Work/Family Balancing and 24/7 Work Schedules: Network Analysis of Strategies in a Transport Company Cleaning Service: Concilier travail-famille et horaires 24/7: analyse réseau des stratégies au sein du service de nettoyage d'une compagnie de transport
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online November, 2017
Work/Family Balancing and 24/7 Work Schedules: Network Analysis of Strategies in a Transport Company Cleaning Service: Concilier travail-famille et horaires 24/7: analyse réseau des stratégies au sein du service de nettoyage d'une compagnie de transport
Whether or not official work/family balance measures exist within an
organization, scheduling accommodations often go through informal channels
involving colleagues and superiors and are negotiated within interpersonal
relationships. This study examines the relationship dimensions of the scheduling
strategies of cleaners working atypical hours in the transport sector through
the lenses of ergonomic activity, network, and gender analyses. Using
semi-directed interviews, observation, and network analysis, we revealed the
effect of gender on relationship dynamics and the influence of these dynamics on
work/family balance strategies deployed by cleaners. One of the main
contributions of this study is to demonstrate the decisive effect of
relationships by revealing inequalities in access to organizational social
networks. Creating spaces to discuss work/family balancing and a more equitable
circulation of information could contribute to reducing inequalities associated
with gender, social status, and family responsibilities and support the
work/family strategies developed by workers dealing with restrictive work
schedules.
Résumé
Les accommodements du temps de travail pour la conciliation travail-famille (CTF)
passent souvent par des ententes informelles qui s'inscrivent dans les relations
entre collègues ou avec des gestionnaires. Notre étude, intégrant l'ergonomie et
la communication dans une perspective de genre, porte sur les dimensions
relationnelles des stratégies de choix d'horaire d'agentes et agents de
nettoyage devant composer avec des horaires atypiques dans le secteur des
transports. À partir d'entretiens semi-dirigés, d'observations et d'analyse de
réseaux, nous avons pu observer l'influence des dynamiques relationnelles,
notamment de genre, sur les stratégies de CTF. Un apport central de cette étude
est de montrer l'effet structurant des relations en révélant notamment des
inégalités dans l'accès aux ressources facilitant le choix d'horaire, mais aussi
dans l'inclusion au sein du réseau de relations. L'article conclut en proposant
des pistes de solutions concrètes pour la réduction de ces inégalités.
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