SPACE –Spatial dispersion of work
TYÖN TILALLINEN HAJAUTUMINEN
Suomen Akatemian tutkimushanke 2010–2013
Työ ei rajaudu perinteisiin ajan ja paikan sidoksiin. Enää vain puolet eurooppalaisista työntekijöistä
työskentelee pääasiassa työpaikallaan. Työn tietovaltaistumisen, organisaatioiden uusien rakenteiden
sekä maailmanlaajuisen verkostoitumisen seurauksena työ hajautuu lähes itsestään.
Käsitteellistämme hajautuvan työn ajasta ja paikasta riippumattomaksi ja sellaisena jatkuvasti läsnä olevaksi työksi, jota tehdään fyysisesti, henkisesti ja sosiaalisesti moninaistuvissa tiloissa ja ympäristöissä. Tällaista työtä
on haasteellista johtaa ja työntekijöille se asettaa vaatimuksia hallita työtä aktiivisesti.
TUTKIMUSKYSYMYKSET:
1. Työn hajautumisen yleisyys ja ominaispiirteet
Tutkimme erilaisten työn muotojen yleisyyttä ja luonnetta ja mahdollisia ajallisia muutoksia.
2. Työn hajautumista selittävät tekijät
Tutkimme työn hajautumiseen yhteydessä olevia tekijöitä sekä työntekijöiden että organisaatioiden
tasoilla. Oletamme, että työn tilallinen hajautuminen vaihtelee sukupuolen, sosioekonomisen aseman
sekä työn luonteen mukaisesti. Tutkimme myös, miten organisaatioiden rakenteet, johtamisen tavat
sekä organisaatiokulttuuri vaikuttavat työn hajautumiseen.
3. Seuraukset työntekijöille, perheille ja organisaatioille
Tutkimme työntekijöiden tekemiä työn tilaa ja ajankäyttöä koskevia valintoja sekä sitä, miten
työntekijät hallitsevat työn ja muun ajan välistä rajaa. Entä miten hajautuva työ näkyy työn ja perheen
välisissä suhteissa ja aiheuttaako se ristiriitoja? Organisaatioiden tasolla kysymme, miten erilaiset työn
tilat vaikuttavat työyhteisöihin sekä miten näistä kysymyksistä neuvotellaan.
TUTKIMUSAINEISTOT:
Analyysit perustuvat seuraaviin aineistoihin:
- Haastatteluaineistot tietointensiivistä työtä tekevissä organisaatioissa
- Työoloaineistot, Tilastokeskus, 1990–2008
- Ajankäyttöaineistot, Tilastokeskus, 1999–2000 sekä 2010
- European Working Conditions Survey, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and
Working Conditions, 1991–2010
- Company Survey, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions,
2009.
TUTKIMUSRYHMÄ:
Tampereen yliopisto, yhteiskunta- ja kulttuuritieteiden yksikkö
Jouko Nätti, YTT, professori
050 318 6173
jouko.natti@uta.fi
Satu Ojala, FM, YTM, tutkija
050 318 6176
satu.ojala@uta.fi
Pasi Pyöriä, YTT, yliassistentti
050 318 6188
pasi.pyoria@uta.fi
Tiina Saari,YTM, tutkija
050 318 6204
tiina.p.saari@uta.fi
Postiosoite: Yhteiskunta- ja kulttuuritieteiden yksikkö
Kalevantie 5
33014 Tampereen yliopisto
Jyväskylän yliopisto, Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos:
Timo Anttila, YTT, tutkijatohtori
(014) 260 3128
timo.anttila@jyu.fi
Tomi Oinas, YTT, tutkija
(014) 260 3197
tomi.oinas@jyu.fi
Postiosoite:
Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos
40014 Jyväskylän yliopisto
JULKAISUT/ PUBLICATIONS:
Oxford, UK, 2.8.2011.
We examine the prevalence of different forms of distributed work taking place in the everyday practices of working lives. Many of the existing concepts concerning work in different spheres, e.g. telework, mobile work and virtual work, overlap with each other creating difficulties in understanding their interrelations and coverage. Empirically, the study asks, to what extent do working-aged people in general associate with work in changing environments. In particular, we aim at finding eligible criteria and thus concepts for further studies to separate between the divergent forms of distributed work. The applied criteria are based on three dimensions that mainly shape the spheres and manners for work in or between different working sites: (1) the timing of work, (2) the alternating location of work, (3) the existence of an employment contract differentiating between employees and self-employed workers. The main data is the Finnish Use of Time -study (1999–2000), collected by Statistics Finland. The data includes the use of time diaries and interviews covering 10,561 days and 5332 individuals. Our analysis focuses on 15–64 year-old workers. The survey enables studying the locations and timings of work among all working-aged people regardless of their employment status. The study will later on get completed with the 2010 data (soon available), which will allow us to study the temporal changes in the recent working lives.
Saari, Tiina & Pyöriä, Pasi (2013)
Telework and work-life balance in the Finnish public sector.
Fifth International Community, Work & Family Conference 2013, Sydney.
PDF
Structured Abstract:
Purpose – We compare how formal flexibility, such as telework, differs from informal overtime work at home regarding the work-family interface. Design/methodology/approach – By using data from the Finnish Quality of Work Life Surveys from 2003 and 2008, the positive and negative measures concerning the work-family interface are examined through logistic regression analysis.Findings – Employees doing informal overtime at home are more likely to be affected by negative emotions concerning work disrupting family lives. Additionally, negotiations between couples over the allocation of time become areas of conflict. Only weak evidence is provided for both telework and informal work at home supporting family life.Research limitations/implications – In studying homeworking, it is important to separate between formal and informal flexibility at work. Our data exceptionally enable that. The limitations of the data are cross-sectionality and only a few measures for assessing the positive work-family balance.
Originality/value – The contribution of the study is to show how informal overtime at home is related with stronger negative implications for work-family interface, when separated from telework. The article discusses how well-intentioned working schedule flexibility results in family life being infringed upon. Informal work may help attain a better work-family interface, but, with dual-earner employment being predominant in Finland, informal overtime work can increase pressures on families. We encourage the policy- and organisation-level recognition of informal overtime risks.
Keywords: Telework, Informal overtime work at home, work-family interface, Finland
MEDIASSA:
Aikalainen: Etätyön tekijät viihtyvät huonosti
SPACE – SPATIAL DISPERSION OF PAID WORK
Funded by the Finnish Academy 2010–2013
Work is moving beyond the traditional places and timings of work. Only half of European employees
spend most of their working hours at employer’s premises. Especially knowledge-intensive work is
detachable from one certain time and place. As social networks diversify and communication between
different time zones and locations increases, work is not only actively distributed; it strongly disperses
on its own. We conceptualise dispersing work as work being mentally present regardless of time and
place and getting done in physically, mentally and socially multiplying spaces and environments. As
such, work is extremely challenging for organisations to supervise and control.
We examine the following themes:
1 Prevalence and characteristics of spatial dispersion of work: work at distributed environments
(mobile work, telework, overtime work at home)
2 Factors behind the spatial dispersion of work: nature of work and organisational practices
We examine the factors associated with spatial dispersion at the individual and organisational level.
We assume that spatial dispersion varies by gender, socioeconomic status and the nature of work. In
addition, we assume that spatial dispersion of work is related to the structural features of the employer,
to the management strategies and organisational culture.
3 Consequences for employees, families and organisations
We examine the relations between employees’ spatial choices, working hours and time use and ask
what kind of coping strategies the employees use to manage the boundary between work and nonwork.
How does dispersing work affect work–family-relations and what kinds of time negotiations
do partners undertake within various households? At the organisation level we ask how different
spaces of work affect social relations at work places.
The analysis is based on both secondary quantitative data (Finnish and European working conditions
surveys, the Finnish use of time surveys) and new primary data (quantitative survey and qualitative
interviews with management and employees).
RESEARCH DATA
- Finnish Quality of Work Life Survey, Statistics Finland, 1990, 1997, 2003 & 2008
- European Working Conditions Survey, Eurofound, 2005 & 2010
- Time Use Diaries & Surveys, Statistics Finland, 1999/2000 and 2010
- Qualitative Interview Data in Public Sector Organisations
- Company Survey, Eurofound, 2009
RESEARCH GROUP
Jouko Nätti, Professor, Leader of the Project
School of Social Sciences and Humanities
FIN-33014 University of Tampere
+358 (0)50 318 6173
jouko.natti@uta.fi
Satu Ojala, Researcher
School of Social Sciences and Humanities
FIN-33014 University of Tampere
+358 (0)50 318 6176
satu.ojala@uta.fi
Timo Anttila, Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy
FIN-40014 University of Jyväskylä
+358 14 260 3128
timo.anttila@jyu.fi
Tomi Oinas, Researcher
Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy
FIN-40014 University of Jyväskylä
+358 14 260 3197
tomi.oinas@jyu.fi
Tiina Saari, Researcher
School of Social Sciences and Humanities
FIN-33014 University of Tampere
+358 (0)50 318 6204
tiina.p.saari@uta.fi
Pasi Pyöriä, Researcher
School of Social Sciences and Humanities
FIN-33014 University of Tampere
+358 (0)50 318 6188
pasi.pyoria@uta.fi
