An article examined whether the 2008 economic crisis had led to major changes in work and employment conditions in the United Kingdom.
Source: Duncan Gallie, Alan Felstead, Francis Green, and Hande Inanc, 'The quality of work in Britain over the economic crisis', International Review of Sociology, Volume 24 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined the impact of the economic crisis on industrial relations and working conditions in Europe, drawing on a range of European data.
Source: Maurizio Curtarelli, Karel Fric, Oscar Vargas, and Christian Welz, 'Job quality, industrial relations and the crisis in Europe', International Review of Sociology, Volume 24 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined the employment relationship within capitalist societies by reference to a model of work alienation, and considered whether alienation led to emotional exhaustion and stifled well-being. Data from 227 employees in a manufacturing organization supported the model, in that a lack of voice, person-job fit, and meaningfulness led to alienation at work, emotional exhaustion, and lower levels of well-being.
Source: Amanda Shantz, Kerstin Alfes, and Catherine Truss, 'Alienation from work: Marxist ideologies and twenty-first-century practice', International Journal of Human Resource Management, Volume 25 Issue 8
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Aug
A report examined how employers could help to address in-work poverty in the United Kingdom. It said that increasing pay levels was only part of the solution, and discussed how employee-friendly human resource management and development practices, such as structured recruitment, training, performance management, flexible working, and fringe benefits, might contribute. The report also considered more specifically issues related to employment in the adult care sector.
Source: John Philpott, Rewarding Work for Low-Paid Workers, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report | Summary | JRF press release
Date: 2014-May
An article examined the impact of job stress and job satisfaction on voluntary turnover among United Kingdom-based police officers, based on a 'mediational model' of officer turnover intentions. It said that monitoring stress and satisfaction might assist in officer retention efforts, and could provide early warnings of staff turnover.
Source: Amanda Allisey, Andrew Noblet, Anthony Lamontagne, and Jonathan Houdmont, 'Testing a model of officer intentions to quit: the mediating effects of job stress and job satisfaction', Criminal Justice and Behavior, Volume 41 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May
An article examined the link between job satisfaction and home-ownership. It was found that the transition to ownership reduced job satisfaction within a year following the purchase. The reduction was sharper when the purchase was financed through a mortgage. The initial reduction was more than doubled within 3 years after the transition. Home-ownership might be a constraint for the career prospects of employees, since it reduced mobility and forced them to become more dependent on the local labour market conditions.
Source: Semih Tumen and Tugba Zeydanli, 'Home ownership and job satisfaction', Social Indicators Research, Volume 117 Number 1
Links: Abstract
See also: Semih Tumen and Tugba Zeydanli, Home Ownership and Job Satisfaction, Working Paper 13/22, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey
Date: 2014-Apr
A think-tank report examined the tensions between constrained work (characterized by high intensity, low control and low-skill employment) and organizations requiring high quality work and cultures of engagement. It said that employers could develop employee engagement and increase productivity through enriching jobs. It said that this should be given priority, in order to support sustainable economic growth in the United Kingdom. The report made recommendations for employers, including: for better performance management; to improve career structures and providing training; and to promote flexible working and work-life balance.
Source: Emily Anderton and Stephen Bevan, Constrained Work? Job enrichment and employee engagement in low wage, low skill jobs, Work Foundation
Links: Report | Work Foundation press release
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined working conditions and job quality across employment sectors in Europe. The report and accompanying information sheets provided a comparative overview of sectors and highlighted how each sector compared to the European average, as well as the differences and similarities among different groups of workers. The report said there was considerable variation across sectors in terms of working time, the duration and organisation of work, work organisation practices, employer-paid training, employee representation, and exposure to physical and psychosocial risks. It highlighted areas where policy could be developed.
Source: Gijs van Houten, Jorge Cabrita, and Oscar Vargas, Working Conditions and Job Quality: Comparing sectors in Europe, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Report | Sector information sheets
Date: 2014-Feb
A study examined the impact of welfare reform on housing employees. The report said that: 77 per cent of respondents thought customer interactions had become more challenging and 42 per cent felt only slightly/moderately equipped to cope with the increased challenge; 90 per cent reported customers to be in more financial difficulty than six months ago; 58 per cent had found increased mental health issues among their customer base; and 45 per cent had experienced customers making suicide threats. More than half of respondents (55 per cent) reported feeling stressed at work. The report made recommendations for consideration by employers.
Source: Impact of Welfare Reform on Housing Employees, Straightforward
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Jan
An article examined positive and negative spillover between work and home, and its interrelation with life satisfaction, among knowledge workers. Positive spillover from home was interrelated with higher life satisfaction, whereas negative spillover from work was related to lower life satisfaction. Family role importance and career role importance were associated with higher life satisfaction. For respondents with higher family role importance, there was a stronger interrelation between negative spillover from home and lower life satisfaction.
Source: Hans-Joachim Wolfram and Lynda Gratton, 'Spillover between work and home, role importance and life satisfaction', British Journal of Management, Volume 25 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jan
A report examined working conditions for workers in central public administrations across the European Union, and considered how they may have changed in recent years.
Source: Working Conditions in Central Public Administration, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound)
Date: 2014-Jan