Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment Norwegian National Institute of Occupational Health
A new employment contract Author(s): Gunnar Aronsson Source: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, Vol. 27, No. 6 (December 2001), pp. 361-364 Published by: the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, the Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment, and the Norwegian National Institute of Occupational Health Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40967150 . Accessed: 03/05/2013 10:03 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
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Editorial Scand J WorkEnvironHealth200 1;27(6):36 1-364
A newemployment contract economic worklife hasbeencharacterized thelastdecade,inmostmature countries, by capitalist During andthethreat ofunemployment, andnew newcorporate constellations, unemployment downsizing, work contracts there hasbeencontinuous ofnonstandard ofemployment. growth Globally, patterns (ie, whichis full-time, andrelatively deviate from thestandard contract contracts which form, permanent incontrast the"standard norm" tononstandard Thesecharacteristics haverepresented employsecure). as part-time ortemporary. whichis conventionally ment, personsarealso perceived Self-employed A general traitis weakrootsinthelabormarket formoreandmore as outsidethenorm. regarded for the workers. Thesechanges havehad,andwillhave,considerable consequences agendaofworklife research. Thebackground forthechangesinemployment contracts canbe described as a struggle between in andcompanies to avoidrisks.Inthisprocessa strong centerinducesuncertainty organizations In structures so as to create and at the core of its structure. this peripheral stability security production a company increases itscapacity tohandleunpredictability manner andrapidmarket fluctuations. The bearers ofuncertainty aresmallsubcontracting and their the and companies employees, self-employed, contracts. employment peopleontime-restricted Atthecoreofthesestructures withrelatively are,at leastso far,principally employees highjob andopportunities forpersonal andoccupational andalsojobcontent andpay.In security development inwhich theidealofhealthy incombination with demands andcontrol arebalanced work, many respects andlearning forthiscoregroupandtherefore a majorplus development opportunities (1), is a reality from theperspective ofhealth. Theirrelatively on the fact that thegroup strongposition depends andexpensive to substitute. Thiscoregroupis also often possessesskillsthatarebothindemand market fluctuations trade unions. their coreworkers also protected against bystrong Despite position, inperiods moreinsecurity offaststructural Theconcepts oflife-long and experience changes. learning have their in employability origin thesestructural changes. withtime-restricted Thecoreis encircled contracts ortemporary byworkers (alsocalledcontingent whosetaskistoassureorganizational inrelation tothetroughs andpeaksofproduction. flexibility work) Theproportion variesconsiderably between withrelatively countries similar socioeconomic structures. time-restricted contracts around 15%ofthelaborforceinSweden. Thisisa rather Currently, comprise increase from the in 10% the of the 1990s. The in istobe strong beginning highest proportionEurope inSpainandPortugal, found thelowestinAustria, andDenmark. Thereareconsiderable Luxembourg, inworkconditions indifferent differences of In Sweden themajornumerical types temporary jobs. increases haveoccurred to meetemergency amongpersonsemployed requirements (on call)and workers. These two of are linked to and modern project categories employment understaffing goaloriented forms ofwork, Women a largemajority oftheformer andmen respectively. make-up category, dominate thelatter. Athird circle orsegment consists oftheself-employed. Theshift from is goodstoservice production a driving forceinthegrowth ofthisgroup. Service suits better than production self-employment goods andmany services canbeefficiently incompanies ofthiskind. production, produced Theemerging isthatofworkers with ina variety ofrespects. Suchmobility is picture greater mobility chosenandpartly enforced. Within itsvarious there is movement between partly personally dimensions, Scand J WorkEnvironHealth2001, vol27, no 6
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andpart-time andunemployment, between full-time between between work, occupations, employment with different and between degreesofloadanddifferent personalstudyand paidwork, job tasks terms of Tothepicture alsobelong work-transformation insecure stresses, development opportunities. between industrial andoffice andwork athome, plusthefactthattheboundary employment, teleworking defined. Fearofunemployment orinsecure work is becoming everlessclearly employment maydampen current foroccupational hazardswillnot andtherefore work-environment criticism, signalsystems as they didearlier operate (2). intheemployment onthesechanges statusof havelately observed andreacted Worklife researchers Acomprehensive ofrecent onprecarious with overview research workers fewexceptions. employment his co-workers hasbeenpublished Ouinlan and by (3). whofocusonwork thework forresearchers Thisdescribed isa challenge organization, development new to be and research on the conditions forhigh-quality andhealth. However, environment, grasped arerequired. formulation andtheory carried out,bothnewmethods I willonly research therearemanysubstantial Within andwell-being thefieldofhealth questions. and between of work conditions an ongoing differentiation a few.Dataindicate mention permanent Moreknowledge shouldbe thegroupsoftemporary employment. temporary jobs andalso within menintothegood thispolarization areoperating andcreating onwhich mechanisms obtained bysorting forms intothemostinsecure forms andwomen (oncall). project) (longer between levelistherelation Another research employees permanent topicona socialpsychological number when the of a with thesocialsupport workers. Whathappens andtemporary system workplace Whatworkconditions orhalftheemployees? to one-third increases oftemporary predict employees orfriendly cooperation? antagonism andtheir health thatinclude Athird is regulation areaforresearch systems occupational strategies contracts with shorter andmoreinsecure inanorganizational context toacteffectively (3). How capacity in world of this new is their task and what beorganized, shouldthesesystems peoplewhoare working the affect becomemoresilent Doworkplaces moreandmore"just-in-time" (2) andtherefore employed? for their decision information relevant and correct toobtain health ofoccupational systems opportunities making? and toa permanent a temporary iswhether Oneofthemostpolicy-relevant jobisa bridge questions and status with to socioeconomic outcomes respect well-being. negative alleywith healthy jobora blind and in which selection is a this answer to for a valid Thenecessary study longitudinal question design of to a discussion this us And brings can be studied. individual processesandexposure adjustment questions. methodological research issuesthathaveto be solvedbefore Therearemany difficult high-quality methodological of terms: a is covered thearea out.First, can be carried work,precarious contingent by plethora the like.Inresearch and flexible insecure work, work, work, contracts, atypical temporary employment, characteristics about the information more-detailed without used areoften theseterms specific reports underthe areclumped contracts all kindsoftemporary contracts. Often oftheemployment together to define are few there and with samelabelandcompared permanent temporary attempts employment, ofa definition: & Nardone oftheselabels.Polivka contracts job "Any (4) giveoneexample independently or one term for contract or an doesnothave explicit implicit inwhich theindividual employment in long canvaryina nonsystematic hoursofwork which theminimum way". forinvestigathepopulation itis difficult todefine inconceptualization, ofthisvagueness Asa result between from different results tocompare difficult tionsand,ofcourse, studies, comparisons especially A research work. forcesofcontingent thedriving foridentifying whichmaybe useful goal countries, to that definition. andsampleworkers definition a consistent mustbetodevelop according 362
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Alowresponse to rateisa threat rateinquestionnaire studies. Another isthelowresponse problem it workers are a limits of the and theexternal opportunities. Temporary validity study, generalization Thesocial intounionandcompany activities. inworkplaces andareoften weakly integrated minority firm researchers. in are excluded the or take a is low. Often for them to they by by part study pressure with Onepossibility, of contracts. there is no Furthermore, usually general registerpeople temporary to regular national "laborforce whichwe haveusedinourstudiesinSweden,is to add questions in with data from absence combination on sickness studies". self-reported surveys Company registers inthisissueofthe and herco-workers published mayalso be used,as inthestudybyVirtanen Environment & Health(6). Inthisstudyon contingent Journal of Work, Scandinavian employment, handled severalmethodological ofthissortof health andsickness absence,theresearchers problems study. beenmentioned, weneedlongitudinal studies to meetsomeofthemoreinteresting Ashasalready Hereagain,wemeettheseriousbutnotunsolvable ofa highproportion of research questions. problems studiesonthisgroupraisespecific Whatdatashouldbe However, longitudinal problems? dropouts. of andhowcanthework who have had a series of collected historypersons jobsbedescribed temporary As was mentioned we can expectto meethighly and complex work andanalyzed. earlier, shifting - perhaps in different histories and social environmany jobs many physical, ergonomie, psychological, ments. also movemorethanpeopleinpermanent Peoplewiththesetypesofjobsprobably positions; therefore are to different environments their leisure time. they exposed many during arise. What health selection are standard andnonstandquestions Many processes goingonbetween ardemployment contracts? Is itpossibleto reconstruct theworkhistory? Is itpossibleto develop matrices and methods for such data for work and other modern exposure analyzing temporary typesof mobile work?Forwhatvariables aresubjective datato be preferred withsomemore whencompared variables? Do we have theories and methods that can the ofthe objective exposure support analysis interactions between health andhealth which canbeassumedto factors, complex promoting impairing operate? with Associated thisproblem isthequestion ofmental reference. What dotemporary workers groups useas implicit reference whenthey ina questionnaire conditions orinan interview? groups judgework Is itthecoregroupofworkers work close other orthesituation as workers, they (which temporary to), earlier unemployed persons? Thesequestions ustothethird theneedtodevelop theories thatcancontribute to bring point, strong theselection ofwhatdatashouldbecollected from the of information. among myriad possible forresearch ontemporary it is more thanevertodevelop theories. Therefore, jobs, important strong Heretwodirections canbriefly bementioned. Forstudies onstressandhealth anelaborated jobcontrol modelseemstobe useful. Moststudiesoncontrol andhealth usea "within" is perspective (ie,control studied within theworkplace context butnotinrelation toa person's control overhisorherworklife (ie, hisorhercontrol overtheemployment situation) (6). Asecondandmoredynamic is to use contract theories approach psychological (7). Suchcontracts refer toemployees' andemployers' oftheir Thetraditional Swedish perceptions reciprocal obligations. contract hasbeenjobsecurity and from the and (lifelong employment) money employer against loyalty hardwork from theemployee. Thecontract ofa temporary worker is basedoneconomic the exchange; does not offer or future commitment. outcomes to include employer securitylong-term Interesting study individual andgroupperformance, inmodern work loyalty, workplace integration, aspectsthat, organizationtheories, areregarded as fundamental forthesurvival anddevelopment ofa company.
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References 1. KarasekR, TheorellT. Healthywork:stress,productivity, andthereconstruction ofworkinglife.New York(NY): Basic Books, 1990. 2. AronssonG. Contingent workersand healthand safetyat work.WorkEmploySociety1999;13:439-59. 3. QuinlanM, MayhewC, Bohle. The global expansionof precariousemployment, workdisorganization, and consequencesforoccupationalhealth:a reviewof recentresearch.IntJHealthServ 2001;31:335-414. 4. PolivkaAE, NardoneT. On thedefinition of contingent work.Mon Labor Rev 1989;112:9-16. 5. VirtanenM, Kivimäki M, ElovainioM, VanteraJ,CooperC. Contingent healthand sicknessabsence. employment, Scand JWorkEnvironHealth.2001;27:365-72. 6. AronssonG, GöranssonS. Permanent butnotin a preferred employment occupation.JOccup HealthPsychol 1999;2:152-63. and prospect.JOrganizational 7. AndersonN, SchalkR. The psychologicalcontractin retrospect Behavior1998;19:63747.
Gunnar Professorin Aronsson, Psychology Institute forWorking Sweden National Life,
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