The New "Office Temp": Alternative Models of Contingent Labour

Office temps are contingent workers, predominantly female, with secretarial and administrative skills, who hire their services out through an agency to client organizations requiring temporary labour. As organizations face changes in demand and workload, and seek flexible rather than stable structures, 'temping' is increasing in prevalence and importance, and is being used for increasingly skilled and responsible work. Understanding the work orientations and attitudes of temps is of value to employers, agents, and policy makers. Past studies and prevailing discourse on contingent labour suggest a somewhat negative picture of the temp as a member of the secondary labour market, and as a marginalized and insecure victim unable to secure a firm foothold in the economic marketplace. This study suggests a somewhat different picture

Labour Process Theory and the Chain System in the New Zealand Meatworks

This paper applies a labour process perspective to the "chain system" in the New Zealand meat freezing industry. It traces the introduction of the chain system, contrasting it with traditional work methods and uses this historical perspective to provide a critique of Braverman 's theory of changes in the labour process

Pathways to Employment for Young New Zealanders: Effects of Social Capital

The Pathways to Sustainable Employment (PAS£) research programme is a five-year programme aimed at determining the supply-side and demand-side parameters of employment-seeking and career development of New Zealanders aged 15-34, and developing policy implications. In an initial phase of the project, 866 participants sampled from four geographical areas and representative of different age, gender, and ethnic groups took part in a Computer Aided Telephone Interview (CAT/) concerning their employment experiences to date and their aspirations for the future. This paper reports on the experiences of participants in respect of seeking and finding their current job, their last job, and their first job and the role social networks play in supporting career decision making. The data, which demonstrate the key role that social capital plays in these regards, raises issues about such things as the expertise of network members, their objective understanding of others' capacities and interests, and their knowledge of the labour market. We suggest that the importance of social capital is underestimated and policy makers could do well to take this into account when considering developing strategies for sustainable employment

The New "Office Temp": Alternative Models of Contingent Labour

Office temps are contingent workers, predominantly female, with secretarial and administrative skills, who hire their services out through an agency to client organizations requiring temporary labour. As organizations face changes in demand and workload, and seek flexible rather than stable structures, 'temping' is increasing in prevalence and importance, and is being used for increasingly skilled and responsible work. Understanding the work orientations and attitudes of temps is of value to employers, agents, and policy makers. Past studies and prevailing discourse on contingent labour suggest a somewhat negative picture of the temp as a member of the secondary labour market, and as a marginalized and insecure victim unable to secure a firm foothold in the economic marketplace. This study suggests a somewhat different picture

Technological Change and the Labour Process in New Zealand: A Synthesis

This paper draws together some of the common themes and summarises the key points which emerge from the industry case studies presented in this symposium on technological change

Pathways to Employment for Young New Zealanders: Effects of Social Capital

The Pathways to Sustainable Employment (PAS£) research programme is a five-year programme aimed at determining the supply-side and demand-side parameters of employment-seeking and career development of New Zealanders aged 15-34, and developing policy implications. In an initial phase of the project, 866 participants sampled from four geographical areas and representative of different age, gender, and ethnic groups took part in a Computer Aided Telephone Interview (CAT/) concerning their employment experiences to date and their aspirations for the future. This paper reports on the experiences of participants in respect of seeking and finding their current job, their last job, and their first job and the role social networks play in supporting career decision making. The data, which demonstrate the key role that social capital plays in these regards, raises issues about such things as the expertise of network members, their objective understanding of others' capacities and interests, and their knowledge of the labour market. We suggest that the importance of social capital is underestimated and policy makers could do well to take this into account when considering developing strategies for sustainable employment

Careers of highly educated self-initiated expatriates : observations from studies among Finnish business professionals

This chapter reviews existing literature about the careers of self-initiated expatriates and analyzes the different studies carried out among university level educated Finnish business professionals. A series of studies carried out among members of the Finnish Association of Business School Graduates during the last 15 years was cross-analyzed. The studies are based on three surveys and further interviews among their expatriate members (1999, 2004 and a follow-up study in 2012) also involving SIEs. Therefore, this chapter provide an overview of what we know about the careers of Finnish SIEs and show evidence of (1) their career motives, (2) the role of family considerations in the career decision making of SIEs, (3) the development of career capital and social capital during SIE-experiences, and also (4) longer-term career impacts of SIE-experiences. Based on the literature review and analysis of above mentioned studies we highlight the gaps in in the knowledge about SIEs and suggest areas where further research is needed.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Are humans resources?

Purpose – This paper aims to offer a critique, from a career studies perspective, of the common term “human resource management.” Design/methodology/approach – Provides a literature review and critique. Findings – The term “human resource management” is a metaphor that presents employees as passive commodities or assets rather than as active agents, and thereby potentially de-humanizes them. In an alternative view based on career studies, individual employees are active agents utilizing the resources of employing organizations to pursue personal goals. Alternative terms to “human resource management” are suggested. Research limitations/implications – There is scope for study of the effects of “human resources” terminology on employees' and others' view of and attitude to the human resource management function. Practical implications – Examination of “human resources” discourse may promote examination of the implications of current discourse for practice, facilitate moderation of practice, and stimulate the search for new discourse and new practice, by both organizations and individuals. Originality/value – This paper questions a prevailing and widely accepted form of discourse in management and advocates change

Careers in cross-cultural perspective

Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to introduce a collection of papers about careers in cross-cultural perspective, which contributes to the growing body of literature that addresses careers from different locations around the world. Design/methodology/approach – Introduces the topic, providing some background and discussion of the main concepts. Findings – Briefly introduces the papers and their main findings – differences and similarities among careers and career attributes in different cultural and national contexts. Originality/value – Contextualizes the issue and extends the overall knowledge in the topic