Dr. Heejung Chung - Why Flexible Working Can Lead to Exploitation, Especially for Women

Our guest this week is Dr. Heejung Chung, Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Kent and the author of the excellent and thought-provoking book The Flexibility Paradox.Heejung Chung offers a completely fresh perspective on flexible working and whilst she acknowledges it as a great solution to our work-life balance challenges, she also believes it can lead to us exploiting ourselves much more than if we worked a normal working pattern. Heejung shares with us what she has learned about avoiding exploitation when you work flexibly. How she practically manages to do a busy demanding academic job in 9-5 hours, including how she was promoted to Professor. We discuss:

• How flexible working patterns can lead to self-exploitation 
• Stigmatised views of flexible working, including flexible working stigma
• Why well-balanced workers make the best workers 
• Assumptions about working mothers 
• What can businesses do - range of new policy innovations 
• Why every organisation should report on flexible working requests 
• Why companies should showcase c-suite examples of flexible working 
• How research has shaped Professor Heejung’s own work pattern 
• Why you need to have difficult conversations with your partner (if you have one)

Dr. Chung's book The Flexiblity Paradox is available from 04 March 2022. Find out more here.

Follow Heejung on Twitter @HeejungChungFollow Leaders Plus on Twitter @leaders_plus  and find out more about our work, including details of our award-winning Fellowship Programme and our latest events. The application deadline for the Fellowship is 01 March 22. 

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Show notes:[BOOK] Alex Pang - Rest 

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