tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/future-of-work-3473/articles
Future of work – The Conversation
2023-07-28T15:38:07Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/207580
2023-07-28T15:38:07Z
2023-07-28T15:38:07Z
How you can future-proof your career in the era of AI
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539211/original/file-20230725-22-gtq735.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=554%2C0%2C8864%2C6066&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">You may find yourself working alongside AI, not necessarily replaced by it.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/ai-business-tech-machine-robot-analyst-2135166749">Andrey Popov/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ever since the industrial revolution, people have feared that technology would take away their jobs. While some jobs and tasks have indeed been replaced by machines, others have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/07308884231162953">emerged</a>. The success of <a href="https://theconversation.com/chatgpt-why-it-will-probably-remain-just-a-tool-that-does-inefficient-work-more-efficiently-201315">ChatGPT</a> and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) now has many people wondering about the future of work – and whether their jobs are safe. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/ai-fear-jobs-uk-public-robots-act-against-human-interests-2385893">recent poll</a> found that more than half of people aged 18-24 are worried about AI and their careers. The fear that jobs might disappear or be replaced through automation is understandable. Recent <a href="https://www.gspublishing.com/content/research/en/reports/2023/03/27/d64e052b-0f6e-45d7-967b-d7be35fabd16.html">research</a> found that a quarter of tasks that humans currently do in the US and Europe could be automated in the coming years. </p>
<p>The increased use of AI in white-collar workplaces means the changes will be different to previous <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12239">workplace transformations</a>. That’s because, the thinking goes, middle-class jobs are now under <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10301763.2019.1619986">threat</a>.</p>
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<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/three-mindfulness-and-meditation-techniques-that-could-help-you-manage-work-stress-208328?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Three mindfulness and meditation techniques that could help you manage work stress</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/boundaries-or-coercive-control-experts-explain-how-to-tell-the-difference-209896?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">‘Boundaries’ or coercive control? Experts explain how to tell the difference</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-difficult-to-figure-out-what-to-do-with-your-life-and-three-steps-to-take-209266?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Why it’s so difficult to figure out what to do with your life – and three steps to take</a></em></p>
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<p>The future of work is a popular topic of discussion, with countless books published each year on the topic. These books speak to the human need to understand how the future might be shaped. </p>
<p>I <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12679">analysed 10 books</a> published between 2017 and 2020 that focused on the future of work and technology. From this research, I found that thinking about AI in the workplace generally falls into two camps. One is expressed as concern about the future of work and security of current roles – I call this sentiment “automation anxiety”. The other is the hope that humans and machines collaborate and thereby increase productivity – I call this “augmentation aspiration”. </p>
<h2>Anxiety and aspiration</h2>
<p>I found a strong theme of concern in these books about technology enabling certain tasks to be automated, depriving many people of jobs. Specifically, the concern is that knowledge-based jobs – like those in accounting or law – that have long been regarded as the purview of well-educated professionals are now under threat of replacement by machines. </p>
<p>Automation undermines the idea that a good education will secure a good middle-class job. As economist Richard Baldwin points out in his 2019 book, <a href="https://global.oup.com/ushe/product/the-globotics-upheaval-9780197518618?cc=gb&lang=en&">The Globotics Upheaval</a>, if you’ve invested a significant amount of money and time on a law degree – thinking it is a skill set that will keep you permanently employable – seeing AI complete tasks that a junior lawyer would normally be doing, at less cost, is going to be worrisome.</p>
<p>But there is another, more aspirational way to think about this. Some books stress the potential of humans <a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amr.2018.0072">collaborating</a> with AI, to augment each other’s skills. This could mean working with robots in factories, but it could also mean using an AI chatbot when practising <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/baf68476-5b7e-4078-9b3e-ddfce710a6e2">law</a>. Rather than being replaced, lawyers would then be augmented by technology. </p>
<p>In reality, automation and augmentation <a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amr.2018.0072">co-exist</a>. For your future career, both will be relevant.</p>
<h2>Future-proofing yourself</h2>
<p>As you think about your own career, the first step is to realise that some automation of tasks is most likely going to be something you’ll have to contend with in the future.</p>
<p>In light of this, learning is one of the most important ways you can future-proof your career. But should you spend money on further education if the return on investment is uncertain? </p>
<p>It is true that specific skills risk becoming outdated as technology develops. However, more than learning specific abilities, education is about learning how to learn – that is, how to update your skills throughout your career. Research shows that having the ability to do so is highly <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/9780230294011">valuable</a> at work. </p>
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<img alt="Three colleagues, two women and one man in a cool office sit side-by-side and work on a computer together" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539213/original/file-20230725-19-jcbua6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539213/original/file-20230725-19-jcbua6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539213/original/file-20230725-19-jcbua6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539213/original/file-20230725-19-jcbua6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539213/original/file-20230725-19-jcbua6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539213/original/file-20230725-19-jcbua6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539213/original/file-20230725-19-jcbua6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">In knowledge-based jobs, human critical thinking and analytical skills will probably always be needed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/company-employees-working-software-development-designer-644694811">NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>This learning can take place in educational settings, by going back to university or participating in an executive education course, but it can also happen <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/9780230294011">on the job</a>. In any discussion about your career, such as with your manager, you might want to raise which additional training you could do. </p>
<p>Critical thinking and analytical skills are going to be particularly central for how humans and machines can augment one another. When working with a machine, you need to be able to question the output that is produced. Humans are probably always going to be central to this – you might have a <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/baf68476-5b7e-4078-9b3e-ddfce710a6e2">chatbot</a> that automates parts of legal work, but a human will still be needed to make sense of it all. </p>
<p>Finally, remember that when people previously feared jobs would disappear and tasks would be replaced by machines, this was not necessarily the case. For instance, the introduction of automated teller machines (ATMs) did not eliminate bank tellers, but it did <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2015/03/pdf/bessen.pdf">change their tasks</a>. </p>
<p>Above all, choose a job that you enjoy and keep learning – so that if you do need to change course in the future, you know how to. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-difficult-to-figure-out-what-to-do-with-your-life-and-three-steps-to-take-209266">Why it's so difficult to figure out what to do with your life – and three steps to take</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elisabeth Kelan receives funding from a Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowship (MRF-2019-069) and a British Academy grant (SRG20\200195).</span></em></p>
An expert explains what she learned from analysing 10 books on the future of work.
Elisabeth Kelan, Professor of Leadership and Organisation, University of Essex
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/205734
2023-06-22T12:31:18Z
2023-06-22T12:31:18Z
How will AI affect workers? Tech waves of the past show how unpredictable the path can be
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531702/original/file-20230613-17-juejmq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=45%2C122%2C4254%2C2720&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Personal computers started an information technology revolution. Will AI bring similarly dramatic changes? </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/philadelphia-pa-irs-workers-check-through-a-pile-of-1040-news-photo/515361036?adppopup=true">Bettmann via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The explosion of interest in artificial intelligence has drawn attention not only to the astonishing capacity of algorithms to mimic humans but to the reality that these algorithms could displace many humans in their jobs. The economic and societal consequences could be nothing short of dramatic. </p>
<p>The route to this economic transformation is through the workplace. A <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/generative-ai-could-raise-global-gdp-by-7-percent.html">widely circulated Goldman Sachs study</a> anticipates that about two-thirds of current occupations over the next decade could be affected and a quarter to a half of the work people do now could be taken over by an algorithm. Up to 300 million jobs worldwide could be affected. The consulting firm McKinsey <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier#introduction">released its own study</a> predicting an AI-powered boost of US$4.4 trillion to the global economy every year. </p>
<p>The implications of such gigantic numbers are sobering, but how reliable are these predictions?</p>
<p>I lead a research program called <a href="https://sites.tufts.edu/digitalplanet/">Digital Planet</a> that studies the impact of digital technologies on lives and livelihoods around the world and how this impact changes over time. A look at how previous waves of such digital technologies as personal computers and the internet affected workers offers some insight into AI’s potential impact in the years to come. But if the history of the future of work is any guide, we should be prepared for some surprises. </p>
<h2>The IT revolution and the productivity paradox</h2>
<p>A key metric for tracking the consequences of technology on the economy is growth in <a href="https://www.bls.gov/k12/productivity-101/content/what-is-productivity/what-is-labor-productivity.htm">worker productivity</a> – defined as how much output of work an employee can generate per hour. This seemingly dry statistic matters to every working individual, because it ties directly to how much a worker can expect to earn for every hour of work. Said another way, higher productivity is expected to <a href="https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/worker-productivity-minimum-wage-increase">lead to higher wages</a>. </p>
<p>Generative AI products are capable of producing written, graphic and audio content or software programs with minimal human involvement. Professions such as advertising, entertainment and creative and analytical work could be among the first to feel the effects. Individuals in those fields may worry that companies will use <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/06/02/ai-taking-jobs/">generative AI to do jobs they once did</a>, but economists see great potential to boost productivity of the workforce as a whole. </p>
<p>The Goldman Sachs study predicts productivity will grow by 1.5% per year because of the adoption of generative AI alone, which would be <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2021/article/the-us-productivity-slowdown-the-economy-wide-and-industry-level-analysis.htm#:%7E:text=In%20the%20years%20since%202005,percent%20from%202010%20to%202018">nearly double the rate from 2010 and 2018</a>. McKinsey is even more aggressive, saying this technology and other forms of automation will usher in the “<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier#introduction">next productivity frontier</a>,” pushing it as high as 3.3% a year by 2040.</p>
<p>That sort of productivity boost, which would approach rates of previous years, would be welcomed by both economists and, in theory, workers as well. </p>
<p>If we were to trace the 20th-century history of productivity growth in the U.S., it galloped along at <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2016/06/gordon.htm#:%7E:text=Measures%20and%20mismeasures%20of%20progress&text=The%20growth%20rate%20of%20labor,extends%20from%201970%20to%202014.">about 3%</a> annually from 1920 to 1970, lifting real wages and living standards. Interestingly, productivity growth slowed in the 1970s and 1980s, coinciding with the introduction of computers and early digital technologies. This “<a href="https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/productivity-paradox/index.html">productivity paradox</a>” was famously captured in a <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-solow-productivity-paradox-what-do-computers-do-to-productivity/">comment from MIT economist Bob Solow</a>: You can see the computer age everywhere <a href="http://ccs.mit.edu/papers/CCSWP130/ccswp130.html">but in the productivity statistics</a>. </p>
<p><iframe id="i96wK" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/i96wK/10/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Digital technology skeptics blamed “unproductive” time spent on social media or shopping and argued that earlier transformations, such as the introductions of electricity or the internal combustion engine, had a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/books/review/the-powers-that-were.html">bigger role in fundamentally altering the nature of work</a>. Techno-optimists disagreed; they argued that new digital technologies <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/The-Second-Machine-Age/">needed time to translate</a> into productivity growth, because other complementary changes would need to evolve in parallel. Yet others <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-solow-productivity-paradox-what-do-computers-do-to-productivity/">worried that productivity measures were not adequate</a> in capturing the value of computers.</p>
<p>For a while, it seemed that the optimists would be vindicated. In the second half of the 1990s, around the time the World Wide Web emerged, productivity growth in the U.S. <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/webfeatures_viewpoints_l-t_growth_lessons/">doubled</a>, from 1.5% per year in the first half of that decade to 3% in the second. Again, there were disagreements about what was really going on, further muddying the waters as to whether the paradox had been resolved. Some <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/webfeatures_viewpoints_l-t_growth_lessons/">argued</a> that, indeed, the investments in digital technologies were finally paying off, while an <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/employment-and-growth/whats-right-with-the-us-economy">alternative view</a> was that managerial and technological innovations in a few key industries were the main drivers. </p>
<p>Regardless of the explanation, just as mysteriously as it began, that late 1990s surge was short-lived. So despite massive corporate investment in computers and the internet – changes that transformed the workplace – how much the economy and workers’ wages benefited from technology remained uncertain.</p>
<h2>Early 2000s: New slump, new hype, new hopes</h2>
<p>While the start of the 21st century coincided with the <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/our-firm/history/moments/2000-dot-com-bubble.html">bursting of the so-called dot-com bubble</a>, the year 2007 was marked by the arrival of another technology revolution: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7qPAY9JqE4">the Apple iPhone</a>, which consumers bought by the millions and which companies deployed in countless ways. Yet labor productivity growth started stalling again in the mid-2000s, <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w30267">ticking up briefly in 2009</a> during the Great Recession, only to return to a slump from 2010 to 2019. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531420/original/file-20230612-63747-rjscts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A person looking at video of dog at desk in office" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531420/original/file-20230612-63747-rjscts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531420/original/file-20230612-63747-rjscts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531420/original/file-20230612-63747-rjscts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531420/original/file-20230612-63747-rjscts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531420/original/file-20230612-63747-rjscts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531420/original/file-20230612-63747-rjscts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531420/original/file-20230612-63747-rjscts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Smartphones have led to millions of apps and consumer services but have also kept many workers more closely tethered to their workplaces.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/smart-phone-workplace?assettype=image&agreements=&family=editorial&locations=61907&page=5&phrase=smart%20phone%20workplace&sort=newest">San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Throughout this new slump, techno-optimists were anticipating new winds of change. AI and automation were becoming all the rage and were expected to transform work and worker productivity. Beyond traditional industrial automation, drones and advanced robots, capital and talent were pouring into many would-be <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/disruptive-technologies">game-changing technologies</a>, including autonomous vehicles, automated checkouts in grocery stores and even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zume-pizza-robot-expansion-2017-6">pizza-making robots</a>. AI and automation were projected to push productivity growth <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/regions-in-focus/solving-the-productivity-puzzle">above 2%</a> annually in a decade, up from the 2010-2014 lows of <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/ai-automation-and-the-future-of-work-ten-things-to-solve-for">0.4%</a>. </p>
<p>But before we could get there and gauge how these new technologies would ripple through the workplace, a new surprise hit: the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<h2>The pandemic productivity push – then bust</h2>
<p>Devastating as the pandemic was, worker productivity <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/briefingnote/wcms_824092.pdf">surged after it began in 2020</a>; output per hour worked globally hit 4.9%, the highest recorded since data has been available. </p>
<p>Much of this steep rise was facilitated by technology: larger knowledge-intensive companies – inherently the more productive ones – switched to remote work, <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/54337c24-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/54337c24-en">maintaining continuity</a> through digital technologies such as videoconferencing and communications technologies such as Slack, and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/29/remote-workers-reclaimed-60-million-hours-of-commuting-time.html">saving on commuting time and focusing on well-being</a>.</p>
<p>While it was clear digital technologies helped boost productivity of knowledge workers, there was an <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-d935b29f631f1ae36e964d23881f77bd">accelerated shift to greater automation</a> in many other sectors, as workers had to remain home for their own safety and comply with lockdowns. Companies in industries ranging from meat processing to operations in restaurants, retail and hospitality <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-05-04/covid-automation-robots-trends-effects-on-workers">invested in automation</a>, such as robots and automated order-processing and customer service, which helped boost their productivity. </p>
<p>But then there was yet another turn in the journey along the technology landscape. </p>
<p>The 2020-2021 surge in investments in the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/14/investing/tech-stocks-faangs/index.html">tech sector collapsed</a>, as did the hype about autonomous vehicles and pizza-making robots. Other frothy promises, such as the <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/04/how-the-metaverse-could-change-work">metaverse’s revolutionizing remote work or training</a>, also seemed to fade into the background. </p>
<p>In parallel, with little warning, “generative AI” <a href="https://www.marketing-interactive.com/how-chatgpt-exploded-on-to-the-scene-with-so-little-marketing-spend">burst onto the scene</a>, with an even more direct potential to enhance productivity while affecting jobs – at massive scale. The hype cycle around new technology restarted. </p>
<h2>Looking ahead: Social factors on technology’s arc</h2>
<p>Given the number of plot twists thus far, what might we expect from here on out? Here are four issues for consideration. </p>
<p>First, the future of work is about more than just raw numbers of workers, the technical tools they use or the work they do; one should consider how AI affects factors such as workplace diversity and social inequities, which in turn have a profound impact on economic opportunity and workplace culture.</p>
<p>For example, while the broad shift toward remote work <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/01/30/big-tech-diversity-recruiting-silicon-valley/">could help</a> promote diversity with more flexible hiring, I see the increasing use of AI as likely to have the opposite effect. Black and Hispanic workers are <a href="https://doi.org/10.21033/wp-2023-06">overrepresented</a> in the 30 occupations with the highest exposure to automation and <a href="https://doi.org/10.21033/wp-2023-06">underrepresented</a> in the 30 occupations with the lowest exposure. While AI might help workers get more done in less time, and this increased productivity could increase wages of those employed, it could lead to a severe loss of wages for those whose jobs are displaced. A 2021 paper found that <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2021/01/15/Pandemics-and-Automation-Will-the-Lost-Jobs-Come-Back-50000">wage inequality tended to increase the most</a> in countries in which companies already relied a lot on robots and that were quick to adopt the latest robotic technologies. </p>
<p>Second, as the post-COVID-19 workplace seeks a balance between in-person and remote working, the effects on productivity – and opinions on the subject – will remain uncertain and fluid. A <a href="https://econofact.org/is-remote-work-working-out">2022 study</a> showed improved efficiencies for remote work as companies and employees grew more comfortable with work-from-home arrangements, but according to a separate 2023 study, managers and employees <a href="https://hbr.org/2023/01/research-where-managers-and-employees-disagree-about-remote-work">disagree</a> about the impact: The former believe that remote working reduces productivity, while employees believe the opposite.</p>
<p>Third, society’s reaction to the spread of generative AI could greatly affect its course and ultimate impact. Analyses suggest that generative AI can boost worker productivity on specific jobs – for example, one 2023 study found the staggered introduction of a generative AI-based conversational assistant <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161">increased productivity of customer service personnel by 14%</a>. Yet there are already <a href="https://www.safe.ai/statement-on-ai-risk">growing calls</a> to consider generative AI’s most severe risks and to take them seriously. On top of that, recognition of the astronomical <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/06/05/chatgpt-hidden-cost-gpu-compute/">computing</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-generative-ai-bad-for-the-environment-a-computer-scientist-explains-the-carbon-footprint-of-chatgpt-and-its-cousins-204096">environmental costs</a> of generative AI could limit its development and use. </p>
<p>Finally, given how wrong economists and other experts have been in the past, it is safe to say that many of today’s predictions about AI technology’s impact on work and worker productivity will prove to be wrong as well. Numbers such as 300 million jobs affected or $4.4 trillion annual boosts to the global economy are eye-catching, yet I think people tend to give them greater credibility than warranted.</p>
<p>Also, “jobs affected” does not mean jobs lost; it could mean jobs augmented or even a transition to new jobs. It is best to use the analyses, such as Goldman’s or McKinsey’s, to spark our imaginations about the plausible scenarios about the future of work and of workers. It’s better, in my view, to then proactively brainstorm the many factors that could affect which one actually comes to pass, look for early warning signs and prepare accordingly.</p>
<p>The history of the future of work has been full of surprises; don’t be shocked if tomorrow’s technologies are equally confounding.</p>
<p></p><hr><p></p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528404/original/file-20230525-19537-m9iltu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528404/original/file-20230525-19537-m9iltu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528404/original/file-20230525-19537-m9iltu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528404/original/file-20230525-19537-m9iltu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528404/original/file-20230525-19537-m9iltu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528404/original/file-20230525-19537-m9iltu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528404/original/file-20230525-19537-m9iltu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Learn what you need to know about artificial intelligence by <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=ai&source=inline-promo">signing up for our newsletter series of four emails</a> delivered over the course of a week. You can read all our stories on generative AI at <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/generative-ai-133426">TheConversation.com</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205734/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bhaskar Chakravorti founded and directs Fletcher's Institute for Business in the Global Context and its Digital Planet research program that has received funding from Mastercard, Microsoft, the Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Omidyar Network. </span></em></p>
New digital technologies have been a constant for workers over the past few decades, with a mixed record on the economy and individuals’ daily lives. AI’s effect will likely be just as unpredictable.
Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/206440
2023-06-07T21:11:07Z
2023-06-07T21:11:07Z
Canada’s lagging productivity affects us all — and will take years to remedy
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530450/original/file-20230606-14983-62vvdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4608%2C2835&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canada has a productivity problem and its economy is falling behind other developed countries as a result. What's going on?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Volkswagen executives and federal, provincial and local government officials <a href="https://london.ctvnews.ca/this-is-the-place-to-build-the-future-st-thomas-ont-volkswagen-plant-to-create-3-000-jobs-1.6365074">recently celebrated their partnership</a> in the next Canadian giga-factory in St. Thomas, Ont., to produce automotive batteries. The announcement promises up to 3,000 new jobs and to revitalize Canada’s automotive sector.</p>
<p>It’s good news for Canada. We need more global firms willing to invest in the country. But the $13-billion government investment doesn’t add up.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/did-canada-and-ontario-pay-too-much-money-for-volkswagens-battery-plant-202406">Did Canada and Ontario pay too much money for Volkswagen’s battery plant?</a>
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<p>Matching and even beating competitive bids is common enough, especially in the automotive industry, but the amount involved could likely pay for not only all necessary capital expenditures to establish the plant and all its equipment, but also any related operating expenses for several years. </p>
<p>So why the massive subsidies? </p>
<p>They’re necessary when a country has little else to bring to the table.</p>
<h2>Productivity lagging</h2>
<p>Economic productivity <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/productivity.asp">is a measure of the rate at which the output of goods and services are produced per unit of input</a> (for example, labour, capital and raw materials). </p>
<p>While Canada ranks among the top countries to live in, our productivity doesn’t even hit the top 10 compared to other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). That productivity grade is a proxy for how well we compete — which is poorly — where productivity is a measure of GDP per capita. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/74623e5b-en/1/3/2/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/74623e5b-en&_csp_=726cfd36827aced56f33312dd7c53477&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book">Canada is currently ranked 18th</a>, its GDP per hour worked at 42.5 per cent of No. 1-ranked Ireland. </p>
<p>Compared to the United States, <a href="https://data.oecd.org/lprdty/gdp-per-hour-worked.htm">Canadian productivity has diminished by nine per cent between 2000 and 2022, falling to roughly 72 per cent of that of the U.S</a>.</p>
<p>The reasons for Canada’s diminished productivity? While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and labour shortages have had an impact, this issue pre-dates the pandemic. <a href="https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=PDB_LV">In 2019, Canada ranked 18th as well</a>.</p>
<p>More relevant is the <a href="https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/sme-research-statistics/en/key-small-business-statistics/key-small-business-statistics-2021">greater number of small business in Canada as a percentage of overall employment</a>. <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-our-productivity-weakness-isnt-an-achilles-heel-its-a-malignancy/">OECD data suggest</a> large companies invest more in productivity-improving technology and training. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man's hands are seen pouring a glass of beer from a tap." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530447/original/file-20230606-23-gwxxll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530447/original/file-20230606-23-gwxxll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530447/original/file-20230606-23-gwxxll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530447/original/file-20230606-23-gwxxll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530447/original/file-20230606-23-gwxxll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530447/original/file-20230606-23-gwxxll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530447/original/file-20230606-23-gwxxll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A Main Street Brewing employee pours a pint of beer in the bar at the brewery in Vancouver, B.C. Small businesses employ most Canadians.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
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<p>But even then, many of Canada’s largest organizations are comfortably part of stable oligopolies (banking and telecommunications companies, for example), with less industry pressure to be more competitive. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/training/support-skilled-trades-apprentices/provinces-territories.html">Canada’s trades and apprenticeship programs</a>, where many of the people who implement productivity-enhancing measures would come from, are also less developed, especially in comparison to European countries.</p>
<h2>Affects growth, costs</h2>
<p>Productivity rankings are admittedly abstract. You could read all of this and say: “So what? Most people who want to work can get jobs, and companies like Volkswagen are coming anyway! Why is this a problem?”</p>
<p>First, organizations struggling to find capable people, alongside staffing shortages, can deter or delay growth and opportunities to scale up. Customers who can’t get what they want while businesses struggle with capacity may go elsewhere, and labour shortages lead to higher wages and higher prices for goods and services.</p>
<p>Next, foreign investment. Volkswagen will use much of its government investment towards automation and productivity-enhancing technology. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Three men, two holding batteries, smile for the cameras. A row of Canadian flags is behind them." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530448/original/file-20230606-17-kvmdwm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530448/original/file-20230606-17-kvmdwm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530448/original/file-20230606-17-kvmdwm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530448/original/file-20230606-17-kvmdwm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530448/original/file-20230606-17-kvmdwm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530448/original/file-20230606-17-kvmdwm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530448/original/file-20230606-17-kvmdwm.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">CEO of Volkswagen Group Oliver Blume looks on as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier hold up EV battery cells in Ottawa in April 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>But the deal also sets a dangerous precedent. Other firms may look at Canada’s productivity record, and more specifically at the lack of other large-scale applications of technology, and avoid investing here without significant subsidization. </p>
<p>A similar project announced in 2022 with Stellantis NV and its partner LG Energy Solutions received $1 billion in subsidies. <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-do-the-feds-or-the-province-even-know-how-much-stellantis-is-really/">They are now indicating the support isn’t enough and are demanding much more</a>.</p>
<p>Recent government budgets tabled in Canada highlight the need for a focus on productivity, and other countries are not standing still. U.S. President Joe Biden’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/02/07/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-prepared-for-delivery/#:%7E:text=And%20two%20years%20ago%2C%20our,story%20of%20progress%20and%20resilience.">State of the Union address</a> earlier this year emphasized productivity, while his <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/cleanenergy/inflation-reduction-act-guidebook/">Inflation Reduction Act</a> promised $500 billion in related new spending.</p>
<h2>Evidence abounds</h2>
<p>Canada’s productivity struggles are seen in many areas: Our health-care system is stretched to the limit. Public transit is a couple of generations behind other developed markets. All this despite <a href="https://fundlibrary.com/Articles/Detail/canadas-tax-rates-among-highest-in-the-world/376">Canada being among the most heavily taxed countries in the world.</a></p>
<p>At the intersection of government and the private sector is our dismal performance on large-scale infrastructure projects, such as pipelines, transportation and energy. Canada’s ability to move resources to market, enable workers to commute efficiently and execute large-scale projects takes twice as long and costs twice as much <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-canada-argentina-economic-output/">when compared to similar projects in Europe and other markets</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1647974501651558402"}"></div></p>
<p>In his book <em><a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780887307294">Beyond Reengineering</a></em>, noted American business thinker Michael Hammer said past success and growth were the result of demographics. While this might be an exaggeration, it isn’t much of one. </p>
<p>Australia, a resource-driven economy much like Canada’s, has improved its productivity over the last 20 years and is now performing five per cent better than Canada.</p>
<p>Businesses surely have a role to play in upping productivity, but government must lead the way. One area to start: funding and tax incentives for investments in technology. Right now the process is cumbersome and funding amounts lag behind the U.S. </p>
<h2>Talent deficit</h2>
<p>Additionally, companies lack talent with the knowledge and skills to apply this “free money.” Government needs to streamline the application process and speed up the transfer of funds.</p>
<p>It must also invest in technical trades education; speed up licensing and visa processing for foreign workers; incentivize training and research and development; and drastically expand infrastructure and health-care investment. The core objective should be not only to enable organizations to operate at full capacity but to improve the talents of that capacity.</p>
<p>Canada needs to improve the way we work. Improving our productivity ranking will take years, but by taking steps in education, in the private sector and in government, we can hopefully attract the type of project Volkswagen is committing to — and without massive subsidies. </p>
<p>Increasing productivity and improving the way we work is the only sustainable, long-term strategy to increase national wealth. At least then if we choose to write a cheque, we can afford it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206440/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Barry Cross does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Canada needs to improve the way we work. Improving our productivity ranking will take years, but by taking steps in education, in the private sector and in government, we can achieve national wealth.
Barry Cross, Assistant Business Professor, Queen's University, Ontario
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/203318
2023-05-22T12:27:29Z
2023-05-22T12:27:29Z
AI is changing how Americans find jobs, get promoted and succeed at work
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525994/original/file-20230512-29-28dwi7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=34%2C34%2C5657%2C3754&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Insights from artificial intelligence will influence promotions and detect bias in the workplace. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/biometric-identification-royalty-free-image/1368203854?phrase=ARTIFICIAL+INTELLIGENCE&adppopup=true">Yuichiro Chino/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whether we realize it or not, advancements in <a href="https://www.ibm.com/topics/artificial-intelligence">artificial intelligence</a> are increasingly influencing the paths of our careers.</p>
<p>Advancements in <a href="http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70987-1_139">human capital management systems</a>, more strategic and data-driven human resource and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2022.100926">talent management practices</a>, and increased <a href="http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1034712">attention to bias</a> are all factors that are changing how people are hired, developed, promoted and fired. </p>
<p>I <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=search_authors&mauthors=Catherine+Rymsha&hl=en&oi=ao">teach and work</a> in talent management and leadership development. I’ve used these programs and practices in the real world and continue to learn and research how these practices are changing. <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/10/where-ai-can-and-cant-help-talent-management">Artificial intelligence and systems</a> are already big business, grossing over <a href="https://www.appsruntheworld.com/top-10-hcm-software-vendors-and-market-forecast/">US$38 billion in 2021</a>. Without a doubt, AI-driven software has the potential to advance quickly and change how companies make strategic decisions about their employees. </p>
<p>Here’s what that acceleration may mean to you.</p>
<h2>Applying</h2>
<p>Imagine you apply for a job in the very near future. You upload your carefully written résumé through the company website, noting that the platform looks eerily similar to other platforms you’ve used to apply for other jobs. After your résumé is saved, you provide demographic information and complete countless fields with the same data from your résumé. You <a href="https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2021/3/artificial-intelligence-ai-screening-tools-how-build-resume-5-tips">then hit “submit”</a> and hope for a follow-up email from a person. </p>
<p>Your data now lives within this company’s human capital management system. Even if they collect them, very few companies are looking at résumés anymore; they’re looking at the info <a href="https://sea.mashable.com/apps-and-software/23028/this-39-ai-powered-resume-app-could-help-outsmart-application-scanners-online">you type into those tiny boxes</a> to help make comparisons between you, dozens or hundreds of other applicants, and the job requirements. Even if your résumé demonstrates that you are the most qualified applicant, it alone is unlikely to catch the eye of the recruiter, because the recruiter’s attention is elsewhere.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Six people sit at a table in a brightly lit office with pie charts on the wall and windows in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525995/original/file-20230512-28-a35zgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">With input from artificial intelligence, measures of employee performance will become more objective and increasingly data-driven.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/business-meeting-in-a-modern-office-royalty-free-image/607477457?phrase=WORKPLACE&adppopup=true">Hinterhaus Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Getting the job</h2>
<p>Let’s say you get the call, you ace the interview and the job is yours. Your information hits another stage within the company’s database, or HCM: active employee. Your performance ratings and other data about your employment will now be tied to your profile, adding more data for the HCM and human resources to monitor and assess.</p>
<p>Enhancements in AI, technology and <a href="https://www.informationweek.com/big-data/the-future-of-hr-tech-how-ai-is-transforming-human-resources">HCMs enable HR</a> to look at employee data on deeper levels. The insights gleaned help identify talented employees who could fill key leadership roles when people quit and guide decisions about who should be promoted. The data can also identify favoritism and bias in hiring and promotion.</p>
<p>As you continue in your role, data on your performance is tracked and analyzed. This may include your performance ratings, supervisor’s feedback, <a href="https://trainingindustry.com/articles/learning-technologies/improving-the-employee-lifecycle-with-ai-enabled-learning-technologies/">professional development activity</a> – or lack thereof. Having this large amount of data about you and others over time now helps HR think about how employees can better support the growth of the organization.</p>
<p>For example, HR may use data to identify how <a href="https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/technology/Pages/How-to-Identify-Your-Companys-Flight-Risks.aspx">likely specific employees are to quit</a> and evaluate the impact of that loss. </p>
<p>Platforms that many people already use every day aggregate productivity data from sign-in to signoff. Widely available Microsoft tools including Teams, Outlook and SharePoint can help provide insight to managers via their <a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/workplace-analytics-service-description">workplace analytics tool</a>. The Microsoft productivity score tracks overall usage within the platform. </p>
<p>Even the metrics and <a href="http://essay.utwente.nl/91198/">behaviors defining</a> “good” or “bad” performance may change, relying less on the perception of the manager. As data grows, even <a href="https://time.com/charter/6242075/how-generative-ai-will-change-all-knowledge-work/">the work of professionals</a> like consultants, <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/10/robots-will-replace-doctors-lawyers-and-other-professionals">doctors</a> and marketers will be quantitatively and objectively measured. A 2022 New York Times investigation found that these systems, designed to improve worker productivity and accountability, had the effect of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/14/business/worker-productivity-tracking.html">damaging morale and instilling fear</a>. </p>
<p>It’s clear that American employees should begin to think about how our data is being used, what story that data is telling, and how it may dictate our futures. </p>
<h2>Optimizing and understanding your career</h2>
<p>Not every company has an HCM or is advanced in using talent data to make decisions. But many companies are becoming savvier and some are incredibly advanced. At a recent Microsoft Viva summit I attended, chief human resources officers from companies like PayPal and Rio Tinto outlined ways they are using these advancements. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-020-00406-7">Some researchers claim</a> that AI could promote equity by removing implicit bias from hiring and promoting, but many more see a danger that AI built by humans will just repackage <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/210071">old issues in a new box</a>. <a href="https://www.imd.org/contentassets/7bcfa11250bc43c994c4975c50f13f8f/tc061-18-print.pdf">Amazon learned this lesson the hard way</a> back in 2018 when a résumé-sorting AI it built had to be abandoned when <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/10/amazon-hiring-ai-gender-bias-recruiting-engine">it favored men for programming roles</a>. </p>
<p>What’s more, the increase of data collection and analysis can leave employees unclear on where they stand while the organization is very clear. It’s best if you understand how AI is changing the workplace and demand transparency from your employer. These are data points that employees should consider asking about during their next review:</p>
<ul>
<li>Do you see me as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-06-2017-0095">high-potential employee</a>?</li>
<li>How does my performance compare with others’?</li>
<li>Do you see me as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020619881044">successor</a> to your role or others’?</li>
</ul>
<p>Just as you need to master traditional aspects of workplace culture, politics and relationships, you should learn to navigate these platforms, understand how you are being assessed, and take ownership of your career in a new and more data-driven way.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203318/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>I work as a consultant in corporate settings and use/have used various HCMs and Microsoft tools referenced here in that work.</span></em></p>
Software you may already use every day can track your productivity for your employer.
Catherine Rymsha, Visiting Lecturer of Management, UMass Lowell
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/202608
2023-04-06T06:23:30Z
2023-04-06T06:23:30Z
What The Jetsons got right, and very wrong, about the future of work
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517534/original/file-20230327-16-w7z9c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2000%2C1002&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">George Jetson at work.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hanna-Barbera</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sixty years ago the animated series <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1887791">The Jetsons</a> finished its first and only season before being cancelled. Just 24 episodes were broadcast between September 1962 and March 1963. Despite this the cartoon has achieved huge influence in popular culture, with countless reruns, a reboot in the mid-1980s (51 episodes over two seasons) and a feature-length <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099878/">movie</a> in 1990.</p>
<p>The Jetsons was created by the Hanna-Barbara animation studio in Los Angeles as a futuristic version of the studio’s hit series The Flintstones, the first cartoon series to gain a prime-time slot. </p>
<p>But whereas The Flintstones was set in a distant, mythical stone age thousands of years in the past, The Jetsons was set in a very near future – in 2062. </p>
<p>Like The Flintstones, the show was aimed mostly at children, and played with ideas about the future for laughs. It’s not a serious work of futurology. Even so, it’s still an interesting cultural artefact, helping us appreciate our present and our expectations of the future. </p>
<p>The first episode was broadcast just a few weeks after US president John F. Kennedy gave his famous “<a href="https://www.rice.edu/kennedy#:%7E:text=We%20choose%20to%20go%20to%20the%20moon%20in%20this%20decade,to%20postpone%2C%20and%20one%20which">Moon speech</a>”, promising “to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard”.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cnWDXA4MQHE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The Jetsons’ title sequence.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While that promise was motivated by fears of the Soviet Union winning the <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/moon-space-race/">Space Race</a>, the future depicted is mostly optimistic. Technology holds the promise of a better world.</p>
<p>Among the whimsical technology imagined are flying cars, robot maids, video calls, smartwatches, food printing and space tourism. Some of this seems <a href="https://au.pcmag.com/computers-electronics/95419/5-modern-technologies-the-jetsons-accurately-predicted-60-years-ago">far-sighted</a>. But there are big blind spots. Those flying cars, for example, still need a driver. </p>
<p>There are three things its creators got glaringly wrong: the place of women in the workforce, how much we will work, and where we work.</p>
<h2>Gender stereotypes</h2>
<p>Like the Flintstones, The Jetsons revolves around a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/extended-family">nuclear family</a> in mid-20th century industrialised society. There’s George (aged about 40), his wife Jane (about 33), their teenage daughter Judy (15), younger son Elroy, a dog named Astro, and a robot maid. </p>
<p>We can calculate that Jane was still in her teens when she became a mother. She’s the <a href="https://thejetsons.fandom.com/wiki/Jane_Jetson">head of a recycling company</a> but it doesn’t seem to involve much work. For most part she’s typical TV homemaker. </p>
<p>This is now the norm in only a small number of societies. It seems unlikely the trend in women’s workforce participation will reverse in the next 40 years.</p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="QKh7r" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/QKh7r/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<p>Had the show been made a decade later it’s possible the influence of the women’s liberation movement and books such as Germain Greer’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-female-eunuch-at-50-germaine-greers-fearless-feminist-masterpiece-147437">The Female Eunuch</a> (published in 1970) would have altered this vision of 2062.</p>
<p>In the 1990 movie, for example, Jane is an environmental activist. In a <a href="https://www.dc.com/graphic-novels/the-jetsons-2017/the-jetsons">2017 relaunched comic</a> she is a scientist working on the International Space Station.</p>
<h2>Working hours</h2>
<p>One explanation as to why Jane doesn’t work is that George, the breadwinner, barely has to work either. </p>
<p>He goes to work just two days a week, for one hour a day, as a “digital index operator”. This involves him pushing buttons to maintain an atomic supercomputer named RUDI (short for “Referential Universal Digital Indexer”). </p>
<p>George’s working hours reflect the optimism of the 1960s that gains made by workers in the first half of the 20th century – with a 40-hour, five-day workweek becoming the norm by the 1950s – would continue in the second half of the century. Optimists hoped productivity gains from automation would mean a “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233128150_The_leisure_society_I_myths_and_misconceptions_1960-1979">leisure society</a>” by the year 2000. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="George Jetson at work." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519731/original/file-20230406-26-znvvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519731/original/file-20230406-26-znvvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519731/original/file-20230406-26-znvvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519731/original/file-20230406-26-znvvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519731/original/file-20230406-26-znvvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519731/original/file-20230406-26-znvvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519731/original/file-20230406-26-znvvn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">George Jetson at work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hanna-Barbera</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This has not proved the case, with only marginal reductions in working hours for most since then. </p>
<p>As US economist and sociologist Juliet Schor noted in her 1991 book <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40721366">The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure</a>, the idea technology alone can lead to working less fails to account for the economic system in which work is done. That is, capitalism is geared towards increasing consumption (and thereby profits). The emphasis has therefore been on making more money as the key to happiness, and therefore working even harder, not less. </p>
<p>We can see this even in the current four-day week movement, which promises the prospect of cutting the 38-hour, five-day workweek to 32 hours and four days, but only so long as the same productivity is maintained. </p>
<p>Trials of this 100:80:100 model (100% of the pay, 80% of the hours, 100% of the productivity) have been heralded a great success, but as work researcher Anthony Veal <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-day-work-week-trials-have-been-labelled-a-resounding-success-but-4-big-questions-need-answers-201476">has noted</a>, big questions remain as to whether these results are applicable across the economy. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/4-day-work-week-trials-have-been-labelled-a-resounding-success-but-4-big-questions-need-answers-201476">4-day work week trials have been labelled a ‘resounding success’. But 4 big questions need answers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>At this stage, the likelihood of significant reduction in working hours for most people over the next 40 years looks dubious. </p>
<h2>Remote work</h2>
<p>Even though George only has to work two hours a week, he still has to go to an office (at Spacely Space Sprockets) to push his buttons. </p>
<p>This may reflect the fact the internet and the personal computing revolution were yet to occur. Futurologists didn’t start enthusing about the prospects of remote working until the 1970s.</p>
<p>More importantly, that’s just how things were conceived – work was something done under the watchful eye of management. It also created opportunities to play with familiar motifs involving George’s boss, the short-tempered Mr Spacely, a character similar to Fred Flintstone’s boss, Mr Slate, and Mr Burns in The Simpsons. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-short-history-of-the-office-82000">A short history of the office</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Management resistance to remote work was strong up until the COVID-19 pandemic forced a cultural shift. </p>
<p>The future of where and how much we work will no doubt be shaped by technology. But our perceptions and expectations about what can be achieved are just as important.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202608/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Agustin Chevez does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The 1960s cartoon The Jetsons got three things about the future very wrong: the place of women in the workforce, how much we will work, and where we work.
Agustin Chevez, Workplace Futures Research Lead, Centre for the New Workforce., Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/201221
2023-03-07T21:19:17Z
2023-03-07T21:19:17Z
Amazon still seems hell bent on turning workers into robots – here’s a better way forward
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513745/original/file-20230306-1219-3pj7o2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Workers at Amazon fulfilment centres are under enormous pressure.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-swansea-wales-uk-1st-september-2016-workers-pass-rows-and-rows-of-116968599.html?imageid=13E771BE-5781-41EA-9C1A-0F01A3C073DA&p=316069&pn=1&searchId=d027e7e14481635dde30dc7eb70d8566&searchtype=0">Robert Melen/Alamy</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://theface.com/society/meet-the-amazon-uk-workers-fighting-back-stikes-coventry">The strikes</a> by hundreds of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/28/amazon-warehouse-robots-striking-50p-pay-jeff-bezos">Amazon workers</a> at the company’s Coventry warehouse in the English Midlands have brought into relief some of the problems of work in today’s high-tech society. </p>
<p>While primarily focused on pay, the workers are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/25/the-job-is-not-human-uk-retail-warehouse-staff-describe-gruelling-work">pushing back</a> against long hours and an automated surveillance system that times how long they take to do each task, as well as going to the toilet. It all contributes to a high pressure and intensive work environment – plus more <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/17/concerns-over-safety-at-amazon-warehouses-as-number-of-incidents-rise">accidents</a>. </p>
<p>We have much to learn from this painful situation about the future of work and technology. On the one hand, Amazon’s whole employment model goes against the <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/04/24/a-study-finds-nearly-half-of-jobs-are-vulnerable-to-automation">general assumption</a> that technology destroys jobs. Equally, however, the company’s employment practices show how automation can make workplaces oppressive, forcing workers to become more like robots.</p>
<p>Pessimistic predictions about the threat to jobs from technology are nothing new. One <a href="https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/">frequently cited study</a> published in 2013 predicted that up to 47% of jobs in the US would be removed by automation over a 20-year period. Now that we’re halfway through that period, <a href="https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2023/02/news-unemployment-its-lowest-level-54-years">jobs in the US</a> remain plentiful and unemployment is low. Similarly, there’s <a href="https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/rise-robots-german-labour-market">evidence from Germany</a> that the use of robots has had no effect on total employment. </p>
<p>Across the G7 as a whole, employment has been holding up well. Aside from a COVID blip, unemployment has generally been falling for the past decade in spite of automation and robotics gradually becoming more important to workplaces. The reality is that paid employment has been surviving bouts of technological progress for centuries. </p>
<p><strong>G7 unemployment rates 2005-21</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513642/original/file-20230306-28-4yvfjl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Graph showing unemployment rates across the OECD" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513642/original/file-20230306-28-4yvfjl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513642/original/file-20230306-28-4yvfjl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=295&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513642/original/file-20230306-28-4yvfjl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=295&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513642/original/file-20230306-28-4yvfjl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=295&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513642/original/file-20230306-28-4yvfjl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513642/original/file-20230306-28-4yvfjl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513642/original/file-20230306-28-4yvfjl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://data.oecd.org/unemp/unemployment-rate.htm">OECD</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As the Amazon example suggests, the greater threat from technology is almost certainly to the quality of jobs. This threat should concern us in thinking about ways to use and deploy technology in workplaces now and in the future. </p>
<h2>Reimagining automation</h2>
<p>In a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-022-05258-z">recent paper</a>, I put forward a couple of basic principles related to the aims behind automation for society as a whole. </p>
<p>Firstly, automation should help to promote more meaningful work. In discussions about the future of work, fears of job losses are often the starting point for arguing that workers’ wages will need to be replaced by a universal basic income. But this sees work as purely instrumental, pursued for income only. Work also matters for who we are and are able to become. </p>
<p>Once you recognise these intrinsic benefits to doing a job, it becomes important to see technology not as a way to eliminate work but to make it better. This means automating the least appealing aspects of work. Technology should complement labour that enlivens and enthuses workers. You can see the potential in sectors as diverse as <a href="https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/14959986.rise-robots-bringing-huge-benefits-farming/">farming</a>, where robots can replace the human toil of harvesting produce, and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2015/04/30/pricy-robots-tug-hospital-supplies.html">medicine</a>, where they can be used to transport things like medical waste around hospitals.</p>
<p>Secondly, automation should make it possible for people to spend more time away from work. This is not to contradict the idea that work is beneficial for our well-being but to recognise that a life well lived entails experiencing rewarding activities in and outside of work. Automation should make more time for us to achieve well-being in work and leisure. </p>
<h2>The reality</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, these aims are not generally the priority with technological advancement. This stems from the fact that employees have less say over its nature and direction than employers, which explains why automation makes many workers anxious. </p>
<p>When workers are given more say, the dynamic can change. Take Germany, where there is evidence that the use of robots has <a href="https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/rise-robots-german-labour-market">actually improved</a> the chances of workers staying in employment. The presence of work councils and strong labour unions in Germany <a href="https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/effect-new-technologies-workers-jobs-and-skills">seems to be</a> a large part of the explanation. </p>
<p>This partnership approach appears to have helped to create an environment that has protected jobs while allowing workers to upskill to adjust to technological change. It’s no coincidence that Germany has the second lowest unemployment rate in the G7. </p>
<p>Amazon has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/29/amazon-us-workers-battle-unionize-second-warehouse">introducing robots</a> over the past decade to help make its warehouses more efficient too. It looks likely to scale this up in the next few years, though the company insists this is not about removing jobs. </p>
<p>Time will tell on that front, but it is hard to be confident in Amazon’s approach to technology when its workers’ interests seem so subordinate to those of the company. In tandem with the UK protests, Amazon workers in places like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/29/amazon-us-workers-battle-unionize-second-warehouse">the US</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/german-union-warns-amazon-rolling-pre-christmas-strikes-2022-12-18/">Germany</a> have also been battling against its conditions. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513737/original/file-20230306-28-a3y2nz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Workman holding a laptop next to some boiler pipes" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513737/original/file-20230306-28-a3y2nz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513737/original/file-20230306-28-a3y2nz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513737/original/file-20230306-28-a3y2nz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513737/original/file-20230306-28-a3y2nz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513737/original/file-20230306-28-a3y2nz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513737/original/file-20230306-28-a3y2nz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/513737/original/file-20230306-28-a3y2nz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It doesn’t need to be a disaster.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/professional-worker-modern-factory-using-laptop-1944508705">1st Footage</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Amazon <a href="https://www.etf-europe.org/amazon-has-a-european-works-council-despite-management/">did agree</a> in 2022 to form a European works council, which has worker representatives from 35 countries including the UK, and is consulted on company issues that cross borders. But the council’s operations are fairly restricted, while the company’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/29/amazon-us-workers-battle-unionize-second-warehouse">general reluctance</a> to engage with unions suggest that warehouse workers are still struggling to further their interests. </p>
<p>In the end, technology will only work for workers if it is democratised. If workers and society rather than big tech companies such as Amazon are to benefit from automation, they need to have a larger <a href="https://wol.iza.org/articles/who-owns-the-robots-rules-the-world/long">influence and stake</a> in it. If this can be achieved, <a href="https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=making-light-work-an-end-to-toil-in-the-twenty-first-century--9781509548620">less and better work</a> remains the prize.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201221/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Spencer has received funding from the ESRC </span></em></p>
With Amazon facing worker battles in the UK, US and Germany, no wonder people worry about how technology is changing workplaces.
David Spencer, Professor of Economics and Political Economy, University of Leeds
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/200661
2023-03-01T06:14:12Z
2023-03-01T06:14:12Z
ChatGPT: how to prevent it becoming a nightmare for professional writers
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512653/original/file-20230228-1747-i2un5k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'ChatGPT, please give me a 1,000 word article on how to stop you from making workplaces worse.'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/technology-cyberspace-programming-concept-portrait-young-1901761405">Ground Picture</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Nearly half of white-collar professionals have tried using ChatGPT to help with their work, according to a <a href="https://www.fishbowlapp.com/insights/70-percent-of-workers-using-chatgpt-at-work-are-not-telling-their-boss/">recent survey</a> of more than 10,000 people at blue chips such as Google, JP Morgan and McKinsey. That’s staggering, considering the AI chatbot was only released to the public in November. It’s potentially very exciting for the future of work, but it also brings serious risks. </p>
<p>ChatGPT and other <a href="https://theconversation.com/googles-search-business-doesnt-have-to-be-killed-by-ai-chatbots-heres-the-ugly-workaround-199801">imminent rivals</a> are part of a <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Printing_Press_as_an_Agent_of_Change/WR1eajpBG9cC?hl=en&gbpv=0">long history</a> of technologies geared to reducing the labour of writing. These range from the printing press to the telegram, the typewriter, word processors and personal computing.</p>
<p>AI chatbots can help overcome human limitations, including speed, foreign languages and writer’s block – potentially helping with <a href="https://digiday.com/marketing/what-we-know-about-how-workers-are-using-chatgpt-so-far/">everything from</a> writing emails to reports and articles to marketing campaigns. It’s a fascinating <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-36181-5">trans-human relationship</a> in which the AI uses past human-produced texts to inform and shape the writing of new texts by other humans. </p>
<p>Jobs involving significant amounts of writing will inevitably be affected most, such as journalists, academic researchers and policy analysts. In all cases, AI chatbots could allow for new knowledge and ideas to be disseminated more rapidly. Certainly it could lead to weaker, less useful writing, but if used to create a structure that is thoroughly edited by the writer using their own original ideas, it could be very beneficial. </p>
<p>Also, some people have a competitive advantage at writing not because their ideas are better but because they are just faster. This is often because they are writing in their first language, due to nothing more than historical coincidence. AI chatbots could therefore help make writing more inclusive and accessible. </p>
<h2>Downsides</h2>
<p>On the other hand, there are worries that ChatGPT and its competitors could steal many people’s jobs, especially in traditional white collar professions, though it’s very difficult to say at this stage how many people will be affected. For example Mihir Shukla, CEO and founder of California-based software company Automation Anywhere, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chatgpt-chatbot-artificial-intelligence-job-replacement/">thinks that</a> “anywhere from 15% to 70% of all the work we do in front of the computer could be automated”. On the other hand a recent <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2021/03/job-loss-automation-robots-predictions.html">McKinsey report</a> suggests that only about 9% of people will have to change careers. Even so, that’s a lot of people. Lower to mid-level employees are likely to be the ones most affected. </p>
<p>Linked to possible job losses is the danger that employers will use these technologies to justify cost savings <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/11/automation-doesnt-just-create-or-destroy-jobs-it-transforms-them">by making</a> existing workers use these tools “<a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230217-how-shrinking-teams-are-pushing-workers-to-the-brink">to do more with less</a>”. Employers have historically used labour-saving devices to <a href="https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/features/when-all-that-we-count-becomes-all-that-counts-hr-at-the-heart-of-the-productivity-shift">maximise productivity</a>, making people work harder, not smarter or better. Computers and emails, for example, have <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0018726721996763">made work never-ending</a> for many people. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512652/original/file-20230228-155-a1aime.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Man checking his email at night" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512652/original/file-20230228-155-a1aime.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512652/original/file-20230228-155-a1aime.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512652/original/file-20230228-155-a1aime.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512652/original/file-20230228-155-a1aime.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512652/original/file-20230228-155-a1aime.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512652/original/file-20230228-155-a1aime.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512652/original/file-20230228-155-a1aime.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Whatever happened to the leisure age?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bearded-businessman-wearing-white-shirt-working-394279666">SFIO CRACHO</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Employees could now therefore end up being pressured to produce more work. Yet this risks missing the real leap in productivity that AI could bring about. If used correctly, AI chatbots could free up employees to have more time to produce high-quality, original work. </p>
<p>There are additionally concerns about the <a href="https://mashable.com/article/chat-gpt-open-ai-workers-exploitation">human cost</a> of creating AI chatbots. Kenyan workers, for instance, <a href="https://time.com/6247678/openai-chatgpt-kenya-workers/">were paid</a> between US$1 and US$2 (80 pence to £1.60) per hour to train OpenAI’s GPT-3 model, on which ChatGPT is based. Their brief was to make it less toxic by labelling thousands of samples of potentially offensive text so that the platform could learn to detect violent, racist and sexist language. This was so traumatic for the workers that the <a href="https://time.com/6247678/openai-chatgpt-kenya-workers/">contractor nearly</a> brought the project to an early end. Unfortunately, there’s likely to be much more of this kind of work to come. </p>
<p>Finally, AI chatbots raise fascinating <a href="https://patentgrasp.com/can-chat-gpt-be-patent-protected/">intellectual property</a> issues. In particular, it’s not clear <a href="https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=71298ed8-482e-446d-8b45-148d517ddeda">who owns</a> the work they produce. This could make it harder for companies or freelancers to protect their own output, while also potentially exposing them to copyright infringement claims from someone who owned the writing that seems to have been reproduced by the AI chatbot. It’s a complex area and it very much <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2022/12/21/who-ultimately-owns-content-generated-by-chatgpt-and-other-ai-platforms/?sh=55686b415423">remains to be seen</a> by courts will handle test cases. </p>
<p>It also raises questions about situations where the ownership of a piece of work is already in a grey area. While an employer will often own an employee’s written work, this has not traditionally been the case with university academics. Now, however, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nm0402-325">universities are</a> seeking to use their power as employers to often be the first owners of academics’ published research. If they succeed, they could then put pressure on academics to use AI chatbots to increase their level of research output. </p>
<h2>Worker-friendly AI?</h2>
<p>One way of dealing with the dangers of heavier workloads is through <a href="https://www.ilo.org/global/research/events-courses/WCMS_857701/lang--en/index.htm">regulation</a>. At this stage, however we worry that the authorities will <a href="https://www.socialeurope.eu/artificial-intelligence-and-workers-rights">set more of</a> an aspirational “ceiling” for what employers should aim to do for employees rather than a clearly regulated and enforced “floor” for ensuring decent work. </p>
<p>We must start developing basic standards to limit the potential for exploiting workers. This could include caps on the amount of AI-assisted written work that companies can expect of individuals, for instance. There’s clearly also an important role for raising employers’ awareness about the potential harms and benefits from these technologies. </p>
<p>It’s also important to recognise that the dangers are being aggravated by companies’ focus on maximising profits and productivity. This points to the need for more alternative work environments where the emphasis is on providing workers with a good quality of life. The OECD has for instance been promoting the “<a href="https://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/social-economy/">social economy</a>”, which encompasses worker and community-owned cooperatives. In such workplaces, tools such as ChatGPT have the potential to be more beneficial than threatening. </p>
<p>The good news is that there is probably a narrow window before these technologies transform workplaces. We tried using ChatGPT to write this article and didn’t find it particularly useful – though that may partly reflect our own inexperience at prompting the chatbot. Now is the time to recognise where this is heading and get the world up to speed. A year or two from now, workplaces could look very different.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200661/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Journalists, policymakers and academics are among those whose worlds could be turned upside down by AI chatbots.
Peter Bloom, Professor of Management, University of Essex
Pasi Ahonen, Senior Lecturer in Management and Marketing, University of Essex
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/198326
2023-02-02T14:56:47Z
2023-02-02T14:56:47Z
Remote working improves the lives of female managers - but at a cost
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506084/original/file-20230124-25-q2pruk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A woman working from home. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/afro-caribbean-woman-working-from-home-during-the-royalty-free-image/1253792493?phrase=zoom%20meetings%20africa&adppopup=true">Alistair Berg/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a question that would have been unthinkable a few years ago: do we really need to be in the office all the time? </p>
<p>At the height of the pandemic, working remotely was viewed as a safeguard, protecting employees from the spread of infections. Over time a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8834350/">consensus</a> has developed that working remotely has had benefits but has also raised <a href="https://theconversation.com/working-in-isolation-can-pose-mental-health-challenges-heres-what-anyone-can-learn-from-how-gig-workers-have-adapted-194712">health concerns</a>.</p>
<p>To provide some answers to the question, I did <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.949914/full">research</a> on the experience of working remotely from the perspective of 23 female middle managers working in the South African public service. </p>
<p>It was clear that remote work had positive and negative aspects. </p>
<p>On the positive side, working remotely offered flexibility. Employees could balance individual and work tasks. This gave them some freedom and autonomy. In essence, work-life balance was somewhat promoted.</p>
<p>One participant, a human resource manager, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>During the height of the pandemic, I could spend more time connecting with other facets of my life outside work. I could read more at home. Do some gardening. Even connect more with the world around me. Yes I got to do some work but I also managed to do things I could not do previously. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>On the negative side, the women said they experienced a blurring of work boundaries and an extension of their office hours.</p>
<p>Based on the findings, I make three recommendations for managing the downside of working remotely. First, organisations may need to provide employee support; an important part of this is to trust their staff. Second, policy around remote working may need to be in place and reinforced. Such policy needs to strike a balance between getting the work done and respecting the individual rights of employees. Finally, a culture of open communication can be useful on both sides to achieve this. This includes setting goals and addressing misconceptions around working remotely.</p>
<h2>The upside</h2>
<p>The female managers in the study extolled the work-life balance that remote work can offer. </p>
<p>The managers praised remote working as cutting back unnecessary time spent in traffic while commuting to work. They could spend more time with family and pay attention to personal wellness activities such as going to the gym. </p>
<p>Remote working also had the potential to enhance the quality of relationships, thanks to the physical presence at home.</p>
<p>Another participant, an accounting manager, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think remote working also saved my marriage. My partner and I are appreciative of being in professions where we can work remotely. This assisted both of us to work in the same room at home. Such time was just the bond we needed. Remember in a week we usually spent half of the week at the office before the pandemic. It was wonderful to work from home not just for the work aspect but also our relationship.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But the research also revealed that remote working posed some challenges.</p>
<h2>The downside</h2>
<p>Three main problems emerged. First, despite viewing remote working as a possibility, organisational will did not exist to see it through. There appeared to be mixed feelings in organisations, to support or not to support remote working. </p>
<p>Second, for some managers, managing people remotely was not a feasible option. This was largely due to the perception that for one to be an effective manager some form of physical presence was needed. The physical presence factor for these managers served as a form of surveillance, an ability to monitor that work was actually being done. Such a management approach created levels of suspicion and rendered remote working ineffective. </p>
<p>Thirdly, the managers in my study expressed concern around the extension of the working hours. Remote working distorted the boundaries of work and forced employees to be available at any time. This included receiving work-related calls at odd hours. Some employees felt that going to the office protected them from being bothered after work hours. </p>
<p>A participant observed:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The organisational structure within the South Africa public service is still that one of command and control. This works well within physical spaces. With working from home that command and control manifests in the excessive calls. Someone can call you late at night. That was salient nightmare for remote working for me.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What should be done</h2>
<p>The findings of this research show there is a need for nuanced organisational responses to remote working. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/remote-work-has-made-developing-relationships-with-colleagues-harder-heres-what-workers-and-bosses-need-now-194883">Remote work has made developing relationships with colleagues harder – here's what workers and bosses need now</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>First, organisations should seek to support employees where remote working is in place. They may need policies to guide such modes of working.</p>
<p>Second, employees have a responsibility to speak out. While there is a need to be productive in organisations, this should not come through violation of individual rights. There can be no flexibility to the expression of individual rights.</p>
<p>Third, the findings show the need for investment in training and support services around remote working. This may include psycho-social support for employees who may be struggling with dealing with aspects related to remote working. Further, organisations need to invest in hardware and software support that enhances the remote working experience.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198326/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi receives funding from a) The National Research Foundation, b) The South African Medical Research Council, c) The Council for Scientific Industrial Research and d) The National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences.</span></em></p>
Remote working policy needs to strike a balance between productivity and individual rights of employees.
Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi, Professor, University of Fort Hare
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/198053
2023-01-22T13:33:11Z
2023-01-22T13:33:11Z
ChatGPT could be a game-changer for marketers, but it won’t replace humans any time soon
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505216/original/file-20230118-24-1r7n63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=164%2C0%2C4513%2C2812&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A new AI chatbot could revolutionize marketing for businesses.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/chatgpt-could-be-a-game-changer-for-marketers--but-it-won-t-replace-humans-any-time-soon" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The recent release of the ChatGPT chatbot in November 2022 has generated <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2022/12/07/heres-what-to-know-about-openais-chatgpt-what-its-disrupting-and-how-to-use-it/?sh=190d38d92643">significant public interest</a>. In essence, ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot allowing users to simulate human-like conversations with an AI. </p>
<p>GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2022.185">a language processing model developed by the American artificial intelligence company OpenAI</a>. The GPT language model uses <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14539">deep learning</a> to produce human-like responses. Deep learning is a branch of machine learning that involves training artificial neural networks to mimic the complexity of the human brain, to produce human-like responses. </p>
<p><a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/">ChatGPT</a> has a user-friendly interface that utilizes this technology, allowing users to interact with it in a conversational manner.</p>
<p>In light of this new technology, businesses and consumers alike have shown great interest in how such an innovation could revolutionize marketing strategies and customer experiences.</p>
<h2>What’s so special about ChatGPT?</h2>
<p>What sets ChatGPT apart from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49186-4_31">other chatbots</a> is the size of its dataset. Chatbots are usually trained on a smaller dataset in a rule-based manner designed to answer specific questions and conduct certain tasks.</p>
<p>ChatGPT, on the other hand, is trained on a huge dataset — <a href="https://hai.stanford.edu/news/how-large-language-models-will-transform-science-society-and-ai">175 billion parameters and 570 gigabytes</a> — and is able to perform a range of tasks in different fields and industries. 570GB is equivalent to over 385 million pages on Microsoft Word. </p>
<p>Given the amount of the data, ChatGPT can carry out different language-related activities which includes answering questions in different fields and sectors, providing answers in different languages and generating content.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A picture of the OpenAI website showing a passaged describing ChatGPT" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505033/original/file-20230118-20-byvv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505033/original/file-20230118-20-byvv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505033/original/file-20230118-20-byvv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505033/original/file-20230118-20-byvv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505033/original/file-20230118-20-byvv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505033/original/file-20230118-20-byvv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505033/original/file-20230118-20-byvv2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">ChatGPT is a chatbot that was launched by OpenAI in November 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Friend or foe to marketers?</h2>
<p>While ChatGPT may be a tremendous tool for marketers, it is important to understand the realistic possibilities and expectations of it to get the most value from it.</p>
<p>Traditionally, with the emergence of new technologies, consumers tend to go through <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.04.005">Gartner’s hype cycle</a>. In essence, Gartner’s cycle explains the process people go through when adopting a new technology. </p>
<p>The cycle starts with the innovation trigger and peak of inflated triggers stages when consumers get enthusiastic about new technology and expectations start to build. Then consumers realize the pitfalls of the technology, creating a gap between expectations and reality. This is called the trough of disillusionment. </p>
<p>This is followed by the slope of enlightenment when consumers start to understand the technology and use it more appropriately and reasonably. Finally, the technology becomes widely adopted and used as intended during the plateau of productivity stage.</p>
<p>With the current public excitement surrounding ChatGPT, we appear to be nearing the peak of inflated triggers stage. It’s important for marketers to set realistic expectations for consumers and navigate the integration of ChatGPT to mitigate the affects of the trough of disillusionment stage.</p>
<h2>Possibilities of ChatGPT</h2>
<p>In its current form, ChatGPT cannot replace the human factor in marketing, but it could support content creation, enhance customer service, automate repetitive tasks and support data analysis.</p>
<p><strong>Supporting content creation:</strong> Marketers may use ChatGPT to enhance existing content by using it to edit written work, make suggestions, summarize ideas and improve overall copy readability. Additionally, ChatGPT may enhance search engine optimization strategy by examining ideal keywords and tags.</p>
<p><strong>Enhancing customer service:</strong> Businesses may train ChatGPT to respond to frequently asked questions and interact with customers in a human-like conversation. Rather than replacing the human factor, ChatGPT could provide 24/7 customer support. This could optimize business resources and enhance internal processes by leaving high-impact and sensitive tasks to humans. ChatGPT can also be trained in different languages, further enhancing customer experience and satisfaction. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="ChatGPT chat bot screen seen on smartphone and laptop display with Chat GPT login screen on the background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505214/original/file-20230118-7914-goif4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505214/original/file-20230118-7914-goif4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505214/original/file-20230118-7914-goif4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505214/original/file-20230118-7914-goif4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505214/original/file-20230118-7914-goif4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505214/original/file-20230118-7914-goif4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/505214/original/file-20230118-7914-goif4e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s important to understand the realistic possibilities and expectations of new and emerging technologies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>Automating repetitive marketing tasks:</strong> <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/marketers-routine-tasks-data?utm_campaign=blog-rss-emails&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=24874134">According to a 2015 HubSpot report</a>, marketers spent a significant amount of their time on repetitive tasks, such as sending emails and creating social media posts. While part of that challenge has been addressed with <a href="https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/benefits-of-customer-relationship-management-on-customer-satisfaction/195162">customer relationship management software</a>, ChatGPT may enhance this by providing an added layer of personalization through the generation of creative content. </p>
<p>Additionally, ChatGPT may be helpful in other tasks, such as product descriptions. With access to a wealth of data, ChatGPT would be able to frequently update and adjust product descriptions, allowing marketers to focus on higher-impact tasks.</p>
<h2>Limitations of ChatGPT</h2>
<p>While the wide range of possibilities for enhancing marketing processes with ChatGPT are enticing, it is important for businesses to know about some key limitations and when to limit or avoid using ChatGPT in business operations.</p>
<p><strong>Emotional intelligence:</strong> ChatGPT provides a state of the art human-like response and content. However, it is important to be aware that the tool is only human-like. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200324010211id_/https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1448&context=amcis2018">Similar to traditional challenges with chatbots</a>, the degree of human-likeness will be essential for process enhancement and content creation. </p>
<p>Marketers could use ChatGPT to enhance customer experience, but without humans to provide relevancy, character, experience and <a href="https://doi.org/10.24018/ejbmr.2020.5.4.483">personal connection</a>, it will be challenging to fully capitalize on ChatGPT. Relying on ChatGPT to build customer connections and engagement without the involvement of humans may diminish meaningful customer connection instead of enhancing it.</p>
<p><strong>Accuracy:</strong> While the marketing content may appear logical, it is important to note that ChatGPT is not error free and <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/">may provide incorrect and illogical answers</a>. Marketers need to review and validate the content generated by ChatGPT to avoid possible errors and ensure consistency with brand message and image.</p>
<p><strong>Creativity:</strong> Relying on ChatGPT for creative content may cause short- and long-term challenges. ChatGPT lacks the lived experience of individuals and understanding the complexity of human nature. Over-relying on ChatGPT may limit creative abilities, so it should be used to support ideation and enhance existing content while still allowing room for human creativity.</p>
<h2>Humans are irreplaceable</h2>
<p>While ChatGPT has the potential to enhance marketing effectiveness, businesses should only use the technology as a tool to assist humans, not replace them. ChatGPT could provide creative content and support content ideation. However, the human factor is still essential for examining outputs and creating marketing messages that are consistent with a firm’s business strategy and vision.</p>
<p>A business that does not have a strong marketing strategy before integrating ChatGPT remains at a competitive disadvantage. However, with appropriate marketing strategies and plans, ChatGPT could effectively enhance and support existing marketing processes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198053/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Omar H. Fares does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
While ChatGPT has the potential to enhance marketing effectiveness, it can’t replace human creativity or form meaningful connections with customers like humans can.
Omar H. Fares, Lecturer in the Ted Rogers School of Retail Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/196783
2023-01-11T13:27:42Z
2023-01-11T13:27:42Z
AI and the future of work: 5 experts on what ChatGPT, DALL-E and other AI tools mean for artists and knowledge workers
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503372/original/file-20230106-23-9vo8lt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5499%2C3663&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Could AI be your next colleague – or replacement?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/robot-call-center-royalty-free-image/943557584">PhonlamaiPhoto/iStock via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>From steam power and electricity to computers and the internet, technological advancements have always disrupted labor markets, pushing out some jobs while creating others. Artificial intelligence remains something of a misnomer – the smartest computer systems still don’t actually know anything – but the technology has reached an <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/1/4/23538647/artificial-intelligence-chatgpt-openai-google-meta-facial-recognition">inflection point</a> where it’s poised to affect new classes of jobs: artists and knowledge workers.</em></p>
<p><em>Specifically, the emergence of large language models – AI systems that are trained on vast amounts of text – means computers can now produce human-sounding written language and convert descriptive phrases into realistic images. The Conversation asked five artificial intelligence researchers to discuss how large language models are likely to affect artists and knowledge workers. And, as our experts noted, the technology is far from perfect, which raises a host of issues – from misinformation to plagiarism – that affect human workers.</em></p>
<p><em>To jump ahead to each response, here’s a list of each:</em> </p><hr><p></p>
<p><a href="#Creativity">Creativity for all – but loss of skills?</a><br>
<a href="#Inaccuracies">Potential inaccuracies, biases and plagiarism</a><br>
<a href="#Niche">With humans surpassed, niche and ‘handmade’ jobs will remain</a><br>
<a href="#Jobs">Old jobs will go, new jobs will emerge</a><br>
<a href="#Leaps">Leaps in technology lead to new skills</a></p>
<p></p><hr><p></p>
<p><a id="Creativity"></a></p>
<h2>Creativity for all – but loss of skills?</h2>
<p><strong>Lynne Parker, Associate Vice Chancellor, University of Tennessee</strong></p>
<p>Large language models are making creativity and knowledge work accessible to all. Everyone with an internet connection can now use tools like <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/">ChatGPT</a> or <a href="https://openai.com/dall-e-2/">DALL-E 2</a> to express themselves and make sense of huge stores of information by, for example, producing text summaries.</p>
<p>Especially notable is the depth of humanlike expertise large language models display. In just minutes, novices can <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-use-dall-e-ai-art-generator">create illustrations for their business presentations</a>, <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/11/how-generative-ai-is-changing-creative-work">generate marketing pitches</a>, get ideas to <a href="https://towardsdatascience.com/got-writers-block-it-s-plotjam-to-the-rescue-e555db9f3272">overcome writer’s block</a>, or <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.07732">generate new computer code</a> to perform specified functions, all at a level of quality typically attributed to human experts.</p>
<p>These new AI tools can’t read minds, of course. A new, yet simpler, kind of human creativity is needed in the form of text prompts to get the results the human user is seeking. Through iterative prompting – an example of <a href="https://partnershiponai.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CPAIS-Framework-and-Case-Studies-9-23.pdf">human-AI collaboration</a> – the AI system generates successive rounds of outputs until the human writing the prompts is satisfied with the results. For example, the (human) winner of the recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/technology/ai-artificial-intelligence-artists.html">Colorado State Fair competition in the digital artist category</a>, who used an AI-powered tool, demonstrated creativity, but not of the sort that requires brushes and an eye for color and texture. </p>
<p>While there are significant benefits to opening the world of creativity and knowledge work to everyone, these new AI tools also have downsides. First, they could accelerate the loss of important human skills that will remain important in the coming years, especially writing skills. <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-dawn-of-ai-has-come-and-its-implications-for-education-couldnt-be-more-significant-196383">Educational institutes need to craft and enforce policies</a> on allowable uses of large language models to ensure fair play and desirable learning outcomes. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l01biyMZjEo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Educators are preparing for a world where students have ready access to AI-powered text generators.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Second, these AI tools raise questions around <a href="https://www.mondaq.com/uk/patent/1261292/large-language-models-a-basic-explainer-and-look-at-ip-developments">intellectual property protections</a>. While human creators are regularly inspired by existing artifacts in the world, including architecture and the writings, music and paintings of others, there are unanswered questions on the proper and fair use by large language models of copyrighted or open-source training examples. <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/this-copyright-lawsuit-could-shape-the-future-of-generative-ai/">Ongoing lawsuits</a> are now debating this issue, which may have implications for the future design and use of large language models.</p>
<p>As society navigates the implications of these new AI tools, the public seems ready to embrace them. The chatbot <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/05/technology/chatgpt-ai-twitter.html">ChatGPT went viral</a> quickly, as did image generator <a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/dall-e-mini-creator-explains-blurred-faces-going-viral-and-the-future-of-the-project/">Dall-E mini</a> and others. This suggests a huge untapped potential for creativity, and the importance of making creative and knowledge work accessible to all.</p>
<p></p><hr><p></p>
<p><a id="Inaccuracies"></a></p>
<h2>Potential inaccuracies, biases and plagiarism</h2>
<p><strong>Daniel Acuña, Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Colorado Boulder</strong></p>
<p>I am a regular user of <a href="https://github.com/features/copilot">GitHub Copilot</a>, a tool for helping people write computer code, and I’ve spent countless hours playing with ChatGPT and similar tools for AI-generated text. In my experience, these tools are good at exploring ideas that I haven’t thought about before. </p>
<p>I’ve been impressed by the models’ capacity to translate my instructions into coherent text or code. They are useful for discovering new ways to improve the flow of my ideas, or creating solutions with software packages that I didn’t know existed. Once I see what these tools generate, I can evaluate their quality and edit heavily. Overall, I think they raise the bar on what is considered creative. </p>
<p>But I have several reservations.</p>
<p>One set of problems is their inaccuracies – small and big. With Copilot and ChatGPT, I am constantly looking for whether ideas are too shallow – for example, text without much substance or inefficient code, or output that is just plain wrong, such as wrong analogies or conclusions, or code that doesn’t run. If users are not critical of what these tools produce, the tools are potentially harmful. </p>
<p>Recently, Meta shut down its <a href="https://galactica.org/">Galactica</a> large language model for scientific text <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/11/18/1063487/meta-large-language-model-ai-only-survived-three-days-gpt-3-science/">because it made up “facts” but sounded very confident</a>. The concern was that it could pollute the internet with confident-sounding falsehoods.</p>
<p>Another problem is biases. Language models can learn from the data’s biases and replicate them. These biases are <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2211.03759">hard to see in text generation but very clear in image generation models</a>. Researchers at OpenAI, creators of ChatGPT, have been relatively careful about what the model will respond to, but users routinely find ways around these guardrails.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1602600453555961856"}"></div></p>
<p>Another problem is plagiarism. Recent research has shown that <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2212.03860">image generation tools often plagiarize the work of others</a>. Does the same happen with ChatGPT? I believe that we don’t know. The tool might be paraphrasing its training data – an advanced form of plagiarism. Work in my lab shows that text plagiarism detection tools are <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2212.06933">far behind when it comes to detecting paraphrasing</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503185/original/file-20230105-130036-d765bd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="two rows of six images, each top and bottom pair very similar to each other" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503185/original/file-20230105-130036-d765bd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503185/original/file-20230105-130036-d765bd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=193&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503185/original/file-20230105-130036-d765bd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=193&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503185/original/file-20230105-130036-d765bd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=193&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503185/original/file-20230105-130036-d765bd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=243&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503185/original/file-20230105-130036-d765bd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=243&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503185/original/file-20230105-130036-d765bd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=243&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Plagiarism is easier to see in images than in text. Is ChatGPT paraphrasing as well?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2212.03860">Somepalli, G., et al.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These tools are in their infancy, given their potential. For now, I believe there are solutions to their current limitations. For example, tools could fact-check generated text against knowledge bases, use updated methods to <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2212.09251">detect and remove biases</a> from large language models, and run results through more sophisticated plagiarism detection tools. </p>
<p></p><hr><p></p>
<p><a id="Niche"></a></p>
<h2>With humans surpassed, niche and ‘handmade’ jobs will remain</h2>
<p><strong>Kentaro Toyama, Professor of Community Information, University of Michigan</strong></p>
<p>We human beings love to believe in our specialness, but science and technology have repeatedly proved this conviction wrong. People once thought that humans were the only animals to use tools, to form teams or to propagate culture, but science has shown that other animals do <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/g39714258/animals-using-tools/">each</a> of <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/dolphins-learn-names-their-friends-form-teams-first-animal-kingdom">these</a> <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/strongest-evidence-animal-culture-seen-monkeys-and-whales">things</a>. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, technology has quashed, one by one, claims that cognitive tasks require a human brain. The first adding machine was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Calculating-Clock">invented in 1623</a>. This past year, a computer-generated work <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/technology/ai-artificial-intelligence-artists.html">won an art contest</a>. I believe that the singularity – the moment when computers meet and exceed human intelligence – is on the horizon. </p>
<p>How will human intelligence and creativity be valued when machines become smarter and more creative than the brightest people? There will likely be a continuum. In some domains, people still value humans doing things, even if a computer can do it better. It’s been a quarter of a century since <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2022/05/11/ibm-deep-blue-computer-beats-garry-kasparov-chess-champion-1997-vault-jg-orig.cnn">IBM’s Deep Blue beat</a> world champion Garry Kasparov, but human chess – <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/business/chess-cheating-scandal-magnus-carlsen-hans-niemann.html">with all its drama</a> – hasn’t gone away. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503160/original/file-20230104-129813-ndxcdv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a magazine cover illustration showing an astronaut striding toward the viewer on a desert-like planet" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503160/original/file-20230104-129813-ndxcdv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503160/original/file-20230104-129813-ndxcdv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503160/original/file-20230104-129813-ndxcdv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503160/original/file-20230104-129813-ndxcdv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503160/original/file-20230104-129813-ndxcdv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503160/original/file-20230104-129813-ndxcdv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503160/original/file-20230104-129813-ndxcdv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=943&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cosmopolitan magazine used DALL-E 2 to produce this cover.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a40314356/dall-e-2-artificial-intelligence-cover/">©Hearst Magazine Media, Inc.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In other domains, human skill will seem costly and extraneous. Take illustration, for example. For the most part, readers don’t care whether the graphic accompanying a magazine article was drawn by a person or a computer – they just want it to be relevant, new and perhaps entertaining. If a computer can draw well, do readers care whether the credit line says Mary Chen or System X? <a href="https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/galaxy-brain/62fc502abcbd490021afea1e/twitter-viral-outrage-ai-art/">Illustrators would</a>, but readers might not even notice. </p>
<p>And, of course, this question isn’t black or white. Many fields will be a hybrid, where some <em>Homo sapiens</em> find a lucky niche, but most of the work is done by computers. Think manufacturing – much of it today is accomplished by robots, but some people oversee the machines, and there remains a market for handmade products. </p>
<p>If history is any guide, it’s almost certain that advances in AI will cause more jobs to vanish, that creative-class people with human-only skills will become richer but fewer in number, and that those who own creative technology will become the new mega-rich. If there’s a silver lining, it might be that when even more people are without a decent livelihood, people might <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-the-ai-jobs-revolution-bring-about-human-revolt-too-86290">muster the political will</a> to contain runaway inequality.</p>
<p></p><hr><p></p>
<p><a id="Jobs"></a></p>
<h2>Old jobs will go, new jobs will emerge</h2>
<p><strong>Mark Finlayson, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Florida International University</strong></p>
<p>Large language models are sophisticated sequence completion machines: Give one a sequence of words (“I would like to eat an …”) and it will return likely completions (“… apple.”). Large language models like <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/">ChatGPT</a> that have been trained on record-breaking numbers of words (trillions) have surprised many, including many AI researchers, with how realistic, extensive, flexible and context-sensitive their completions are.</p>
<p>Like any powerful new technology that automates a skill – in this case, the generation of coherent, albeit somewhat generic, text – it will affect those who offer that skill in the marketplace. To conceive of what might happen, it is useful to recall the <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674417076">impact of the introduction of word processing programs</a> in the early 1980s. Certain jobs like typist almost completely disappeared. But, on the upside, anyone with a personal computer was able to generate well-typeset documents with ease, broadly increasing productivity. </p>
<p>Further, new jobs and skills appeared that were previously unimagined, like the oft-included resume item MS Office. And the market for high-end document production remained, becoming much more capable, sophisticated and specialized.</p>
<p>I think this same pattern will almost certainly hold for large language models: There will no longer be a need for you to ask other people to draft coherent, generic text. On the other hand, large language models will enable new ways of working, and also lead to new and as yet unimagined jobs. </p>
<p>To see this, consider just three aspects where large language models fall short. First, it can take quite a bit of (human) cleverness to craft a prompt that gets the desired output. Minor changes in the prompt can result in a major change in the output. </p>
<p>Second, large language models can generate inappropriate or nonsensical output without warning. </p>
<p>Third, as far as AI researchers can tell, large language models have <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2002.12327">no abstract, general understanding</a> of what is true or false, if something is right or wrong, and what is just common sense. Notably, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-020-09548-1">they cannot do relatively simple math</a>. This means that their output can unexpectedly be <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/11/after-controversy-meta-pulls-demo-of-ai-model-that-writes-scientific-papers/">misleading, biased, logically faulty or just plain false</a>. </p>
<p>These failings are opportunities for creative and knowledge workers. For much content creation, even for general audiences, people will still need the judgment of human creative and knowledge workers to prompt, guide, collate, curate, edit and especially augment machines’ output. Many types of specialized and highly technical language will remain out of reach of machines for the foreseeable future. And there will be new types of work – for example, those who will make a business out of fine-tuning in-house large language models to generate certain specialized types of text to serve particular markets. </p>
<p>In sum, although large language models certainly portend disruption for creative and knowledge workers, there are still many valuable opportunities in the offing for those willing to adapt to and integrate these powerful new tools.</p>
<p></p><hr><p></p>
<p><a id="Leaps"></a></p>
<h2>Leaps in technology lead to new skills</h2>
<p><strong>Casey Greene, Professor of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus</strong></p>
<p>Technology changes the nature of work, and knowledge work is no different. The past two decades have seen biology and medicine undergoing transformation by <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/100-genome-new-dna-sequencers-could-be-game-changer-biology-medicine">rapidly advancing molecular characterization</a>, such as fast, inexpensive DNA sequencing, and the <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/12/02/the-dawn-of-digital-medicine">digitization of medicine</a> in the form of apps, telemedicine and data analysis.</p>
<p>Some steps in technology feel larger than others. Yahoo <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40544277/the-glory-that-was-yahoo">deployed human curators to index emerging content</a> during the dawn of the World Wide Web. The advent of algorithms that used information embedded in the linking patterns of the web to prioritize results radically altered the landscape of search, transforming how people gather information today.</p>
<p>The release of <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/">OpenAI’s ChatGPT</a> indicates another leap. ChatGPT wraps a state-of-the-art large language model tuned for chat into a highly usable interface. It puts a decade of rapid progress in artificial intelligence at people’s fingertips. This tool can <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-job-applications-hiring-managers-job-interview-candidate-2022-12">write passable cover letters</a> and instruct users on <a href="https://twitter.com/tqbf/status/1598513757805858820">addressing common problems in user-selected language styles</a>.</p>
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<p>Just as the skills for finding information on the internet changed with the advent of Google, the skills necessary to draw the best output from language models will center on creating prompts and prompt templates that produce desired outputs. </p>
<p>For the cover letter example, multiple prompts are possible. “Write a cover letter for a job” would produce a more generic output than “Write a cover letter for a position as a data entry specialist.” The user could craft even more specific prompts by pasting portions of the job description, resume and specific instructions – for example, “highlight attention to detail.”</p>
<p>As with many technological advances, how people interact with the world will change in the era of widely accessible AI models. The question is whether society will use this moment to advance equity or exacerbate disparities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196783/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lynne Parker is affiliated with two non-profit organizations -- the Center for New American Security as an adjunct senior fellow, and the Special Competitive Studies Project as an expert advisor.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Casey Greene receives funding from the National Institutes of Health to work on machine learning methods for biomedical data integration, including R01 CA237170, R01 HG010067, R01 LM013863, and R01 HD109765, as well as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF 4552). Casey Greene is a consultant for Arcadia Science and SomaLogic.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Acuña receives funding from the US Office of Research Integrity grants ORIIR180041, ORIIIR190049, ORIIIR200052, and ORIIIR210062, related to automated methods to detect image manipulation and plagiarism. He has also received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, and DARPA through the Center for Open Science's SCORE project.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kentaro Toyama receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the University of Michigan. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Finlayson receives funding from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) to work on natural language processing. He has also served as Edison Fellow for AI at the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) since 2019.</span></em></p>
Now that AI systems can generate realistic images and convincing prose, are creative and knowledge workers endangered or poised for productivity gains? A panel of experts says it’s not so clear-cut.
Lynne Parker, Associate Vice Chancellor, University of Tennessee
Casey Greene, Professor of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Daniel Acuña, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Affiliate Professor of Information Science, University of Colorado Boulder
Kentaro Toyama, Professor of Community Information, University of Michigan
Mark Finlayson, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Florida International University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/194883
2023-01-10T13:29:15Z
2023-01-10T13:29:15Z
Remote work has made developing relationships with colleagues harder – here’s what workers and bosses need now
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502243/original/file-20221220-22-wf6l7k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=846%2C429%2C7333%2C5003&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">With a greater reliance on remote workers, how can people forge good relationships at work? </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/start-up-business-group-having-video-conference-royalty-free-image/1327494299?phrase=work%20relationships&adppopup=true">Luis Alvarez/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Having good relationships with colleagues is key to building a rewarding and effective work experience. Employees who are engaged with their co-workers, such as reporting “a best friend at work” in <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/321725/gallup-q12-meta-analysis-report.aspx?thank-you-report-form=1">Gallup’s well-regarded survey</a>, are more likely to be productive, to stay with their organization and to contribute to the organization’s performance.</p>
<p>But the surge in pandemic-induced remote work is <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/09/disruption-of-work-relationships-adds-to-mental-health-concern/">changing these relationships</a> and has made it more challenging to establish connections in the first place. To succeed, both employees and leaders must understand what each group is seeking to achieve and how they can benefit from the changing workplace. </p>
<p>How should leaders relate to, and support, their colleagues and subordinates? How can leaders discern what employees want out of the workplace and help them to get it? What can employees do to demonstrate their value while having fewer interactions with their co-workers and supervisors? What are the hallmarks of an organizational environment where employees can flourish?</p>
<p>As part of our ongoing <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9tiZfA0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">research</a> on organizations and work culture, we regularly interview leaders and employees, as first recounted in our book “<a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-69017-5">Six Paths to Leadership</a>.” What’s emerged are a few basic guidelines for a world where remote work is increasingly the norm and as workforce demographics and technologies shift. </p>
<p>Our preliminary analysis of their input has yielded several important themes: </p>
<h2>Frayed social networks</h2>
<p>Perhaps the most pressing issue for organizations emerging from the height of pandemic lockdowns is whether employees will return to a fully in-person workplace or continue in some variation of the <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/real-estate/our-insights/americans-are-embracing-flexible-work-and-they-want-more-of-it">remote mode of recent years</a>. Calls for returns to the office are often framed by supporters as a need to <a href="https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/redesigning-the-post-pandemic-workplace/">manage the person-to-person interactions</a> that spur innovation and a collaborative culture, particularly for new hires who need to learn the ropes, as well as a way to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/work-from-home-how-to-convince-boss-in-office-hybrid-work-11668205570">monitor productivity</a>. </p>
<p>Others suggest that simply returning to in-person business <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063211023563">over-relies on past models of an effective workplace</a>, when it is clear that workforce practices <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/04/preparing-your-business-for-a-post-pandemic-world">must evolve for organizations to be successful</a>. Our research suggests that for both leader and workers, it may be useful to address the challenges of building trust, respect and engagement in a more dispersed workplace.</p>
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<p>Leaders we’ve interviewed tell us they want to believe that employees are giving their best effort and are mindful of the organizational mission. Employees want to feel valued, trusted and supported in their work and career paths, regardless of how much time they spend in an on-site company office. </p>
<p>Both sides acknowledge that with more hybrid work, there is less opportunity to build the well-rounded relationships that come from frequent, less structured personal interactions. This gives organizations less information to make “people” decisions and judgments, such as who deserves promotions, who could benefit from more support and who should be first to go in the case of layoffs or restructuring. </p>
<h2>Creating a culture of collaboration</h2>
<p>Good planning and extra effort is required for leaders and colleagues to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063211023563">seek out and understand the perspectives of others</a>. While many companies report adopting project management software and other <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/14/business/worker-productivity-tracking.html">monitoring technology</a> to manage hybrid work, our interviewees remind us that these platforms are better at tracking individual task completion than more holistic, complex and continuing assignments that require collaboration. To remedy this, leaders should not only engage employees in their individual work but also identify how employees can help one another. </p>
<p>For instance, in a related study, one of us found that work teams whose members know one another, communicate well and share responsibilities <a href="https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/69568c31-ba6a-403d-bb34-fe600fbe3936">improve their ability to complete work on time and with fewer errors</a>. Thus, it is important to help employees bring together their diverse perspectives and create motivating social support systems in the workplace. </p>
<p>A related concern is how new hires who are not familiar with the <a href="https://www.umass.edu/employmentequity/onboarding-young-workers-post-pandemic-world">work culture of the organization</a> before pandemic-related changes can learn the expectations of their workplace when placed in hybrid work arrangements. </p>
<h2>Empathy and building relationships</h2>
<p>Our research suggests that intentionality – doing your work with purpose and mindful awareness – can drive meaningful productivity, spurring both leaders and their employees to go beyond a simple “checkbox” approach to instead expend energy where it furthers the organizational purpose. </p>
<p>For example, leaders can identify paths for onboarding new hires – what employees should learn, which experiences they should prioritize, who they should connect with, how they should set goals. These types of steps can allow new hires to orient themselves to some degree as well, seeking out socializing experiences to gain knowledge, support and personal connections.</p>
<p>Employees in remote work situations, for their part, must increasingly own their career path and take responsibility for their own professional development. This includes acquainting themselves with the resources of the organization, while also taking responsibility for their own future. </p>
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<p>Our discussions with leaders and employees also revealed that even among those who weathered the changes of the last few years, not everyone is having the same experience. People working for the same organization may be facing starkly different demands of their health and home conditions, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic and remote work. Leaders should be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2018.1541886">attuned to the stressors endured by their workforce</a>, which requires good planning and extra efforts to understand the paths others are walking. Employees can help themselves, as well as their work performance, by building work-life boundaries that allow them the space needed to thrive in both arenas. </p>
<p>Critically, our research suggests that leaders and peers must add empathy to their set of tools. To truly empathize requires deeper understanding of others and building collegial relationships. That requires focus and time to better appreciate co-worker backgrounds and perspectives, and understanding how they deliver and gain value in their work. </p>
<h2>The importance of people at work</h2>
<p>As people’s work relationships grow more remote and are increasingly mediated by technology, we have found that organizations <a href="https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/toxic-culture-is-driving-the-great-resignation/">must attend to the person within the workplace</a>. This may mean modifying work hours, increasing investment in employee training, boosting autonomy and making other adjustments designed to help employees bring their best selves to the workplace, while also granting a life outside of the company walls.</p>
<p>There are many factors that can influence the optimal set of practices for a given company – its industry, national and organizational cultures, diversity of employees and the expectations of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/28/business/gen-z-workplace-culture.html">each generation entering the workforce</a>. Ultimately, our research shows that the path for organizations to succeed is cleared by getting to know and then supporting the people who make success possible.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194883/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Hybrid and remote-heavy work setups have fundamentally changed how people interact at ‘the office.’ What do workers and managers want out of the workplace now?
Mark A. Clark, Associate Professor of Management, American University Kogod School of Business
Meredith Persily, Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, American University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/194424
2023-01-09T13:17:10Z
2023-01-09T13:17:10Z
What’s a ‘gig’ job? How it’s legally defined affects workers’ rights and protections
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501637/original/file-20221216-21-4ccz2k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C103%2C2923%2C1594&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A rally for Uber and Lyft drivers in 2019 reflects desire for workers to have same benefits as employees.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/California-GigEconomy/ad2325c039b24f07a054653758ffbedb/photoa">AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The “gig” economy has captured the attention of technology futurists, journalists, academics and policymakers. </p>
<p>“Future of work” discussions tend toward two extremes: breathless <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/03/thriving-in-the-gig-economy">excitement at the brave new world</a> that provides greater flexibility, mobility and entrepreneurial energy, or <a href="https://giveget.medium.com/yes-the-gig-economy-sucks-no-its-not-fulfilling-its-promise-of-freedom-af9738939f16">dire accounts</a> of its immiserating impacts on the workers who labor beneath the gig economy’s yoke. </p>
<p>These widely diverging views may be partly due to the <a href="https://www.gigeconomydata.org/basics/what-gig-worker">many</a> <a href="https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/human-resources/what-is-a-gig-worker">definitions</a> of what constitutes “gig work” and the resulting difficulties in measuring its prevalence. As an academic who has studied workplace laws for decades and ran <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd">the federal agency</a> that enforces workplace protections during the Obama administration, I know the way we define, measure and treat gig workers under the law has significant consequences for workers. That’s particularly true for those lacking leverage in the labor market. </p>
<p>While there are benefits for workers for this emerging model of employment, there are pitfalls as well. Confusion over the meaning and size of the gig workforce – at times the <a href="https://www.thetruthaboutcwi.com/">intentional work</a> of companies with a vested economic interest – can obscure the problems gig status can have on workers’ earnings, workplace conditions and opportunities. </p>
<h2>Defining gig work</h2>
<p>Many trace the phrase “gig economy” to a 2009 <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-gig-economy">essay</a> in which editor and author Tina Brown proclaimed: “No one I know has a job anymore. They’ve got Gigs.” </p>
<p>Although Brown focused on professional and semiprofessional workers chasing short-term work, the term soon applied to a <a href="https://dollarsandsense.org/archives/2014/0314friedman.html">variety of jobs</a> in low-paid occupations and industries. Several years later, the rapid ascent of Uber, Lyft and DoorDash led the term gig to be associated with <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/11/what-motivates-gig-economy-workers">platform and digital business models</a>. More recently, the pandemic linked gig work to a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonchandler/2020/04/07/coronavirus-turns-uber-into-gig-platform-for-all-work/?sh=16b9628b1db9">broader set of jobs</a> associated with high turnover, <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3h60d754">limited career prospects</a>, volatile wages and exposure to COVID-19 risk.</p>
<p>The imprecision of gig therefore connotes different things: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2018/contingent-workers/home.htm">Some uses</a> focus on the temporary or “contingent” nature of the work, such as jobs that may be terminated at any time, usually at the discretion of the employer. <a href="https://shift.hks.harvard.edu/">Other definitions</a> focus on the unpredictability of work in terms of earnings, scheduling, hours provided in a workweek or location. Still <a href="https://www.fissuredworkplace.net/">other depictions</a> focus on the business structure through which work is engaged – a staffing agency, digital platform, contractor or other intermediary. Further <a href="https://research.upjohn.org/reports/271/">complicating</a> the definition of gig is whether the focus is on a worker’s primary source of income or on side work meant to supplement income.</p>
<h2>Measuring gig work</h2>
<p>These differing definitions of gig work have led to widely varying estimates of its prevalence. </p>
<p>A conservative estimate from the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/conemp.nr0.htm">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a> household-based survey of “alternative work arrangements” suggests that gig workers “in non-standard categories” account for about 10% of employment. Alternatively, other <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2021.101974">researchers</a> estimate the prevalence as three times as common, or 32.5%, using a Federal Reserve survey that broadly defines gig work to include any work that is temporary and variable in nature as either a primary or secondary source of earnings. And when freelancing platform <a href="https://www.upwork.com/research/freelance-forward-2021">Upworks</a> and consulting firm <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/sustainable-inclusive-growth/future-of-america/freelance-side-hustles-and-gigs-many-more-americans-have-become-independent-workers">McKinsey & Co.</a> use a broader concept of “independent work,” they report rates as high as 36% of employed respondents. </p>
<p>No consensus definition or measurement approach has emerged, despite many attempts, including a 2020 <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/25822/chapter/1">panel report</a> by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Various estimates do suggest several common themes, however: Gig work is sizable, present in both traditional and digital workplaces, and draws upon workers across the age, education, demographic and skill spectrum. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>As the above indicates, gig workers can range from high-paid professionals working on a project-to-project basis to low-wage workers whose earnings are highly variable, who work in nonprofessional or semiprofessional occupations and who accept – by choice or necessity – volatile hours and a short-term time commitment from the organization paying for that work. </p>
<p>Regardless of their professional status, many workers operating in gig arrangements are classified as independent contractors rather than employees. As <a href="https://equitablegrowth.org/how-u-s-companies-harm-workers-by-making-them-independent-contractors/">independent contractors</a>, workers lose rights to a minimum wage, <a href="https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20220927">overtime</a> and a safe and healthy work environment as well as protections against discrimination and harassment. Independent contractors also lose access to unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation and paid sick leave now required in many states. </p>
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<p>Federal and state <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2002/01/art1full.pdf">laws</a> differ in the factors they draw on to make that call. A key concept underlying that determination is how “<a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/13-flsa-employment-relationship">economically dependent</a>” the worker is on the employer or contracting party. Greater economic independence – for example, the ability to determine price of service, how and where tasks are done and opportunities for expanding or contracting that work based on the individual’s own skills, abilities and enterprise – suggest a role as an independent contractor. </p>
<p>In contrast, if the hiring party basically calls the shots – for example, controlling what the individual does, how they do their work and when they do it, what they are permitted to do and not do, and what performance is deemed acceptable – this suggests employee status. That’s because workplace laws are generally geared toward employees and seek to protect workers who have unequal bargaining leverage in the labor market, a concept based on <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/300/379/">long-standing Supreme Court precedent</a>. </p>
<h2>Making work more precarious</h2>
<p>Over the past few decades, a <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/gig-worker-survey/">growing number of low-wage workers</a> find themselves in gig work situations – everything from platform drivers and delivery personnel to construction laborers, distribution workers, short-haul truck drivers and <a href="https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20221110-1">home health aides</a>. Taken together, the grouping could easily exceed <a href="https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2019.5.5.08">20 million workers</a>.</p>
<p>Many companies have incentives to <a href="https://www.nelp.org/publication/independent-contractor-misclassification-imposes-huge-costs-workers-federal-state-treasuries-update-october-2020/">misclassify</a> these workers as independent contractors in order to reduce costs and risks, not because of a truly transformed nature of work where those so classified are real entrepreneurs or self-standing businesses. </p>
<p>Since gig work tends to be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jan/29/gig-economy-traps-workers-in-precarious-existence-says-report">volatile</a> and <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-15-168r">contingent</a>, losing employment protections amplifies the precariousness of work. A business using misclassified workers can gain cost advantages over competitors who treat their workers as employees as required by the law. This competitive dynamic can spread misclassification to new companies, industries and occupations – a problem we addressed directly, for example, in <a href="https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20140827">construction cases</a> when I led the Wage and Hour Division and <a href="https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20220308">more recently in several health care cases</a>. </p>
<p>The future of work is not governed by immutable technological forces but involves volitional private and public choices. Navigating to that future requires weighing the benefits gig work can provide <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/15/business/economy/gig-work.html">some workers with greater economic independence</a> against the continuing need to protect and bestow rights for the many workers who will continue to play on a very uneven playing field in the labor market.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194424/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Over the last two decades, David Weil has received funding from the US Department of Labor, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to study how business organization affects workers under federal and state workplace laws.
He also led the US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division in the Obama administration. He has periodically advised state and federal government organizations regarding workplace laws and their enforcement. </span></em></p>
What a ‘gig worker’ is remains ill-defined, which can suit employers. But the spread of the gig economy means more workers don’t have the same rights and protections as employees.
David Weil, Visiting Senior Faculty Fellow, Ash Center for Democracy Harvard Kennedy School / Professor, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/193953
2023-01-05T13:27:11Z
2023-01-05T13:27:11Z
Green jobs are booming, but too few employees have sustainability skills to fill them – here are 4 ways to close the gap
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500868/original/file-20221213-26864-q2772b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=39%2C2%2C1857%2C1063&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">U.S. universities now have over 3,000 sustainability programs.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://news.asu.edu/20211014-garbage-gold-circular-economy-research-makes-plastic-more-sustainable">Andy DeLisle/ASU</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>To meet today’s global sustainability challenges, the corporate world needs more than a few chief sustainability officers – it needs <a href="https://aka.ms/ClosingtheSustainabilitySkillsGap">an army of employees</a>, in all areas of business, thinking about sustainability in their decisions every day.</p>
<p>That means product designers, supply managers, economists, scientists, architects and many others with the knowledge to both recognize unsustainable practices and find ways to improve sustainability for the overall health of their companies and the planet.</p>
<p>Employers are increasingly looking for those skills. We analyzed job ads from a <a href="https://lightcast.io/">global database</a> and found a tenfold increase in the number of jobs with “sustainability” in the title over the last decade, reaching 177,000 in 2021.</p>
<p>What’s troubling is that there are not enough skilled workers to meet the rapid growth in green and sustainability jobs available.</p>
<p>While the number of “<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/learning/green-jobs-for-sustainable-careers/what-is-a-green-job">green jobs</a>” grew globally at a <a href="https://linkedin.github.io/global-green-report-2022/">rate of 8%</a> per year over the last five years, the number of people listing green skills in their profiles only <a href="https://economicgraph.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/economicgraph/en-us/global-green-skills-report/global-green-skills-report-pdf/li-green-economy-report-2022-annex.pdf">grew by 6%</a> per year, according to a LinkedIn analysis of its nearly 800 million users.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man stands beside a 3-D printer in a university lab." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500870/original/file-20221213-21589-wcwzhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500870/original/file-20221213-21589-wcwzhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500870/original/file-20221213-21589-wcwzhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500870/original/file-20221213-21589-wcwzhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500870/original/file-20221213-21589-wcwzhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500870/original/file-20221213-21589-wcwzhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/500870/original/file-20221213-21589-wcwzhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When employees are trained to think about sustainable materials and processes, they can improve corporate innovation and the bottom line.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://fullcircle.asu.edu/fulton-schools/stimulating-manufacturing-innovation-in-asus-made-science-and-technology-center/">Sona Srinarayana/ASU</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As professors who train future workers in sustainability principles and techniques, we see several effective ways for people at all stages of their careers to gain those skills and increase those numbers.</p>
<h2>Where sustainability jobs are growing fastest</h2>
<p>In the U.S., jobs in the <a href="https://www.energy.gov/policy/us-energy-employment-jobs-report-useer">renewable energy and environment sectors</a>, <a href="https://economicgraph.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/economicgraph/en-us/global-green-skills-report/global-green-skills-report-pdf/li-green-economy-report-2022-annex.pdf">grew by 237%</a> over the last five years. Globally, the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is forecast to result in <a href="https://eos.org/articles/forecast-8-million-energy-jobs-created-by-meeting-paris-agreement">a net increase in jobs</a> for the energy sector. </p>
<p>But green jobs go well beyond solar panel installation and wind turbine maintenance. </p>
<p>Sustainable fashion is one of the fastest-growing green jobs sectors, averaging a <a href="https://economicgraph.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/economicgraph/en-us/global-green-skills-report/global-green-skills-report-pdf/li-green-economy-report-2022-annex.pdf">90% growth rate</a> annually between 2016 and 2020. </p>
<p>The rapid expansion of ESG investing – environment, social and governance – and portfolio management is opening up new jobs in sustainable finance. In 2021, the accounting firm PwC announced that it would invest US$12 billion and create <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/pwc-planning-hire-100000-over-five-years-major-esg-push-2021-06-15/">100,000 new jobs</a> in ESG investing by 2026. </p>
<p><iframe id="WlHBV" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/WlHBV/7/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>There is also a growing demand for urban sustainability officers who can help transition cities to be net-zero carbon and more resilient. After all, the world is adding <a href="https://population.un.org/wup/publications/Files/WUP2018-Report.pdf">1 million people to cities every five days</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab4b71">building 20,000 American football fields’ worth of urban areas</a> someplace on the planet every day. </p>
<p>In 2013, when the Rockefeller Foundation <a href="https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/100-resilient-cities/">launched 100 Resilient Cities</a>, a network to help cities become more sustainable, few cities had a resilience or sustainability officer. Today, more than 250 communities and 1,000 local government professionals are part of the <a href="https://www.usdn.org/index.html">Urban Sustainability Directors Network</a>. </p>
<p>The number of companies with <a href="https://businesschief.com/sustainability/charting-rise-chief-sustainability-officer">chief sustainability officers</a> in executive positions also <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/number-company-sustainability-officers-triples-2021-study-2022-05-04/">tripled</a> from 9% to 28% between 2016 and 2021. But given the <a href="https://www.ey.com/en_gl/sustainability/how-can-slowing-climate-change-accelerate-your-financial-performance">scale and business opportunities of sustainability</a>, these skills are needed much more widely within organizations.</p>
<h2>So, where can you find training?</h2>
<p>Most sustainability and green jobs require creative problem-solving, synthesizing and <a href="https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/publication/whos-fit-for-the-low-carbon-transition-emerging-skills-and-wage-gaps-in-job-ad-data/">technical skills</a>. Some of those skills can be learned on the job, but boosting the number of qualified job applicants will <a href="https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/strengthening-sustainability-programs-and-curricula-at-the-undergraduate-and-graduate-levels">require more effective and accessible training</a> opportunities that target employers’ needs. Here are a some training sources to consider.</p>
<p><strong>University programs:</strong> Sustainability is increasingly being incorporated into a wide range of university programs. Fifteen years ago, sustainability training was mostly ad hoc – a product designer or economist might have taken a class in sustainability approaches from the environmental science department. Today, U.S. universities have <a href="https://hub.aashe.org/browse/types/academicprogram/">about 3,000 programs</a> with a “sustainability” label, up from 13 in 2008.</p>
<p>A National Academies <a href="https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/strengthening-sustainability-programs-and-curricula-at-the-undergraduate-and-graduate-levels">report</a> recommends looking for a competency-based approach to sustainability learning that blends content with skills and links knowledge to action to solve problems and develop solutions.</p>
<p><strong>Micro-credentials:</strong> For mid-career employees who <a href="https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/10/plug-the-gap-retrain-for-net-zero/">don’t have the time</a> to reinvest in full-fledged degrees, short courses and micro-credentials offered by universities, colleges or professional groups offer one way to develop sustainability skills.</p>
<p>A micro-credential might involve taking a series of courses or workshops focused on a specific skill, such as <a href="https://www.farmingdale.edu/provost/microcredentials/wind-energy-technology-mc.shtml">in wind energy technology</a> or <a href="https://www.tcd.ie/courses/microcredentials/by-school/micro-credentials---business/creating-value-with-esg---micro-credential/">how to incorporate ESG criteria</a> into business operations.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of people wearing hard hats install a large window." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501166/original/file-20221214-14279-49z6wq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501166/original/file-20221214-14279-49z6wq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501166/original/file-20221214-14279-49z6wq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501166/original/file-20221214-14279-49z6wq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501166/original/file-20221214-14279-49z6wq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501166/original/file-20221214-14279-49z6wq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501166/original/file-20221214-14279-49z6wq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">U.S. architect Michael Reynolds holds four-week, hands-on training sessions, primarily for architects, in sustainable design principles, construction methods and philosophy. Participation can count toward Western Colorado University’s Master in Environmental Management graduate degree.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/trainees-work-during-the-construction-of-an-auto-news-photo/509595572">Pablo Porciuncula/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Short courses and micro credentials take up less time and are much less expensive than college degree programs. That may also help <a href="https://uwlpress.uwl.ac.uk/newvistas/article/id/193/">lower-income individuals</a> train for sustainability jobs and diversify the field.</p>
<p><strong>Specializations:</strong> A similar option is jobs-focused online certificate programs with a sustainability specialization. </p>
<p>For example, Google teamed up with universities to provide online courses for project managers, and Arizona State University is offering a <a href="https://grow.google/certificates/project-management">sustainability specialization</a> to accompany it. Project management is an area where the <a href="https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-1199.05">U.S. Department of Labor</a> expects to see fast job growth, with <a href="https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-1199.05">100,000 job openings</a> in the next decade.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A pile of boxes of various sizes ready for shipping at a FedEx shipping distribution center." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501167/original/file-20221214-16547-g5r5q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501167/original/file-20221214-16547-g5r5q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501167/original/file-20221214-16547-g5r5q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501167/original/file-20221214-16547-g5r5q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501167/original/file-20221214-16547-g5r5q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501167/original/file-20221214-16547-g5r5q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501167/original/file-20221214-16547-g5r5q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sustainable packaging design that reduces costs and reuses materials is an area ripe for innovation in many companies as consumer shipping increases.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/fedex-worker-sorts-packages-being-uloaded-from-a-truck-on-a-news-photo/56304610">Justin Sullivan/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>Corporate training:</strong> Some companies have developed their own internal sustainability training in <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/04/11/companies-embrace-employee-sustainability-education-to-tackle-climate-emergency/">climate science</a>, <a href="https://group.bnpparibas/en/news/we-engage-sustainable-finance-internal-training-social-environmental-challenges">sustainable finance</a>, <a href="https://home.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/pdf/2016/03/30072014_Sustainability_Training_Brochure.pdf">sustainability reporting</a> and other skills.</p>
<p>Integrating sustainability across all functions of companies will require some level of sustainability training and understanding for most if not all employees. Companies like <a href="https://www.starbucksglobalacademy.com/greener-apron/">Starbucks</a>, <a href="https://sustainability-academy.org/tag/hsbc/">HSBC</a>, <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/sustainability-core-value/">Salesforce</a> and <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sustainability/learning-center">Microsoft</a> have created internal training programs to spread sustainability knowledge and practice throughout their companies, not just for employees who have sustainability in their titles.</p>
<h2>Closing the gap</h2>
<p>A recent <a href="https://aka.ms/ClosingtheSustainabilitySkillsGap">survey by Microsoft and BCG</a> of major companies found that only 43% of sustainability professionals in businesses had sustainability-related degrees, and 68% of sustainability leaders were hired internally. </p>
<p>It’s clear that on-the-job sustainability training and up-skilling will be necessary to fill the growing number of roles inside of companies.</p>
<p>To meet the sustainability skills gap, we believe more training will be required – at colleges and universities, by professional organizations and from employers. Achieving global sustainability and meeting climate change challenges will become more likely as legions of people commit their working hours to sustainability solutions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193953/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Boone receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the George and Cynthia Mitchell Foundation. He serves on the board of directors for the Global Council for Science and the Environment. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Seto receives funding from NASA and NSF. She is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. </span></em></p>
Green jobs go beyond solar panel installation and wind turbine maintenance. They’re found in fields from design to economics and in many types of management.
Christopher Boone, Professor of Sustainability, Arizona State University
Karen C. Seto, Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science, Yale University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/194327
2023-01-05T13:26:07Z
2023-01-05T13:26:07Z
Diversity of US workplaces is growing in terms of race, ethnicity and age – forcing more employers to be flexible
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500804/original/file-20221213-22444-pi89ao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=234%2C48%2C6233%2C3336&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The aging of the U.S. workforce is further along for librarians than most other professions.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/two-men-in-library-looking-at-computer-screen-royalty-free-image/1130541786?adppopup=true">kali9/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Increased immigration, longer life expectancy and a decline in birth rates are <a href="https://blogs.bls.gov/blog/2021/09/01/a-labor-day-look-at-how-american-workers-have-changed-over-40-years/">transforming the U.S. workforce</a> in two important ways. The people powering this nation’s economy include far more <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2015/article/labor-force-projections-to-2024.htm">people of color</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/productiveaging/dataandstatistics.htm">workers over 55</a> than was the case four decades ago. </p>
<p>And this diversity will keep growing in the years ahead, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/new-census-data-shows-the-nation-is-diversifying-even-faster-than-predicted">economists predict</a>.</p>
<p>The share of U.S. workers who are <a href="https://blogs.bls.gov/blog/2021/09/01/a-labor-day-look-at-how-american-workers-have-changed-over-40-years/">nonwhite, Latino or both nearly doubled to about 40%</a> in 2019 from roughly 23% in 1979, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With more older people staying economically active, over <a href="https://www.aarp.org/ppi/info-2020/employment-data-digest.html">37 million U.S. workers are 55 and up</a> today. They account for nearly 1 in 4 of the <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/data/latest-annual-data/working-women#Percent-Distribution-of-the-Labor-Force-by-Age-and-Sex">160 million Americans engaged in paid work</a>. In 1979, fewer than 1 in 7 U.S. workers were in that age group.</p>
<p>The government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf">ranks of older workers will keep rising</a> in the years ahead – including people who are well into their golden years. The number of Americans 75 and older remaining in the labor force will <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/number-of-people-75-and-older-in-the-labor-force-is-expected-to-grow-96-5-percent-by-2030.htm">nearly double between 2020 and 2030</a>, while the number of all workers rises by only 5.5%, according to the bureau.</p>
<p>The share of white workers will have declined to 74.7% by 2031, from 77% in 2021, the bureau predicts.</p>
<p>The agency is also tracking the prevalence of workers of Hispanic origin who can identify as white, Black or mixed race. It says that the share of such workers will <a href="https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/civilian-labor-force-summary.htm">rise during that decade to 21.5% from 18.3%</a> of the workforce – up sharply from 12.1% in 2001.</p>
<p>How are U.S. employers responding to these changes? </p>
<p>I’m a sociologist who studies how <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/authored-by/Wingfield/Adia+Harvey">racial and gender inequality persist</a> in professional occupations. One likely consequence I expect to see is employers finding themselves forced to do a better job of attracting and retaining underrepresented and older workers through diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.</p>
<p><iframe id="v7hgk" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/v7hgk/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Diversity initiatives already widespread</h2>
<p>It’s already very common for employers to take <a href="https://www.boldtypebooks.com/titles/pamela-newkirk/diversity-inc/9781568588230/">diversity, equity and inclusion</a> measures. A 2019 survey of 234 companies found that nearly 2 in 3 employed diversity managers.</p>
<p>Their responsibilities can range widely. Some examples include creating a culture that values and welcomes workers from diverse backgrounds and increasing the numbers of employees from backgrounds that are underrepresented in a particular field.</p>
<p>In finance this might mean bringing in more female, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/closing-the-gender-and-race-gaps-in-north-american-financial-services">Black and Latino analysts</a>. In nursing this could mean attracting more men of all races into a profession that’s still <a href="https://minoritynurse.com/nursing-statistics/">dominated by white women</a>.</p>
<p>In these fields and others, changing the culture can mean collecting data about which workers are underrepresented, trying to fill any gaps detected, or <a href="https://iuslaboris.com/insights/a-guide-to-hair-discrimination-laws-and-their-impact-on-employer-grooming-codes-in-the-us/">revising dress and grooming codes</a> that ban hairstyles more commonly worn by Black workers. </p>
<p><iframe id="92bgJ" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/92bgJ/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>2 common yet ill-advised strategies</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, many companies are using diversity <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674276611">strategies that aren’t proved to work</a>. </p>
<p>These can include <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/diversity-training-in-the-workplace">mandatory diversity training</a>, often in the form of professional webinars or workshops with interactive exercises. </p>
<p>Diversity training is supposed to make people better at working and interacting with colleagues and customers with cultural backgrounds that differ from their own. But it <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210614-why-ineffective-diversity-training-wont-go-away">often fails to do that</a>. </p>
<p>One complication is that employees resent the feeling of being controlled.</p>
<p>Another is that they may see this mandatory training as a waste of their time. And there’s evidence suggesting that it <a href="https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2020/09/after-damaging-diversity-training-city-wont-use-company-again-for-similar-workshops/">can even be counterproductive</a> by reinforcing rather than debunking stereotypes and <a href="https://ideas.darden.virginia.edu/race-and-leadership">alienating Black workers </a>.</p>
<p>The other strategy that’s more common than it should be is the <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674276611">use of skills tests</a> that job applicants must pass as a condition for hiring. In tech, for instance, a skills test could mean that applicants are asked to solve a particular problem so that hiring managers can objectively assess their skills as well as their ability to work cohesively with a team.</p>
<p>The problem with skills tests is that hiring managers often <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674276611">weigh the outcome of these tests differently</a> for Black and white workers due to a <a href="https://hr.uw.edu/diversity/hiring/bias-and-hiring/">range of biases</a>, some of which they may not be aware.</p>
<p>Recent research also indicates that neither of these popular approaches is leading companies to make their <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/dobbin/files/dobbin_-_aatraining_clean.pdf">workforces more racially diverse</a> through their hiring practices.</p>
<p>I believe that employers use these strategies anyway because they are easy, widespread and popular. Companies may proceed with what they’ve used in the past rather than trying something new.</p>
<p>Fortunately, new research is pointing to more successful strategies. </p>
<p><iframe id="gWqQz" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/gWqQz/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>What seems to work better</h2>
<p>Employers can respond to today’s and tomorrow’s demographic realities by changing how they handle hiring. They can start by <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674276611">recruiting more workers from historically Black</a> colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions.</p>
<p>A promising strategy that aids in the retention of workers of color is the <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/06/dont-just-mentor-women-and-people-of-color-sponsor-them">development of mentoring programs</a> that are open to all, rather than by invitation only. That way, implicit biases don’t exclude workers of color. </p>
<p>Companies can also implement what’s known as “<a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674276611">upskilling</a>.” </p>
<p>Workers in upskilling programs try out a variety of different roles in the organization. This strategy helps develop underrepresented workers’ skill sets and connects them to managers who might otherwise overlook them.</p>
<h2>Aging workers and those coming of age</h2>
<p>The aging of the workforce is especially marked in some sectors of the economy. While the median age of a U.S. worker was 42.2 in 2022, it was <a href="https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11b.htm">55.6 for bus drivers and 49.9 for librarians</a>.</p>
<p>The prevalence of older workers in these jobs means that some employers will need to heed what these workers need to retain the staff they require.</p>
<p>Those changes could include implementing <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/commentary-heres-aging-workforce-means-191900072.html">phased retirement</a> options – that is, letting employees gradually transition out of full-time work with the freedom to work part time for several years before exiting the labor force altogether.</p>
<p>It’s also a good idea to strengthen measures that protect these workers from <a href="https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/discrimination/agedisc">age-based discrimination</a> – which is a <a href="https://www.seniorliving.org/research/age-discrimination-statistics-facts/">common occurrence</a> despite its being illegal.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/econ/2021/older-workers-age-discrimination-covid-19-pandemic-infographic.doi.10.26419-2Fres.00445.003.pdf">Older workers</a> often find themselves mocked, harassed and bullied. They also get passed up for raises, promotions and other opportunities.</p>
<p>But employers shouldn’t adjust their expectations to accommodate only the needs of older workers. A growing share of employees under 40 are also making demands of their own.</p>
<p>These workers, particularly those in their 20s and 30s, are being more open with their bosses about their <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-versus-gen-z-workplace-trends-flexibility-work-life-balance-2021-11">preferences for work-life balance</a> than their colleagues who are 50 and up. </p>
<p>Many workers in their 20s or 30s are rejecting a model of work that requires them to be on call and available at all hours, demands inflexible scheduling and places ever-encroaching demands on employees. They want jobs that allow them to engage more fully with their families and in leisure activities.</p>
<h2>Employers may have no alternatives</h2>
<p>Ultimately, more workforce diversity in terms of age, race and ethnicity may force employers to change at least some of their ways. </p>
<p>With the aging of workers born after 1990, employers may have to try harder to accommodate their preferences – particularly as they stand to replace those older workers who retire or shift into <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2018/article/who-chooses-part-time-work-and-why.htm">part-time employment</a>. </p>
<p>Whether it’s by design or necessity, I believe employers will hire staffs that are more racially and ethnically diverse. In addition, I foresee that they may have no choice but to let their workers have more flexibility and freedom.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194327/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adia Harvey Wingfield does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Employers need good strategies to hire and retain more workers of color and older workers. The mandatory diversity training and requisite skills tests many of them now rely on don’t measure up.
Adia Harvey Wingfield, Professor of Sociology, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/194712
2023-01-04T13:28:20Z
2023-01-04T13:28:20Z
Working in isolation can pose mental health challenges – here’s what anyone can learn from how gig workers have adapted
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500824/original/file-20221213-22519-z6pe3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=38%2C15%2C5054%2C3374&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Coffee shops can be a "third space" – not home or the office – where remote or gig workers can go to feel less isolated.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/people-using-technology-in-coffee-shop-royalty-free-image/514408997?adppopup=true">Granger Wootz/Tetra images via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the wake of the pandemic, it is clear that remote work is here to stay. It seems every week there are more news stories about workers <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/09/to-get-people-back-in-the-office-make-it-social">preferring to work remotely</a>, or companies <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220722-the-companies-doubling-down-on-remote-work">closing physical office spaces</a>. </p>
<p>This shift has employees and managers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000948">navigating new workplace challenges</a>, not least of which is <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220616-is-remote-work-worse-for-wellbeing-than-people-think#:%7E:text=One%20survey%20showed%2081%25%20of,the%20shift%20to%20remote%20work">mental health concerns from working in isolation</a>.</p>
<p>Now more than ever, there is much to be gained by learning from the lived experiences of gig workers – anyone working independently <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267211030098">on a “gig-to-gig” basis</a>. Many have experienced and experimented with managing a form of radical agency, flexibility and autonomy in an environment where <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267211030098">working in isolation was a norm</a> long before it became a more <a href="https://resources.owllabs.com/state-of-remote-work">global reality</a>. </p>
<p>We are a team of management professors at <a href="https://kelley.iu.edu/faculty-research/faculty-directory/profile.html?id=LAMBERB">Indiana University</a>, the <a href="https://bryan.uncg.edu/faculty-and-staff/brianna-caza/">University of North Carolina at Greensboro</a>, <a href="https://experts.mcmaster.ca/display/reidem">McMaster University</a> and the <a href="https://michiganross.umich.edu/faculty-research/faculty/sue-ashford">University of Michigan</a>. Drawing on <a href="https://www.thegigworklife.com/">our own research</a> on gig work, as well as that of others studying the gig economy, we can identify some of the challenges of working in isolation, and offer some practical advice on how to address them.</p>
<h2>The emotional costs of isolated work</h2>
<p>Gig work comes with some upsides, like being one’s own boss or setting one’s own schedule. However, the isolation typical of gig work can also take an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103784">emotional toll</a>. Gig workers often feel <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839218759646">lonely and anxious</a> because they lack easy access to relationships or membership in an organization.</p>
<p>In preliminary research done for her dissertation, one of us, Brittany Lambert, has found that this anxiety can rise to clinically significant levels. In this research, 47 gig workers in highly skilled professions provided a total of 1,287 responses to daily surveys about their work experiences and mental health. Initial findings revealed that on average, they experienced heightened levels of anxiety for more than half of the 10-day study. </p>
<p>Some degree of worrying is healthy – it can even support <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000266">productivity</a>. However, higher levels of persistent anxiety <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders#:%7E:text=Generalized%20anxiety%20disorder%20(GAD)%20usually,for%20months%2C%20if%20not%20years">can also be disruptive</a>. As workers drain their resources and energy <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000855">to manage both the chronic anxiety</a> stemming from their working conditions and the daily demands of their job, they may be more likely to burn out.</p>
<p>Additionally, research into the isolation of gig work has shown that working this way has implications for professional development. Gig workers can often lack <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2018.11.001">access to social resources</a> that help traditional workers do their jobs and advance their careers, like feedback, new ideas, knowledge and even emotional support. </p>
<p>While these obstacles may still be fresh to newly remote employees, many gig workers have learned to flourish in the face of these challenges. In fact, Lambert’s dissertation suggests that the autonomy in this type of work – working by yourself and choosing how, when and where to work – may be both anxiety provoking and anxiety reducing (protective to mental health). So, how do gig workers equip themselves to thrive in work environments that isolate them from their colleagues? Research suggests some answers.</p>
<h2>Cultivate community</h2>
<p>One way to break the isolation of working alone is to intentionally craft a support system.</p>
<p>Emerging research on gig workers’ social lives suggests it is possible to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170221103146">build a thriving social community</a> even when work does not come with built-in relationships. Instead, gig workers must be proactive and resourceful in pursuing and deepening these connections. </p>
<p>For instance, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001029">more and more gig work communities are popping up</a> in various cities, facilitated by online forums, writers associations and co-working spaces. These groups can provide a sense of belonging to a larger community. </p>
<p>Another way gig workers creatively cultivate relationships is by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839218759646">routinely working in the same public place</a> — a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00986754">third place</a>” like a coffee shop. Research findings suggest that gig workers fare better when they proactively seek out and foster <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170221103146">the meaningful relationships</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839218759646">shown to support</a> thriving and managing difficult emotions, like anxiety, at work.</p>
<h2>Break negative thought patterns</h2>
<p>Rumination is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2635">a repetitive pattern of negative thinking</a> in which people fixate on their problems and shortcomings rather than remembering achievements or thinking up potential solutions. </p>
<p>When isolated workers feel lonely and anxious, they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000838">more likely to ruminate</a>. For example, the combination of gig work stressors, from financial instability to chronic isolation, may promote ruminative thought patterns such as, “I didn’t finish this client work today – that means I’m not good at my job or cut out to succeed in this type of work.” Breaking this cycle of unhelpful thinking <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2005.07.003">can reduce anxiety</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000838">increase engagement at work</a>. </p>
<p>There are many evidence-based tools and practices that can help people become aware of and engage with ruminative thoughts in more helpful and effective ways. These include <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822">mindfulness techniques</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000268">journaling and reflection</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2018.04.002">many forms of psychotherapy</a>. </p>
<h2>A reflection exercise</h2>
<p>The next time you notice feeling down, anxious or stuck ruminating, here is one simple exercise created by clinical psychologist Natasha Hansen of Indiana University to shift those feelings and thoughts. Pause and ask yourself the following four questions, writing down your responses and reflecting on each one as you go:</p>
<ul>
<li>What was I just thinking?</li>
<li>Is that thought true – what is the evidence for the thought, and is there any evidence against the thought? </li>
<li>Is that thought helpful – does it move me in the direction of the things that are important to me?</li>
<li>Is there something else I could tell myself that would be both more true and more effective in moving me in the direction of my goals?</li>
</ul>
<p>Take another minute to reflect on what you wrote down in Step 4. How does it make you feel? What does it prompt you to do in comparison with the thought you wrote down in Step 1? </p>
<p>Doing this sort of exercise regularly can help isolated gig workers manage their mental health. Much in the same way that athletes build muscle memory when they train, the more workers of all kinds practice catching and shifting unhelpful thought patterns, the more habitual effective thinking becomes. </p>
<p>In sum, we believe that understanding where gig workers struggle and what they do to effectively manage these challenges can help all of us as we try to navigate a future of work where “going to work” often means being alone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194712/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brittany Lambert receives funding from SIOP (Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brianna Barker Caza receives funding from Social Science and Humanities Research Council and the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology to study gig workers. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erin Reid receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Government of Ontario Early Researcher Award. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Ashford receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology </span></em></p>
Gig workers navigate the challenges of solo work by seeking out relationships and cultivating skills to cope with emotional turbulence
Brittany Lambert, Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, Indiana University
Brianna Barker Caza, Associate Professor of Management, University of North Carolina – Greensboro
Erin Reid, Associate professor, Human Resources & Management, McMaster University
Susan Ashford, Michael and Susan Jandernoa Professor of Management and Organizations, University of Michigan
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/194036
2023-01-03T13:29:32Z
2023-01-03T13:29:32Z
Americans are taking more control over their work lives – because they have to
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498023/original/file-20221129-16-jn8xtb.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C3782%2C2155&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Workers take on side hustles not just for the money, but also to compensate for limited control in their traditional jobs.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/florida-miami-beach-uber-ridesharing-service-driver-with-news-photo/1263005033?adppopup=true">Jeff Greenberg via Universal Images Group/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One thing that’s become clear in the past few tumultuous – and for many, traumatic – years is that it’s easy to feel like there is no control in our lives. Control is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1995.tb00501.x">basic psychological need</a> that helps people feel like they have agency, from how they live to where they work. One area where people have tried to wrestle back control is around work. </p>
<p>As a Rice University business school professor and <a href="https://www.scottsonenshein.com/">author</a>, I’ve examined through <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YhjQHhAAAAAJ&hl=en">my research</a>, teaching and readership the complex relationships between employees and their employers for nearly two decades. The aftermath of the pandemic is the latest iteration of a timeless negotiation between labor and management over control that took on added significance these past few years.</p>
<p>The pandemic accelerated a development that began years ago when workers realized they needed to take on more responsibility for directing their careers. This major shift reflects a potentially exciting but also unnerving reality for millions of workers.</p>
<h2>From lifer to independent worker</h2>
<p>For decades, employers had the upper hand in negotiating terms with employees. People exchanged unconditional loyalty to an employer for lifetime employment and a secure retirement. That model <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3324911">started to erode</a> with an increase in <a href="https://www.bls.gov/osmr/research-papers/2000/pdf/ec000050.pdf">corporate restructuring in the 1980s and 1990s</a>. With the prospects of a secure job and comfortable retirement more elusive, employees switched jobs to regain some control. They sought the promise of a higher salary and a better work life. In the past decade, the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.t01.htm">average tenure at an employer dropped nearly 10%</a>.</p>
<p>During the pandemic, a tight labor market allowed employees <a href="https://theconversation.com/bad-managers-burnout-and-health-fears-why-record-numbers-of-hospitality-workers-are-quitting-the-industry-for-good-174588">to use job mobility</a> to feel <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/24/1007914455/as-the-pandemic-recedes-millions-of-workers-are-saying-i-quit">greater control over their lives</a>. Additionally, the freedoms afforded by remote work offset some of the losses of control caused by the pandemic. But the reality is that while changing jobs leads to a <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2005-10696-005">short-term boost in job satisfaction, that feeling is usually only temporary</a>.</p>
<p>In a post-pandemic world, a new model is emerging that reflects concerns of a slowing economy and more uncertain future. Employees are increasingly rejecting the belief that a single job can s<a href="https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-shared/docs/deloitte-2022-genz-millennial-survey.pdf">atisfy all of their financial and psychological needs</a>. Instead, people are turning to building a portfolio of simultaneous roles to create their career. </p>
<p>With <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/10/why-you-should-build-a-career-portfolio-not-a-career-path">“career portfolioing,”</a> employees become free agents, relying increasingly on themselves to carve out a meaningful and rewarding professional life. They put together a mosaic of positions to collectively fulfill their aspirations around income, advancement, skill development and enjoyment. They are no longer subject to a longstanding relationship with a single, lifetime employer, or dependent on a strong job market.</p>
<p>One sign of the rise of career portfolioing is the increase in side hustles. In 2021, 34% of Americans reported having a side hustle, and over <a href="https://zapier.com/blog/side-hustle-report/">60 million people planned to start one</a>. As inflation rose, side hustles provided extra income in the face of soaring prices. But people also turned to side hustles for new learning opportunities (28%) and to find more enjoyable work (38%).</p>
<p><iframe id="yya9r" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/yya9r/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>In research I’ve been conducting on side hustles in the sharing economy, I am finding that many people take these gigs to compensate for limited control in their “traditional” jobs. Although gig work comes with its own set of challenges – lack of benefits is a key one – people feel liberated by greater control over where, when and how they work. Switching on an app shifts allegiance from one company to another. Turning off an app ends the workday in an instant. People rely on side hustles to earn additional income but also because of the freedom that comes from being an independent worker.</p>
<p>Another benefit of portfolioing is hedging risk. Sudden layoffs, such as those recently <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/14/1136659617/tech-layoffs-amazon-meta-twitter">affecting the tech industry</a>, leave people feeling exposed to financial hardship and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(93)90316-V">identity loss from being involuntarily sent to the exit</a>. When facing difficult times at one job, people can turn to other parts of their career portfolio for security and stability.</p>
<h2>Taking action on values</h2>
<p>During the pandemic, people’s sense of mortality increased as the threat of serious illness or even death spread. Such times often prompt a deep reflection on values, including the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000983">purpose of work</a>. When people took stock of their jobs, many did not like what they saw and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000983">quit at record numbers</a>. Or, if they stayed, they increasingly pushed employers to align better with their values. </p>
<p>Historically, business organizations stayed quiet about controversial social issues, such as LGBTQ rights, racial justice and abortion – unless there was a <a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/corporations-stay-silent-abortion">very direct profit motive</a>. That’s changed dramatically as employees increasingly <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/01/most-workers-want-their-employer-to-share-their-values.html">demand clarity on company values</a> – and actions to back them up. Sixty percent of workers approve of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/30/workers-eager-to-see-corporate-bosses-speak-out-on-politics.html">business leaders speaking out on social and political issues</a>, and one quarter of respondents to a recent survey reported turning down a job opportunity <a href="https://profilemagazine.com/2022/workers-want-companies-to-speak-out-about-social-issues/">because of a company’s position on social issues</a>. </p>
<p>Employees, too, appear to be more comfortable expressing their views. At the beginning of the century, I conducted <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2007-00845-004">one of my first research studies</a> on understanding how employees convince their workplaces to take a stance on divisive social issues. I found that employees concealed their values by framing them as economic opportunities. For example, sustainability initiatives around energy efficiency were cast as good for the bottom line.</p>
<p>When I recently <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2019-02020-001">ran a similar study</a>, the dynamics had shifted. Employees were much more willing to talk about moral values and less willing to translate social issues into business issues. Such a dramatic reversal reflects employees’ growing sense of empowerment to make work more aligned with their needs. It’s hard to feel in control of your life if you need to suppress or even contradict deeply held values at a place where you spend most of your waking day.</p>
<h2>A better future for work</h2>
<p>Career portfolioing reflects a future in which uncertainty is too high to rely on a single institution to fulfill basic needs, and a failure of modern work organizations to deliver what employees truly value. </p>
<p>For employees, career portfolioing means more latitude over how their career unfolds. Instead of rising to the next rung of an often pre-defined and inflexible corporate ladder, they might instead think about the next addition to their portfolio, whether starting a new part-time job, taking a new class or pursuing a business idea. Elements of a career portfolio not only get added to produce income or personal growth, but also to support a person’s values. </p>
<p>No doubt, there are potential obstacles. Taking responsibility for a career portfolio requires additional effort. In our book “<a href="https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/marie-kondo/joy-at-work/9781549122552/">Joy at Work</a>,” co-author Marie Kondo and I find that it’s all too easy to take on too many tasks and subsequently burn out. People get trapped into thinking the more they do, the better they’ll feel. Avoiding burnout starts with anchoring a career portfolio based on values and an ideal work life.</p>
<p>For employers, career portfolioing means competing for the full attention of their own workforce. I believe it should prompt a deeper reflection about how to better meet the needs of employees – or else they may leave or <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/398306/quiet-quitting-real.aspx">quiet quit</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194036/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Sonenshein does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
‘Career portfolioing’ is a trend where people assemble different sources of income, such as side gigs, to give them a measure of independence from employers who provide little job security.
Scott Sonenshein, Professor of Management, Rice University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/194379
2022-11-14T07:50:53Z
2022-11-14T07:50:53Z
Worker organisations can survive the digital age. Here’s how
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494831/original/file-20221111-14-dka0y7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Is a food courier who owns one scooter a worker?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is a widespread view that labour has become irrelevant as a force for change. The argument goes that the proliferation of digital labour platforms – and the rise in <a href="https://theconversation.com/digital-labour-platforms-subject-global-south-workers-to-algorithmic-insecurity-186492">job insecurity this brings</a> – means that worker resistance is increasingly futile.</p>
<p>The problem with this pessimistic “end of labour thesis” is that it gives globalisation and the digital age a logic and coherence that they do not have. The result is the decentring of workplace struggles over the conditions of work and an obscuring of relations of exploitation. The outcome is that <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-a-seductive-idea-requiring-critical-engagement-184475">capital is let off the hook</a>.</p>
<p>We argue that worker organising and public policy can play an important role in shaping the terms of digitisation. </p>
<p>In South Africa, Uber Eats workers have demonstrated their structural power by collectively logging off the app. In Colombia, Rappi delivery workers have successfully organised transnational strikes with support from established unions and social movements.</p>
<p>When it comes to policy, the Biden administration recently <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-biden-labor-rule-would-make-contractors-into-employees-2022-10-11/">showed</a> that platform business models can be changed. It proposed a rule which would reclassify platform workers as employees, extending labour and social protection to precarious workers.</p>
<p>We argue that unions continue to be important. But we also argue that, in the face of a decline in traditional union membership, it’s critical to focus on where resistance is taking place, rather than where it is not. While we are witnessing a decline in a particular form of worker organisation, worker organisation is still very much alive and effective.</p>
<h2>The end of labour thesis</h2>
<p>There is significant evidence in support of the “end of labour thesis”. Over the last decades there has been a <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---actrav/documents/publication/wcms_731147.pdf">decline in union membership</a> globally. Established trade unions are particularly reluctant to organise platform workers because it’s a difficult sector to organise.</p>
<p>Platform workers are geographically dispersed and work in an individualised manner, which makes collective claim-making difficult. The elusive nature of algorithmic management muddies the nature of demands. And the misclassification of platform workers as self-employed means that it is not always clear who they should make claims from.</p>
<p>This ambiguity over platform workers’ class location raises difficult questions for union organisers. Who is a worker? Is a food courier who owns one scooter a worker? What about someone who owns two scooters and hires someone to ride the second one?</p>
<p>The picture is blurred further by how big technology giants are using data to manage workers. Data tracking has become critical to what is being called <a href="https://itforchange.net/sites/default/files/1741/WP24-Beyond-Data-Bodies-AG-NC.pdf">algorithmic management</a>. It’s used to make decisions about recruitment and allocation of work, ratings and remuneration and even termination. One of the consequences of this is what’s been termed <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3773164">algorithmic insecurity</a> – the fact that workers are aware that their performance is assessed on the basis of arbitrary ratings.</p>
<p>As Anita Gurumurthy, executive director of <a href="https://itforchange.net">IT for Change</a>, notes, demands for the extension of labour protections need to include demands over data ownership.</p>
<h2>In defence of labour</h2>
<p>Despite the challenge of organising platform workers, labour protests have grown. The <a href="https://www.etui.org/publications/policy-briefs/european-economic-employment-and-social-policy/a-global-struggle-worker-protest-in-the-platform-economy">Leeds Index of Platform Labour Protest</a> shows that platform worker organisation, mobilisation and resistance have spread rapidly across the globe. </p>
<p>Indeed, platforms seem to be a <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Riding+for+Deliveroo:+Resistance+in+the+New+Economy-p-9781509535507">breeding ground for self-organisation</a>, as digital management methods strengthen workers’ associational power.</p>
<p>Protests do not always fit established frameworks for labour relations. Some workers are organised in trade unions, such the <a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/faculties-and-schools/commerce-law-and-management/research-entities/scis/documents/7%20Velez%20Not%20a%20fairy%20tale%20Colombia.pdf">Movimiento Nacional de Repartidores de Plataformas Digitales</a> in Colombia, founded with support from the main union federation and social movements. The <a href="https://twu.or.ke/">Transport and Allied Workers’ Union</a> in Kenya is another.</p>
<p>However, our research also points to the proliferation of self-organised groups, which blur the boundaries between traditional unionism and informal workers’ associations or cooperatives. These range from mutual aid associations like the <a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/faculties-and-schools/commerce-law-and-management/research-entities/scis/documents/I_just_want_to_survive.pdf">Brothers of Melville</a> in South Africa to women-owned worker cooperatives like <a href="https://interactions.acm.org/archive/view/july-august-2022/beyond-platform-cooperativism">Senoritas Courier</a> in Brazil.</p>
<p>As labour scholar Maurizio Atzeni argued during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEdaigOTMQA&t=4450s">policy dialogue</a> hosted by the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, the processes that create conditions of exploitation also foster resistance. </p>
<h2>The relationship between capital and labour</h2>
<p>A key question is whether emerging forms of worker organisation have the power to reclaim control from digital capital and push back against “algorithmic insecurity”. </p>
<p>While emerging cooperatives may offer insights into alternatives to platform capitalism, they alone cannot transform platform capitalism, media and communications expert Rafael Grohman notes.</p>
<p>At the centre of platform capitalism are unprecedented levels of power in the hands of a few corporates, namely Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, Google and Spotify. Despite a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-biden-labor-rule-would-make-contractors-into-employees-2022-10-11/">drop</a> in share prices with the potential introduction of regulatory reforms, they account for <a href="https://companiesmarketcap.com/usa/largest-companies-in-the-usa-by-market-cap/">20% of the US stock market</a>.</p>
<p>Control and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02692171.2020.1773647">power is concentrated</a> in a small, mathematically proficient elite dominating decision-making and policy by owning and controlling the “algorithm” in ways that generate even greater inequalities. Global IT giants have become more powerful than most countries and governments. They evade corporate governance codes, laws and policies, including anti-trust, competition and tax collection.</p>
<p>As Gururmurthy notes, <a href="https://itforchange.net/sites/default/files/2159/ITfC-Workers%E2%80%99-Data-Rights-Platformized-Workplace_1.pdf">data</a> has become a new frontier of capital accumulation. It has also become a source of value in and of itself, to be bought and sold along the data value chain. </p>
<h2>The role of the state</h2>
<p>In the absence of an adequate regulatory framework for platform work, two broad pathways can be identified. </p>
<p>One involves a deepening of the domination of foreign-owned tech giants with no national or global agreement on how to operate. This could be described as a form of <a href="https://www.perlego.com/book/969685/the-costs-of-connection-how-data-is-colonizing-human-life-and-appropriating-it-for-capitalism-pdf?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&campaignid=15853719261&adgroupid=133053614598&gclid=Cj0KCQiA37KbBhDgARIsAIzce16lhvohLFn0QqDFYvmXa0bn95LFt8qL8fAaUq5P0Dvb4WoEqqicubsaAiwMEALw_wcB">re-colonisation of the global south</a>. This could create more jobs, but workers would be stuck in low-wage drudgery with none of the protections or benefits of formal employment.</p>
<p>An alternative pathway could be a “digital social compact” created with the active participation of platform workers and their organisations. This would involve coherent global and national policies, including legislation to protect workers. </p>
<p>This optimistic path opens the possibility of the extension of labour and social protections to informalised platform workers.</p>
<p><em>The Future of Work(ers) Research Programme at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand is hosting a seven-part dialogue series. The aim is to generate public debate on the relationship between digital technologies, the changing nature of work(ers) and the implications for inequality.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194379/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Edward Webster receives funding from Friedrich Ebert Stifling . </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ruth Castel-Branco receives funding from IDRC.</span></em></p>
There are ways in which platform workers can resist the rise in job insecurity and poor working conditions brought on by digital labour platforms.
Edward Webster, Distinguished Reserach Professor, Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand
Ruth Castel-Branco, Research Manager, University of the Witwatersrand
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/192389
2022-11-10T13:41:59Z
2022-11-10T13:41:59Z
American workers feel alienated, helpless and overwhelmed – here’s one way to alleviate their malaise
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494273/original/file-20221108-26-saqnnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=306%2C0%2C7450%2C4558&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Labor-saving technologies have not afforded workers more leisure time.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/competing-men-race-for-power-by-climbing-royalty-free-illustration/1372359166?phrase=work exploitation illustration&adppopup=true">Pict Rider/iStock via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>First it was the “<a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220817-why-workers-just-wont-stop-quitting">Great Resignation</a>.” Then it was “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/may/07/truth-behind-unemployment-benefits-myth">nobody wants to work anymore</a>.” Now it’s “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/if-your-gen-z-co-workers-are-quiet-quitting-heres-what-that-means-11660260608">quiet quitting</a>.”</p>
<p>Yet it seems like no one wants to talk about what I see as the root cause of America’s economic malaise – work under contemporary capitalism is fundamentally flawed.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.alecstubbs.info">As a political philosopher</a> studying the effects of contemporary capitalism on the future of work, I believe that the inability to dictate and meaningfully control one’s own working life is the problem.</p>
<p>Democratizing work is the solution.</p>
<h2>The problem of work</h2>
<p>What can be said about the malaise surrounding work under capitalism today?</p>
<p>There are at least four major problems:</p>
<p>First, work can be alienating. Workers are often <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780742564985/After-Capitalism-2nd-Edition">not in control</a> of how they work, when they work, what is done with the goods and services they produce, and what is done with the profits made from their work.</p>
<p>This is particularly evident in the rise of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103481">precarious forms of work</a>, like those that are found in the gig economy.</p>
<p>According to the Pew Research Center, there’s been <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/11/18/where-americans-find-meaning-in-life-has-changed-over-the-past-four-years/">a decline in people finding meaning in their work</a>. <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/help-your-employees-find-purpose-or-watch-them-leave">Nearly half</a> of front-line managers and employees do not think that they can “live their purpose” through their jobs.</p>
<p>Second, workers are not paid the full value of their labor. <a href="https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/">Real wages have not kept pace with productivity</a>, driving economic inequality and a <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-6/pdf/understanding-the-labor-productivity-and-compensation-gap.pdf">decline in labor’s share of income</a>.</p>
<p>Third, people are time poor. In the U.S., <a href="https://www.bls.gov/charts/american-time-use/activity-by-work.htm">full-time employed workers work an average of 8.72 hours per day</a> despite productivity increases. Long working hours, along with a number of other factors, contribute to the feeling of “<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-0920-z">time poverty</a>,” which has a negative impact on psychological well-being.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man tied up by hands." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494274/original/file-20221108-24-63bkj3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494274/original/file-20221108-24-63bkj3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494274/original/file-20221108-24-63bkj3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494274/original/file-20221108-24-63bkj3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494274/original/file-20221108-24-63bkj3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494274/original/file-20221108-24-63bkj3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494274/original/file-20221108-24-63bkj3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Constrained by the demands of work, many people find they have little time to pursue their own interests.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/businessman-tied-to-the-air-by-giants-royalty-free-illustration/983370842?phrase=work%2Bexploitation%2Billustration">z_wei/iStock via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fourth, automation puts jobs and wages at risk. While technological innovation could in theory liberate people from the 40-hour workweek, as long as changes aren’t made to the structure of work, automation will simply continue to exert <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w23285">downward pressure on wages</a> and contribute to <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---cabinet/documents/publication/wcms_591502.pdf">increases in precarious employment</a>. </p>
<p>Ultimately, the potential of automation to reduce working hours is inconsistent with the profit motives of capitalist companies.</p>
<h2>Humanize work or reduce it?</h2>
<p>On the one hand, many people lack work that is personally meaningful. On the other hand, many are also <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/11/18/where-americans-find-meaning-in-life-has-changed-over-the-past-four-years/">desperate for a more complete life</a> – one that allows for creative self-expression and community-building outside of work.</p>
<p>So, what is to be done with the problem of work? </p>
<p>There are two competing visions of the best way to arrive at a solution.</p>
<p>The first is what Kathi Weeks, author of “<a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-problem-with-work">The Problem with Work</a>,” calls the “socialist humanist” position. According to socialist humanists, work “is understood as an individual creative capacity, a human essence, from which we are now estranged and to which we should be restored.” </p>
<p>In other words, jobs often make workers feel less human. The way to remedy this problem is by re-imagining work so that it is self-determined and people are better compensated for the work they do. </p>
<p>The second is what’s known as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jan/19/post-work-the-radical-idea-of-a-world-without-jobs">“post-work” position</a>. The post-work theorists believe that while doing some work might be necessary, the work ethic, as a prerequisite for social value, can be corrosive to humanity; they argue that meaning, purpose and social value are not necessarily found in work <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501748448/undoing-work-rethinking-community/">but instead reside</a> in the communities and relationships built and sustained outside of the workplace.</p>
<p>So people should be liberated from the requirement of work in order to have the free time to do as they please, and embrace <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/books/509-critique-of-economic-reason">what French-Austrian philosopher André Gorz called</a> “life as an end in itself.” </p>
<p>While both positions might stem from theoretical disagreements, is it possible to have the best of both worlds? Can work be humanized and play a less central role in our lives?</p>
<h2>Democratic worker control</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.alecstubbs.info/research">My own research</a> has focused on what I see as a critical answer to the above question: democratic worker control.</p>
<p>Democratic worker control – where companies are owned and controlled by the workers themselves – is not a new concept. Worker cooperatives are already found in <a href="https://institute.coop/resources/2021-worker-cooperative-state-sector-report">many sectors throughout the U.S.</a> and <a href="https://www.cicopa.coop/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Cooperatives-and-Employment-Second-Global-Report-2017.pdf">elsewhere around the globe</a>. </p>
<p>In contrast to how work is currently organized under capitalism, democratic worker control humanizes work by allowing workers to determine their own working conditions, to own the full value of their labor, to dictate the structure and nature of their jobs and, crucially, to determine their own working hours. </p>
<p>This perspective recognizes that the problems people face in their working lives are not merely the result of an unjust distribution of resources. Rather, they result from power differentials in the workplace. Being told what to do, when to do it and how much you will earn is an alienating experience that leads to <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00406-008-5024-0.pdf">depression</a>, <a href="http://cup.columbia.edu/book/capitalism-on-edge/9780231195379">precarity</a> and <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674979857">economic inequality</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man works at computer while being controlled by a puppet master." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494271/original/file-20221108-15046-cew9ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494271/original/file-20221108-15046-cew9ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494271/original/file-20221108-15046-cew9ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494271/original/file-20221108-15046-cew9ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494271/original/file-20221108-15046-cew9ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494271/original/file-20221108-15046-cew9ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494271/original/file-20221108-15046-cew9ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Being told what to do and when to do it can make you feel helpless and dispirited.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/businessman-working-and-being-controlled-by-royalty-free-illustration/1357724096?phrase=work%20exploitation%20illustration&adppopup=true">rudall30/iStock via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On the other hand, having a democratic say over your working life means the ability to make work less alienating. If people have democratic control over the work they do, they are unlikely to choose work that feels meaningless. They can also find their niche and figure out what’s fulfilling to them <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137370587">within a community of equals</a>.</p>
<p>Democratizing work also leads to an increase in labor’s share of income and a reduction in economic inequality. It has been shown that unionized workers earn an average of <a href="https://files.epi.org/pdf/204014.pdf">11.2% more in wages than nonunionized workers in similar industries</a>. Income inequality is also <a href="http://ejce.liuc.it/18242979201702/182429792017140207.pdf">much lower in worker cooperatives compared with capitalist companies</a>.</p>
<p>But work should not be confused with the whole of life. Nor should it be assumed that a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging and the acquisition of new skills can’t occur outside of work. <a href="https://www.nifplay.org/books/play-how-it-shapes-the-brain-opens-the-imagination-and-invigorates-the-soul/">Playing</a>, volunteering and worshipping can all do the same.</p>
<p>However, in capitalist companies, labor-saving technologies do not afford workers with more leisure time. Instead, labor-saving technologies mean workers are more likely to face <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/705716">unemployment and downward pressure on wages</a>.</p>
<p>Under democratic worker control, workers can choose to prioritize values that are consistent with themselves rather than the dictates of profit-seeking shareholders. Labor-saving technologies make it more likely that leisure time can become a choice. Workers are free to assert their own values, including that of less work and more play.</p>
<h2>A mosaic approach</h2>
<p>Of course, democratic worker control is not a silver bullet to economic discontent, and these changes to the workplace can’t occur in a vacuum. </p>
<p>For instance, trials of a four-day workweek without a reduction in pay are increasingly popular, and they have had resounding success in both the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/business/four-day-work-week-uk.html">United Kingdom</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57724779">Iceland</a>. <a href="https://autonomy.work/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ICELAND_4DW.pdf">Workers report feeling</a> less stressed and less burned out. They have a better work-life balance and report being just as productive, if not more so. Federal legislation to reduce working hours without a reduction in pay, such as through the implementation of a four-day workweek, could accompany a movement for democratic worker control.</p>
<p>The expansion of social services, the development of <a href="https://thenextsystem.org/node/204">a public banking system</a> and the provision of a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0032329203261100">universal basic income</a> may also be important components of meaningful change. A broader movement to democratize the U.S. economy is needed if society is going to take the challenges of work in the 21st century seriously. In short, I believe a mosaic of approaches is necessary.</p>
<p>But one thing is clear: As long as work remains the dictates of shareholders rather than the workers themselves, much work will remain a source of alienation and will persist as an organizing feature of American life.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192389/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alec Stubbs does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
What if the best parts of two competing visions for a solution were brought together?
Alec Stubbs, Postdoctoral Fellow of Philosophy, UMass Boston
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/188255
2022-08-10T14:34:19Z
2022-08-10T14:34:19Z
What’s wrong with the Fourth Industrial Revolution
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477678/original/file-20220804-18-ob8b2x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> </figcaption></figure><p>The “Fourth Industrial Revolution” is a term coined in 2016 by German economist Klaus Schwab. It’s used to describe the technology revolution that the world is going through. But there is growing criticism, particularly in the global south, of how it’s framed. Many are questioning whether it should be considered a revolution at all. </p>
<p>The Fourth Industrial Revolution, according to one view, is a very simplistic narrative that advances a distinct political agenda. It is a kind of exploitation that is being sold as progress. The narrative is being advanced to achieve a specific economic outcome – at the expense of many people in the global south.</p>
<p>Many innovations are happening in the digital technological space. But do they reorganise production and social relations, or do they just entrench past forms of inequality?</p>
<p>Consider the case of the ride-hailing app Uber. It may sound like enticing work for drivers, but there’s more to it. Drivers may face bad working conditions, penalties and other challenges without the security of human resources behind them. </p>
<p>In this episode of Pasha, Ruth Castel-Branco, manager of the Future of Work(ers) research project at the University of the Witwatersrand, joins Nanjala Nyabola, a storyteller and political analyst, in taking us through the seductive idea of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. </p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-a-seductive-idea-requiring-critical-engagement-184475">The Fourth Industrial Revolution: a seductive idea requiring critical engagement</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Photo</strong>
“A smartphone attached to the dash on a vent holder in a moving Uber car. The Uber App shows the route in Cape Town map.” by maurodopereira, found on <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cape-town-south-africa-march-17-1728494632">Shutterstock</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Music</strong>
“Happy African Village” by John Bartmann, found on <a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/happy-african-village">FreeMusicArchive.org</a> licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1</a>.</p>
<p>“African Moon” by John Bartmann, found on <a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/happy-african-village">FreeMusicArchive.org</a> licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188255/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Innovation in the digital space is not necessarily working for people in the global south.
Ozayr Patel, Digital Editor
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/182016
2022-05-05T16:33:32Z
2022-05-05T16:33:32Z
If Amazon wants to be the ‘Earth’s best employer’ it needs to listen to employees
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461086/original/file-20220503-24-g6watl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C7%2C4555%2C2583&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Amazon has historically opposed trade union recognition by engaging in union suppression practices, like resisting trade union recognition through coercion. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In his <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22385644/jeff-bezos-amazon-warehouse-work-union-shareholder-letter-2021">farewell letter to shareholders last year</a>, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced a new mission for his company: “Earth’s best employer and Earth’s safest place to work.” The company has since <a href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/operations/update-on-our-vision-to-be-earths-best-employer-and-earths-safest-place-to-work">added these goals to its list of corporate values</a>.</p>
<p>As the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/amazon-now-employs-almost-1-million-people-u-s-or-n1275539">second largest employer in the United States</a> (behind Walmart) and an employer of increasing scale in Canada and around the world, this declaration is good news. Amazon has the potential to positively impact the lives of over a million employees.</p>
<p>But the company still has a lot of work to do. Amazon has been dogged by negative reports about working for the organization, including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-at-amazon-jobs-performance-reviews-hiring-firing-interviews-warehouses-delivery-drivers">gender and racial bias toward workers and “abusive mistreatment”</a> by managers, an intensive pace of work leading to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/dec/30/amazon-employees-climate-fear-high-rates-injuries">high incidence of worker injury</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/10/25/a-hard-hitting-investigative-report-into-amazon-shows-that-workers-needs-were-neglected-in-favor-of-getting-goods-delivered-quickly/?sh=cdaa5451f500">workers being underpaid</a>.</p>
<p>If Amazon truly wants to be the “Earth’s best employer,” it needs to start by listening to its employees and prioritizing their needs.</p>
<h2>Amazon’s anti-union history</h2>
<p>So far, Amazon has vehemently opposed trade union recognition, engaging in union suppression practices, like resisting trade union recognition through coercion. </p>
<p>For example, Amazon has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-at-stake-in-amazons-bessemer-alabama-union-vote-5-questions-answered-157498">holding mandatory meetings with workers and distributing written information</a> in a bid to influence union votes and situating <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/fe944609-7c9f-4e73-ae96-4102427cb49d">mailboxes for ballots</a> in parking lots that are near security cameras. There have even been accusations of Amazon using former <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/technology/amazon-unions-virginia.html">FBI agents to disrupt organizing efforts</a>.</p>
<p>At the same time, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-advantages-of-unionization-are-obvious-so-why-dont-more-workers-join-unions-164475">Amazon employs union substitution practices</a> to reduce the perceived need for a union among workers, such as <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8185628/amazon-new-workers-hourly-wage-increase/">raising wages</a> in response to the campaigns for union recognition. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People lining up on a sidewalk outside an Amazon building" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461083/original/file-20220503-18-hsto87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461083/original/file-20220503-18-hsto87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461083/original/file-20220503-18-hsto87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461083/original/file-20220503-18-hsto87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461083/original/file-20220503-18-hsto87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461083/original/file-20220503-18-hsto87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461083/original/file-20220503-18-hsto87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Amazon workers line up outside the company’s Staten Island warehouse to vote on unionization, on March 25, 2022, in New York.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Robert Bumsted)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Amazon’s vehement opposition to trade unions reflects a view of organized labour known as the <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w0364/w0364.pdf">monopoly face of trade unions</a>. Trade unions are understood to have a negative economic impact on companies by restricting the options available to management. Unions are believed to increase the wages and improve the terms and conditions of its members beyond levels that are economically beneficial for firms.</p>
<p>From another perspective, trade unions are the <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w0364/w0364.pdf">collective voice</a> of workers and provide the company with economic value. For instance, without trade unions to give workers an effective voice, workers might leave their firms and take invaluable tacit knowledge with them — knowledge that is difficult and expensive, if not impossible to replace.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, employee retention isn’t a benefit that would sell trade union recognition to Amazon, where efforts have been made to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/06/17/amazon-prime-day-offers-great-sales-heres-what-workers-suffer-through-to-make-this-happen/?sh=ee674c91519f">encourage workers to leave the organization as their productivity diminishes</a> and desire for better terms and conditions grow.</p>
<h2>Benefits of trade unions</h2>
<p>Employee retention aside, trade unions play an important role in identifying operational problems and forcing management to resolve them, rather than to seek cost effective and ultimately counterproductive “fixes.” </p>
<p>In this way, trade unions impose <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095458551">beneficial constraints</a> on firms through which they constrain managerial activity. For instance, unions force management to invest, rather than reduce costs, for the long term benefit of the company and its workers.</p>
<p>The use of <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-06-28/fired-by-bot-amazon-turns-to-machine-managers-and-workers-are-losing-out">algorithmic management</a> rather than human managers at Amazon means that there is limited human supervisory oversight and day-to-day managerial insight into operations. In this vacuum, trade unions provide an important means of ensuring effective and safe working practices to the benefit of employees and the company. </p>
<p>Whereas the impact of trade unions on productivity is mixed, <a href="https://theconversation.com/unions-do-hurt-profits-but-not-productivity-and-they-remain-a-bulwark-against-a-widening-wealth-gap-107139">the results are often positive, and rarely negative</a>. It’s safe to say that they have an overall positive impact on productivity.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of people hugging and smiling" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461084/original/file-20220503-24-kyyfrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461084/original/file-20220503-24-kyyfrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461084/original/file-20220503-24-kyyfrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461084/original/file-20220503-24-kyyfrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461084/original/file-20220503-24-kyyfrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461084/original/file-20220503-24-kyyfrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461084/original/file-20220503-24-kyyfrk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Amazon Labour Union members celebrate after an update during the voting results to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., on April 1, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, there is a value in Amazon engaging with workers through trade unions and collective voice that has less to do with its own competitive advantage and more to do with its broader symbolism. </p>
<h2>Meaningful work</h2>
<p>If Amazon provides its employees with a meaningful involvement in the organization and a voice at work, there are implications for the nature of work elsewhere. </p>
<p>Amazon is symbolic of success — what it does, other firms copy, a process known as <a href="https://faculty.babson.edu/krollag/org_site/org_theory/scott_articles/dimag_powel.html">mimetic isomorphism</a>, where firms imitate the market leader in the hopes of replicating its success. Amazon could set an important precedent for other companies to follow and fundamentally change the nature of work in North American and beyond.</p>
<p>In a time of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/4/28/the-perfect-storm">growing inequality, insecurity, vulnerability and destitution for many</a>, coupled with worsening <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/05/02/us-china-summer-ukraine-trade-biden-xi/">political turmoil</a> and social unrest because of the ongoing pandemic and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/may/02/russia-ukraine-war-mariupol-evacuations-set-to-continue-explosions-reported-in-russian-city-of-belgorod-live">Russian invasion of Ukraine</a>, Amazon can be a beacon of hope. </p>
<p>It has the financial resources and market dominance to be an employer of choice: a destination of aspiration, not degradation. In short, Amazon can become the Earth’s best employer, but this must involve democratizing the workplace, recognizing the legitimate right of employees to organize and cooperating with labour representatives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182016/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Geraint Harvey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Amazon can become the Earth’s best employer, but this must involve democratizing the workplace, recognizing the legitimate right of employees to organize and cooperating with labour representatives.
Geraint Harvey, DANCAP Private Equity Chair in Human Organization, Western University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/181017
2022-04-24T14:02:45Z
2022-04-24T14:02:45Z
Companies are mitigating labour shortages with automation — and this could drastically impact workers
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458963/original/file-20220420-22-3lmahn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C20%2C4516%2C3241&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The pandemic and the aging population are both partially responsible for the current labour shortage.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Last month, unemployment in Canada reached a record low of <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/canada-s-jobless-rate-has-hit-a-record-low-1.5853649">5.2 per cent</a>. Alongside low unemployment, many industries saw — and are still seeing — a worker shortage, with the number of job vacancies in Canada reaching 900,000 in January.</p>
<p>Both of these things are good for workers, right? </p>
<p>Prospective employers, desperate for new recruits, are “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/hiring-incentives-labour-shortage-1.6296609">throwing cash at applicants</a>.” Many lower wage jobs have even seen an <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving/the-price-of-food-is-going-up-maybe-your-salary-should-too-1.6388201/want-a-raise-now-is-the-perfect-time-to-ask-for-it-career-experts-say-1.6403924">increase in pay</a>, like the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/walmart-raises-pay-to-attract-truck-drivers-11649336400">20 per cent wage increase</a> for truckers recently announced by Walmart.</p>
<p>The pandemic is partially responsible for this labour shortage, as the immigrant workforce supply dried up throughout the lockdown. However, the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/opinion/2021/11/07/labour-shortage-the-answer-is-to-bring-older-adults-back-into-the-workforce.html">aging population</a> in Canada has also been a factor.</p>
<h2>Is automation the answer?</h2>
<p>The solution to the worker shortage proposed by the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/job-skills-shortage-1.6409237">Business Development Bank of Canada’s chief economist</a> is <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220119005323/en/Survey-Reveals-Businesses-Are-Doubling-Down-on-Automation-to-Balance-Against-the-Global-Labor-Shortage">increased automation</a>. </p>
<p>Advocates and critics have long argued over the impact of automation on employment. Advocates believe automation can be used to perform <a href="https://www.finance-monthly.com/2021/11/automating-the-mundane-how-it-solutions-can-rescue-staff-from-needlessly-repetitive-time-intensive-tasks/">mundane</a> or <a href="https://www.automate.org/blogs/how-robots-are-taking-on-the-dirty-dangerous-and-dull-jobs">physically demanding</a> jobs, freeing up workers to learn new skills and take on better jobs.</p>
<p>Recent <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2020.3812">research from the University of Pennsylvania</a> supports the argument that automation creates jobs. The study found that investing in robots boosted the efficiency and quality of work while reducing costs, increasing productivity and creating more job opportunities. Similarly, a 2020 report from Statistics Canada also found that <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-robot-revolution-is-here-how-its-changing-jobs-and-businesses-in-canada-155267">companies that used robots hired more human workers</a>.</p>
<p>The impact of automation on work can only be assessed over the longer term and according to whether vacancies are created by those leaving their jobs or retiring and whether the activities of those departing are fully automated. </p>
<p>But critics have argued that automation and advancements in technology create an <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095946632">hourglass economy</a> where opportunities only exist for highly and lowly skilled workers, leaving less work for semi-skilled workers who must either increase their skills or take <a href="https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads/2014/08/The-Changing-Shape-of-the-UK-Job-Market.pdf">lower-skilled (and waged) work</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A building in an empty parking lot that says BLOCKBUSTER across the front" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458915/original/file-20220420-11-ip0gfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458915/original/file-20220420-11-ip0gfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458915/original/file-20220420-11-ip0gfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458915/original/file-20220420-11-ip0gfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458915/original/file-20220420-11-ip0gfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458915/original/file-20220420-11-ip0gfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458915/original/file-20220420-11-ip0gfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Netflix automated the video rental business while Blockbuster retained its physical labour-intensive model until it was too late.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A common example used to illustrate the detriment of technology to employment is the case of <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/04/automation-makes-things-cheaper-so-why-doesnt-it-feel-that-way">Blockbuster</a>. Once a titan of physical video rental with 60,000 employees, Blockbuster was unable to compete with Netflix’s (who only had around 2,500 employees) new streaming services and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/22/how-netflix-almost-lost-the-movie-rental-wars-to-blockbuster.html">filed for bankruptcy in 2010</a>. Netflix automated the video rental business while Blockbuster retained its physical labour-intensive model until it was too late.</p>
<h2>Automation might not be so bad after all</h2>
<p>The reason why automation hasn’t had a more detrimental impact for workers can be explained by two factors. Firstly, employees are also consumers. To reduce employment is to reduce the market for products, which is bad for <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/raising-minimum-wage-boost-economic-recovery-reduce-taxpayer-subsidization-low-wage-work/">manufacturers and capitalism itself</a>. </p>
<p>As a management professor, I often use an incident that supposedly occurred between <a href="https://www.economist.com/babbage/2011/11/04/difference-engine-luddite-legacy">Henry Ford II and Walter Reuther</a>, leader of the United Automobile Workers trade union, to illustrate this point. </p>
<p>While showing Reuther the new automated assembly lines at his car factory, Ford subtly threatened the future of the union: “How are you going to get those robots to pay your union dues?” Unfazed, Reuther replied: “How are you going to get them to buy your cars?” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two huge robotic arms sitting in a large, empty garage" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458961/original/file-20220420-15105-hp4bir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458961/original/file-20220420-15105-hp4bir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458961/original/file-20220420-15105-hp4bir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458961/original/file-20220420-15105-hp4bir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458961/original/file-20220420-15105-hp4bir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458961/original/file-20220420-15105-hp4bir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458961/original/file-20220420-15105-hp4bir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">RoboTire patented robotic systems use software to automatically change vehicle tires.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Rick Osentoski/AP Images for RoboTire)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Secondly, firms can easily resolve issues with new technology by employing human workers to take over. Take for example, the failure of automation in the fast food industry and the tale of <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/11/automation-doesnt-just-create-or-destroy-jobs-it-transforms-them">Flippy, the burger flipping robot</a>, that lasted a single day, only to be replaced by human workers when it couldn’t keep up with demand. Such instances reveal the way in which workers offer an easy substitute for automation that fails to cut the mustard (or flip the burger).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-has-fuelled-automation-but-human-involvement-is-still-essential-153715">COVID-19 has fuelled automation — but human involvement is still essential</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The current situation is different because employers are struggling to source workers. The reliance on automation is becoming a necessity, rather than a source of competitive advantage. Moreover, the labour shortage means that turning to workers as a substitute for failing technology is a less viable strategy, so firms are more likely to persevere in introducing new technology. </p>
<h2>The future of automation</h2>
<p>It has been argued that about half of the activities undertaken by workers could be <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/%7E/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/Digital%20Disruption/Harnessing%20automation%20for%20a%20future%20that%20works/MGI-A-future-that-works-Executive-summary.ashx">automated by 2055</a>. This does not mean that all of these activities will be automated. Nor does it mean that 50 per cent of jobs will necessarily disappear in the next 30 years without other jobs emerging as a result. </p>
<p>However, current circumstances, especially the shortage of workers, is a powerful motivation for automation. We could see a significant increase in automation use in the workplace over the next few years. </p>
<p>The challenges of filling worker vacancies may be good news for workers now, but the longer terms consequences still remain to be seen.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181017/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Geraint Harvey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
With employers struggling to hire enough workers, reliance on automation is becoming more of a necessity than just a source of competitive advantage.
Geraint Harvey, DANCAP Private Equity Chair in Human Organization, Western University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/178256
2022-03-16T19:53:03Z
2022-03-16T19:53:03Z
How to encourage vulnerability in the workplace while keeping workers safe
<p>As we begin to tentatively shape the post-pandemic business world, there is a growing chorus of voices pushing for <a href="https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/building-back-better-a-sustainable-resilient-recovery-after-covid-19-52b869f5/">a new normal</a>. Powered by the <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/09/who-is-driving-the-great-resignation">Great Resignation</a>, increasing numbers of workers are demanding a more human-centric work environment, with space to express trust and vulnerability. </p>
<p>In particular, one idea gaining steam is a worker-led expectation that it be normalized and safe to <a href="https://theconversation.com/management-is-so-passe-its-co-creation-that-workers-are-demanding-171574">bring our whole selves to work</a> instead of requiring a stiff, impersonal work persona. However, re-shaping the workspace along these lines is not without risk. To get a sense of the risks involved, it may be helpful to look at the fallout from recent efforts born of similar motivations, like corporate mindfulness.</p>
<h2>The cautionary tale of corporate mindfulness</h2>
<p>The past two decades have seen an explosive growth in <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/managing-meaning/202202/meaningful-work-is-more-mindful">corporate mindfulness initiatives</a> as a way to support human-centric management. A 2017 study found nearly <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5217767/">one in six white-collar workers engaged in some form of mindfulness practice</a>.</p>
<p>Research shows <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/S0742-7301(2011)0000030005">mindfulness at work allows us to better control our attention</a>. When we refine our capability to pay attention, we also improve other mental abilities, like being flexible and better regulating our emotional responses. </p>
<p>But managing the emotional needs of workers by encouraging them to have a mindful moment in the meditation room is counterproductive. While good for refining attention, <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/01/mindfulness-is-demotivating">mindfulness practice can be demotivating</a> at work, as emphasizing staying “in the moment” is at odds with setting goals for the future. A mindful state <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/14/the-mindfulness-conspiracy-capitalist-spirituality">can also make employees more vulnerable to exploitation</a> by cynical executives as it encourages contentment with the status quo.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman in a suit suits behind a laptop with her arms up in a meditative position. On either side of her, two men in suits are gesturing forcefully while speaking to her." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450809/original/file-20220308-6791-xao9ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450809/original/file-20220308-6791-xao9ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450809/original/file-20220308-6791-xao9ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450809/original/file-20220308-6791-xao9ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450809/original/file-20220308-6791-xao9ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450809/original/file-20220308-6791-xao9ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450809/original/file-20220308-6791-xao9ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Managing the emotional needs of workers by encouraging them to have a mindful moment can be counterproductive.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Beyond this cautionary tale, we also see that even in companies that explicitly encourage a psychologically safe culture, receptiveness about who can share their emotions without repercussions <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211029-the-people-penalised-for-expressing-feelings-at-work">differs by race</a>. And Bell, a company whose brand identity is tied to open discussions of mental health, has <a href="https://theconversation.com/bell-lets-talk-about-colonialism-racism-and-ableism-153823">fostered a workplace culture that exacerbated stressors</a> and systemic causes of mental illness.</p>
<p>There are a few principles that we can follow to encourage vulnerability in our workplaces, while countering these risks.</p>
<h2>Three principles to follow</h2>
<p>First, it’s helpful to remember that tone sets the standard. Two Harvard professors, Julia A. Minson and Francesca Gino, found that <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/03/managing-a-polarized-workforce">when colleagues communicated at work, they emulated the other’s tones</a>. Individuals naturally picked up on expressions signalling receptiveness, or the opposite, and adopted them in replies. </p>
<p>This means a deliberate effort to set a human-centric tone at the start of an exchange can increase the likelihood of all participants following a set standard, and responding in kind. It’s a simple, yet effective, principle that can have a near instantaneous impact.</p>
<p>Second, accountability sets the culture. If we want a human-centric workspace, we need an organizational culture where everybody — up and down the hierarchy — is <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781487508425/connected-capitalism/">willing to take responsibility</a> for their actions. Workplace culture needs to encourage and empower all members to take risks and own the consequences of their actions. </p>
<p>This means that everybody must be open to both giving and receiving feedback. A human-centric work culture <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/07/4-ways-to-create-a-learning-culture-on-your-team">values learning</a> when someone’s work is in need of improvement, they need to be provided with the opportunity to grow and change. Human-centered management presumes accountability, which requires an openness to feedback. We can be kind and still hold folks accountable for what they do, what they say they are going to do and how they respond to what employees do.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man and a woman looking at a computer screen together. The woman is pointing at the screen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450811/original/file-20220308-27-6ncopq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450811/original/file-20220308-27-6ncopq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450811/original/file-20220308-27-6ncopq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450811/original/file-20220308-27-6ncopq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450811/original/file-20220308-27-6ncopq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450811/original/file-20220308-27-6ncopq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450811/original/file-20220308-27-6ncopq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In a human-centric workplace, both employees and employers must be open to giving and receiving feedback.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Third, co-operation requires challenge, confrontation and safety. In a human-centric workplace, <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781487508425/connected-capitalism/">all participants are made to feel safe</a> while being active and engaged in their work. Managers need to engender safety because <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/11/cracking-the-code-of-sustained-collaboration">authentic co-operation</a> cannot be faked. We know when we are actually needed. </p>
<p>Real co-operation demands all involved parties honour the need to be active while creating value in an open and trusting environment. Everyone listens with the same intensity when others speak, and challenges other participants as appropriate, knowing they are bonded in a shared pursuit.</p>
<h2>Creating safe work spaces</h2>
<p>Feeling safe does not mean that we are free from expectations to speak up and share our ideas, to actively contribute to a project or to take calculated risks in a supportive environment. Our post-pandemic culture has the lingering association of safety with passivity — we are only truly safe when we withdraw.</p>
<p>A “safe space” is often understood as a place free of conflict or criticism, but I argue that conflict is not antithetical to safety. We can trust that our co-operative partners have our best interests at heart, even when we are challenged by them.</p>
<p>With these three guiding principles, businesses can create a workplace environment that both supports vulnerability, and is less likely to lead to exploitation by the dishonest. It is a first, but deeply necessary, step in building a more human-centric post-pandemic future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178256/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Weitzner receives funding from SSHRC. </span></em></p>
An increasing number of workers are demanding a more human-centric work environment, with space to express trust and vulnerability.
David Weitzner, Assistant professor, Administrative Studies, York University, Canada
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/173135
2021-12-16T16:51:04Z
2021-12-16T16:51:04Z
Organizational support: The key to employee commitment and well-being during the pandemic
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436807/original/file-20211209-159504-1swm253.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C8234%2C5000&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A recent study suggests that organizations can lessen the negative effects of the pandemic by implementing key support measures to make employees feel more committed and content in their jobs.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Michael Sohn) </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For nearly two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it increasingly difficult for people to do their jobs. In addition to regular work duties, people have had to worry about their health and that of their loved ones. They have faced increased uncertainty about the future and have had to learn new ways of working. </p>
<p>Considering this additional pressure, it is not surprising that employees have reported feeling <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2021/work-and-well-being-during-covid-19-impact-inequalities-resilience-and-the-future-of-work/">less happy at work</a> since the start of the pandemic.</p>
<p>The pandemic has also damaged employees’ commitments to their organizations. With <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210915-how-companies-around-the-world-are-shifting-the-way-they-work">companies increasingly adopting remote work models</a>, employees have fewer and fewer reasons to feel attached to their workplaces, as the usual human interactions have been replaced by video calls.</p>
<p>In the face of all this change, employers have been asking: what can organizations do to reduce these negative effects of the pandemic on their employees?</p>
<h2>Organizational support can reduce the pandemic’s damage</h2>
<p>It is precisely this question that I set out to investigate in a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22082">study of nearly 300 people</a> working full-time. The results determined that the extent to which the pandemic affected employees depended heavily on how their employers responded to the crisis.</p>
<p>In particular, our study suggests that organizations can lessen the negative effects of the pandemic by implementing support measures. If workplaces offer these types of support, they can make their employees feel more committed, leading to a greater sense of employee well-being.</p>
<p>Organizational support is so important because employees are in “repeated exchange” relationships with their workplaces. Employees provide their time and effort to their workplaces, and in return they have certain expectations, like salaries and job security, from their organizations. </p>
<p>The pandemic represents a moment of truth for workers — they are using it to determine whether or not they can depend on their organizations to help out in critical situations. When organizations <em>do</em> rise up to the challenge, employees recognize that their employers are capable of fulfilling their duties towards them, and are much more likely to remain committed to their organizations.</p>
<h2>Organizational support not (only) about money</h2>
<p>Organizations can support their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic in several ways. At the most basic level, there are measures to help reduce some of the difficulties associated with doing the required work. For instance, p<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/26/google-will-give-employees-up-to-1000-to-buy-work-from-home-gear.html">roviding the right communication equipment</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/03/companies-are-paying-for-their-workers-home-offices.html">help with setting up home working facilities</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/11/16/companies-that-truly-trust-their-employees-will-offer-them-flexibility-working-the-way-they-want/?sh=58c8303b67bd">increasing scheduling flexibility</a> are all ways to help people work effectively, despite the new challenges.</p>
<p>In addition, organizations can show employees that they care by acknowledging the extra effort needed to work during the pandemic. Working during the pandemic is a juggling act; business leaders need to realize this and show their appreciation for employees that are balancing multiple work and private responsibilities (such as caring for children during school closures).</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A mother and daughter, with only their hands visible, work on two laptops at a table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436840/original/file-20211210-141979-14x6thl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436840/original/file-20211210-141979-14x6thl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436840/original/file-20211210-141979-14x6thl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436840/original/file-20211210-141979-14x6thl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436840/original/file-20211210-141979-14x6thl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436840/original/file-20211210-141979-14x6thl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/436840/original/file-20211210-141979-14x6thl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Eileen Carroll, left, works on her laptop as her daughter, Lily, 11, attends school remotely from their home in Rhode Island. Providing employees that have children with scheduling flexibility is an important form of workplace support.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/David Goldman)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another way organizations can help is through clear and open communication about the future. With <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/covid-19-statistics-canada-1.5548942">many businesses facing lower sales and profitability</a> due to the pandemic, being transparent about how the organization will be impacted can help reduce the uncertainty employees have about their future.</p>
<p>Support can also come from direct supervisors. Even though our study found that many organizations were not able to arrange comprehensive support measures for their employees, direct supervisors can still help by making themselves available to employees for support.</p>
<p>The opportunity to talk to their supervisors can also help employees understand their new roles and expectations in the workplace. Another <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12658">recent study argued</a> that, because COVID-19 disrupted the normal way of working, employees need help making sense of the new situation and employers are in a unique role to ensure supervisors can perform this important support role.</p>
<h2>One-size-fits-all approach not the solution</h2>
<p>Another key finding of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22082">our study</a> is that people respond to organizational support differently, depending on their personality. For instance, people with high self-esteem may benefit less from some support measures because they may consider them less helpful.</p>
<p>For maximum success, organizations should design customizable support measures. Instead of a one-size-fits-all solution, organizations should let employees choose from a range of support options. Since employees have different personalities and personal circumstances, the ability to choose is vital. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-create-a-better-work-environment-after-covid-19-we-must-truly-hear-employees-161766">To create a better work environment after COVID-19, we must truly hear employees</a>
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<p>Employees with young children may <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/12/01/magazine/how-companies-are-helping-parents-caregivers-with-work-life-integration/">benefit from the ability to work later in the day or on weekends</a> to accommodate sudden needs for home-schooling. Meanwhile, those who live alone may not see this as an equally helpful option.</p>
<p>The principle of customization, or opting-in, can also be applied to support from the direct supervisor. For example, instead of scheduling additional meetings for everyone to attend, more intentional and targeted forms of communication could be used instead.</p>
<p>If employers want to mitigate some of the negative impacts of the pandemic on their employees, they will need to deliberately design support mechanisms to help their employees cope with the increased demands of working during the pandemic. Organizational support designed on principles of customization can help increase employee commitment and their job-related well-being at large.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173135/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oli Mihalache does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Organizations can reduce some of the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing customizable support measures can improve employees’ work commitment and well-being.
Oli Mihalache, Associate Professor of Digital Transformation, Faculty of Business, Athabasca University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/171574
2021-11-22T15:24:45Z
2021-11-22T15:24:45Z
Management is so passé — it’s co-creation that workers are demanding
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432732/original/file-20211118-17-r41f07.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C107%2C6000%2C3790&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Today's workers are rejecting management hierarchies and want more autonomy and teamwork. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s time for business, political and organizational leaders to give up on “management.” </p>
<p>Workers today <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/10/forget-flexibility-your-employees-want-autonomy">don’t want</a> to be managed, even benevolently. They want to be <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carstentams/2018/02/11/the-co-creation-imperative-how-to-make-organizational-change-collaborative/?sh=79e477e32e91">partners in co-creation</a>, where all members are empowered to bring their whole selves to the organization regardless of hierarchies. </p>
<p>Consequently, those uncomfortably perched atop organizational hierarchies are faced with a stark choice: Co-create or manage, because you cannot do both.</p>
<p>As businesses start to envision a post-pandemic world, they are faced with unprecedented challenges, like the so-called <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/09/who-is-driving-the-great-resignation">Great Resignation</a> that involves millions of employees opting to quit their unfulfilling jobs, and political pressures to “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/build-back-better/">build back better</a>.” As I argue in my recent book, <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781487508425/connected-capitalism/"><em>Connected Capitalism</em></a>, we need to move away from an emphasis on “management” and towards a focus on co-creation. </p>
<p>Management is passé. Co-creation will allow us to thrive in meeting the changing demands of key stakeholders like employees, customers and governments.</p>
<h2>Employee malaise</h2>
<p>Even before the pandemic, there was a <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/deloitte-2019-millennial-survey.pdf">crisis of worker dissatisfaction</a>, with millennials — the generation poised to make up the majority of our workforce — viewing business as out of step with their priorities. </p>
<p>Corporations must commit <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/11/why-are-we-here">to a broader social purpose</a> or face disconnected and unmotivated workers unlikely to stay in their jobs. Co-creation builds on that rare and valuable sense of connection emerging in the very best type of purpose-driven co-operative partnerships. </p>
<p>The feeling of connection is so important, I believe we will start to normalize viewing friendship as an essential work resource, since we now know that co-operation is not born of deep analytical calculations, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms4677">but intuition</a> and feelings.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/after-a-year-of-zoom-meetings-well-need-to-rebuild-trust-through-eye-contact-160405">After a year of Zoom meetings, we’ll need to rebuild trust through eye contact</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>Often, when management gurus talk about co-operation, what they really mean is managing subordinates into passivity. </p>
<p>Co-operation in this context is contingent on repression. That’s not co-creation.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man in a suit points towards the camera." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432734/original/file-20211118-19-16w0tu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432734/original/file-20211118-19-16w0tu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432734/original/file-20211118-19-16w0tu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432734/original/file-20211118-19-16w0tu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432734/original/file-20211118-19-16w0tu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432734/original/file-20211118-19-16w0tu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432734/original/file-20211118-19-16w0tu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Managing employees into passivity is increasingly a thing of the past.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Panicked responses</h2>
<p>When I speak to executives, I often get a panicked reaction: “What does this mean for my power to run the business?!?” </p>
<p>Assuredly, decision-making power stays in the C-suites. But an empowered team only increases the effectiveness of leadership. And while corporate behemoths like Google <a href="https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/googles-insane-approach-to-management-could-transform-your-company.html">are leading</a> with this new course of action, a 20-year study of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2008.00136.x">more than 300 companies</a> found human-centric approaches that empowered employees improved performance in a wide variety of settings.</p>
<p>And co-creation is not only about loosening the managerial reins on employees. Many businesses have come to realize that they don’t get the best product by closely <em>managing</em> their suppliers with laundry lists of desired specifications. </p>
<p>Instead, optimal outcomes are often attained by <em>supporting</em> suppliers in co-creation, giving up control and letting them lead the way. This exercise in trust and vulnerability showcases the deepest level of relationship — when two organizations surprise one another by understanding each other so deeply that one delivers what the other wants but did not ask for.</p>
<p>Does the ultimate decision-making power still sit with the paying client? Of course. Clients can demand their supplier’s development team stick to product roadmaps and manage the process so requested features get built. </p>
<p>Are there significant efficiency and reputational risks involved when managers take the liberties afforded by co-creation? Absolutely. But the better question to ask is this — does a path to innovation exist that isn’t full of risk and inefficiencies? I don’t know of one.</p>
<h2>Generational shift</h2>
<p>Consider current indicators that <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-01/return-to-office-employees-are-quitting-instead-of-giving-up-work-from-home">workers are quitting</a> rather than giving up the ability to work from home. </p>
<p><a href="https://10xmanagement.com/michael-solomon/">Michael Solomon, co-founder of 10x Management</a>, explained to me that this is an expected feature of the “talent economy.” Everybody, up and down the hierarchy, is both empowered and willing to take responsibility for what they do. </p>
<p>Whether the outcomes are good or bad, those who take risks own the consequences. Are there risks in letting workers set the terms of how they work? Yes. And to some executives, workers making such demands appear to have an unjustifiable sense of entitlement.</p>
<p>But feeling like you are being managed is antithetical to productive work. Solomon explains this as a generational shift, and warns that the old style of management is being phased out fairly quickly. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="a smiling young woman sits at a table looking at her laptop as two colleagues stand behind her also looking at her screen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432889/original/file-20211119-20-7434ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432889/original/file-20211119-20-7434ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432889/original/file-20211119-20-7434ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432889/original/file-20211119-20-7434ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432889/original/file-20211119-20-7434ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432889/original/file-20211119-20-7434ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432889/original/file-20211119-20-7434ql.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Younger employees in particular want autonomy and to feel empowered at work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Piqsels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Co-creation doesn’t mean we no longer need CEOs. But it may be more helpful to view leading exclusively as a verb and not a noun. </p>
<p>Business researchers are finally emphasizing the <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/07/a-new-prescription-for-power">relational and dynamic aspects of power</a>, how a leader’s relationships with stakeholders can be a source of support or resistance and how they must continually adapt to changes in social systems.</p>
<h2>Human-centric work future</h2>
<p>The shift away from the stifling, controlling and outdated dominance of management in favour of co-creation is an absolute must for those helming organizations — from private sector businesses to governments and health-care organizations — even if the prospect makes some existing leaders uncomfortable. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-build-back-better-after-covid-19-we-must-support-parents-146978">To build back better after COVID-19, we must support parents</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Using the tools of co-creation where we once used management hierarchies means expanding the rigid boundaries between the social, professional and personal, which we have been clinging to in corporate settings for too long.</p>
<p>Workers are demanding a more human-centric future, with space for trust and vulnerability. There is no going back to the “before world.” Management is over. The era of co-creation is underway.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171574/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Weitzner receives funding from SSHRC.</span></em></p>
Employees are demanding a more human-centric workplace, with space for trust and vulnerability. Management is over. The era of co-creation is underway.
David Weitzner, Assistant professor, Administrative Studies, York University, Canada
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/170941
2021-11-15T16:03:27Z
2021-11-15T16:03:27Z
The right to disconnect: Why legislation doesn’t address the real problems with work
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431565/original/file-20211111-15-121t96i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C27%2C4608%2C2662&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Legislation on the right to disconnect sounds promising. But does it really address why workers are putting in so many hours long after their work day should be done?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Victoria Heath/Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 1998, an ambulance driver in France failed to answer his employer’s phone calls outside his working hours. He was dismissed, <a href="https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/juri/id/JURITEXT000007473856/">raising questions</a> about the obligation of workers to be available around the clock. </p>
<p>Less than a decade later, <a href="https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000032983213/">France</a> enacted the right to disconnect to protect workers from being penalized for ignoring after-hours work messages. <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2017-07-07/italy-provisions-on-self-employed-workers-and-flexible-work-schedules/">Italy</a>, <a href="https://www-boe-es.translate.goog/eli/es/lo/2018/12/05/3?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=nui,sc">Spain</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/6b64a-tanaiste-signs-code-of-practice-on-right-to-disconnect/">Ireland</a> followed suit and now <a href="https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-2/bill-27">Ontario is considering enacting a similar law</a>.</p>
<p>But the right to disconnect, which requires large organizations to formulate policies about digital communication outside work hours, <a href="https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/knowledge-workers/">applies to knowledge workers</a>, who unlike the ambulance driver, may not have a physical separation between work and non-work spheres.</p>
<p>This blurring of boundaries reveals important complexities that affect the enforceability of right to disconnect legislation.</p>
<h2>Work tools not tied to workplaces</h2>
<p>Broadly, the right to disconnect grapples with the physical constraints of traditional work versus today’s digital workplaces. So legislation that makes sense for a factory worker who goes home for the night is applied on the 21st century knowledge worker. </p>
<p>While digital communication and the proliferation of mobile devices can allow workers to extend their work days, they are neither necessary nor sufficient to account for the problem of overwork among knowledge workers. The tools required to perform knowledge work, unlike the physical labour of a factory worker, are not restricted to a physical workspace.</p>
<p>In the absence of actual physical constraints, renegotiating the pace of work and its duration is now a largely cultural exercise. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1120.0806">Digital communication and mobile device use can erode the ability to disconnect from work</a>, but whether <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.0787">that actually happens depends on workplace cultures that vary among employers</a>. </p>
<p>Individually, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/people-who-use-two-cellphones-1396393393">some employees try to regulate boundaries of work and personal life by using separate devices for their jobs</a>, while <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/05/work-life-balance/590662/">others have resigned to having no work-life separation</a> amid calls to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/work-life-conflict-cant-be-solvedand-thats-a-good-thing-11593230460">find the good in work-life conflict</a>. </p>
<p>There have even been suggestions that due to the failure of institutional structures to protect personal time, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/05/work-life-balance/590662/">individual workers must manage their own work schedules</a> to forestall overwork and its negative effects.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man photographed from the neck down is seen looking at his phone while he leans against a bicycle outdoors." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431567/original/file-20211111-15-o3v090.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431567/original/file-20211111-15-o3v090.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431567/original/file-20211111-15-o3v090.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431567/original/file-20211111-15-o3v090.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431567/original/file-20211111-15-o3v090.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431567/original/file-20211111-15-o3v090.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431567/original/file-20211111-15-o3v090.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Is the work-life balance a thing of the past?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Asking workers to manage their own work schedules assumes that they have control. In fact, control over work varies by job type, seniority and employer policies among other factors. On one end of the spectrum are assembly workers, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20174060">subject to the machine’s pace</a>. </p>
<p>In contrast, knowledge workers can exert more control over their work pace and schedules. Openly or surreptitiously, they shop online, use social media, play games and check on their children, all during work hours. For knowledge workers, work and personal time are thus entangled in ways that eight-hour workday legislation did not anticipate.</p>
<p>As a result, disconnect laws will not necessarily result in a uniform restriction of work to an eight-hour window. Beyond the impracticality of such restrictions in several professions, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1050.0124">knowledge workers have varying preferences for how they divide their work and personal time</a>. </p>
<h2>Integrating time on and off the clock</h2>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic forced many workers, especially parents, to integrate work with personal responsibilities. While <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-year-into-remote-work-no-one-knows-when-to-stop-working-anymore-11616751002">some lamented the absence of boundaries</a>, <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/08/dont-force-people-to-come-back-to-the-office-full-time">others enjoyed the benefits</a>.</p>
<p>The right to disconnect also fails to anticipate what Arlie Hochschild, an American sociologist, describes as the “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/25/books/she-minds-the-child-he-minds-the-dog.html">second shift</a>” — household chores, which are often unpaid and performed by women. </p>
<p>Although eight-hour workday rights were designed to help workers enjoy leisure time, for many women, they’re merely a shift in gears to a different type of work from which there is no right to disconnect.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A mother sits at a crowded kitchen table in front of a laptop as two children do online schoolwork." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431715/original/file-20211112-23-3q0o4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431715/original/file-20211112-23-3q0o4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431715/original/file-20211112-23-3q0o4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431715/original/file-20211112-23-3q0o4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431715/original/file-20211112-23-3q0o4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431715/original/file-20211112-23-3q0o4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431715/original/file-20211112-23-3q0o4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A mother tries to work from home as her two children do online schooling at the kitchen table in their home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mississauga, Ont.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite the dubious effectiveness of right to disconnect laws, they raise important questions about the organization of modern work alongside our collective expectations about the kind of work we value as a society and the time it ought to consume. The laws, and the resulting discussions about them, may contribute to a cultural shift away <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-workaholics/201112/understanding-the-dynamics-workaholism">from workaholism</a>, at least around paid work. </p>
<p>Some organizations <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/volkswagen-silences-work-e-mail-after-hours/2011/12/23/gIQAz4HRDP_story.html">like Volkswagen</a> <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/08/daimlers-german-employees-can-set-emails-to-auto-delete-during-vacation/376068/">and Daimler</a> already introduced restrictions around digital communication several years ago. The right to disconnect may encourage more businesses to take similar measures. </p>
<h2>Expanded worker autonomy</h2>
<p>But given the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1050.0124">variation in worker preferences</a> and implications for job satisfaction, treating the right to disconnect as an authorized refusal to answer emails after 5 p.m. hardly addresses the problem of overwork among knowledge workers. After all, tight deadlines may create the need to work long hours without necessarily communicating with colleagues. </p>
<p>Rather, employers should focus on being flexible and should offer knowledge workers <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/10/forget-flexibility-your-employees-want-autonomy">more autonomy</a> around their availability. This is a significant shift that asks employers to trust their knowledge workers to deliver on their tasks. </p>
<p>The right to disconnect can be the catalyst an organization needs to review its policies. However, a cultural shift that destigmatizes a less frenetic pace of work and allows employees more control over their work boundaries will more directly address the problem of overwork.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170941/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ope Akanbi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The right to disconnect can be the catalyst an organization needs to review its workplace policies. But what’s really needed is a cultural shift that gives workers more control over how they work.
Ope Akanbi, Assistant Professor, Professional Communication, Toronto Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.