Time sovereignty

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Time sovereignty is the self-determination of the individual about his own use of time . In a narrower sense, it describes the possibility of determining one's own working time (working time autonomy, roster scheduling autonomy) and further dividing the selected working time independently, i.e. determining when and in which order what is done, with the selection of tasks the existing orders remain limited (see task autonomy ).

Time sovereignty and time autonomy (also: time freedom ) are often used synonymously. Sometimes a distinction is made between the terms time sovereignty and time autonomy, with time sovereignty specifically denoting the possibility of independent distribution of individual working hours and time autonomy denoting the possibility of determining the time volume of gainful employment and inactivity . Sometimes the concept of time sovereignty is used in a different but related sense in the sense of a capability .

The need for time sovereignty relates to both everyday life and the creation of an individual work biography . It is related to the need to reconcile family and work as well as a change in values, which includes the interest in an individual organization of working hours according to life situation and lifestyle . In the context of the individualization and flexibilization of society, the sociology of work takes both time sovereignty through flexible work models as well as local sovereignty through teleworking as its topic. Particularly in connection with the rush hour of life highlighted in the Federal Government's Seventh Family Report , the need for greater time sovereignty over the course of one's career is raised as a political issue.

Concept formation

It is said that the concept of time sovereignty, as far as the German-speaking area is concerned, was first introduced in 1974 by Bernhard Terriet . From the 1980s onwards, the term was mainly used in the field of labor policy in connection with working hours.

Time sovereignty as self-determination of the times of employment

Time sovereignty as a feature of the organization of working hours in the sense of self-determination of the distribution and volume of working hours is a challenge in terms of personnel management .

Work organization and organizational culture

  • Conditions for positive effects

The extent of time sovereignty of employees depends primarily on the work organization . Models of flexible working hours and part-time work can grant employees greater time sovereignty than rigid working hours, provided that flexibility is largely determined by the employee himself. One then speaks of working time autonomy . In connection with a demand for stability and autonomous flexibility of working hours, the Bremen Chamber of Employees emphasized "that flexible periods of time off from work only become real time savings for employees when they become a calculable quantity as fixed components on a weekly basis". Employer-specific flexible working hours, such as those given in the KAPOVAZ model, on the other hand, limit individual time sovereignty.

In models of flexible work organization, such as trust-based working hours , the understanding of colleagues and superiors for individual time planning requests plays an essential role. Similarities between colleagues and superiors are therefore an important basis for a successful organization of time, regarding private and professional life situations. A similar influence can also be observed in customer relationships.

The subjective feeling of time sovereignty is that of freedom . It goes far beyond efficient time management and is based, in addition to external framework conditions, to a large extent on the individual attitude to the time. It can express itself in the form of serenity . It is considered a crucial element of a successful work-life balance .

  • hazards

Freelancers , self-employed and freelancers often have extensive time sovereignty. However, constraints resulting from work pressure and lack of time, self-exploitation or situations of pseudo self-employment can severely limit individual sovereignty. Even with permanent employees, time sovereignty depends heavily on the work organization: for example, even with those employees who can in principle decide on the distribution of working hours themselves, the actual time sovereignty may be low under certain circumstances. There may also be a delimitation of the boundaries of work , which does not fundamentally rule out time sovereignty, but can have ambivalent effects with regard to actual individual sovereignty. An excessive workload or high performance requirements , the requirement for constant availability or a time schedule that is set months in advance can in fact almost destroy individual time sovereignty.

Sometimes it is criticized that on-demand employment relationships are sometimes presented as a gain in time sovereignty.

Yvonne Lott, expert for working hours at the Hans Böckler Foundation , examined the connections between working time models , behavior and workloads of women and men. For this purpose, information from a good 10,000 people from the household survey Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) from 2011 and 2012 was evaluated . Models such as complete working time autonomy showed negative consequences for the work-life balance . Among other things, it was determined in detail:

  • For men, self-determined but still regulated working hours (e.g. flexitime ) have a positive effect on the work-life balance.
  • With completely self-determined working hours, switching off and rest in the evening fall to men - and only these! - much more difficult than with fixed times. Yvonne Lott sees the reason for this in the fact that "men in particular tend to work excessively long without given limits". In contrast, women, as “typically more experienced cross-border commuters”, used the flexibility of time to coordinate domestic and care work with paid work rather than for countless hours of overtime .

Law

Legal framework conditions can justify a claim to a certain time sovereignty. According to the provisions of the German law on part-time work and fixed-term employment contracts (TzBfG), all employees have a fundamental legal right to part-time work. Regulations such as provisions on the right to parental leave or framework conditions for partial retirement and flexible retirement can lead to greater freedom of choice and time sovereignty in the life cycle.

Working models such as above all the willingness to work , but also the on-call service and , to a lesser extent, the on-call duty, require the employee to be available in terms of time and sometimes also locally. The restriction of time and place sovereignty is generally not free of charge: payment is based on the employment contract, the works agreement or the collective agreement. Alternatively, time compensation can be agreed. An agreement that readiness is to be provided free of charge can be void due to immorality .

Time sovereignty as a skill

If time sovereignty is interpreted in the sense of an ability , it describes the personal "ability to dispose of time" or the ability to use one's own time in a meaningful way. In this meaning it can include, for example, the ability to manage time and an ability to have meaningful leisure and recreation .

Helga Knigge-Illner writes in her book Der Weg zum Doktortitel. Strategies for a successful doctorate : Having time sovereignty means

  • to be able to use one's time to achieve one's own important goals,
  • Being aware of time, i.e. being able to assess how much time you need for certain activities,
  • and generally to be economical with one's time.

See also

literature

  • Helga Knigge-Illner: The path to a doctorate: Strategies for a successful doctorate. 1st edition. campus concret - Campus Verlag, 2002, ISBN 3-593-36811-0 . (2nd revised and updated edition. 2009)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Flexibility of working hours in the company. In: Gudrun Linne (Ed.): Working flexibly - living flexibly? The effects of flexible working hours on employment opportunities, working and living conditions. Hans Böckler Foundation, 2002, p. 15.
  2. ↑ (literally :) “Teriet, Bernhard: The annual working time or vacation. Contribution to the NSF sponsored conference on "Alternative Work Schedules". Venice, September 1974, p. 9. The above source is referred to as the first term reference by BT in the following, but it is not documented. Here is the first demonstrable use of the term for the concept of time sovereignty: Teriet, Bernhard: Annual working hours and vacation. WSI announcements. Monthly magazine of the economic and social science institute in Düsseldorf. 28 (1975) H.2, pp. 89-99. “Quoted by Günther Schatter: Zeitsovänität und electronic media. (PDF; 139 kB) In: 11th Buckower Media Talks 12.-13. October 2007: “The recipient in the field of tension between time and media”. Retrieved November 18, 2010 . P. 3.
  3. ^ Günther Schatter: Time sovereignty and electronic media. (PDF; 139 kB) In: 11th Buckower Media Talks 12.-13. October 2007: “The recipient in the field of tension between time and media”. Retrieved November 18, 2010 . P. 3.
  4. ↑ Work more - live less? Effects of longer working hours on the living environment. (PDF; 833 kB) Bremen Chamber of Employees, January 2009, accessed on June 13, 2009 . P. 96.
  5. ↑ Christa Herrmann: Company time trading - conditions for time autonomy using the example of trust-based working time. Dissertation . Faculty of Economics at the Technical University of Munich, 2005, p. 82.
  6. ↑ Christa Herrmann: Company time trading - conditions for time autonomy using the example of trust-based working time. Dissertation. Faculty of Economics at the Technical University of Munich, 2005, p. 116.
  7. ↑ Compatibility of work and family: Flexitime and the like often don't help. Working time analysis in the WSI-Mitteilungen, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, October 5, 2006.
  8. ↑ Thomas Gerlach: Denkgifte. Psychological content of neoliberal economic theory and socio-political discourses , diploma thesis in the psychology course at the University of Bremen, 2000.
  9. ↑ a b c d Press release from the Hans Böckler Foundation: Study examines the consequences for women and men. Switching off is particularly difficult in the home office or with completely self-determined working hours - clear rules for flexibility are necessary. In: boeckler.de. Retrieved August 15, 2017 .
  10. ↑ Foundations of women in the growth market of the leisure industry. In: bga. No. 14, 2007, p. 3. ( Memento of December 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive )