ILPC 2027

Drawing on empirical findings from a longitudinal ethnographic study of a post 1992 UK university business school, we argue that structural and organisational changes taking place in the working environment have implications for the way in which time, place and space are experienced, articulated and conceptualised by academics and the organisation. Our research examined the impact of formalised location independent working (LIW) practices on the lives, relationships and identities of academics in the case study institution. It combined the theoretical frameworks of labour process theory and symbolic interactionism to provide insights into academics' daily lives and experiences. In this way interpretations went beyond the simple binary of micro and macro levels of analyses and built upon Giddens (1984) notion that human agency and social structure are inextricably linked. Multiple qualitative methods were adopted which encompassed: the first author’s own reflective research journal; twenty-six in-depth loosely structured interviews and seventeen participant day-in-the-life diaries. The participant sample included both LIW and office-based academics, senior management, trades union and human resource management representatives.

Findings reveal an entrenched managerialist culture driven by private sector business models. Evening and weekend working are accepted as normal practice and work intensification and long-working hours are common.  This is exacerbated by a perceived need for constant connectivity via mobile digital devices. There is evidence of spatial, physical and temporal blurring of the boundaries between work and home, although at a personal level, attempts are made to segregate these domains. However, those employed on LIW contracts feel they have greater levels of temporal and spatial flexibility than their work based colleagues. Opting for an LIW arrangement is felt by individuals to legitimise their right to work flexibly, so even though managers are often prescriptive about where and when they work, this is not easily enforced. In contrast, office-based academics feel the ability to work flexibly is not dependent upon an LIW arrangement and is part of the nature of academic work.

A specific development in the case study university was the move to open-plan working, introduced in order to save space and costs, as well as to encourage a more collegiate working environment. Nevertheless, academics report difficulty carrying out work requiring concentration, such as reading, reviewing, writing and marking. Consequently, for much of the time, the space is under utilised. Several participants described the working environment as a call centre and one participant made a direct comparison with a distribution warehouse. This suggests staff and students appear to be seen as a commodity to be exploited in order to ensure efficient use and distribution of labour where and when required by the organisation.

References:

Giddens, A. (1984) The Constitution of Society. Cambridge: Polity Press.