Beschreibung:
<jats:p>Professional reduced‐hours working is a form of flexible working that runs counter to the increasing trend of employer‐led flexibility, and exemplifies the rise of the so‐called ‘idiosyncratic’ employment deal. Although an emerging body of literature, there is evidence to suggest that despite the claim that professional reduced‐hours working provides ‘better’ part‐time employment than usually typifies this pattern, it actually confers considerable costs to both individuals and organizations. Some academics have called for a more strategic approach to the introduction and management of professional reduced‐hours working, in order to combat these problems. Utilizing a pluralistic perspective on the employment relationship, I draw on data from research in three metropolitan UK police forces to argue that the needs of the part‐time employee and the organization will be difficult to integrate. Showing how the negotiation context of the employment relationship has changed and resulted in a power shift from the manager to the part‐timer, I argue that the best that can be achieved is a minimal integration of the needs of both parties, and draw out the theoretical and practical implications of this position.</jats:p>