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‘Full‐time is a Given Here’: Part‐time Versus Full‐time Job Quality *
Author(s) -
McDonald Paula,
Bradley Lisa,
Brown Kerry
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
british journal of management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.407
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1467-8551
pISSN - 1045-3172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8551.2008.00560.x
Subject(s) - casual , quality (philosophy) , agency (philosophy) , promotion (chess) , full time , context (archaeology) , work (physics) , disadvantage , labour economics , working time , equity (law) , business , collective bargaining , public relations , marketing , demographic economics , economics , political science , sociology , economic growth , law , engineering , mechanical engineering , paleontology , social science , philosophy , epistemology , politics , biology
This study explores full‐time workers' understanding of and assumptions about part‐time work against six job quality components identified in recent literature. Forty interviews were conducted with employees in a public sector agency in Australia, a study context where part‐time work is ostensibly ‘good quality’ and is typically long term, voluntary, involving secure contracts (i.e. permanent rather than casual) and having predictable hours distributed evenly over the week and year. Despite strong collective bargaining arrangements as well as substantial legal and industrial obligations, the findings revealed some serious concerns for part‐time job quality. These concerns included reduced responsibilities and lesser access to high status roles and projects, a lack of access to promotion opportunities, increased work intensity and poor workplace support. The highly gendered, part‐time labour market also means that it is women who disproportionately experience this disadvantage. To foster equity, greater attention needs to focus on monitoring and enhancing job quality, regardless of hours worked.