Just Work: Narratives of Employment in the 21st Century

200 Pages·2014·0.641 MB·English

by  Grant Michelson, Shaun Ryan (auth.)

Just Work
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Just Work
Narratives of Employment in the
21st Century
Grant Michelson
Edith Cowan University, Australia
and
Shaun Ryan
Deakin University, Australia
© Grant Michelson and Shaun Ryan 2014
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-35015-2
Forewords © John Burgess, Abigail Marks and Ruth Milkman 2014
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6– 10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this
work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-46828-7 ISBN 978-1-137-35016-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137350169
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India.
Contents
Forewords vii
Acknowledgements viii
About the Authors ix
Introduction – Reflections on Work 1
Narrating work 3
A note on organisation 5
1 What Has Happened to Work? 7
Developments at work 8
Summary 13
2 Growing, Making and Delivering Stuff 15
Tony, bus driver 15
Jason, geological technician 21
Fred, software engineer 26
Michael, heavy machine operator 31
Russell, marine operations manager and Paul,
marine engineering manager 36
Patrick, horologist 42
Lynne, dairy farmer 47
Donald, farmer and house renovator 52
3 Selling and Serving 58
Savannah, shop assistant 58
Brooke, sales assistant 63
David, sales associate 68
Paul, publican 73
Alba, image consultant 77
4 Helping People 83
Weihui, registered nurse 83
Luwigi, business systems manager 88
Arindita, public servant 93
Desiree, training and development manager 99
Anna, emergency physician 103
Natasha, national recovery coordinator 108
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vi Contents
Robert, migration agent and director 114
Cynthia, human resources director 118
5 Protecting People 125
Hugh, chauffeur 125
Samir, security and hospitality 130
Tim, police inspector 136
Edward, financial planner 141
6 Informing and Entertaining 147
Katrina, playwright 147
George, marketing manager (communications) 152
Melissa, production manager 157
Janine, children’s entertainer 162
7 Work – In Progress 168
What does work mean? 170
To be continued … 174
Appendix 1: Participant Characteristics 176
Appendix 2: Author Narratives 178
References 185
Forewords
Everyone loves a good story and reading the employment narratives
of those from different walks of life was fascinating. This book seeks
to reinvigorate the story- telling tradition in workplace studies to bet-
ter appreciate, among other factors, the meaning of work, relations to
supervisors and co- workers, the impact of technology and workplace
change. The accounts collectively show a diversity of views, neither
denigrating nor celebrating work but one that remains contextually
grounded in the life of each individual. I commend this book to policy-
makers, scholars and students.
Professor John Burgess, Curtin University, Australia
Written in the tradition of Studs Terkel, this book paints a modern
account of the range of experiences of the Australian worker. Although
the research was carried out in Australia, the book speaks more widely
about the highs and lows of work and employment in any developed
country. The vivid stories and associated analysis will clearly inform
modern theorising on labour.
Professor Abigail Marks, Heriot-W att University, UK
This is an engaging collection of interviews with workers in a rich vari-
ety of jobs, inspired by Studs Terkel’s classic Working. Michelson and
Ryan are talented interviewers, vividly capturing the lived experience
of workers in a wide range of occupations and industries, and including
diverse perspectives rooted in gender, age, and national origin. Just Work
provides a rare bottom- u p perspective on the changing character of
employment in the 21st century. Although it focuses on the Australian
context, these workers’ voices will resonate across the world.
Professor Ruth Milkman, City University of New York
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Acknowledgements
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to all participants without
whom this book would not have been possible. We trust that we have
faithfully captured their insights into, and experiences of, the world of
work and employment. Their stories are truly remarkable and showed
us that there is nothing ordinary about ‘ordinary’ people and what they
do and feel about what they do.
We acknowledge our intellectual debt to Studs Terkel for inspiring us
to continue the tradition of examining the meanings and feelings of
work, and giving voice to those who labour. Along our own journey of
employment, we salute those who have also inspired our understand-
ings of work, both in positive and negative ways, not least of whom
include our parents and grandparents, and various friends and col-
leagues. Such friends and colleagues include, but are not limited to, Ed
Wray- Bliss, Erik Olssen, Greg Patmore, Harry Knowles, John Lewer, John
Shields, Justine Ferrer, Kylie Agllias and Suzanne Jamieson.
Further, we thank Edith Cowan University and Deakin University
for their financial support of this project as well as the editorial team
at Palgrave Macmillan. Finally, we owe a special debt to the following
people: Lisa, Nia and Huw (Grant Michelson) and Doug, Claire and Sue
(Shaun Ryan) and thank them for their love, friendship, patience and
support.
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About the Authors
Grant Michelson is Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the
Faculty of Business and Law at Edith Cowan University, Perth. He pre-
viously worked at Audencia Nantes School of Management (France)
and the University of Sydney. He has also worked in various roles in
the meat industry and local government. His research interests include
informal narratives (rumour and gossip), employment relations and
business ethics. He has published widely in these areas as well as co-
ordinated a number of journal special issues. Publications include New
Employment Actors: Developments from Australia (Peter Lang, 2008) and
Rethinking Work: Time, Space and Discourse (Cambridge University Press,
2006).
Shaun Ryan is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Management and
Marketing at Deakin University, Melbourne. He has previously worked
at the University of Newcastle and Curtin University. In addition, Shaun
has worked in agriculture, food production, the public sector and as an
oral historian. He is the author of a number of published articles dealing
with varying aspects of workplace experience including low- paid work,
dirty work, teamwork and the organisation of work. Initially trained as
an historian, his strengths include qualitative research methods.

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