Working less for more? A systematic review of the social, economic, and ecological effects of working time reduction policies in the global North

Hanbury, Hugo; Illien, Patrick; Ming, Eva; Moser, Stephanie; Bader, Christoph; Neubert, Sebastian

doi:10.1080/15487733.2023.2222595

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…For example, instead of linking up work-income-expenditures-emissions, one could ask what is being produced during work and how incomes are earned, which would constitute an extraction-based or income-based responsibility approach (Marques et al, 2012;Steininger et al, 2015). Many other avenues for future research exist, such as case studies focused on specific households, longitudinal research using household-level data, as well as qualitative work, which all are crucial for a deeper understanding on this topic which still is in its infancy (Antal et al, 2021;Hanbury et al, 2023).…”

Section: Implications For Research On Working Time and The Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Declining household greenhouse gas footprints in Germany: Decomposing the contributions of working time, consumption, mobility, energy efficiency and decarbonization between 2000 - 2019

Wiedenhofer,

Plank,

Antal

2023

Preprint

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Understanding the drivers of household greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints is crucial for designing measures accelerating emission reductions. Well-documented drivers are demand, energy efficiency and decarbonization of energy supply, while mobility and esp. working time have received less attention. Herein, the drivers of German household energy and GHG emissions footprints from 2000–2019 are decomposed using extended Kaya Decompositions. Footprints are declining at -1%/year, due to improving energy efficiency and decarbonization overcompensating the growth of per-capita and per-hour incomes. Private mobility footprints decline by -1.4%/year, driven up by growing distances, car-dominated modal splits and growing air travel, compensated by improving energy efficiency and decarbonization, slightly decreasing numbers of trips and stable expenditure on mobility. Aggregate working time is growing, which drives up footprints, while increasing part-time employment resultin small reductions of average per-capita working time. Part-time work is one form of working time reduction for which assumptions of the Kaya Decomposition are fairly realistic. However macro-economic feedbacks and potentially negative social side-effects of part-time work need to be addressed to design equitable policy measures. Remaining research issues are the roles of work-related trips and mobility on company expenses, delivery services and transport of goods, and targeted analyses for socio-economic groups.

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Section: Implications For Research On Working Time and The Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Beyond the roles of the afore mentioned drivers, this study addresses the emerging strand of research indicating that paid working time (WT) might be an important mediating factor (Antal et al, 2021;Hanbury et al, 2023). In 1992, Schor problematized the "work-spend" cycle driving consumption and environmental impacts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Declining household greenhouse gas footprints in Germany: Decomposing the contributions of working time, consumption, mobility, energy efficiency and decarbonization between 2000 - 2019

Wiedenhofer,

Plank,

Antal

2023

Preprint

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Die Rolle beschäftigtenorientierter Arbeitszeitflexibilität für die Mitarbeitergewinnung und -bindung: Erfolgsstrategien für eine gesunde und attraktive Arbeitszeitgestaltung

Nold,

Backhaus,

Michel

2024

Fehlzeiten-Report

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Illuminating Shades: A Qualitative Analysis of the Impact of a Four-Day Workweek on Subjective Well-being in Hungary

Venczel

2024

Employ Respons Rights J

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This study examines the implementation of the four-day week in a small Hungarian company, using qualitative research before and after the change. By conducting semi-structured interviews with all employees and the CEO, the paper explores, how social, organisational and individual factors influence the ability of employees to improve their subjective well-being through reduced working hours. The results indicate that the effects of mandated schedule changes are less about increased freedom from work and more about the ability to engage in personally meaningful activities. Interviews revealed four dimensions of well-being: temporal harmony, social involvement, advancement and autonomy. While the majority reported improved well-being, particularly in terms of temporal harmony and strengthened social ties, barriers such as misaligned schedules, rigid working hours and limited external support hindered improvements in well-being. The paper also describes the different perspectives of the manager and the employees on the changes implemented. Recognising potential factors and considering different aspects of working time reduction and employee well-being can help organisations use their working time policies to maximise the well-being of their employees in terms of not only the quantity but also the quality of their leisure time. This study adds to our understanding of the impact of reduced working time on individual and societal well-being.

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Working less for more? A systematic review of the social, economic, and ecological effects of working time reduction policies in the global North

Cited by 8 publications

References 85 publications

Declining household greenhouse gas footprints in Germany: Decomposing the contributions of working time, consumption, mobility, energy efficiency and decarbonization between 2000 - 2019

Declining household greenhouse gas footprints in Germany: Decomposing the contributions of working time, consumption, mobility, energy efficiency and decarbonization between 2000 - 2019

Die Rolle beschäftigtenorientierter Arbeitszeitflexibilität für die Mitarbeitergewinnung und -bindung: Erfolgsstrategien für eine gesunde und attraktive Arbeitszeitgestaltung

Illuminating Shades: A Qualitative Analysis of the Impact of a Four-Day Workweek on Subjective Well-being in Hungary

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