Nils Backhaus

Changing requirements for the humane design of working hours Occupational safety and health is a key consideration in the organisation of working time, alongside operational requirements and employees’ individual needs. This article examines key dimensions of working-time arrangements and the German Working Time Act as an evidence-based framework for protecting workers and shaping working time in Germany. Against this backdrop, it briefly outlines current reforms and broader policy debates on working hours.

Der Beitrag untersucht die Verbreitung von Arbeitszeitfragmentierung in Deutschland und die Zusammenhänge zwischen Arbeitszeitfragmentierung, Zeit- oder Leistungsdruck, Arbeitszeit, Ruhezeit und Work-Life-Balance. Zudem wird die besondere Rolle von Geschlecht und Elternschaft bei diesen Zusammenhängen beleuchtet. Die Datengrundlage der Untersuchung bildet die BAuA-Arbeitszeitbefragung mit den Wellen 2019 (6206 ≤ n ≤ 6309) und 2021 (12.864 ≤ n ≤ 13.123). Arbeitszeitfragmentierung wird als mehrstündige Unterbrechung der Arbeit mit Weiterarbeiten in den Abendstunden operationalisiert. Die Ergebnisse deuten auf Zusammenhänge zwischen Arbeitszeitfragmentierung und hohem Zeit- oder Leistungsdruck, längeren tatsächlichen Wochenarbeitszeiten, häufigerem Auftreten von kurzen Ruhezeiten und einer geringeren Zufriedenheit mit der Work-Life-Balance hin. Geschlechterunterschiede bei der Fragmentierung der Arbeitszeit zeigen sich insbesondere bei der Zufriedenheit mit der Work-Life-Balance. Intersektionale Unterschiede werden nur bei der Korrelation zwischen wöchentlichen Arbeitsstunden und Arbeitszeitfragmentierung festgestellt. Fragmentierte Arbeitszeiten sind mit längeren wöchentlichen Arbeitsstunden für kinderlose Frauen, Männer und Väter verbunden, jedoch nicht für Mütter.

Article Verkürzung von Arbeitszeit und „4-Tage-Woche“: Chancen und Herausforderungen für die Arbeits(zeit)gestaltung aus Sicht der Arbeitswissenschaft was published on May 31, 2024 in the journal Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik (volume 0, issue 0).

Working time control (WTC) and working time variability (WTV) are two important dimensions of working times, especially with regard to the dynamics of irregular working hours in a changing world of work. Both dimensions are closely related, and the terms are sometimes used synonymously. However, a high degree of WTC does not automatically lead to variable or irregular working hours. On the contrary, WTV is often imposed by the employer and does not necessarily occur in conjunction with high WTC. This article gives an overview of different European WTC and WTV regimes using a typological approach. Based on the European Working Conditions Survey 2015 (EWCS, n = 27,607), four employee groups are compared: those with (1) high WTC and high WTV, (2) high WTC and low WTV, (3) low WTC and high WTV, and (4) low WTC and low WTV. Firstly, the analyses aim to assess whether WTC and WTV vary across European countries due to different working time regimes and in different occupational sectors, i.e., hospitality, retail, and health and social work. Secondly, multi-level analyses are used to describe correlations with health (self-rated health, psychosomatic complaints), sleep (sleep problems), and well-being (WHO-5-Scale). The analyses suggest that WTC and WTV differ between European countries: in the northern countries, high WTC/high WTV is most prevalent, whereas low WTV/low WTC is more common in the other countries. As far as employee health and sleep are concerned, high WTV is associated with poor health, i.e., a greater number of psychosomatic health complaints, worse self-rated health status, and more sleep problems. However, the correlation appears to be weaker for psychosomatic health complaints when employees have high WTC. Significant correlations could not be found for WTC. Low WTC and high WTV is more common in occupational sectors in hospitality, retail, and health and social care; however, these occupational sectors show the same correlations regarding health, sleep, and well-being. The analyses indicate that it is crucial to consider WTV and WTC together in order to understand the dynamics of irregular working hours and health.

The COVID-19 Working Time Ordinance: Implications for occupational safety and health and insights from an employer survey Aims: In this article, we discuss the COVID-19 Working Time Ordinance against the background of selected recent scientific evidence in the field of occupational safety and health. The article describes the potential implications, especially with regard to long working hours and the shortening of minimum rest periods as well as the deregulation of work on Sundays and holidays. In addition, we present employer survey data on the actual level of awareness and use of the COVID-19 Working Hours Ordinance. Method: Current literature reviews and meta-analyses, large-scale studies/consensus papers and recommendations on the management of long working hours, shortened rest periods (quick returns) and work on Sundays or public holidays are used for the scientific evaluation. The analyses of the level of awareness and use of the COVID-19 Working Time Ordinance are based on the second wave of the “Enterprises in the COVID-19 Crisis” survey. Results: The deviations from the Working Hours Act in the COVID-19 Working Time Ordinance are associated with a high risk of negative effects on the safety and health of employees. Overall, only a small proportion of the companies in the survey reported that they used the deviations in the Ordinance, mostly in the retail sector and in micro-enterprises. Conclusion: The derogations from the Working Hours Act appear to be counterproductive from an occupational safety and health perspective, especially in the context of coping with the high work intensity during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Structural problems, such as the shortage of skilled workers, should be addressed more closely in the future in order to enable healthy and sustainable working time models, particularly in times of extreme workloads. Keywords: working time – rest periods – work on Sundays and public holidays – SARS-CoV-2 epidemic – essential occupations – occupational safety and health – COVID-19 Working Time Ordinance – employment protection

Essential working hours? Working time patterns among employees in critical infrastructures Objectives: Particular attention was given to employees in critical infrastructures or essential occupations at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These occupations are of particular importance in maintaining supplies and public order. Many employees in essential occupations were already faced with heavy demands on their time before the pandemic. The aim of this article is to identify the working time profiles of these employees. Methods: The working time conditions of employees in essential occupations before the pandemic are analysed on the basis of the BAuA Working Time Survey 2019. In order to identify the occupational groups, reference is made to an established categorisation of essential occupations (cf. Koebe et al. 2020). The two groups are then contrasted in terms of differences in the organisation of working time. Results: There is greater heterogeneity in the length of working hours in essential occupations. This group is characterised in particular by shortened rest periods and working time schedules. Atypical working hours (e.g. shift work and night work) and work at weekends (especially on Sundays and public holidays) are more likely to indicate that occupations are essential. In addition, there is a significantly higher incidence of on-call duties. At the same time, employees in essential occupations have less working time autonomy and work less often from home. Conclusions: Overall, a more negative stress profile in terms of working hours emerges for employees in essential occupations compared to nonessential ones, as the services provided must be available 24/7. In order to increase resilience for future times of crisis and to ensure the health, performance and safety of employees in essential occupations, working time conditions should be improved. This could also counteract the low attractiveness of these occupations in the long term, especially against the background of the shortage of skilled workers (cf. KOFA 2020). Keywords: essential occupations – working time – working time duration, schedule and flexibility

Working from home even after the coronavirus pandemic? Advantages and disadvantages from a business perspective Aims: This article provides an overview of the business perspective on working from home even after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Reasons for and against an expansion of working from home are analyzed. Method: The analyses are based on the fourth wave of the “Businesses in the COVID-19 crisis” study, in which businesses were asked in detail about their current experiences with and future plans for working from home. For the descriptive analyses, only businesses in which the possibility of working from home exists in principle were taken into account (n = 1,059). Results: Working from home has become more important in German businesses during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. At the same time, the majority of businesses are aiming to return to their pre-crisis levels. About one fifth of the businesses plan to expand working from home in the future. Large businesses in particular want to expand their options. Businesses that want to reduce the proportion of staff working from home or teleworking again after the crisis state that the activities of the employees are not suitable for working from home. When businesses want to expand working from home options, they most often aim to improve the flexibility and work-life balance of their employees. Conclusion: Increasing work-from-home activities poses new challenges for occupational safety and health, and company regulations on the organization of work-from-home activities are gaining in importance. Large businesses in particular see a possible perceived unequal treatment of employees as a future issue. Keywords: working from home – home office – teleworking – mobile working – business survey – SARS-CoV-2 pandemic