1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910828244303321

Autore

Meiksins Peter <1953->

Titolo

Putting work in its place : a quiet revolution / / Peter Meiksins and Peter Whalley

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Ithaca ; ; London : , : Cornell University Press, , 2002

ISBN

1-5017-3199-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xiv, 188 pages)

Collana

Collection on Technology and Work

Disciplina

306.3/61

Soggetti

Hours of labor - United States

Professional employees - United States

Women employees - United States

Work and family - United States

Part-time employment - United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages [177]-182) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Foreword / Barley, Stephen R. -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Time, Technical Work, and the Pursuit of Happiness -- 2. Choosing to Work Less -- 3. A Professional and More -- 4. "Can You Do That?" Part·Time Work in Organizations -- 5. Going It Alone -- 6. "I'm a Mom, Not a Housewife" -- 7. "When Are You Coming Back To Work Full-Time?" -- 8. Customizing Time: Obstacles and Strategies -- Appendix: Interview Agenda -- References -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Most books on the subject of work focus on the increased amount of time Americans spend on the job. Peter Meiksins and Peter Whalley address the counter-trend, examining the difficult path traversed by people who choose to work less than the standard, forty-hour week. Their fascinating investigation of alternative work arrangements speaks directly to the concerns of all workers who must balance career with other commitments.Through interviews with technical professionals from a wide range of employment settings, Putting Work in Its Place refutes the popular myth of the customized work schedule as inevitably a "mommy-track" or a return to traditionalism among women. Most of these workers-male and female, young and old-remain strongly



committed to their jobs, but wish to combine work with other activities they value just as highly. This can mean family for some, but for others encompasses community service or various avocations.By viewing their work arrangements in the longer term, and not as short-term expedients, these professionals are challenging the accepted view of time requirements for careers in organizations. They are also helping to shape a new agenda for the future of the workplace: to transform their individual successes into a normal practice of customized work time.