Work Without End? Scheduling Flexibility and Work‐to‐Family Conflict Among Stockbrokers

• Published in: Work and occupations Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 279 - 317
• Main Author: Blair‐Loy, Mary
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.11.2009; Sage Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Autonomy; Bureaucracy; Conflict; Families & family life; Family conflict; Family life; Family Work Relationship; Flexibility; Flexible hours of work; Occupational roles; Occupations; Qualitative analysis; Qualitative research; Scheduling; Sociology; Sociology of work; Sociology of work and sociology of organizations; Stock brokers; Stockbrokers; Studies; Technological change; Technology; Work experience; Work life balance; Working hours; Workplaces; flexibility; technology; stockbroker; work–family conflict; Privacy; Working life; Work Station; Conflict; work―family conflict; Enterprise; Flexibility
• ISSN: 0730-8884; 1552-8464
• DOI: 10.1177/0730888409343912

The common finding in the work–family literature that workplace scheduling flexibility reduces work‐to‐family conflict may not be generalizable to service occupations with intense client demands. This qualitative analysis of stockbrokers finds that brokers in firms granting scheduling flexibility experience more work‐to‐family conflict than those in the firm with scheduling rigidity. Although brokers in the latter firm lose autonomy from their employer (and earning potential), bureaucratic rigidity buffers them from client pressures that intrude on family life. This finding should be tested in other occupations requiring extensive client interactions in a 24‐hour economy.