Synopses & Reviews
Trouble in the workplace - whether it is bullying, harassment or excessive stress - has long been a popular topic in the headlines. Yet the research and statistics that are cited in these discussions often prove unreliable. In 'Trouble at Work', Ralph Fevre draws on comprehensive data and surveys to gather a clearer, more balanced picture of our workplaces today.
With a coverage that is in-depth and international in scope, this book highlights how and why workplace troubles can occur, emphasizing common problems such as division of labour, occupational hierarchy and workplace behaviour. 'Trouble at Work' challenges conventional wisdom on several fronts by showing that union presence often offers no more protection, and that small workplaces are no more troubled than large ones.
Drawing on large-scale survey data and over 100 personal interviews, 'Trouble at Work' offers a detailed overview of contemporary working life and concrete suggestions as to where we go from here.
Synopsis
Trouble in the workplace - whether it is bullying, harassment or stress - is always in the headlines. Yet, in many discussions, the research and statistics that are cited prove unreliable. This book summarizes the largest specialist research programme on ill-treatment in the workplace so far undertaken. It provides a powerful antidote to half-truths and misinformation and offers a new way of conceptualizing trouble at work, moving the discussion away from individualized explanations - and talk of 'bullies' and 'victims' - towards the workplace characteristics that cause trouble at work. The biggest problems arise where organisations fail to create a workplace culture in which individuals really matter. Paradoxically, these are often the organizations which are well-versed in modern management practices.
Synopsis
Trouble at Work addresses the apparent rise in workplace harassment and bullying in recent years. Drawing on extensive surveys and in-depth data, this book is a comprehensive study of troubles in the workplace, looking across many areas of employment.
About the Author
Ralph Fevre is Professor of Social Research at Cardiff. His books include Wales is Closed (1989), The Sociology of the Labour Markets (1992), The Demoralization of Western Culture (2000) and The New Sociology of Economic Behaviour (2003), and co-author Dead White Men and Other Important People (2010). His recent research on fair treatment in the workplace has had considerable impact on UK policy and on companies and public-sector organizations. Duncan Lewis is Professor of Management at the School of Management at Plymouth University. His recent publications include (with Williams, W.H.) 'Strategic Management Tools and Public Sector Management: The Challenge of Context Specificity' in the Public Management Review (2008).Amanda Robinson is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Cardiff University. Her research interests include police and policing, violence against women, and sentencing policy and practice. Her recent publications include 'Improving the Civil-Criminal Interface for Victims of Domestic Violence' in the Howard Journal of Criminal Justice (2007). She is currently Review Editor of Sociology. Trevor Jones is Reader in Criminology at Cardiff University and Deputy Director of the School of Social Sciences. His research interests cover a range of areas including policing - especially police accountability and commercial security, comparative penal policy-making, and policy transfer in crime control. His recent publications (with T. Newburn) include Plural Policing: A Comparative Perspective (2006), and Policy Transfer and Criminal Justice: Exploring US influence over British crime control (2006).
Table of Contents
List of tables and figures
Part one
Chapter 1. A Bad Day at the Office
Part two
Chapter 2. Fairness and Rationality at Work
Chapter 3. Civility and Respect at Work
Chapter 4. Violence and Injury at Work
Part three
Chapter 5. The Briar Patch
Chapter 6. The Office
Chapter 7. Permanent White Water
Chapter 8. Keeping the Faith
Part four
Chapter 9. The Troubled Workplace
Bibliography
Footnotes
Index