Abstract

The article discusses the issue of changes in perception of time in contemporary workplace. Basing on historical perspective, the paper argues that temporal linearity is an inseparable part of modern management, even in cases strikingly calling for a more flexible approach (Hochshild, 1997). Scheduling is considered as the main tool of symbolic control in knowledge-intensive work (Kunda, 1992; Perlow, 2004). By describing the perception of delays and schedules from the point of view of employees (and not managers), the paper reveals the shift in understanding timing in contemporary corporations (Adam, 1998; 2006). Premodern, modern and postmodern understanding of schedules is discussed (Le Goff, 1960; Zerubavel 1981). The bifurcation of working time (Jacobs and Gerson, 2001) and its consequences are explained. Schedules are described as the main defining category of contemporary organizations.