Chapter 12 Work And The Workplace

The Importance of Work Source of income Source of pride and accomplishment Source of identity and self esteem Provides meaning to life and and is a major part of our adult identity

Structural Changes In the U.S. Economy The Industrial Revolution The Information Revolution Deindustrialization Globalization

The Industrial Revolution The first transformation at the beginning of the nineteenth century Rural and small towns Most were employed in the primary sector producing raw materials Farming Fishing Forestry Mining

The Industrial Revolution The Industrial revolution shifted jobs from the primary sector of the economy to the secondary sector Transforming raw goods into products Automobiles Sewing machines Furniture

The Industrial Revolution Impact of the industrial revolution Shift to factory work Shift of jobs from rural to urban Immigrants and factory work Industrialization and prosperity

The Information Revolution The 1950s and the emergence of the tertiary sector From factory to service work Not all workers benefited from this shift Invention of the microchip and the computer White collar jobs

Deindustrialzation Deindustrialization- decline of industrial production (after 1950) Plant closings Decline in factory jobs Job displacement Decline in pay and benefits

Globalization Globalization of the economy- expansion of economic activity around the world with little regard for national borders Multi-national corporations Shifting jobs to low wage countries

Other Problems of the U.S. Workplace The Dual Labor Market Two separate labor markets 1. Primary labor market-occupations that provide good pay and extensive benefits to workers 2. Secondary labor market- provides low pay and few benefits to workers

Other Problems of the U.S. Workplace The Dual Labor Market Primary labor market jobs tend to be Challenging Good pay and benefits More secure Room for advancement in one’s career

Other Problems of the U.S. Workplace The Dual Labor Market Examples of primary labor market job categories Professionals Managers and executives Some high skilled jobs in factories

Other Problems of the U.S. Workplace The Dual Labor Market Secondary labor market-jobs Boring and routine Low pay and few benefits Less secure

Problems of the U.S. Workplace The Dual Labor Market Examples of secondary labor market job categories Retail sales Telemarketing Building maintenance Laborers

Problems of the U.S. Workplace Dangers to Workers In 1970 the federal government established OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Conducts research on workplace hazards

Problems of the U.S. Workplace Dangers to Workers Toxic Substances Control Act (1976) Guidelines for handling chemicals in the workplace Test for harmful chemicals

Problems of the U.S. Workplace Dangers to Workers Jobs and injuries Jobs that have the highest risk of death Mining Agriculture Construction Jobs and health Job related violence

Workplace Alienation Alienation: Marx’s View Alienation-experience of isolation and misery from powerlessness in the workplace Work as a natural act Alienation stems from the social nature of work under capitalism Capitalism distorts the social nature of work

Workplace Alienation Alienation: Weber’s View Alienation- depersonalization of the workplace and of society in general due to modern society’s rational focus on efficiency Weber-the cause of alienation is the rational nature of the organization of work Individuals have become detached from the social and creative aspect of work Work has become highly impersonal

Workplace Alienation Alienation: Weber’s View Rationalization of society led to the industrial revolution Defined as the historical change from tradition to rationality and efficiency as the typical way people think about the world

McDonaldization and the Rise of “McJobs” George Ritzer and McDonaldization McDonaldization- defining work in four principles 1. Efficiency 2. Predictability 3. Uniformity 4. Automation Workers become automatons

MacDonaldization and the Rise of “McJobs” Characteristics of the McJobs: Work that involves simple tasks Work that provides little satisfaction Work that is predictable and repetitive Work that has become machine driven Work that is dehumanizing to the worker

The “Temping”of the Workplace Deindustrialization and the growth in part-time workers Low pay No benefits Little control over their work

Unemployment Reasons for Unemployment About four to five percent unemployment may be normal New to the work force entering for the first time In between jobs Economic downturn

Who is at Risk for Unemployment? Less educated Racial and ethnic minorities Young

Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Institutional discrimination – bias built into the operation of the economy, education and other social institutions Secondary labor market Under representation of women and minorities in higher education

Race, Ethnicity, and Gender The Glass Ceiling- Barriers (often invisible) that prevent minorities from moving up in an organization

Workplace Segregation Workplace is segregated by race and gender Minorities concentrated in the least desirable jobs Union Decline Labor unions- worker organizations that seek to improve wages and working conditions through various strategies, including collective bargaining and strikes

Union Decline Labor unions are a recent development U.S. Government and the labor movement of the 1930’s Railway Labor Act Norris-La Guardia Act National Labor Relations Act

Union Decline Union membership grew from 1930 and peaked in the 1970s Since 1970s decline in union membership until just recently Function of structural change a shift from factory jobs to the non-union service sector

New Information Technology: The Brave New Workplace Telecommuting- linking employees to the office using information technology, including telephones,fax machines, and e-mail Function of the information revolution Telecommuting blurs the distinction between home and work Telecommuting and gender discrimination and work Worker isolation

Workplace Isolation Computer technology reduces the need for face to face interaction Workers are connected by information networks Social and physical separation and isolation of workers and clients from one another

Controlling Employees Computer technology and controlling the behavior of workers Keeping an eye on the employee “Deskilling” Work Technology and the loss of skills necessary to perform one’s job Machines replace human skill

Structural-Functional Analysis: Finding a New Equilibrium Stresses the interrelatedness of social institutions Impact of technology on established social patterns How information technology is shaping the nature of work and other social institutions

Symbolic-Interaction Analysis: The Meaning of Work Stresses the social construction of work Meanings that people attach to work and work relationships

Social-Conflict Analysis: Work and Inequality Focus is on how inequality impacts work in society Work reflects the interest of the upper-class

Conservatives: Look at the Market Free-market with a minimum of government regulation Downturns are temporary and people will be allocated to where the jobs are Individuals should take responsibility for their economic and job well-being

Liberals: Look to Government Free market with government regulation to insure all interests are taken care of Government aid for education and job training

Radicals: Basic Change is Needed The free-market is the source of economic and worker related problems The end of capitalism and the emergence of socialism as the answer to economic and worker related woes