Contemporary Conflicts in Perspectives on Work Hours across Hierarchical Levels in Public Accounting

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Baudot ◽  
Khim Kelly ◽  
Aaron McCullough
Keyword(s):  
Work Hours ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Hierarchical Levels ◽  
Contemporary Work ◽  
Work Hour ◽  
Major Shift ◽  
Traditional Work

Socializing personnel into accepting work hour norms has been fundamental to how accounting firms function, but is now challenged by contemporary work perspectives. Using 40 semi-structured interviews of personnel across hierarchical levels at a national firm and an international firm, we show how strangeness and contradiction expressed in work hour perspectives across different levels within both firms are reconstructed as compatible and complementary. Highlighting various firm adaptations, including alternative work arrangements, offshoring, and technological tools, our interviews suggest a major shift in firms’ approach toward work hours. This shift is fueled by work perspectives embraced by younger generations desiring work life balance and purposeful work, and enabled by technology supporting remote work and increasing work efficiencies. The question remains whether firms are evolving to genuinely embody work perspectives of younger generations or restructuring to rely on a smaller workforce willing to accept traditional work hour norms, or some combination thereof.

scholarly journals Thanks, but no thanks. Preferences towards teleworking colleagues in public organizations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Mele ◽  
Nicola Bellé ◽  
Maria Cucciniello
Keyword(s):  
Public Organizations ◽  
Public Employees ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Relational Dynamics ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Critical Issues

Abstract Over the last decades, one of the most significant changes in the workplaces of government agencies around the world has been the introduction of telework. The relatively scant public administration research on this innovation and on its semantic or substantive variations such as telecommuting, home-work, remote work and smart work, has examined its effects on teleworkers and only recently on non-teleworkers. However, scholars have overlooked the relational dynamics triggered by telework. This is the focus of our study. We start by connecting telework with specific features of public bureaucracies, such as control, modularity and the separation of professional and personal life. Next, we explore through a mixed methods design a relational dynamic overlooked by previous studies, i.e. the preferences of non-teleworkers towards teleworking colleagues and the motives behind them. Results from a discrete choice experiment with over 1,000 non-teleworking public employees revealed a remarkably strong preference toward non-teleworkers. A qualitative follow-up based on semi-structured interviews found the workplace collective as the locus of the tensions caused by telework and illuminated critical issues perceived by non-teleworkers, ensuring a more fine-grained understanding of the impacts of flexible work arrangements on the functioning of public organizations.

scholarly journals Home Production and Leisure during the COVID-19 Recession

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana Leukhina ◽  
Zhixiu Yu
Keyword(s):  
Labor Markets ◽  
Time Allocation ◽  
Home Production ◽  
Market Work ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Production Activity ◽  
Married Individuals ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Between the months of February and April of 2020, average weekly market hours in the U.S. dropped by 6.25, meanwhile 36% of workers reported switching to remote work arrangements. In this paper, we examine implications of these changes for the time allocation of different households, and on aggregate. We estimate that home production activity increased by 2.65 h a week, or 42.4% of lost market hours, due to the drop in market work and rise in remote work. The monthly value of home production increased by $39.65 billion – that is 13.55% of the concurrent $292.61 billion drop in monthly GDP. Although market hours declined the most for single, less educated individuals, the lost market hours were absorbed into home production the most by married individuals with children. Adding on the impact of school closures, our estimate of weekly home production hours increases by as much as 4.92 h. The increase in the value of monthly home production between February and April updates to $73.57 billion. We also report the estimated impact of labor markets and telecommuting on home production for each month in 2020.

The moderating role of remote work in the relationship between organizational culture and OCB: case studies from the financial sector

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltán Krajcsák ◽  
Anita Kozák
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Organizational Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to show how remote working affects employees' organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted research on organizations in the financial sector, as this segment was able to easily adapt to the challenges of remote working and teleworking. They used the case study approach: they analyzed organizational documents and management communications related to crisis management back to March 2020, when the pandemic started in Hungary, and conducted semi-structured interviews with managers and subordinates.FindingsThe results highlighted that the dominant organizational culture determines the effects of remote working on OCB. In organizations with a dominant market culture, OCB has changed the least because of the home office, with only a decline in the dimension of civic virtue. In organizations with a dominant clan culture, conscientiousness decreased, while the other three dimensions increased. The dominant hierarchy culture reacted the most unfavorably, excluding the dimension of courtesy, as all dimensions decreased.Originality/valueThe study shows how the pandemic and working in home office have changed the dimensions of OCB in different organizational cultures.

The Impact of Privatization on Minority Faith Prison Chaplains in Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-206
Author(s):  
Adar Abdulkadir ◽  
Ibrahim J. Long
Keyword(s):  
Spiritual Care ◽  
Correctional Facilities ◽  
Correctional Institutions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Federal Prison ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Major Shift ◽  
Prison Chaplains ◽  
The Impact

Canadian federal prison chaplaincy underwent a major shift in 2013 when the provision of its services was privatized and outsourced to a single for-profit company. This article presents a summary of the experiences and concerns expressed by minority faith chaplains serving in federal correctional institutions following privatization. It is based on ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews with minority faith prison chaplains. The results show that minority faith federal prison chaplains are concerned about increased levels of bureaucratization that have compromised the quality of spiritual care available to prisoners, reductions in resources for chaplains, and increased levels of emotional exhaustion and frustration among themselves and fellow minority faith chaplains serving in Canadian correctional facilities.

scholarly journals One youth soccer coach’s maiden implementation of the Tactical Games Model

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Harvey ◽  
Obidiah Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Action Research ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Youth Soccer ◽  
Major Shift ◽  
Soccer Team ◽  
Tactical Games ◽  
Model Benchmark ◽  
Sports Coaches ◽  
Sport Coaches

This paper utilizes a collaborative action research design to investigate one youth soccer coach’s maiden implementation of the Tactical Games Model (TGM). Consequently, this study aims to add to the paucity of research regarding coaches use of Game-Centered Approaches (GCAs), in particular the TGM. The study took place over eight, one-hour coaching sessions, which were conducted with a U12 competitive (travel) soccer team. The coach, Ian, was a licensed soccer coach and an undergraduate physical education student who had previously been exposed to the TGM in his university coursework. Data were collected through observation of model benchmarks in three of the TGM sessions (2, 4 and 6), the completion of Post-Session Teaching Reflective Analyses (PTRA; Dyson, 1994) and three semi-structured interviews. Model benchmark data were analyzed descriptively while PTRA and interview data were analyzed using the Lexminacer text mining software to generate themes and concepts. Findings showed that model benchmark fidelity improved as the coach became more familiar with TGM in his coaching setting. The main concepts generated from the Leximancer analysis were: ‘players’, ‘session’, ‘time’, ‘games’, and ‘physical’, which suggests a major shift in coaching practice occurred in alignment with Light’s (2013) four features of game-centered pedagogy. This current study makes two main contributions. First, it adds further contextual evidence of the benefits and challenges of incorporating TGM into other neophyte youth sports coaches’ practice. Second, it serves as a methodological template for further investigations into the micropedagogies of youth sport coaches’ practice when using GCAs such as the TGM.

scholarly journals The Gender Gap in Employment Hours: Do Work-Hour Regulations Matter?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liana Christin Landivar
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Work Hour ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Household Allocation ◽  
Weekly Work

In all developed countries, women, especially mothers, work fewer paid hours than their spouses. However, the magnitude of the gender gap varies significantly by country, ranging from 2 to 20 hours per week in this study. Using data from the 2002 International Social Survey Programme, this article investigates whether work-hour regulations have a significant effect on household allocation of paid labour and gender work-hour inequality. Two main types of work-hour regulations are examined: standard weekly work hours and the maximum allowable weekly work hours. Results show that households in countries with shorter maximum weekly work hours had less work-hour inequality between spouses, as each additional allowable overtime hour over the standard workweek increased the work-hour gap between couples by 20 minutes. These results indicate that couples’ inequality in work hours and gender inequality in labour supply are associated with country-level work-hour regulations.

scholarly journals Policy Forum: Future Workforce Models—Enabling the Shift

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 559-574
Author(s):  
Guy Jason ◽  
Shivani Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Government Policy ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Remote Work ◽  
Corporate Tax ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Formal Policy ◽  
Policy Forum

Embracing remote work, either fully or partially, allows employers to offer the flexibility that many employees are seeking and also to benefit from various cost savings. As organizations embark on this journey, there are many tax and payroll considerations that should be reviewed up front so that risks relating to non-compliance can be mitigated. What are these corporate tax and payroll considerations? Can a formal policy help to mitigate compliance risks? What are other considerations besides tax and payroll? Should government policy support this workforce shift? This article summarizes the various considerations in developing an organizational remote work policy and concludes that, as is the case for any other business strategy, remote work arrangements have their benefits provided that the associated complexity and costs can be effectively managed.

The promise of a four-day week? A critical appraisal of a management-led initiative

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Delaney ◽  
Catherine Casey
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
Measurement Monitoring ◽  
Critical Scrutiny

PurposeThis article critically investigates a management-led experiment to institute a four-day work week with stated intentions of improving productivity and worker wellbeing. The article analyses the framing and implementation of the reduced work hours (RWH) trial, the responses of employees and the outcomes and implications of the trial. It raises concerns regarding the managerial appropriation of employee aspirations for more autonomy over time and improved work life.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted a qualitative case study of a medium-sized company operating in the financial services sector in New Zealand. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 employees.FindingsOur study finds that the promise of a four-day week attracted employee favour and individualised benefits. However, entrenched managerialist practices of performance measurement, monitoring and productivity pressures were intensified. Pro-social and collective interests evident in labour-led campaigns were absent. We urge greater critical scrutiny into seemingly advantageous “business case” initiatives for reduced work hours.Originality/valueLittle is known about what happens to concern for social and employee interests entailed in reduced working hours initiatives when a management-led initiative is implemented. Indeed, the majority of research focuses on the macro-level rather than interrogating the “black box” of firms. Our inquiry contributes to these debates by asking, how does a management-led RWH initiative affect employees?

National Culture and the Social Relations of Anywhere Working

2021 ◽  
pp. 23-59
Author(s):  
Mike Berrell
Keyword(s):  
National Culture ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Checks And Balances ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
The Social ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Traditional Work

Western ideas about work have developed as macro and micro level changes continue to shape the social relations of work. As anywhere working developed as an alternative to traditional work arrangements in the 1990s, a system of checks and balances ensured the work practice delivered customer service and product quality. Western low-context work cultures situated the work practice as a logical development in the chronology of the social relations of work. With its tipping-point in the West reached, anywhere working received less attention in high-context work cultures. Specifically, this chapter investigates how the concept of “national culture” impacts thinking about anywhere working. In the high-context work cultures of East and South East Asia, employers, employees, and the stakeholders of organizations and governments have divergent views about the legitimacy of this work practice. The chapter discusses the influence of national culture on thinking about anywhere working in high-context work cultures, drawing on current data concerning anywhere working in selected Asian economies.

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