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Nijp HH, Beckers DGJ, Kompier MAJ, van den Bossche SNJ, Geurts SAE. Worktime control access, need and use in relation to work-home interference, fatigue, and job motivation. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2015;41(4):347- 355. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3504
Objective Worktime control (WTC) has been suggested as a tool to reduce employees' work-home interference and fatigue and to improve job motivation. The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to examine the prevalence of employees' need for, access to, and use of WTC, as well as the incongruence between need for and access to WTC (ie, mismatch); and (ii) to examine the associations of this mismatch and the use of WTC with employees' work-home interference (WHI), fatigue and job motivation.
Methods Questionnaire data were collected among a large (N=2420) quasi-representative sample of Dutch employees. The prevalence of WTC need, access, use, and mismatch was assessed by means of descriptive statistics. Associations with employees' outcomes were assessed by analyses of covariance.
Results The need for WTC was highly prevalent. For many employees, we observed a negative mismatch between access to and need for WTC (ie, access<need). A negative WTC mismatch was associated with relatively high levels of WHI and fatigue, and lower job motivation. The use of WTC was also highly prevalent, but no meaningful associations were found with the outcome variables.
Conclusions It is relevant to examine WTC comprehensively, that is, to include measurements of employees' need for and access to WTC and assess employees' (mis)match between components of WTC. For practice, we recommend to introduce WTC on an organizational level and assess employees' need for WTC on an individual basis.
Key terms employees' need; schedule control; well-being; work arrangement; work-life balance; working time flexibility; working time.
Demanding working hours and irregular shiftwork arrangements that characterize modern work are linked to a range of unfavorable outcomes (1-3). Several studies suggest that employees' control over working hours [ie, worktime control (WTC)] may attenuate such negative effects (4-6). Employees who report relatively high levels of WTC seem better able to regulate their time demands (ie, time regulation) and recovery needs (ie, recovery-regulation), allowing them to combine work and domestic obligations and manage fatigue by taking sufficient rest (7). Additionally, having control over one's working hours meets the basic human need...