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Drivers of working longer: Results from a large-scale and representative German employee survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 May 2019

Anika Schulz-Dadaczynski Open the ORCID record for Anika Schulz-Dadaczynski [Opens in a new window] ,
Johannes Wendsche ,
Andrea Lohmann-Haislah  and
Nicole Stab
Anika Schulz-Dadaczynski*
Affiliation:
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Nöldnerstraße 40-42, Berlin, Germany
Johannes Wendsche
Affiliation:
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Nöldnerstraße 40-42, Berlin, Germany
Andrea Lohmann-Haislah
Affiliation:
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Nöldnerstraße 40-42, Berlin, Germany
Nicole Stab
Affiliation:
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Nöldnerstraße 40-42, Berlin, Germany
*
*Corresponding author. Email: schulz-dadaczynski.anika@baua.bund.de
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Abstract

Most research on the factors driving employees to work longer than expected or preagreed has focused on behaviors of work extension and has widely neglected work intensification. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate whether job demands, as well as employees' job-related resources and personal resources (skill discretion, educational level), predict behavioral indicators of work extension (total working hours, overtime) and work intensification (skipping mandatory rest breaks). We use data from the sixth wave of a large cross-sectional and representative German employee survey (N = 10 148). The findings suggest that job demands and skill discretion are positively associated with the different behaviors of working longer. The relationship between work extension and skill discretion is stronger for higher-educated employees than for lower-educated employees. Our findings suggest that specific job demands and resources must be considered simultaneously to explain working longer and to differentiate between behaviors of working longer.

Keywords

job demandsskill discretionovertimerest breaksworking hours
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 28 , Issue 6 , November 2022 , pp. 1161 - 1180
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2019

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