The end of the normal working day? A study of change in Irish, Norwegian and Swedish banking

Abstract

Since 1980 debates about the regulation of working time have been characterized by demands for flexibility and deregulation. This article looks at how the regulation of the normal working day has changed during the last 30 years and examines how these regulative changes interplay with new work practices. Based on theories on institutional change the article compares the development in working time regulations in the banking sector in three countries, Norway, Ireland and Sweden. Although the majority of the regulations remain intact, they have become considerably more flexible in all three countries. The normal working day is most weakened in Ireland, but it is also undermined in the two Nordic countries. New rules, practices and ideas result in more unsocial hours working, which increasingly remains uncompensated. These similarities across the countries are uncovered because of a research design that allows for examination of institutional change at a detailed level over a long period of time.

What slips through the cracks: The distance between regulations and practices shaping the gender pay gap

“…This wide managerial discretion intersects with the sector’s presenteeist culture in which the prolongation of working time is rewarded with promotions and special payments, clearly placing women at a disadvantage. Our findings in the banking sector show remarkable similarities with those reported in recent studies in other countries regarding the dynamics of both vertical and horizontal segregation, the perverse effects of individualized pay instruments, the increasing pressures towards the deregulation of working time and their link with performance-oriented measurement systems or the role of ‘old boy networks’ and ‘informal mentoring’ among male colleagues (Bergmann et al, 2019; Bertrand et al, 2010; Dølvik and Nergaard, 2012; Nicolaisen, 2014).…”

New work practices and their drivers in FIREB firms: evidence from Hong Kong

“…The term “new work practices” has no established definition (Schøne, 2009). Many scholars and practitioners described NWPs as flexible working hours, such as overtime, flextime (Nicolaisen, 2014); remote working, such as telecommuting (Di Marino and Lapintie, 2017); employee involvement endeavours, including teamwork, job rotation, among others (Bayo-Moriones et al , 2017; Cristini et al , 2002). Ten Brummelhuis et al (2012, p. 114) defined NWPs as “a working design in which employees can control the timing and place of their work while being supported by electronic communication”.…”