title: Workers' strategies to cope with increasing deterioration of working conditions in the cleaning sector.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Employees working for office-cleaning companies are directly affected by the growing competition in this sector. They face a heavier workload and heightened psychological pressure. A majority of these workers are less qualified women working part-time, with flexible and inconvenient schedules.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study is to highlight the workers' strategies to deal with fast work, schedule requirements and the consequent difficulties to reconcile their professional and private life commitments.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is based on in-depth interviews.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty-five male and female workers responsible for cleaning offices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The themes generated from the results highlight a continued deterioration in working conditions in this sector. They also show that even approximate respect of the theoretical workload as calculated by the sub-contractor and the client company mainly depends on the workers' subjective strategies to accommodate increasingly fragmented work hours with their private lives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, since these individual strategies are not enough to make up for the deterioration in work conditions, improving them requires sub-contractors and client companies to agree on organisational arrangements that take into account the reality of the employees' lives.
authors.affiliation: Centre Metices, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Krzeslo
authors.affiliation: Centre Metices, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lebeer
authors.affiliation: Centre Metices, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Troyer
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006796:Household Work / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016272:Occupational Health; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011786:Quality Control; D011788:Quality of Life; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Sociology of work; cleaning sector; work time