Ch 6 the Future of Work Flashcards
(20 cards)
What are the key factors driving changes in the future of work?
Globalization, new technologies, business restructuring, and changing workforce demographics.
How does traditional employment differ from future employment?
Traditional employment involves long-term roles, office work, local teams, and stability. Future employment includes short-term projects, remote work, independent work, digital work, and instability.
Why has the study of employment relations become more important?
Due to low unemployment levels, skills gaps, and changing workforce demographics.
What are some pessimistic predictions for the future workplace?
Diminishing job opportunities, rising unemployment due to automation, and widening social divisions.
What are some optimistic predictions for the future workplace?
Emergence of widely skilled workers in fulfilling roles, new possibilities for liberating forms of work, and a better blend of leisure and working time.
Why is job quality important?
It protects people from stress and mental health problems, promotes wellbeing and physical health, improves firm performance, and is a key element of quality of life.
What characterizes precarious jobs?
Uncertainty, low income, limited social benefits, and statutory entitlements.
What factors have driven the creation of precarious jobs?
Globalization, intense competition, corporate restructuring, technological advances, labor migration, falling unionization, and financialization.
What are the contrasting views on platform or gig work?
One view is that it allows workers to be entrepreneurs with flexibility. The opposing view is that it is exploitative with little income security and few employment rights.
What is employee voice?
The ways employees attempt to influence organizational affairs affecting their work, interests, and the interests of managers and owners.
How does digitalization impact work conditions?
It affects surveillance, working hours, and can lead to work extension where work encroaches on private time.
What is the McKinsey Organizational Health Index?
A tool that measures and tracks the health of an organization across various dimensions, including leadership, direction, accountability, coordination, and innovation.
What are some key predictions for the future of work?
More upskilling for employees, robots as co-workers, shorter working days/weeks, hybrid working, more part-time work options, better quality jobs, and five generations of workers.
Why is sustainability important in job quality?
Protects people from stress and mental health problems; promotes wellbeing and physical health; higher levels of firm performance; key element of quality of life.
What is the current work situation for people with disabilities?
Over a billion people worldwide live with a disability; lower socio-economic status; expected to double by 2050.
What are the business benefits of promoting job quality?
Protects people from stress; promotes wellbeing; improves firm performance; enhances quality of life.
What trends will change the nature of work?
AI and robotics; increased longevity; globalization; climate change; death of jobs; hollowing out of work; end of office; longer working lives.
What percentage of employees in the EU are in temporary employment?
14% of employees are in temporary employment; increase in marginal part-time work; short temporary contracts; casual work.
What are the arguments for stronger employment legislation?
Stronger protections for workers; reduce precarious jobs; address conditions leading to exploitation like wage theft.
What are the contrasting views on platform economy?
Good for workers: flexibility and control; exploitative: little income security and few rights; over half earn less than minimum wage.
