Effects of work scheduling on time-income tradeoffs

Existing theory and data on work--leisure preferences suggest that how work and free time are scheduled may influence workers' preferences regarding the exchange of income for free time. In general, hours and income are not traded in a strict one-to-one fashion; rather, the value of leisure time is in part a function of the "lumps" in which free time is made available. Exploratory research on an accidental sample of 248 employees in ten work organizations supports this hypothesis. Some societal implications of these findings are discussed.