The Reshaping of Labour: Tight Flow and the Mobilization of Employees

The advent of the tight flow regime in most sectors and the consequent reorganization of labour, considerably modified work itself — its rhythms, the manner of approaching objectives, its relations with employees, and ultimately, the perception that men and women had of their work. In a certain sense, the necessity of keeping the work tight meant that employees had to put up with its constraints at any cost. Acceptance of the principle of tight flow automatically entailed the ‘natural’ acceptance of these pressures — what we term ‘naturalization of constraints’. The employees were obliged to meet all the demands positively, be it by using their competencies and commitment in the face of chance hazards, or by their presence at all times — which signified availability of time and flexibility of working hours.