Balance Between Work and Life – New Corporate Impositions Through Flexible Working Time or Opportunity for Time Sovereignty?

Working time is once again on the agenda. Actors in industry and politics are demanding the extension of working time and greater, market-oriented flexibilisation in the interest of cutting costs. At the present time the advocates of further reductions in working time and greater time sovereignty for employees have little say. At the same time, the compatibility of work and life has become an increasingly important issue, not only as a problem for working mothers but for corporate human resources policy as a whole. Forms of regulating flexible working time that promise to balance various time interests are therefore particularly important. One option of major interest is the institution of working time accounts, which permit flexible overtime as well as the use of ‘banked’ time to meet personal needs without generally extending working time. The study provides insight into corporate working time arrangements in various sectors and employee time choices in reconciling company requirements and private interests. Neither side has yet made adequate progress in creating the preconditions for a successful balance.