Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research

Niemelä, A-L & Launis, K. (2004). Collective and proactive coping with time pressure at work: a case study among home-care workers. Int. J. Human Resources Development and Manageement, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 38-56.

Time pressure is often experienced as an individual problem requiring individual coping strategies. Our research studies time pressure as a historically constructed phenomenon and as a collective developmental challenge of controlling time. Our empirical case concerns the work of home care workers on sauna-visiting day in an old people's home. The workers felt this work to be very busy and stressful. A historical analysis of the sauna-visiting day and an empirical analysis showed the contradictions in this activity. By developing their work collectively with the taxi driver who provides transportation for the sauna clients, the home-care workers succeeded in coping pro-actively with the time pressure on sauna-visiting day.