Acceleration in working life: An empirical test of a sociological framework

Abstract

Although perceptions of ‘acceleration’ are common in everyday life, empirical studies are rare. We investigated Rosa’s theoretical framework of social acceleration in working life. Based on the framework and the concept of job demands in work and organizational psychology we developed a questionnaire that distinguishes between demands for technological acceleration, demands for the acceleration of social change, and demands for the acceleration of the pace of life. The results of two studies (in the fields of office work and aviation service work) confirmed the tripartite structure of the framework and delivered evidence that employees indeed perceive acceleration-related demands in working life.