The Changing Dynamics of Working Time

Abstract

This article addresses the postmodern temporal condition, examining in particular some aspects of the use of time in the spheres of production and work, where models of time use are very different from those characterizing the beginnings and early development of modern industry. Knowledge is becoming the principal force of production and time is ceasing to be the only measure of work. The use of information technologies in production processes tends to separate the periods and rhythms of time in which machinery is in operation, thereby diversifying and fragmenting work schedules and giving them the flexibility imposed by the changing demands of the production and circulation of goods.