This accessible edited collection provides global context for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying the sociology of work and organisations. Composed of short, example-led chapters, this book covers a wide range of contemporary topics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the digitalisation of work, the gig economy, and the shifting roles of women and other marginalised groups.
The books innovative approach uses case studies as diverse as work-life balance in China, gender pay inequity in Britain and Germany, and the exploitation of workers on the Mexico-US border, to incorporate perspectives from both the Global North and South and provide students with the tools to analyse new developments in the rapidly changing world of work. The book is particularly concerned with inequalities and marginalisation in the workplace, discussing discrimination against women, ethnic minorities, migrants, and older workers. The book also explores how increasing digitalisation, the rise of the gig economy and the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted working practices and how this relates to precarious employment. Other chapters are dedicated to issues of workplace organisation, including female leadership, work-life balance, and well-being. The book goes on to explore how climate change and policies such as Universal Basic Income may shape the future of work in the near future.
Each chapter also includes useful pedagogical resources including practice exam questions, key concepts and definitions, and further readings. Therefore, the book will be therefore essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying the sociology of work, business management, and organisation.
Part 1: Introduction to Work in a Global Context
1. Reimagining the Organisation of Work Post-Pandemic
Jane Parry
2. Chapter Introductions and How to Use This Book
Brian McDonough
Part 2: Inequalities, Intersectionality, and Discrimination at Work
3. The Gender Pay Gap
Philippa Velija and Brian McDonough
4. Racial Discrimination at Work
Naveena Prakasam
5. Precarious and Gig Work in the Global Economy
Brian McDonough and Chloe Pearson
6. Age Discrimination in the Workplace
Anna Paraskevopoulou
7. Migrant Sex Work and Survival Sex
Dina de Sousa e Santos
Part 3: Organising People and Well-Being at Work
8. Redistributing Power through the Democratisation of Organisations
Mark Green and Barry McNeill
9. Women Leaders in Male-Dominated Industries
Julia Hansch and Natalie Janning-Backfisch
10. Work-Life Balance
Mengyi Xu and Clare Kelliher
11. Well-being and Mental Health at Work
Maria Hudson
Part 4: Digitalised Work
12. Digitised Work
Garfield Benjamin
13. Sex Work in the Digital Age
Helen M. Rand
14. Blogging and Online Work
Jane Parry and Brian J. Hracs
15. Unpaid Work
Rebecca Taylor
Part 5: Workforce Marginalisation
16. Xenophobia and the Migrant Labour Force
Amy Duvenage
17. Inequalities of a Global Workforce: The Shipping Industry
Helen Devereux
18. Global Relations and Workers at the Border
María E. López
Part 6: The Future of Work
19. Climate Change and Work
Melahat Sahin-Dikmen
20. Changing Work: Universal Basic Income
Brian McDonough and Jessie Bustillos Morales
21. Changing Places of Work
Alan Felstead and Helen Blakely
22. Conclusion: New Ways of Working
Jane Parry and Brian McDonough
