Showing papers in "Labour and industry: A journal of the social and economic relations of work in 2017"
TL;DR: The Gig economy has emerged rapidly as a form of service delivery that challenges existing business models, labour-management practices, and regulations as mentioned in this paper, and the ways in which platform companies tran...
Abstract: The ‘gig economy’ has emerged rapidly as a form of service delivery that challenges existing business models, labour-management practices, and regulations. The ways in which platform companies tran...
132 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the paradox of New Public Management (NPM) through the experiences of academic managers responsible for casual academic employment at an Australian university and conclude that the management of casual academics not only highlights the contradictions between efficiency and effectiveness in NPM practices, but, given the increased reliance on casual academics, also threatens the future of tenured academics and the idea of a university.
Abstract: Like most management ideologies, New Public Management, is paradoxical in practice. In the case of universities, New Public Sector Management (NPM) practices have led to a core academic workforce that is tightly controlled in conjunction with a peripheral workforce of casual academics paid on hourly contracts. We examine this paradox through the experiences of academic managers responsible for casual academic employment at an Australian university. The line management of casual academics is informally delegated to subject coordinators. We conclude that the management of casual academics not only highlights the contradictions between efficiency and effectiveness in NPM practices, but, given the increased reliance on casual academics, also threatens the future of tenured academics and the ‘idea of a university’.
31 citations
TL;DR: In this article, structural equation modelling was used on a sample of 196 employees to test a number of job-related predictors regarding employees' perceptions of their job insecurity from STAARA: job control, job complexity, job repetition, and STAARA awareness.
Abstract: Many futurists and business people suggest that we are in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution because of rapid advancements in smart technology, artificial intelligence, automation, robotics, and algorithms (STAARA). However, very little research has been conducted on how employees view their jobs and careers in the age of these potential changes. Structural equation modelling was used on a sample of 196 employees to test a number of job-related predictors regarding employees’ perceptions of their job insecurity from STAARA: job control, job complexity, job repetition, and STAARA awareness. These employee-rated predictors were then used to predict STAARA redundancy. Overall, all constructs played important roles in understanding the prediction of STAARA redundancy. Unusually, STAARA awareness was found to be negatively related to STAARA redundancy, indicating that employees may not be the best judge of technology’s potential to replace their jobs. The implications are important when we c...
27 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors look at the literature as relates to technology-driven shifts in employment with a specific emphasis on digital technologies and conclude that there are probably more jobs going to be created than is presented in popular media but that this will be taking place simultaneously with a sharp polarisation of the workforce and an increased uneven global distribution of the jobs created.
Abstract: The article looks at the literature as relates to technology-driven shifts in employment with a specific emphasis on digital technologies. The article looks at both the arguments for a positive outcome and for a negative outcome.The article concludes that there are probably more jobs going to be created than is presented in popular media but that this will be taking place simultaneously with a sharp polarisation of the workforce and an increased uneven global distribution of the jobs created.The key contribution of this paper is that whether the future becomes one of job scarcity and precariasation or one of job abundance and multi-dimensional wealth (economic, environmental, quality of life) cannot be left to the market but is instead a function of the socio-political choices we and our policy-makers make.
23 citations
TL;DR: The progress in Australia towards the full industrial recognition of home care work as "work" has stalled as discussed by the authors, and this paper draws on International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 189 on Decent Work...
Abstract: The progress in Australia towards the full industrial recognition of home care work as ‘work’ has stalled. This paper draws on International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 189 on Decent Work ...
19 citations
TL;DR: A significant and timely addition to a growi... as discussed by the authors is a book about the determinant factor of living standards for workers and families around the world, focusing on the importance of wages from employment.
Abstract: Wages from employment are a significant, if not the main, determining factor of living standards for workers and families around the world. This book is a significant and timely addition to a growi...
18 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, physical and verbal abuse of aged-car workers is investigated. But the authors focus on the elderly care workforce and do not address the mental health issues of the aged care workforce.
Abstract: While the aged-care workforce undertakes a core societal role, it is a job with some challenges including working with difficult clients. This study focuses on physical and verbal abuse of aged-car...
17 citations
TL;DR: Artificial intelligence (AI) is dissolving some long-standing boundaries of human expertise and endeavour, and is demonstrating that many capacities are not the ‘uniquely human’ domains that the authors might have imagined them to be.
Abstract: A technological paradigm shift is underway. Nearly every day, we learn about another major technological breakthrough that promises to have life-changing effects. Driverless vehicles are taking to ...
15 citations
13 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors draw on research that they along with others have conducted in various countries and regions of the world, which highlights the changed and evolving gender context within the union movem...
Abstract: This article draws on research that I along with others have conducted in various countries and regions of the world, which highlights the changed and evolving gender context within the union movem...
13 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a novel and illuminating framework for conceptualizing and comparing gender gaps across and within occupational groups is presented, which not only serves to illustrate the gender gap but also serves as a way to illustrate gender stereotypes.
Abstract: This edited book is built around a novel and illuminating framework for conceptualising and comparing gender gaps across and within occupational groups. The framework not only serves to illustrate ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a survey about diversity management in New Zealand workplaces is presented, which explores DM concepts; the perceived nature and evaluation of workplace DM initiatives; and DM challenges and priorities for organisations and employees.
Abstract: Diversity management (DM) values differences between groups and individuals at work. Research indicates that poorly executed DM can lead to workplace misunderstandings and subvert team working; well-executed, DM can strengthen organisational innovation, customer focus, retention and working relationships, with positive cost, revenue and productivity implications. Little is known about DM or its treatment via human resource management (HRM) in New Zealand (NZ) workplaces, partly reflecting the absence of regular, in-depth inquiry. In this small, service-orientated economy, we draw on a unique, independent survey to explore DM concepts; the perceived nature and evaluation of workplace DM initiatives; and DM challenges and priorities for organisations and employees. Thematic and simple statistical analyses reveal that DM engenders strong views in the workplace but is complex in its practice and perceived impacts in this and wider settings. This has significant implications for HRM thinking and applic...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors contribute to the literature on the changing nature of work and employment by focussing on the commercial and residential segments of the construction industry in one Australian state.
Abstract: This paper contributes to the literature on the changing nature of work and employment by focussing on the commercial and residential segments of the construction industry in one Australian state. ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore whether front-line supervisors are able to apply leadership behaviours that encourage and sustain notions of altruism, care and commitment to the job among care workers in the voluntary social services sector.
Abstract: Since the mid-1980s, New Public Management (NPM) and cuts in social funding have resulted in highly restructured organisations in the voluntary social services. These changes moved front-line supervisors, often referred to as line managers (LMs), away from direct, front-line service and replaced much of their supervision and support with tasks connected to contract compliance, particularly documenting progress on outcome metrics and other performance indicators. This article explores whether, in an era of NPM, LMs are able to apply leadership behaviours that encourage and sustain notions of altruism, care and commitment to the job among care workers in the voluntary social services sector. The article analyses qualitative interview data collected in five case studies in three countries (Australia, New Zealand and the UK) to explore the changing labour process in nonprofit services aimed at supporting society’s most vulnerable people. The article contributes to understandings of changes in work pro...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on large organizations rather than small organizations, which limits the voice literature, and propose an approach to address this limitation by focusing on large organisations rather than smaller ones.
Abstract: There is abundant research on employee voice, but most focuses on large organisations rather than small organisations, which limits the voice literature. With the aim of addressing this limitation,...
TL;DR: In this article, the employment conditions of personal care assistants, their satisfiers and dissatisfiers, and the human resource management practices which might assist the organisation and its sector to better address PCA concerns, leading to more effective PCA attraction, selection and retention.
Abstract: The Australian population is ageing, with around one quarter being 60 years and older, and the proportion is expected to grow in the future. These trends have led to government projections for the number of personal care assistants (PCAs) needed to meet the demands of the ageing population, estimated to be more than double the current workforce by 2050. Consequently, the challenges associated with attracting and retaining PCAs in the aged care sector need to be urgently addressed. This qualitative study is based on a large and distributed residential aged care organisation located in Western Australia. Its focus is on the employment conditions of PCAs, their satisfiers and dissatisfiers, and the human resource management practices which might assist the organisation and its sector to better address PCA concerns, leading to more effective PCA attraction, selection and retention. A number of strategies have been proposed that are intended to help advance policy and debate, including attention to various HRM practices and factors relating to job quality.
TL;DR: The recent proliferation in Australia of systematic wage underpayment, or wage theft as it is known in the US, is stripping workers of the "living wage" once a cornerstone of Australia's industria.
Abstract: The recent proliferation in Australia of systematic wage underpayment, or wage theft as it is known in the US, is stripping workers of the ‘living wage’, once a cornerstone of Australia’s industria...
TL;DR: A collection of articles based on papers presented at the 31st Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand (AIRAANZ) Confer....
Abstract: This special issue of Labour & Industry is a collection of articles based on papers presented at the 31st Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand (AIRAANZ) Confer...
TL;DR: This article employed the concept of occupational boundaries to understand how artisanal occupations were understood and how the related domain of work is described and delineated from other forms of work, and found that the notion of artisanal work and occupations continue to be strongly constructed by race, gender, age and language in the South African context.
Abstract: Improving the access of previously marginalised groups to skilled occupations is vital to growing the South African economy and making strides to a labour market characterised by less inequality. However, under-representation of Africans and deepening gender inequality persist as challenges in artisanal employment. This quantitative picture however does little to reveal the full story of why particular inequalities in artisanal employment continue. The research employed the concept of occupational boundaries to understand how artisanal occupations were understood and how the related domain of work is described and delineated from other forms of work. The findings illustrate how the notion of artisanal work and occupations continue to be strongly constructed by race, gender, age and language in the South African context. As societies across the globe are facing either strengthening and/or new forms of inequalities, it will be critical for scholars concerned with the social and economic relations of...
TL;DR: In the shift between an antipodean Fordist and liberal-productivist model of development, the competition principle has assumed central importance, eroding perceived legislative fetters to free competition and more generally spurring a withdrawal of the state from direct economic regulation as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The transformation of Australian capitalism from the 1970s onwards has exercised a tremendous impact on trading hours legislation. In the shift between an antipodean Fordist and liberal-productivist model of development, the competition principle has assumed central importance, eroding perceived legislative fetters to free competition and more generally spurring a withdrawal of the state from direct economic regulation. Trading hours legislation is a prime example of this reality. Whereas the 1960s was an era of more-or-less regulated and circumscribed trading hours, the movement throughout the 1970s–2000s has been towards progressively looser controls. This is a movement driven by large retailers, who have found themselves wielding immense economic and political power within the fabric of liberal-productivism. Their efforts to squeeze out smaller operators through the continual extension of trading hours also dovetailed with a general effort on the part of the national state to diffuse the compet...
TL;DR: In this paper, two unions whose memberships include disability support workers in the not-for-profit disability support sector were examined to understand how vulnerable workers can be organized in an increasingly precarious and marketised environment.
Abstract: Mobilisation theory seeks to explain how workers and trade unions are able to shift workplace grievances to forms of collective action. Drawing on mobilisation theory the focus here is on two unions whose memberships include disability support workers in the not-for-profit disability support sector. Historically, union practice formed around servicing members in traditional workplaces. The introduction of neoliberal marketisation practices in the care sector in the 1990s diminished a workforce already the subject of institutional gender discrimination, low pay, poor working conditions, work undervaluation and weakened bargaining opportunities. How unions can identify and utilise opportunities to organise these workers continues to present significant challenges. Union strategy and tactics are examined to understand how vulnerable workers can be organised in an increasingly precarious and marketised environment.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide comprehensive coverage of issues in the field of paid care research and policy in a broadly defined field of care work, focusing on empirical and theoretical development across academic and policy domains.
Abstract: To advance empirical and theoretical development across academic and policy in a broadly defined field of paid care work is ambitious. However, this volume provides comprehensive coverage of issues...
TL;DR: The sixth edition of this book as discussed by the authors provides an up-to-date overview of employment relations in 12 different countries, through an exploration of the current state of employment relationships in different countries.
Abstract: The sixth edition of this book provides an up-to-date overview of employment relations in 12 different countries. Through an exploration of the current state of employment relations in different co...
TL;DR: In this paper, the author aims to give the reader a greater understanding of the cooperative enterprise, according to the International Cooperative Alliance (1995), a cooperative enterprise is "an autonomous assoc...
Abstract: This book aims to give the reader a greater understanding of the cooperative enterprise. According to the International Cooperative Alliance (1995), a cooperative enterprise is ‘an autonomous assoc...
TL;DR: In this article, a longitudinal study of the John Lewis Partnership (JLP), a major UK retailer operating eponymous department stores and an upmarket supermarket chain (Waitrose), is presented.
Abstract: This book is based on a longitudinal study of the John Lewis Partnership (JLP), a major UK retailer operating eponymous department stores and an upmarket supermarket chain (Waitrose). It comes from...
TL;DR: In this article, an in-depth analysis of occupational licensing in Alabama and recommendations for reform are provided. But, they do not consider the impact of state-level occupational licensing on economic mobility, especially among minority groups.
Abstract: While often advanced as a means to protect consumers, occupational licensing is increasingly being recognized as a barrier to entry that benefits the licensed industry to the detriment of consumers. Furthermore, it often restricts economic mobility, especially among minority groups. Given that occupational licensing is primarily carried out at the state level, state-specific analyses are required to understand the extent and impact of occupational licensing, as well as to inform national and state reform discussions. This paper provides an in-depth analyses of occupational licensing in Alabama and offers recommendations for reform.
TL;DR: In this paper, a survey of 1380 workers in three different Australian manufacturing firms found union membership to be negatively associated with workplace climate in one company, positively associated with workforce climate in another and to have no significant relationship to workplace climate.
Abstract: This paper summarises findings from a study of the relationship between union membership and workplace climate. A survey of 1380 workers in three different Australian manufacturing firms found union membership to be negatively associated with workplace climate in one company, positively associated with workplace climate in another and to have no significant relationship to workplace climate in the third. These results, when linked to the findings from observational research and focus group discussions, indicated that when a business was only partially unionised, internal harmony and good workplace conditions were reasons for the existence of a positive relationship between workplace climate and union membership. However, when union-management relationships were fractious, the workplace climate was driven by that relationship with deleterious results for workplace harmony. The findings highlight the pivotal requirement for management to provide positive work environments and, when unions are involv...
TL;DR: In this paper, the relationship between wage and employment and the correspondence between the income share of labour and growth in employment was investigated for the organized/formal manufacturing sector in India.
Abstract: Is wage ‘flexibility’ a prerequisite to raise employment, and if so, can wage reduction actually bring a sizable increase in employment? These are the two important and related questions that this paper deals with. Based on the panel data (time-series, cross-section-pooled) across various groups of industries over the time period, 2008–2009 to 2011–2012, the paper estimates for the organized/formal manufacturing sector in India the relationship between wage and employment, and the correspondence between income share of labour and growth in employment. The statistically weak relationship between wage and employment, estimated econometrically in terms of wage elasticity of employment, may be taken to suggest that deregulation perceived through wage flexibility cannot raise employment. In addition, the wage share of workers in gross value added has already attained a low magnitude, along with its skewed distribution towards the low end. Hence, the argument for introducing flexibility in wage and hiri...
TL;DR: The Internet of Things, crowdsourcing and cloud computing, big data and micro tasks; these new technologies increasingly enter and alter aspects of the authors' working lives.
Abstract: The Internet of Things, crowdsourcing and cloud computing, big data and micro tasks; these new technologies increasingly enter and alter aspects of our working lives. New technology can revolutioni...