The Times They Are A-Changin’

Time is at the heart of how, why and where we work. In fact, the temporal dimension of work helps to determine not only when and how much we work, but also the quality of our working experiences and the reward and security associated with them. Time is also a highly contested terrain when it comes to the world of work – contested over the limits that regulations place on working time; contested over whether workers are compensated for their flexibility or penalised for the flexibility associated with their work; contested over whether workers with unpaid responsibilities can balance the competing demands on their time. The pandemic and economic downturn across the world have shed light on these challenges and opportunities, yet the debates are long standing and reflect long-run trends in the feminisation of the workforce, the flexibilisation of working arrangements and the regulation of how, when and where we work. Drawing on research conducted across several decades, in a variety of contexts, this lecture explores the changing nature of the quality and quantity of working time to highlight how far it has evolved, and yet how many of the ‘new’ challenges have resonance in past battles and trends in work for women and men.

WATCH THE INAUGURAL LECTURE HERE

Short biography

Mark Smith is a professor and the director of Stellenbosch Business School. He is the former faculty dean and professor of Human Resource Management at Grenoble Ecole de Management in France. Prior to that, he lectured in Employment Relations at Manchester Business School in the United Kingdom. He holds a PhD from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. His research interests focus on labour market policy and outcomes for women and men, including their working conditions, working time, careers and work–life integration. With colleagues, he has carried out research work for a number of supranational, European and national institutions on gender equality, young people and labour market policy. This work includes recent contributions informing European-level legislation on pay transparency measures. He has authored or co-authored over 50 books, book chapters and journal articles, and he publishes in the media about management education and his research. He has one brother and two children.

WATCH THE INAUGURAL LECTURE HERE