A Brief History of Long Work Time and the Contemporary Sources of Overwork

What are some of the key historical trends in hours of work per worker in US? What economic, social-psychological, organizational and institutional forces determine the length of individuals' working hours? How much of the trend toward longer working hours among so many workers may be attributa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of business ethics 2009-01, Vol.84 (Suppl 2), p.217-227
Main Author: Golden, Lonnie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
19th century
Addictions
B25
Business and Management
Business Ethics
Couples
Economic trends
Education
Employers
Employment
Ethics
History
hours constraints
Hours of work
J22
J28
Labor
labor history
Labor supply
Labor time
Labour history
Labour supply
Management
Mathematical models
Motivation
Overtime
overwork
Philosophy
Psychological aspects
Quality of Life Research
Statistical analysis
Studies
Trends
U.S.A
Wages & salaries
Work ethic
Work hours
Work weeks
workaholism
Workers
Workforce
Working hours
Working time
Workplaces
Workweeks
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Summary:What are some of the key historical trends in hours of work per worker in US? What economic, social-psychological, organizational and institutional forces determine the length of individuals' working hours? How much of the trend toward longer working hours among so many workers may be attributable to workers' preferences, workplace incentives or employers' constraints? When can work become overwork or workaholism – an unforced addiction to incessant work activity which risk harm to workers, families or even economies? The first part of this article traces the history of the length of working hours and its recent polarization. The second part develops a multi-disciplinary model to identify motivations behind working longer hours. Individuals' desired work hours will stem from the weighted contribution of five sources: (1) current real wage rates; (2) forward-looking, wage trajectories; (3) relative status associated with hours of labor; (4) intrinsic rewards, process benefits or amenities acquired through work; (5) hours demanded by the employer and other structural constraints, to which workers may adapt. Employers and their established conditions of work have influenced the course of long run trends labor supply and in work time structures. The final section suggests policies that might address the persistence of long hours.
ISSN:0167-4544
1573-0697
DOI:10.1007/s10551-008-9698-z