HFDT Brown-Bag Forum: Lenka Formánková

Online Event:
Online access at: unimeet.uni-graz.at/b/kot-uhv-mm2-oij
 

Abstract:
This lecture examines legislative and policy developments that facilitate the creative use of time through the digitalization of work arrangements within the small European labor markets. The analysis is centered on small market economies, focusing on Austria and its comparison with the Czech Republic. Comparing Austria with the Czech Republic, a country of similar size and historical context, provides valuable insights into the dynamics of creative time management and spatial organization in distinct cultural and socio-economic settings. This comparative approach highlights how different frameworks influence workplace practices and policies.
The study also touches on the dynamics of time management in post-pandemic workplaces, particularly at the intersection of gender disparities in the labor market and the evolving digital economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for widespread adoption of digital work practices across European labor markets, driving organizations to implement remote work setups aimed at promoting inclusivity and flexibility. In response, employers have institutionalized digital work processes to ensure organizational continuity and resilience against future disruptions. 
The analysis adopts a multilocality and mobility perspective, contributing to broader discussions on the adaptive and innovative use of time. Multilocality studies focus on housing, household and family arrangements (Schier et al., 2015), as well as migration and mobility research (Nadler, 2014). Multilocality expands the scope to address flexibility in working space management and time allocation, emphasizing the balance between personal and professional demands. Theoretical frameworks such as the decommodification of time (Suckert, 2022) and the capability theory (Hobson, 2018) are integral to this study. These frameworks underscore the significance of autonomy over time as a form of capital and critique the impact of capitalist temporal logic on societal perceptions and practices.

Lecturer – Lenka Formánková, Ph.D.:
Lenka Formánková, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the Charles University and has been actively involved as a policy expert in projects financed by European Social Fund and COST projects evaluator. She participated as a country expert for Czechia in the EU report “Gender Equality and Work-Life Balance Policies during and after the COVID-19 crisis” (2022). She also took part in the Feminist Economics Working Group of European ’Women’s Lobby. Between 2014 and 2016, she served as a gender expert in the project “SEE-GO: Social and Economic Enterprises and Gender Opportunities” supported by the Progress Program of the European Commission. She was a member of the expert group for family policy at the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (2015-2018). Currently, she is holder of OEAD Stipend at the University of Graz. She has published her work in academic journals such as International Journal of Social Welfare; Work, Employment and Society; Czech Sociological Review; European Journal of Women's Studies; Gender in Management; Journal of Contemporary European Studies; or Journal of Social Policy and Administration.