Doing more with less? Flexible working practices and the intensification of work

TLDR

Flexible working practices can unintentionally lead to work intensification. The study argues that employees trade flexibility for effort, explaining the paradox of high satisfaction and work intensification through social exchange theory. Intensification arises via imposed, enabled, or reciprocal mechanisms as employees exert extra effort to reciprocate flexibility. Flexible workers report higher job satisfaction and commitment, yet also experience work intensification, especially among those working reduced hours or remotely.

Abstract

This article examines an unanticipated consequence of adopting flexible working practices — that of work intensification. Based on a study of professional workers and in line with other studies, we present evidence showing that flexible workers record higher levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment than their non-flexible counterparts. However, we also report evidence of work intensification being experienced by both those who work reduced hours and those who work remotely. We identify three means by which this intensification occurs — imposed intensification, enabled intensification and intensification as an act of reciprocation or exchange. We argue that the apparent paradox of high job satisfaction and organizational commitment, alongside work intensification can be explained by employees trading flexibility for effort. Using social exchange theory we propose that employees respond to the ability to work flexibly by exerting additional effort, in order to return benefit to their employer.