1. Chapter 11
Work and the Workplace

2. The Importance of Work Source of income
Source of pride and accomplishment
Source of identity and self esteem
Provides meaning to life and is a major part of our adult identity
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. Structural Changes In the U.S. Economy
The Industrial Revolution
The Information Revolution
Deindustrialization
Globalization
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. The Industrial Revolution
The first transformation at the beginning of the 19th century
Rural and small towns
Most were employed in the primary sector producing raw materials
Farming; Fishing; Forestry; Mining
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

5. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. 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 computer and spread of computer technology
White collar jobs
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. Deindustrialization
Deindustrialization - decline of industrial production (after 1950)
Decline in factory jobs
Job displacement
Plant closings
Decline in pay and benefits
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. Other Problems of the U.S. Workplace
The Dual Labor Market
Two separate labor markets:
1. Primary- occupations that provide good pay and extensive benefits to workers
2. Secondary – provides low pay and few benefits to workers
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

12. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

13. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

14. Other Problems of the U.S. Workplace
The Dual Labor Market
Secondary labor market-jobs
Low pay and few benefits
Less secure
Little opportunity for advancement
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

15. Problems of the U.S. Workplace
The Dual Labor Market
Examples of secondary labor market job categories:
Retail sales
Telemarketing
Building maintenance
Laborers
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

16. Problems of the U.S. Workplace
Dangers to Workers
In 1970, the federal government established OSHA
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Conducts research on workplace hazards
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

17. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

18. Problems of the U.S. Workplace
Dangers to Workers
Mining
Farming
Toxic Substances and Radiation
Workplace Violence
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

19. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

20. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

21. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

22. Workplace Alienation
Individuals have become detached from the social and creative aspect of work
Work has become highly impersonal
Rationalization of society led to the industrial revolution
Historical change from tradition to rationality & efficiency as the way people think of the world
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

23. McDonaldization and the Rise of “McJobs”
George Ritzer and McDonaldization
McDonaldization- defining work in four principles:
1. Efficiency
2. Predictability
3. Uniformity
4. Automation
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

24. 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
High turnover
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

25. The “Temping”of the Workplace
Deindustrialization and the growth in part-time workers
Low pay
No benefits
Little control over their work
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

26. Unemployment Reasons for Unemployment
About 4 to 5% unemployment may be normal
Declined to 8.3% in 2012
To be counted as unemployed:
Must be registered with unemployment service and actively looking for a job
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

27. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

28. Who is at Risk for Unemployment?
Less educated
Racial and ethnic minorities
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

29. The “Jobless Recovery”
The U.S. economy operates in cycles, with periods of prosperity followed by:
Periods of recession—what many people call “boom and bust.”
Computer technology allows fewer people to do more work
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

30. Race, Ethnicity, and Gender
Institutional discrimination –
Bias built into the operation of the economy, education and other social institutions
Under representation of women and minorities in higher education
Secondary labor market
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

31. Race, Ethnicity, and Gender
The Glass Ceiling-
Barriers (often invisible) that prevent minorities from moving up in an organization
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

32. Workplace Segregation
Workplace is segregated by race & gender
Minorities concentrated in the least desirable jobs
Labor unions -
Worker organizations; seek to improve wages & working conditions by various strategies
Including collective bargaining and strikes
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

33. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

34. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

35. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

36. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

37. New Information Technology: The Brave New Workplace
Telecommuting- linking employees to the office using information technology,
Including telephones, fax machines, and
Function of the information revolution
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

38. New Information Technology: The Brave New Workplace
Telecommuting blurs the distinction between home and work
Telecommuting and gender discrimination and work
Worker isolation
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

39. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

40. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

41. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

42. Controlling Employees
Computer technology and controlling the behavior of workers
“Deskilling” Work
Technology and the loss of skills necessary to perform one’s job
Machines replace human skill
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

43. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

44. Symbolic-Interaction Analysis: The Meaning of Work
Stresses the social construction of work
Meanings that people attach to work and work relationships
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

45. Social-Conflict Analysis: Work and Inequality
Focus is on how inequality impacts work in society
Work reflects the interest of the upper-class
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

46. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

47. Liberals: Look to Government
Free market with government regulation to insure all interests are taken care of
Government aid for education and job training
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

48. 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
© Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.