Flexible interpretations of “flexibility”

Flexibility is one of the “buzzwords” in the context of “new” work organisation and the transformation of work. In chapter 6 I discussed one dimension of flexibility, namely uncertainty and insecurity. I have referred to the freelancers' “bulimic career patterns”, emphasising their relevance for financial insecurity. However, they play a role for the organisational dimension of “flexibility” as well. Gill (2002) mentions on the basis of her findings that concerning flexibility and the organisation of the freelancers' working hours, the deadlines set by the customers and the needs of the projects / jobs were paramount. She writes about her respondents:

Many projects had extreme tight deadlines (which workers agreed to meet in order to get the contract) and these necessitated intense round-the-clock working for a short period, which might then be followed by several weeks with no (new media) work at all. (Gill 2002, p. 83 – 84)

Thus, we can easily see how the “bulimic career patterns” are relevant for the organisation of everyday life concerning “work” as well as “life” aspects. In order to approach the freelancers' handling of these issues, let us first look at their definition or thoughts on the topic of flexibility.

Despite the quite faint picture Gill (ibid) is drawing, many of the freelancers I have interviewed in my study highlighted flexibility as a positive and attractive dimension of the work form “freelancing”. Petra, for instance, a single forty year old freelancer with no children from the Ruhr-area in Germany, calls flexibility the biggest advantage of her

freelancing life. This allows her to organise working life after her own desires. For instance she highly prioritises working at night, which could be a problem in another job, but not as a freelancer. She points out that because of this she has the possibility to, for instance, spontaneously go for a swim in the afternoon. (case excerpt 1, appendix p. 15 / interview transcript 1, appendix 2) Morten, the freelancer based in Århus / Denmark, even states that flexibility is

one of the reasons , why I am self-employed. It means, that you can sort of design your working day or week yourself. (case excerpt 12, appendix 1 p. 155 / interview transcript 12, appendix 2)

Marion, the freelancer with the artist identity (see above), emphasises liberating aspects of flexibility as well. (case excerpt 3, appendix 1 p. 43 / interview transcript 3, appendix 2).

And Signe, the freelance graphics designer from Western Jutland who works from home, also depicts the positive view of flexibility, mainly pointing out that it enables her to reconcile work and family tasks in a very satisfactory way. (case excerpt 11, appendix 1 p.

145 / interview transcript 11, appendix 2)

However, on the grounds of the freelancers' statements it can also be questioned how big their possibilties for free and self-determined time management are. Petra, for instance, in answering the question of how she in practice organises her working time, limits her previously proclaimed freedom as follows:

Interviewer: So, do you organise your working time around your private life or the other way round?

Petra: No, if I do a job, then it is in any case first priority. Anyway. (case excerpt 1, appendix p. 15 / interview transcript 1, appendix 2)

Morten states that in the days before the project deadlines, he is working around 14 hours a day, a lot of these hours in the nights. He describes these practices as follows:

Well, if it is stressful, well [...] You do want to deliver things on time, and that anyhow means something as well [...] And if you haven't really scheduled it properly, and that's what you usually haven't done (laughs)... So up to a deadline it's just a little bit hectic.

And so it is, well. (case excerpt 12, appendix 1 p. 155 / interviwe transcript 12, appendix 2)

On the basis of these statements, we can question at least the proclaimed freedom of time management. The projects and their deadlines seem to have more influence on work organisation than e.g. Petra and Morten want to admit. It seems, that Gill's (2002) finding applies as well here. However, there are also other views on the topic of flexibility. Jan seems to refer to a different understanding of flexibility, when he states:

Jan: Now it is important to me, that I also have spare time, that I can integrate it well, NOW I realise that you reach the limits of THIS field of work, that is problematic, right? But apart from that...

Interviewer: In what way? [...]

Jan: Well, you are not as flexible anymore. [...] Generally, if you have a family [...] and you share the tasks, that is household and childcare work, then the flexibility is extremely limited (case excerpt 5, appendix 1 p. 76 / interview transcript 5, appendix 2)

Therefore Jan is understanding flexibility differently than the other freelancers cited above.

Flexibility in his view means the request by customers for him to be flexible (and not the other way round, like the notion described above, that work is flexible to be scheduled by the freelancers). Therefore his interpretation is more in line with Gill's finding on the paramount importance of the projects' and customers' deadlines. This might be one part of Jan's previously described “disappointed love” experience (see chapter 7.2).

The birth of his daughter and Jan's involvement in his family appears to be a turning point in his evaluation of the branch and his freelance work: Jan frequently mentions the family as another important and guiding topic in his work life. The birth of his daughter 4 years ago in general constitutited an important break for Jan, which is a topic he is taking up several times during the interview. He describes it as follows:

And since the child is here, it does not work otherwise. It has been a very large break and as well simply a decision. (case excerpt 5, appendix 1 p. 76 / interview transcript 5, appendix 2)

Jan speaks about a conscious decision at this point. In the course of the interview, it becomes clear, that the decision he took was a refusal to fulfil the extensive flexibility requirements any longer. He states about these demands:

In this branch it is common, that many customers see you as a mere service provider, who is instantly available everywhere and who can perform a little magic, right? And

who can conjure something fantastic from this complete bullshit they are delivering, right? (case excerpt 5, appendix 1 p. 76 / interview transcript 5, appendix 2)

After the birth of his daughter, however, he argues, that he cannot bear these stressful parts of the “bulimic career patterns” any longer:

That would be unthinkable now, right? Doesn't work, right? Because not only timewise I wouldn't be able to make it, it's as well THIS stress, I cannot inflict it on my family, it would rub off on them, that's not an option, right? (case excerpt 5, appendix 1 p. 76 / interview transcript 5, appendix 2)

It seems, using Giddens’ terminology, that we can see a conflict in systemic requirements in this case, i.e. conflicting demands from the realms of work and family. In this situation Jan changed his work patterns. From the birth of his daughter onwards he reduced his workload drastically³⁶. Furthermore, he interprets this conflict as a conflict that is problematic as well: He clearly depicts a nearly boundless flexibility demand towards him on the one hand, and the contrary needs of family life on the other.

What can we now conclude from the freelancers’ view on flexibility? At the first glance, flexibility (in the sense of a schedule of working hours determined by the freelancers themselves) is very attractive to most of them. It can, however, be questioned how much freedom they actually have in scheduling their working time. Rosalind Gill's (2002) finding that the needs and deadlines of the projects, and hence, the needs of the customers are always sacrosanct and paramount, appears to be confirmed here as well.

By looking at Jan's narrative, we can see a different understanding of flexibility, one that resembles much more Gill's hypothesis of the importance of the deadlines and the customer's wishes. In this context Jan's statements clearly show a conflict between the demands of the family on the one hand and the flexibility required of the freelancers on the other. Jan has then chosen a certain way of handling this conflict.³⁷ This adds another detail to Jan's “dissapointed love”-story.

In the context of work flexibilisation, the “blurring” of boundaries between work and life has been discussed as one (possible) effect (see chapter 3). In the following section I am

36 I will discuss his work practices and their change in the next section (chapter 7.8.2) 37 I will discuss this topic further in chapter 8.

going to discuss, how the freelancers are dealing with flexibility and the “challenge” of

“work unbound”.