Trade-offs on Flexible Working Hours at the Company Level: Case Studies from Denmark and the United States

Abstract

There has been a strong focus on employer interest in working time flexibility within industrial relations, and it has been extensively debated whether this interest is mainly found in certain sectors or certain types of labor markets. However, relative little debate exists on different interests among employees, although conditions for striking a balance between working life and family life depend on the welfare provisions offered. Drawing on case studies of collective bargaining at the company level in the American and Danish metal industry, this article argues that agreements on flexible working hours vary due to both different employer and employee interests. Agreements on working time flexibility are concluded within a complex interplay between sectors, industrial relations, and the welfare state.