Time Work by Overworked Professionals: Strategies in Response to the Stress of Higher Status

Phyllis Moen, Jack Lam, Samantha Ammons, Erin L. Kelly

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

149 Scopus citations

Abstract

How are professionals responding to the time strains brought on by the stress of their higher status jobs? Qualitative data from professionals reveal (a) general acceptance of the emerging temporal organization of professional work, including rising time demands and blurred boundaries around work/nonwork times and places, and (b) time work as strategic responses to work intensification, overloads, and boundarylessness. We detected four time-work strategies: prioritizing time, scaling back obligations, blocking out time, and time shifting of obligations. These strategies are often more work-friendly than family-friendly, but "blocking out time" and "time shifting" suggest promising avenues for work-time policy and practice.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)79-114
Number of pages36
JournalWork and Occupations
Volume40
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2013

Keywords

  • professionals
  • strategies
  • stress of higher status
  • time strains
  • time work
  • work-family

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

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