This research deals with the spatial and temporal permeability of borders between work and non-work for self-employed IT workers. Permeability embodies the shift of working spaces and times initiated by new information and communication technologies. Self-employed IT workers are an interesting population, because they combine work independence with an intense use of new technologies. First we present their practices in terms of spatial and temporal permeability between work and non-work. Our results then lead to the identification of two groups: integrators, who prefer to intertwine work and private life, and separators, who prefer distinct segmentation and little interference between work and their private life. Our results also indicate that permeability is correlated to job characteristics and to individual characteristics such as gender and the presence of young children.Keywords: Self-employed IT; Work; Permeability of work and non-work Résumé : Cette recherche s'intéresse à la perméabilité spatiale et temporelle des frontières entre le travail et le hors travail chez les travailleurs autonomes de l'informatique. Cette perméabilité participe de la recomposition des lieux et des temps de travail, permise par les nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication. Les travailleurs autonomes de l'informatique forment une population intéressante car ils combinent travail indépendant et utilisation intense des nouvelles technologies. Après un état des lieux de la perméabilité spatiale et temporelle du travail, deux groupes émergent : les « intégrateurs » mélangent fortement le travail et les activités personnelles tandis que les « séparateurs » préfèrent une segmentation des activités et peu d'interférences entre le travail et le hors travail. Nos résultats montrent que la perméabilité est corrélée aux caractéristiques du travail mais aussi à des caractéristiques individuelles telles le genre ou la présence de jeunes enfants.
IntroductionToday a set of factors is questioning the traditional organization of working times and spaces. The development and generalization of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) comes first to the list of factors. Self-employed workers in the information technologies (IT) sector form a category of workers particularly representative of these evolutions. Indeed, as independent workers, their working times and spaces are more liable to spill over into private life. In addition, as IT workers, they often use the newest technologies. Technology has significant impacts on the organization of their work. As a result, studying their practices and behaviours regarding working times and spaces presents a double interest, since these have important impacts in terms of work-life issues. Moreover, the observed trends can have implications for other professional groups in coming years, since more and more occupational categories use these technologies.In this paper, we present ways in which new information and communication technologies may impact the tempora...