A frequent theme of writing about the “Post‐industrialFuture” is the forecast of a rapid growth in working from homewith the aid of computers. Such a growth in “new…
Abstract
A frequent theme of writing about the “Post‐industrial Future” is the forecast of a rapid growth in working from home with the aid of computers. Such a growth in “new technology homeworking” is seen as a fortuitous development for women workers, especially for professional women who wish to continue their careers and start a family. It is also viewed as an answer for firms likely to face growing labour shortages during the 1990s. This article examines the evidence for a growth in new technology homeworking and what it involves for firms and women employees. Both the context of firms who adopt a cost‐cutting strategy and of firms who prefer a human‐resource strategy will be considered. The article concludes that the growth has been much exaggerated; that the effects on women workers can at best be described as mixed and that most women who wish to combine caring with work would be advised to consider other options. Ironically, new technology homeworking may offer better opportunities to men rather than women.
Details
Keywords
Post‐industrial predictions of a rapid growth in new technologyhomeworking have gained widespread currency to become part of theconventional wisdom. However the evidence…
Abstract
Post‐industrial predictions of a rapid growth in new technology homeworking have gained widespread currency to become part of the conventional wisdom. However the evidence, including primary research material, suggests that the claims for new technology homeworking, both regarding its extent and its alleged benefits, have been considerably overestimated. In particular, new technology homeworking by itself does not appear to open up opportunities for women to improve their position in the labour market; the demographic changes predicted for the 1990s may provide a better bet. Nevertheless, there is a danger in assuming that all firms apply the same strategy when employing homeworkers; at least three different variations can be identified and this has important implications for personnel managers. The overestimation of new technology homeworking stands in stark contrast to traditional homeworking where the extent has been considerably underestimated. This marginalisation of traditional homeworking stems in large part from the distortion caused by the conceptual split between private and public realms. The failure to find evidence to support the growth of new technology homeworking leads to a consideration of how the arguments may better be considered as rhetoric designed to advance a certain set of ideas – in particular that set associated with “privatisation” as a political ideology.
Details
Keywords
ILO: Women's Participation in Trade Unions. This is the theme of a special issue of Women At Work namely that of the role of trade unions and the ILO in promoting the equal…
Abstract
ILO: Women's Participation in Trade Unions. This is the theme of a special issue of Women At Work namely that of the role of trade unions and the ILO in promoting the equal participation of women in economic, political and social life. It presents complementary information to that provided in the previous issue in which trade union and ILO responses, in terms of policies and programmes, to the situation of women workers were identified both nationally and internationally. This issue reflects on the actions being taken to organise women workers and to improve their participation at all levels of trade union activities and structures. A selection has been made of various initiatives by trade unions, nationally and internationally, and ILO technical projects in different regions are described and analysed. In this regard extracts from the ILO 1988 Survey on the Implementation of Convention No. 111 on Discrimination in Employment and Documentation are included. Requirements for trade union action to promote equality are reflected in the various ILO Conventions as well as in a number of ILO resolutions covering specific industrial sectors and geographical regions.
Many British employers are less than enthusiastic about the Government's proposals to abolish the 26 wages councils which set statutory minimum wage rates for 2.5 million…
Abstract
Many British employers are less than enthusiastic about the Government's proposals to abolish the 26 wages councils which set statutory minimum wage rates for 2.5 million employees. In its response to the Department of Employment's Wages Councils: 1988 consultation document, the Institute of Personal Management continues to reject a “blanket” approach of total abolition of all wage's councils. The I.P.M.'s view, first formed in 1982 after a major review of the operation of wages councils, is in line with the recommendation of the House of Commons Employment Committee in 1985 that it is right to review and reform but not abolish wages councils.
Sion Williams, Mike Nolan and John Keady
Discharging frail older people from acute hospital settings has been an issue of concern for over 40 years and recent studies suggest that enduring problems remain. This paper…
Abstract
Discharging frail older people from acute hospital settings has been an issue of concern for over 40 years and recent studies suggest that enduring problems remain. This paper explores the experiences of discharge from three different units: an acute surgical ward, an acute medical ward and a specialist ward for older people. Based on extensive data from interviews with older people, their family carers and ward‐based staff, a grounded theory of the discharge experience is presented. This suggests that the quality of discharge hinges largely on whether the focus of efforts is on ‘pace’ (the desire to discharge older people as rapidly as possible) or ‘complexity’ (where due account is taken of the complex interaction of medical and wider social issues). When pace is the focus, ‘pushing’ and ‘fixing’ are the main processes driving discharge. However, when attention is given to complexity, far more subtle processes of ‘informing’ and ‘brokering’ are in evidence. These latter processes are conceived of as forms of ‘relational practice’ and it is argued that such practices lie at the heart of high quality care for older people.
Details
Keywords
Adelaide Lusambili, Joyline Jepkosgei, Jacinta Nzinga and Mike English
The purpose of this paper is to provide a situational overview of the facility-based maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality audits (MPMMAs) in SSA, their current efficacy…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a situational overview of the facility-based maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality audits (MPMMAs) in SSA, their current efficacy at reducing mortality and morbidity rates related to childbirth.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a scoping literature review based on the synthesis of secondary literature.
Findings
Not all countries in SSA conduct MPMMAs. Countries where MPMMAs are conducted have not instituted standard practice, MPMMAs are not done on a national scale, and there is no clear best practice for MPMMAs. In addition, auditing process of pediatrics and maternal deaths is flawed by human and organizational barriers. Thus, the aggregated data collected from MPMMAs are not adequate enough to identify and correct systemic flaws in SSA childbirth-related health care.
Research limitations/implications
There are a few published literature on the topic in sub-Saharan Africa.
Practical implications
This review exposes serious gaps in literature and practice. It provides a platform upon which practitioners and policy makers must begin to discuss ways of embedding mortality audits in SSA in their health systems as well as health strategies.
Social implications
The findings of this paper can inform policy in sub-Saharan Africa that could lead toward better outcomes in health and well-being.
Originality/value
The paper is original.
Details
Keywords
As every day work is central to people's lives and events serve as significant contextual factors, examining what impact the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic…
Abstract
Purpose
As every day work is central to people's lives and events serve as significant contextual factors, examining what impact the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic restrictions had on knowledge workers warrants further investigation. The author's research question investigated how employees in the London Insurance Market had made sense of their work identities during a period of mandated remote work and isolation from co-workers, leaders and others, amidst a turbulent environment. To address this enquiry, this research drew on Goffman's institutional, dramaturgical and stigma theories.
Design/methodology/approach
Data used in this research are from an ongoing PhD study of how individuals conceive, construct and conduct their careers in this field. As individuals and their social worlds are interwoven, a qualitative methodological approach was employed in this research.
Findings
Participants were thrusted into a position where they had no prior knowledge what identity they should adopt in a situation which had totalising characteristics. The loss of clear boundaries between work and home setting caused a deterioration of participants' work identities whilst physical separation from their institutions and co-workers posed a risk of disconnecting their past work identities from the present. Moreover, participants' experiences of deterioration and disconnection were intertwined with their demographic and occupational identities.
Originality/value
This study aligns with existing research on identity work, emphasising the crucial role of social interaction in the formation of work identities. However, it also highlights that the establishment and sustenance of work identities is also reliant on individuals having separate frontstage and backstage settings to understand and interpret their conduct and those of their significant others.