STRATÉGIES DE CONCILIATION D'UN HORAIRE DE TRAVAIL VARIABLE AVEC DES RESPONSABILITÉS FAMILIALES

Telephone operators have a high level of psychological distress, and report difficulties reconciling work and family responsibilities. Ergonomie analysis was done in order to look for incompatibilities between company policies and the reality of work-family balancing. Thirty operators with variable...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Travail humain (Paris) 2001, Vol.64 (2), p.119-143
Main Authors: Prévost, J., Messing, K.
Format: Article
Language:fre
Subjects:
Ergonomie. Facteur humain
Psychologie du travail
Psychologie. Psychanalyse. Psychiatrie
Psychologie. Psychophysiologie
RECHERCHES EMPIRIQUES / EMPIRICAL STUDIES
Sciences biologiques et medicales
Sciences biologiques fondamentales et appliquees. Psychologie
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Summary:Telephone operators have a high level of psychological distress, and report difficulties reconciling work and family responsibilities. Ergonomie analysis was done in order to look for incompatibilities between company policies and the reality of work-family balancing. Thirty operators with variable schedules, who had children under 13, filled out a diary for two weeks. They reported their schedules, their daycare arrangements and their attempts to change their schedules. This information was complemented by interviews and discussions with the workers, their supervisors and union representatives. The schedules worked were very variable : the day could start at 10 am on Monday, 4 pm on Tuesday, 6 am on Wednesday and so forth. Days off were abo variable and unpredictable. Operators use many strategies to reconcile their work schedule with the need to ensure care of their children. Operators averaged 5 attempts to change their schedules during the two weeks' time, with one successful rearrangement for 5.3 attempts. Three operators made more than eighteen attempts. When attempts to change the schedule did not succeed, operators then tried to change their daycare arrangements. Operators averaged over eight procedures to change daycare arrangements during the two weeks. They used an average of 4 different resources (up to 8). The unpredictability of the schedule aho affected the daycare resources, the majority of whom set no limits to their babysitting times. Our proposed solutions encountered obstacles that made us think it would be necessary to rethink some organizational practices. We suggested, for example, that access to a telephone during work hours be made possible for au workers. We aho proposed changes in the procedures used to exchange hours with other operators and in the daycare system. Débordant du cadre de l'activité salariée, l'analyse ergonomique de l'activité a porté sur les démarches d'arrangements de garde des enfants chez des téléphonistes aux horaires de travail irréguliers. Les téléphonistes de cette entreprise de télécommunications souffrent d'un niveau élevé de détresse psychologique et font part de difficultés à concilier les responsabilités professionnelles et familiales. Certains enjeux de cette conciliation posés par un système d'horaires de travail variables d'une importante centrale téléphonique ont été examinés dans le cadre d'une étude menée avec 30 téléphonistes – 28 femmes et 2 hommes – tous parents d'enfants de 12 ans ou moins.
ISSN:0041-1868
2104-3663
DOI:10.3917/th.642.0119