Experiences of working time intensification and extensification: examining the influence of logics of production in IT work

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the intensification and extensification of working time among IT workers. As standardised hours have become increasingly eroded, understanding the nuanced experience of re-configured working time becomes vital. Informed by conceptual distinctions between clock time, process time and tertiary time, this study investigates how working time is constituted among, and experienced by, two distinct IT occupational categories: support workers and mobile apps developers. Theorising experiences of working time with recourse to distinct logics of production, which encompass and reflect labour markets, new technology product markets and occupational communities, illuminates how working time experiences are shaped. This facilitates an explanation of the underlying dynamics that surround the interaction between the three concepts of time, which advances our understanding of intensification and extensification.