Atypical working hours in a feminized profession: the weight of organizational choices. The example of cleaners in France

The working conditions of mainly female cleaners are particularly poor. This article proposes an original approach between ergonomics and economics to analyze the characteristics of the organization of cleaners' daily working time based on quantitative data from the 2019 French Working Conditions survey (n = 14,910), and qualitative data from semi structured interviews with trade unionists, employers and workers (n = 11). Cleaners are mainly women (80%), working in the private sector, sometimes immigrants and in single-parent households. An analysis of the "degree of normality" (Txnorm) and the "density" of the working day (Devetter and Valentin, 2024) shows that cleaners work atypical hours, starting early in the morning and finishing late in the evening, with fragmented schedules reflecting interruptions in the working day. These working conditions give rise to conflicts between professional and personal life, reflected in difficulties in reconciling work with the socio-family sphere. These conditions are also characteristic of psychosocial damage factors. We conclude with a discussion of the ways in which this work could evolve, ranging from shifting working hours to the daytime, developing participatory approaches to occupational health, re insourcing cleaners, and reflecting on what might constitute full-time work in these forms of employment. • 80% of cleaners in France are women, representing a total of 1,500,000 workers. • They work atypical hours: mornings, evenings and fragmented shifts. • The rate of density and normality is lower for these employees in the private sector. • Physical and mental health problems have been observed among these cleaners.