2. A New Type of
Work?
• Non-Standard work has been trending for a few
decades
• Before, we knew it as temp work or contract work
• These were generally looked down on
• They don’t provide a stable income
• You still worked under people at places
• Non-standard work now tends to be a bit different
• Temp work is still around
• More work is done at home or working as a
contractor
• Not looked down on as much
• Allows for some time flexibility
3. The
Destandardization
of Work Thesis
• It was outside the home and for fixed hours
• It was permanent work
• Male dominated (breadwinner)
Standardized work was highly regulated
• Work can be in many places including home
• The hours are much more flexible
• Not permanent
• Both genders involved
Non-standard work is not as regulated
4. Beck and Castells
Both of these researchers examine the reasons behind non-standard
work. They tend to agree, albeit it with small differences.
They both link non-standard work with lean production. JLP spread
to other industries. To give an example, why have full time people
for 8 hours when the customer rush is only between 5:00 and 7:00?
The effect was outsourcing, subcontracting, offshoring, customizing,
and downsizing
5. Women and
Non-
Standardized
Work
Women tend to be over-
represented in Non-
standardized work for three
reasons:
They are cheaper to employ
They tend to have the social
skills that are demanded in
an informational economy
They traditionally work
outside the home as
secondary employment and
are therefore more flexible
and will work shorter hours
Additionally, women were
already working non-
standard jobs for decades
before it started to become
a trend
Also keep in mind this was
written in the 1990s
6. What is so
special
about now?
The digital revolution and information technology
Competition is vastly increased as communication is increased
You can’t keep standardized products. You need varieties of products
and services
This means more flexibility is needed as far as time and services
offered. Things become specialized, so our work also becomes
specialized.
At the same time, they don’t necessarily need this specialization all the
time because there is not as much of it demanded.
7. Effects of
Non-
Standard
Work on the
Worker
• They gain some freedom over how they organize
their work and non-work lives
• Possible supplements of incomes
Positive
• Employment insecurity
• Decreased negotiating power
• Polarized incomes
• Some can self-employ and do well (i.e.
consultants)
• Most jobs don’t pay well
Negative
8. Self-
Employment
and the Gig
Economy
• Being self-employed has some limitations in that benefits are not
typically paid be the employee nor matched by the employer
• This should be counted when determining salary
• Company protections are not given as the employee is “self-
employed”
• Some contractors, or self-employed, end up working for a single
employer on a full-time basis under their rules anyway.
• In effect, it is the same job as a full-time employee but just a
different status
• Many times this employment requires long hours
• Family is recruited to help or at least take over more non-work
tasks
• The hours are at unsocial hours limiting interaction with others
9. Illusion of
Autonomy
This term was given by Hakim in reference
to people who rationalize a work situation
that would otherwise be intolerable
It tends to legitimize an unfair system by
valuing the idea of being in control of your
work situation
10. Why the
Increase in
Self-
Employment?
• Historically, self-employment was declining. Education
was the pathway to success instead of self-employment
• This trend reversed in the 1970s because of the following:
• Deindustrialization- It is easier to start a business
when you don’t need to buy a factory of machines.
This would be a pull factor
• Organizational Restructuring- companies wanted to
reduce costs and be more flexible. We covered this in
slide #4. This is a push factor
• The move from mass-production to individualized-
consumption- it requires small scale production and
niche products. This is both push and pull
• Unemployment- during times of high unemployment
(like the 1980s), people become self-employed.
11. Other
Factors
Leading to
Self-
Employment
Government- they can
stimulate small business
by offering tax breaks,
low-interest business
loans, workshops, etc.
• Risk-taking
• Individualism
• Self-reliance
Culture- there are many
things about being self-
employed that lines up
with our values:
• Computerization makes most
aspects of a business easier
Technological Advances-
“the electronic cottage”
12. The Gig
Economy
• It is a term incorporating two elements:
• The sharing economy- you have something
to share like your home or car (Airbnb, Lyft,
etc.)
• The platform economy- using Online
platforms to get temporary work
• This is still a new and developing concept but
quickly increasing
• The gig economy depends on computers and an
extreme level of outsourcing by these
companies.
14. Advantages
and
Disadvantages
of Gig Work
• Advantages
• Flexibility- you chose when to work, what to do, etc.
• You can be anywhere (digital nomad)
• Younger people may enjoy independence and work-life
balance more than predictability and security
• It can supplement your income without having to commit to a
part-time job
• Disadvantages
• There aren’t better jobs to do
• Poorly paid and you take care of your own equipment (like a
car)
• No vacation, Social Security, disability, sick days, etc.
• While gig work is considered more flexible and liberating than
self-employment, it is simultaneously monitored more. Apps
control your rating, Uber has surge periods which encourage
you to move to an area, they can tell what you are doing, etc.
15. The Future of
Self-
Employment
• It could go back to the downward trend before the
1970s (demise theory)- this is unlikely though
because:
• Parents transfer capital to children
• Being self employed is a major factor in children
also becoming self-employed
• Technology is not going away. Industries are not
coming back
• The levels, around 12% of society, could stabilize
(marginalization theory)
• It will continue to grow (de-marginalization theory)
• Whether it will stabilize or grow is not really
knowable now as this phenomenon is still rather
new and evolving.
16. Spatial
Destandardization-
Homeworking
• This is sometimes referred to as
telecommuting or teleworking
• The obvious advantage is flexibility.
• For the employer, they can reduce costs of
running an office or at least heating and
lighting an office.
• However, when does the day end when you
work at home? People might actually work
more hours. The employer can text or email
anytime.
• How does the boss manage the worker? How
do people work together? Is it the same
through videoconferencing?
17. Criticisms of
Destandardization
Thesis
• Data presented over the 1970s in
the five top industrial countries
show little decrease in standard
work. In general, people are still
working traditional jobs. Perhaps
the non-standard work for many is
just extra.
• Gender needs to be considered.
Non-standard work contains far
more women then men.
• The lines between standard and
non-standard work is not clear.
What about telework? Is Airbnb
work?
18. Summary
• The destandardization of work thesis is based on the idea
that standardized work (fixed work site and hours and a
contract) is tied to Fordism. As Fordism changed, work
became more:
• Flexible
• Individual
• Less secure
• More balanced as far as work/life
• There are three components of non-standard work:
temporal (time), spatial (place) and contractual (contract,
commitment)
• It is hard to define non-standard work. Is it all three
components? One? How do we measure this? Are they
second jobs?
19. Summary
(continued)
• There is evidence that work is becoming
less standard, but there is also evidence
that work has not ultimately changed like
we think.
• We don’t quite know what the future
holds as non-standard work is changing
with technology. This is still new to us
