The Changing Workplace

Vince is a manager for a large electronics company. At least twice a week, he works from his Ohio home on a computer that is linked to his office. Through this computer, he can be in immediate, regular con­tact with his work team and with his company bosses. Vince is a part-time telecommuter. That is, he works from home for part of his week, avoiding the need to commute in the usual way - by car or public transportation. Vince is connected with his workplace through tech­nology - computers, fax machines, and phone systems. There are many others like Vince in the United States today. Some are full-time telecom­muters, working from home every day of the week. Vince and his team are typical of the workplace of today in other ways, too. Vince says, ‘We have to attend a lot of training sessions to keep up with new tech­nology. We work in teams and manage our work activities ourselves rather than depend on a boss to tell us what to do.’

The workplace of the United States and of other developed coun­tries all over the world is changing. Technology has played a large par) in this process, but there are also other factors at work. For one thing there has been a change in the work ethic, or attitude toward work Until recently, most people believed that a person who was supporting a family had a responsibility to choose a job that paid the most, rather than the one that was more satisfying for him or her. Many people worked hard to support their families, not thinking about how unpleasant or boring their work was. Today a majority reject this attitude. Most people are interested in jobs that allow for personal growth and that will give them some satisfaction or even enjoyment (Castro 1989; Schor 1991).

How has this new work ethic come about? One reason is that the number of white-collar workers has increased substantially over the last few decades. Another is the increase in the average level of work­ers’ education. In farming and manufacturing, new machines have dra­matically decreased the number of people needed to produce things. Before 1945, there were far more blue-collar workers than white-col­lar workers, but since this time, the white-collar segment has grown rapidly. Now there are approximately three times as many white-collar workers (professionals, office workers, and salespeople) as blue-collar workers in most manufacturing companies. It is these white-collar and better-educated workers who value jobs that are satisfying and that give them the chance to develop themselves personally.

This change in attitude toward work has led, in turn, to changes in the workplace. Employers are increasingly offering their workers jobs and working conditions that will keep them happy: more interesting and varied tasks; more opportunities for self-direction; more flexible hours to make it easier to combine work and family life; increased par­ticipation in decision making; and, in some cases, a share in the prof­its of the company.

Other changes in work opportunities include changes in the types of industries where people are most likely to find work. While there has been a decrease in jobs in manufacturing and other industries that pro­duce goods, there has been an increase in jobs in industries that pro­vide services - for example, education, health care, banking, enter­tainment, and leisure.

So what changes can we expect in the future? In very recent years, some economic experts have been predicting a world where just 20 per­cent of the population will have jobs. They believe that this will be suf­ficient to keep the world economy going - to produce all the goods and services needed. Not surprisingly, they foresee very serious problems in the task of occupying the rest of the population (Martin & Schumann 1997). Whatever happens, it is clear that the world of work will con­tinue to change at a fast pace, presenting huge challenges for individ­uals and societies alike.

What makes a good workplace?

A team of researchers (Levine et al. 1984) set out to identify the characteristics that individuals believe make for a good job. The characteristics mentioned by over 450 employees were:

1. My bosses treat me with respect and have confidence in my abilities.

1. There is variety in my daily work.

2. I find challenge in my work.

3. There is an opportunity for advancement.

4. The work I do contributes to society.

Notice that income is not on the list. Workers do want their work to give them an adequate income, but they also value respect, variety, challenge, and advancement.

UNDERSTANDING THE FUNCTION OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE TEXT

Remember that it is important when reading a text to be aware of the functions of different parts of the text and how these parts fit into the overall structure.

1. The following describe the functions of the different paragraphs in the text. Write the number of the appropriate paragraph next to its description.

______It describes the difference between present and past attitudes to work.

______It predicts how working conditions in the future will be different from the present.

______It explains why there is a different attitude to work today than in the past.

______It gives a personal example of one individuals modern working lifestyle.

______It gives some examples of how present-day workplace conditions are different from the past.

______It describes a change in the types of work available today.

2. Compare your answers with a partner. Discuss why you think the writer put the paragraphs in this order.