A representation gap has appeared in the British workplace as trade unions have declined. This book presents original research material from the ESRC's Future of Work programme to assess current attempts to close the representation gap. Part One examines initiatives to restore the fortunes of the trade union movement through organizing, partnership and the representation of minorities in the workforce. Part Two looks at non-union representation and the role that works councils, voluntary organizations and single-issue campaigns can play in giving British workers a new voice at work.

Increased longevity and better health are changing the nature of family life. In the context of changes in the world of work, increased divorce and a declining welfare state, multi-generation or 'beanpole families' are a potential resource for family support. Focusing on four-generation families and the two central careers of the life course - employment and care - Working and Caring Over the Twentieth Century explores this question. Based upon new research that employed biographical methods, it maps in detail from 1910 to the late 1990s the lives of men and women as great-grandparents,...

This book analyzes the multiple levels of meaning which people attach to work today, and the role of work in people's lives. By looking at call centres and software development, the book evaluates some of the claims made for the knowledge economy and argues that defining the work-life boundary is a constant problem for many workers

This book presents new and authoritative evidence about change at the workplace, using it to cast light on recent debates about the future of work. The basic questions it poses are whether, and how, British workplaces are responding to the challenge of change, and what are the implications of change both for managers and employees. Using up-to-date information from 2000 workplaces, it provides a realistic basis for envisaging the changes through the first decade of the 21st century. It is accessible to a wide audience of policy makers, managers, professionals, students and academics.

Using an international approach, this book demonstrates the way that the intersection of gendered and ethnic identities operate at work and home. It provides an authoritative account of ethnicity and gender at work, and the theoretical underpinning explanations."

A representation gap has appeared in the British workplace as trade unions have declined. Part Two looks at non-union representation and the role that works councils, voluntary organizations and single-issue campaigns can play in giving British workers a new voice at work.

The convergence of Algorithms, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency (ABC) has the potential to fundamentally disrupt the current world of work. This book investigates the effects of this on the worker, the organisation and the economy, by considering a future where the traditional power relationships between workers and firms no longer apply.