Trade-offs on Flexible Working Hours at the Company Level: Case Studies from Denmark and the United States

Article by Anna Ilsøe

There has been a strong focus on employer interest in working time flexibility within Industrial Relations, and it has been extensively debated whether this interest is mainly found in certain sectors or certain types of labour markets. However, relative little debate exists on different interests among employees, although conditions for striking a balance between working life and family life depend on the welfare provisions offered.

Drawing on case studies of collective bargaining at company level in the American and Danish metal industry, this article argues that agreements on flexible working hours vary due to both different employer and employee interests. Agreements on working time flexibility are concluded within a complex interplay between sector, industrial relations and the welfare state.

Article in Proceedings of the 60th Annual Meeting, Champaign, Illinois: Labor and Employment Relations Association.