Special Issue
The changing context of work – e.g. though globalisation, intensification of competition, deregulation, growth in employment flexibility, technological changes, digitalization – increasingly triggers debates about the quality of working life and concerns about the well-being of employees. Observations of precarious forms of employment or increasing demands and intensification of work thereby often elicit nostalgic memories of the apparently ‘good old days’ where work was characterized by full-time employment, an adequate income, a permanent contract, and social insurance. However, these ‘old’ standards of ‘good work’ did not apply to all employees and even in the ‘good old days’, work was often characterized by strict hierarchy and low influence, where employees’ interests were largely neglected. Here, modern forms of employment could lead to improvements by providing, for example, more autonomy, involvement, flexible working hours, a better work life balance, and inclusion.
The question how to evaluate the changes in the world of work is not easy and there are manifold perspectives how to define the standards of ‘good work’. One perspective could be to identify the work and employment conditions that are actually increasing or threatening employee well-being. A particular challenge here is to consider the different dimensions of employee well-being, which includes aspects like physical and mental health, satisfaction, engagement or fairness. Another perspective could be to confront the new developments to the aspirations and values of employees. The latter are also changing since new generations enter the labour market, since women increasingly participate in the labour force, or because migration movements lead to an increasing diversity. Finally, one could contrast the changes with the current regulations in labour and social law concerning employee protection rights, working time and wage standards, social security, and representation of employees’ interests.
In this Special Issue they want to bring together research that addresses the issue of eroding and new standards of ‘good work’ and they encourage researchers to share their thoughts with them.
Deadline and Submissions Guidelines:
Manuscript length should not exceed 8,000 words (excluding references) and the norm should be 30 pages in double-spaced type with margins of about 3 cm (1 inch) on each side of the page.
Full papers for this special issue of management revue – Socio-Economic Studies must be submitted by December 30, 2019.