Alternative Times: Temporal Perceptions, Processes, and Practices Defining the Nonstandard Work Relationship

Abstract

Alternative notions of temporality are the defining quality of nonstandard work relationships such as temporary jobs, contract labor, part-time employment, and various forms of telework. These arrangements challenge traditional boundaries of personal versus work time, call into question unlimited versus conditional time limits for membership, and highlight seasonal versus steady-state orientations toward production. This chapter focuses on the unique temporal perceptions, processes, and practices associated with nonstandard work arrangements that shape and are shaped by communication in local and global circumstances, spanning multiple levels of organizational analysis and, indeed, diverse areas of our discipline. Given the position of time as a constitutive communication construct, examining the intersection of time and nonstandard work relationships lends value to investigations on a wide variety of important “life” issues. For instance, contemporary stakeholder conversations surrounding issues of work-life balance, a changing life span and lifestyle, and global community have all been accompanied by increased discussion of non-standard work relationships. The temporal dimension of these discourses foregrounds the role of communication in shaping the quality of members lives in both professional and personal domains.