Organisational hours systems are a major feature of the overall web of controls and influences which are applied to employees. For this reason alone it is surprising how little attention has been focused on them relative to other influence mechanisms, such as pay, job design, appraisal systems, budgets and so on. Yet when we consider that, with the arguable exception of pay, hours systems have the most intrusive effect on the employee's total life pattern, their neglect as a field of study is all the more disconcerting.