, and almost half have little to no input into their daily work schedules. Over a third of all workers have less than one week’s advance notice of their schedule and almost half have a preference to work more hours for more income. Irregular shift working and hours - underemployment are both higher among part time workers. From the findings, a list of public policy recommendations are offered to address the erratic work schedules and their documented work-life time conflict consequences found here for working people.
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We study how working schedule flexibility (flextime) affects happiness. We use a US General Social Survey (GSS) pooled dataset containing the Quality of Worklife and Work Orientations modules for 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. We... more
We study how working schedule flexibility (flextime) affects happiness. We use a US General Social Survey (GSS) pooled dataset containing the Quality of Worklife and Work Orientations modules for 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. We retain only respondents who are either full-time or part-time employees on payrolls. For flextime to be associated with greater happiness, it has to be more than just sometimes flexible or slight input into one’s work schedule, that is, little flextime does not increase happiness. But substantial flextime has large effect on happiness–the size effect is about as large as that of household income, or about as large as one-step increase in self-reported health, such as up from good to excellent health. Our findings provide support for both public and organizational policies that would promote greater work schedule flexibility or control for employees.
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Many organizations are increasingly relying on less predictable and stable shifts with shorter advance notice scheduling, even on-call work. Meanwhile, the integration of work and nonwork life is increasingly dependent on employees’... more
Many organizations are increasingly relying on less predictable and stable shifts with shorter advance notice scheduling, even on-call work. Meanwhile, the integration of work and nonwork life is increasingly dependent on employees’ ability to receive their preferred work schedule. Some employees have been gaining more autonomy over their hours or schedules, however, many others actually have less control. When an employee works on an irregular or on-call shift, what are the effects on work-family balance and work stress? The incidence and effects of unstable work schedules are explored here using General Social Survey (GSS) data and its Quality of Worklfe (QWL) modules, and other one-time polls. Estimates are that from 10 percent to 16 percent of workers report working these kind of shifts. Empirical analyses with multi-nomial regression estimation finds that work-family conflict is worsened not only by longer weekly hours, but also by having irregular shift work. Controlling for h...
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Abstract: This research synthesis paper attempts to summarize the various effects of working time, in its multiple dimensions, described in the research literature in the past years. It covers the available empirical evidence regarding... more
Abstract: This research synthesis paper attempts to summarize the various effects of working time, in its multiple dimensions, described in the research literature in the past years. It covers the available empirical evidence regarding the effects of both hours of work and flexible types of working time arrangements. It discusses in particular the effects of long working hours and flexibility in the timing of work schedules and their impact on both labour productivity and firm performance via the underlying long-run labour costs. It considers the ...
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Abstract: A theoretical economic model is developed to explain the disparities in flexible work scheduling observed across firms, workplaces, sectors, and time periods. Given heterogeneity in firms' costs,... more
Abstract: A theoretical economic model is developed to explain the disparities in flexible work scheduling observed across firms, workplaces, sectors, and time periods. Given heterogeneity in firms' costs, the supply of flextime is determined by firms' costs of enacting versus not adopting it. The innovative practice would be adopted if it generates net unit labor cost savings. If it is cost neutral, the extent to which the supply of flextime falls short of worker demand for it depends on the extent to which employers must accommodate employee ...
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Abstract: This paper addresses the on-going controversy regarding whether to allow private sector employers to substitute compensatory (comp) time for premium pay for workers' overtime work hours. It employs data from a... more
Abstract: This paper addresses the on-going controversy regarding whether to allow private sector employers to substitute compensatory (comp) time for premium pay for workers' overtime work hours. It employs data from a unique survey that actually asked over 800 workers their preference for pay vs. future time off, the Work in America Time is of the Essence survey. The results of statistical analysis suggest that workers' relative preference for comp time is significantly weaker if they have jobs or duties that do not appear to ...
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Abstract: Would replacing the conventional work week with a four-day option benefit economic performance and well-being? In the framework of economics, the question is whether work week reform can make some individuals better off without... more
Abstract: Would replacing the conventional work week with a four-day option benefit economic performance and well-being? In the framework of economics, the question is whether work week reform can make some individuals better off without making other individuals worse off in ways that do not hamper other goals such as efficiency, economic growth, and equity. Social and individual welfare outcomes would depend on whether reforming the work week involves shortening the length of the work day versus ...
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Abstract: This article aims to contribute to knowledge regarding determinants of happiness by examining the independent role of worker discretion over working time, using data pooled from two years of a nationally representative US... more
Abstract: This article aims to contribute to knowledge regarding determinants of happiness by examining the independent role of worker discretion over working time, using data pooled from two years of a nationally representative US survey. Controlling for a worker ’s income bracket and work hours duration, having work schedule flexibility in the form of an ability to take time off during the work day and, to a slightly lesser extent, to vary starting and quitting times daily, are both associated with greater happiness, whereas an ability to ...
Abstract: Does paid employment during high school and college displace the time students spend in educational activities? Most enrolled college students in the US now work in paid jobs, almost half of whom work 25 or more hours per week.... more
Abstract: Does paid employment during high school and college displace the time students spend in educational activities? Most enrolled college students in the US now work in paid jobs, almost half of whom work 25 or more hours per week. An economic approach suggests that students consider the tradeoffs involved with work versus study time allocation in terms of both current income and future earnings capacity and well being. There may be some complementarity, not just substitutability, between work and education time, regarding ...
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Wlie workers' preferences regard-Ing work hours by their nature VYv are not directly observable, re-strictions on individuals' choice of hours of work in a given job are widely acknowledged as a central feature of the labor... more
Wlie workers' preferences regard-Ing work hours by their nature VYv are not directly observable, re-strictions on individuals' choice of hours of work in a given job are widely acknowledged as a central feature of the labor market and, in many conventional economic studies, of ...
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Does paid employment during high school and college displace the time students spend in educational activities? Most enrolled college students in the US now work in paid jobs, almost half of whom work 25 or more hours per week. An... more
Does paid employment during high school and college displace the time students spend in educational activities? Most enrolled college students in the US now work in paid jobs, almost half of whom work 25 or more hours per week. An economic approach suggests that students consider the tradeoffs involved with work versus study time allocation in terms of both current income and future earnings capacity and well being. There may be some complementarities, not just substitutability, between work and education time, regarding educational outcomes. Previous research tends to find that when paid hours exceed some threshold level, typically somewhere between 15 and 25 hours per week, various indicators of students’ academic performance are lower. Longer work hours also undermine certain aspects of mental health. This research applies the pooled 2003-2005 American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data (n=47k#) to empirically investigate four main questions: (1) Are paid work hours of students associat...
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Despite some attention devoted to part-time employment with insufficient or inadequate work hours, research is still too limited on how the burden of underemployment is distributed disproportionately on vulnerable workers and its... more
Despite some attention devoted to part-time employment with insufficient or inadequate work hours, research is still too limited on how the burden of underemployment is distributed disproportionately on vulnerable workers and its implications for financial well-being and work-family balance. Furthermore, scarce research considers the role of control over work hours in the context of worker underemployment. Using unique data and measures constructed from a nationally representative survey of the 2006 and 2016 US General Social Survey, we find that being part-time underemployed is concentrated toward workers who are minority, lower income, and employed in certain service occupations. Multivariate analysis reveals that, relative to both part-time workers satisfied with their hours and to full-time workers, the part-time underemployed endure significantly greater risks of facing lower financial status and financial dissatisfaction. Part-time underemployed workers also experience more frequent work-to-family conflict, compared to other parttime workers, and no less than otherwise comparable full-time workers. Their elevated work-family conflict is intensified when having limited control over their work hours. We derive implications of these findings for preventative public policies that would help curb both the extent and the harms of underemployment, recently rendered even more necessary by its rise during the 2020 recession.
EILEEN APPELBAUM is copresident of the Center for Designing Work Wisely in Washington, DC, and director of the Rutgers University Center for Women and Work. LONNIE GOLDEN is a labor economist at Penn State University, Abington College.... more
EILEEN APPELBAUM is copresident of the Center for Designing Work Wisely in Washington, DC, and director of the Rutgers University Center for Women and Work. LONNIE GOLDEN is a labor economist at Penn State University, Abington College. ... Employers fail to offer workers flexible arrangements ... THE NUMBER OF HOURS THAT AMERICAN WORKERS SPEND AT WORK ... The time squeeze has displaced family priorities in favor of work responsibilities. Paid time off for vacations, holidays, and ... In the first half of the 1990s, ...
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In recent years, much attention has focused on the growth of nonstandard and contingent employment (including part-time work) which involves up to 30 percent of the total US labor force. There is little agreement on either the causes or... more
In recent years, much attention has focused on the growth of nonstandard and contingent employment (including part-time work) which involves up to 30 percent of the total US labor force. There is little agreement on either the causes or the effects of this trend. Some researchers emphasize the advantages: employees may explore the job market and obtain work that does not necessarily involve rigid schedules, while employers enjoy greater flexibility and lower costs. Others point to the disadvantages for employees, such as lack ...
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In their March 1994 article, Larson and Ong (LO) question the" contingent labor thesis" which holds that contingent jobs are rising at the direct expense of fulltime jobs. They examine US Bureau... more
In their March 1994 article, Larson and Ong (LO) question the" contingent labor thesis" which holds that contingent jobs are rising at the direct expense of fulltime jobs. They examine US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) series on part-time employment from 1968 to 1989 to illustrate that what they label" permanent" parttime employment peaked in the early 1980s and actually receded somewhat thereafter. They argue that this occurred because a secular climb in involuntary part-time (IPT) employment-the percentage of the labor force ...
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The purpose of this paper is to identity trends over time in the short-run sensitivity of the average length of the workweek and to reveal some of the factors responsible for these trends. Variability in the average workweek has declined... more
The purpose of this paper is to identity trends over time in the short-run sensitivity of the average length of the workweek and to reveal some of the factors responsible for these trends. Variability in the average workweek has declined markedly since the pre-war period. To explain this pattern, a model is developed that controls for factors such as variation in output, fixed labor costs, and skill levels. It is found that the degree of labor union power and the strength of implicit contracts of earnings stability are partly responsible for the patterns ...
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A RISING share of workers in the United States-up to/'almost one-third of the work force-are regularly clock-JL JLing workweeks in excess of the venerable forty-hour standard. Almost one in five, including both salaried and... more
A RISING share of workers in the United States-up to/'almost one-third of the work force-are regularly clock-JL JLing workweeks in excess of the venerable forty-hour standard. Almost one in five, including both salaried and hourly, professional and blue-collar employees, now reports working fifty or more hours perweek. According to a recent International Labor Organization study, Key Indicators ofthe Labor Market, the United States now" leads" the postindustrialized world in average annual hours of work-justunder 2,000 hours per ...
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This paper analyzes implications for worker well-being if legislation in the US Congress is passed permitting employers and non-supervisory employees who agree to substitute future compensatory time off in lieu of premium pay for overtime... more
This paper analyzes implications for worker well-being if legislation in the US Congress is passed permitting employers and non-supervisory employees who agree to substitute future compensatory time off in lieu of premium pay for overtime work, calculated over an 80-hour two-week standard. The impact on worker welfare is predicted applying augmented worker utility and employer demand for hours functions. Plausible inter-temporal scenarios suggest that unless workers gain more control over the timing of their overtime and comp time ...
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Abstract: This paper aims to discuss the importance of flexible working time arrangements in the United States (US). Section I creates a framework to analyse the various dimensions of working time and their impacts. It examines the... more
Abstract: This paper aims to discuss the importance of flexible working time arrangements in the United States (US). Section I creates a framework to analyse the various dimensions of working time and their impacts. It examines the availability of flexitime and its potential costs and benefits to workers and employers. Section II describes the current distribution and differential access to flexitime by workers' demographic characteristics and by industry and occupational sector. Section III analyses these data to estimate the probability that workers ...
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Has the character of adjustment of labor input in the US manufacturing sector been changing over the last few decades? This question is addressed with time‐series estimation using data through 2001. Impulse responses of employment and... more
Has the character of adjustment of labor input in the US manufacturing sector been changing over the last few decades? This question is addressed with time‐series estimation using data through 2001. Impulse responses of employment and average weekly hours to a given shock in output demand are generated from multi‐equation vector autoregressions. The results reveal a marked change in the character of labor input adjustment as compared with the two decades prior to 1979, with some heterogeneity among 18 detailed industries. Adjustment of hours has risen somewhat while adjustment of employment has dropped considerably. This intensifying adjustment of hours vis‐à‐vis employment is consistent with hypotheses regarding employers' potential reactions to a skill‐upgrading of jobs under greater market pressures to restrain cost. US manufacturing employers appear to be increasingly adopting strategies of “lean staffing,” while “hoarding” and shedding work hours, in response to cyclical fl...
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This paper examines the role of the average workweek as a leading indicator of output and employment in US manufacturing industries. A separate VAR system is estimated for the aggregate, durable, and non-durable manufacturing sectors as... more
This paper examines the role of the average workweek as a leading indicator of output and employment in US manufacturing industries. A separate VAR system is estimated for the aggregate, durable, and non-durable manufacturing sectors as well as for 16 of the 20 two-digit SIC detailed manufacturing industries. Each VAR system is comprised of hours, employment, output, and real wages for that sector or industry. Tests conducted for structural change show a structural break occurred after the late 1970s. Granger causality tests and ...
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The incidence of flexible daily starting and ending times of work presumably reflects the various underlying motivations of employers to offer them either as a formal workplace program or on a more selective basis. Access to scheduling... more
The incidence of flexible daily starting and ending times of work presumably reflects the various underlying motivations of employers to offer them either as a formal workplace program or on a more selective basis. Access to scheduling flexibility is greater for managerial and professional, long hours, private sector, salaried and nonunion jobs, and for parents and men. This advantage is gained primarily through means other than a formal flexi-time plan. Implementation of more formal programs would likely promote more equity in ...
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... Altman, Morris and Lonnie Golden, “Alternative Approaches of Regulating Hours” in M. Oppenheimer and N. Mercuro (eds.), Alternative Approaches in Law & Economics, 2004, ME Sharpe. Altonji, Joseph and Christina... more
... Altman, Morris and Lonnie Golden, “Alternative Approaches of Regulating Hours” in M. Oppenheimer and N. Mercuro (eds.), Alternative Approaches in Law & Economics, 2004, ME Sharpe. Altonji, Joseph and Christina Paxson. 1988. ... Berg, Peter and Arne Kalleberg. ...
Abstract: One of the costs organizations may incur is those associated with controlling employees' work hours and schedules. This chapter examines the empirical association between long work hours, ability to control their work... more
Abstract: One of the costs organizations may incur is those associated with controlling employees' work hours and schedules. This chapter examines the empirical association between long work hours, ability to control their work timing and their self reported experience of adverse physical health. One such inflexibility is the inability of a worker to refuse extra work hours, so that it is more mandatory than strictly voluntary. The other is the inability to change starting and quitting times of work on a daily basis. In the 2002 General ...
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... On March 31, 2010, the White House hosted a one-day conference to discusses the potential benefits of workplace flexibility not only to employees, but employers and the economy, and addressed topics such as reduced absenteeism, lower... more
... On March 31, 2010, the White House hosted a one-day conference to discusses the potential benefits of workplace flexibility not only to employees, but employers and the economy, and addressed topics such as reduced absenteeism, lower turnover, improved health of workers, and increased productivity.... While few voters identified taxes as their prime motivation for voting, it is likely that sensitivity to any hint of higher income taxes is merely reflective of a frustration with the trend of before-tax earnings-that is, the flatlining of ...
Аннотация Provides information on a case which relates to comp time in the work place, while highlighting the effect comp time will have on family life if substituted for overtime pay. Identification of the law which employers want to... more
Аннотация Provides information on a case which relates to comp time in the work place, while highlighting the effect comp time will have on family life if substituted for overtime pay. Identification of the law which employers want to change; Indication that Congress faces a choice on whether to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); Indepth look at comp time.
The number and the control of working hours are increasingly crucial ingredients for employees seeking to integrate, balance or reconcile work with non-work life. As the dual-income household solidifies as a norm, and new labor force... more
The number and the control of working hours are increasingly crucial ingredients for employees seeking to integrate, balance or reconcile work with non-work life. As the dual-income household solidifies as a norm, and new labor force entrants attach a high value to their time away from the workplace, the employment relationship will come under increasing pressure to feature more 'employee-centered'types of flexibility. As more of a household's time is spent in the paid workforce–in the form of both longer weekly hours or more weeks ...