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Navigating the Great Recession

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  • Alexander Herzog-Stein
  • Ines Zapf

Abstract

The existence of working-time accounts played an important role in overcoming the negative effects of the Great Recession in Germany. The authors’ analysis of data on establishments with a works council and at least 20 employees from the WSI Works Council Survey shows that the presence and influence of trade unions and the direct impact of the economic crisis are factors that increased the probability of reducing time credits, or building up time deficits on working-time accounts, to safeguard employment. Individual characteristics, such as the proportion of female workers or the proportion of highly qualified employees, had a negative impact on the ability to use working-time accounts. No significant differences were found between the general use of working-time accounts and their use in consequence of the economic crisis. This could be an indication that working-time accounts need to be well established in order to be useful for safeguarding jobs during an economic crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander Herzog-Stein & Ines Zapf, 2014. "Navigating the Great Recession," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 67(3), pages 891-925, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:67:y:2014:i:3:p:891-925
    DOI: 10.1177/0019793914537455
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    Cited by:

    1. Lutz Bellmann & Olaf Hübler, 2015. "Working time accounts and firm performance in Germany," IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Susanne Wanger & Roland Weigand & Ines Zapf, 2016. "Measuring hours worked in Germany – Contents, data and methodological essentials of the IAB working time measurement concept [Die Berechnung der geleisteten Arbeitsstunden in Deutschland – Inhalte,," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 49(3), pages 213-238, November.
    3. Hutter, Christian & Klinger, Sabine & Trenkler, Carsten & Weber, Enzo, 2019. "Which factors are behind Germany's labour market upswing?," IAB-Discussion Paper 201920, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    4. Garima Sharma & Pravin Kumar, 2021. "An Analysis of Causal Relationships Among the Factors Affecting the Performance of a Service Organization," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440219, March.
    5. Philippe Askenazy & Clément Brébion & Pierre Courtioux & Christine Erhel & Malo Mofakhami, 2023. "HRM Strategies in Response to the First Covid Lockdown: a Typology of French Workplaces," CEPN Working Papers hal-03953817, HAL.
    6. Launov, Andrey, 2017. "Working Time Accounts and Turnover," IZA Discussion Papers 10660, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Ghosh, Sugata & Mitra, Anirban, 2022. "Ethnic identities, public spending and political regimes," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 256-279.
    8. Zapf, Ines, 2018. "Verbreitung und betriebliche Bestimmungsfaktoren von Arbeitszeitkonten [Distribution of working-time accounts and its establishment-specific determinants]," Industrielle Beziehungen. Zeitschrift für Arbeit, Organisation und Management, Verlag Barbara Budrich, vol. 25(1), pages 51-81.
    9. Balleer, Almut & Gehrke, Britta & Merkl, Christian, 2014. "Some surprising facts about working time accounts and the business cycle," Kiel Working Papers 1955, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    10. Zapf, Ines, 2015. "Who profits from working-time accounts? : empirical evidence on the determinants of working-time accounts on the employers' and employees' side," IAB-Discussion Paper 201523, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    11. Launov, Andrey & Wälde, Klaus, 2015. "Working time accounts and unemployment," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113108, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    12. Ellguth, Peter & Gerner, Hans-Dieter & Zapf, Ines, 2018. "Arbeitszeitkonten in Betrieben und Verwaltungen: Flexible Arbeitszeitgestaltung wird immer wichtiger (Flexible working times become more and more important)," IAB-Kurzbericht 201815, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    13. Herzog-Stein, Alexander & Nüß, Patrick & Peede, Lennert & Stein, Ulrike, 2022. "Germany and the United States in coronavirus distress: internal versus external labour market flexibility," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 56, pages 1-11.
    14. Wanger, Susanne & Zapf, Ines, 2018. "For better or worse? : How more flexibility in working time arrangements and fatherhood affect men's working hours in Germany," IAB-Discussion Paper 201809, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    15. Andrey Launov, 2021. "Working Time Accounts and Turnover," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 123(3), pages 1025-1056, July.
    16. Burdin, Gabriel & Pérotin, Virginie, 2019. "Employee representation and flexible working time," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    17. Enzo Weber, 2015. "The Labour Market in Germany: Reforms, Recession and Robustness," De Economist, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 461-472, December.
    18. Asta Valackiene & Ieva Meidute-Kavaliauskiene & Renata Činčikaitė, 2021. "Ensuring Employee Job Security When Implementing Changes in the Company: A Case Study of Lithuanian Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-19, July.
    19. Zapf, Ines & Weber, Enzo, 2017. "The role of employer, job and employee characteristics for flexible working time : An empirical analysis of overtime work and flexible working hours' arrangements," IAB-Discussion Paper 201704, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    20. Bellmann, Lutz & Hübler, Olaf, 2015. "Are Working Time Accounts Beneficial for German Establishments?," IZA Discussion Papers 9583, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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