ORGANIZATION AND REDUCTION OF WORK TIME -HOW TO RECONCILE EMPLOYMENT,FAMILY AND PERSONAL LIFE

In view of the increasing difficulty confronting workers who wish to r econcile their jobs with their families and personal lives, the articl e attempts to create better understanding of the causes and implicatio ns of this problem, and to investigate some realistic and concrete mea ns designed to alleviate if not completely solve it. The data come fro m surveys of various situations experienced in businesses. It is argue d that if work time is addressed with the purpose of reorganizing or r educing it, it is possible to significantly lessen the tension between the sphere of work and that of family and individual life. Owing to m ajor developments now affecting employment (e.g. the frantic race towa rds flexibility and competitivity, with the resulting destandardizatio n of jobs and work schedules) as well as family (e.g. massive arrival of women on the job market, new definition of male and female roles in the family, new types of family, etc.), the work, family and individu al life spheres are becoming less and less compartmentalized. Today mo re than ever, if balance is lost within one of the spheres, the other is affected as a consequence. In the long run, conflicts within the jo b, family and personal life have harmful effects on work performance. The tension between these two spheres must be diminished by both emplo yers and workers who, experience has shown, can benefit from developme nts designed to reorganize or reduce work time.