Bus 651: Work Organisation and Management

1. Bus 651: Work Organisation and Management Week 4 The changing nature of work and organisations

2. The changing context • Many argue that we are witnessing the transformation of society away from the industrial capitalism of the 19th and 20th centuries. Industrial capitalism is typified by the image of male blue-collar workers employed in large scale industries like manufacturing. • In this lecture we will explore some of the key changes that have occurred in the wider environment and in the nature of the Australian workforce. • We will extend earlier week’s discussion by critically exploring claims made about the changing nature of work.

3. Why does the changing context matter? • The last two decades have witnessed dramatic changes to the world of work. • Change has occurred both in the external environment and within organisations. • Managers need to be able to deal with these changes effectively to ensure a productive workforce and successful organisation. • This week we are focusing on the Australian context. The lecture will explore some of the key changes to the Australian labour market.

4. The way we were: work in the 20th century • Male • Blue-collar • Manufacturing • Full-time • Gradual reduction in hours of work • The last two decades have witnessed substantial changes to Australian workplaces.

5. Patterns of change in the Australianlabour market • Move from smokestack industries to service work. • Growth in service work • Many organisations have reduced the size of their workforce by downsizing

6. Patterns of change in the Australianlabour market • Diversity of the workforce – links to topics exploring gender • Increasing female participation in the workforce. Proportion of women in paid workforce: 1961: 25%; 1983: 44%. • In 2010 female participation reached a record high: 59%. • ‘The employment rate for prime age women (25 to 54 years) in 2001 was 68%’ (Healey 2005). • In comparison, men's participation has been far more stable. • Age • Ethnicity

7. Patterns of change in the Australianlabour market • Full-employment until 1970s (end of the long boom, oil shocks, gold standard ). • Decline of full-time employment • 1970s: 89% of all employees were full-time; • 2002: 62%.

8. The growth of precarious and non- standard forms of work. • ‘In the early twenty-first century, much of the debate in organizational behaviour has been about the growth of non-standard or precarious employment...Evidence points to the continuing growth of precarious employment arrangements in Canada, the European Union, the USA and many parts of Asia.’ (Bratton, J, et al., 2010, pp. 488-9 )

9. Precarious and non-standard forms of work • What are the characteristics of precarious work • Gender • Insecurity • Lack of protection • What is driving the growth in these forms of employment? • Globalisation • The role of the state • The push for flexibility • Employer preferences

10. The growth of precarious and non- standard forms of work. • 1990s: explosion in casual work (Watson et al., 2003) • Over the last decade there has been an increase in the number of people working relatively short hours. “The higher concentration of relatively low hours among women is not necessarily a matter of employees’ preferences. Women form the majority of multiple job-holders (57 percent) and those seeking employment or more hours.” (Jefferson, T and Preston A, 2011)

11. Increase in part-time and casual work • Rise of part-time and casual work (2001: 7%; 1970: 10.6%). • “Part-time employment within Australia now accounts for around one-third of all paid jobs. It is a significant form of employment, particularly for women with around 70 percent of all part-time workers being women.” (Jefferson, T and Preston A, 2011) • This is partially attributable to the decline in manufacturing and the growth of service work. • Link between part-time and casual work and workplace flexibility.

12. Growth in labour hire • Watson et al. (2003) states:“The other important dimension of labour–market change during the 1990s is something which goes beyond casualisation, and that is growth in particular categories of non-employees, particularly labour-hire workers…” • Strong growth in men working part-time connected to the increasing use of contractors. (Jefferson, T and Preston A, 2011)

13. Working hours • Australia was once seen as the land of the long weekend; many now consider Australia the land of the lost weekend. • Increasing hours of work -- Australia is one of a small number of countries in which long-term decline in working hours has been reversed (Campbell, 2002). • In a comparison of 18 OECD countries, Australia is second only to Korea in length of working hours (Campbell, 2002). • Who works long hours?

14. Why have hours of work changed? • Bargaining • Social change • Culture of overwork • Global pressure • Push for flexibility • Changes to the labour market • Management may see long hours as a means to improve productivity / profitability.

15. Working hours: the implications • Many Australian workplaces now have a culture of long hours. • Many writers have pointed to the hazards associated with long hours • OHS • Disruptions to family life • Community concerns • Pressure

16. Managing the work–life balance • The interplay between working life, the family and the community, in terms of both time and space. (Bratton et al., 2010) • Empirical and conceptual problems • Long hours culture • Home working • Interpenetration • Work as source of fulfilment and structure

17. Lansbury and Callus (2006) • Lansbury and Callus (2006) state:“The globalisation of product markets and services has promoted competitive pressures and divisions of labour on an unprecedented scale. There has been massive change in the technological infrastructure with the advent of microelectronics and digital communications. “Many firms have reacted to these new pressures by downsizing their labour force, using flexible employment contracts , and introducing ‘lean’ management systems.”

18. Lansbury and Callus (2006) (cont) • “The social partnership between organised labour and employers that fostered the growth of collective bargaining has declined along with the power of trade unions. The scale and rapidity of change has affected what people do at work, when they work, how they are managed, and the conditions under which they work. In recent decades, the ‘standard wage earner model’ – traditionally associated with the notion of a full-time employee working ‘normal hours’ over a five-day week for 11 months of the year, often with the same employer for many years – has been dismantled as employers, aided by governments, pursued what was widely known as ‘workplace flexibility’.”

19. Revision: declining union density is one of the key changes • Downward trend in union membership since the mid- 1970s. Why? • Changing occupational and industrial structure • growth of the service sector • part-time work • self employment • public-private sector shifts • size of the workplace • young workers Consequences: for employees