Empty Labor
Idleness and Workplace Resistance

The first critical study of 'empty labor', the time during which employees engage in non-work activities during the working day.

Roland Paulsen (Author)

9781107663930, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 January 2015

234 pages, 6 b/w illus. 1 table
22.9 x 15 x 1.5 cm, 0.36 kg

'… those interested in work - or how to avoid it - will find this book both provocative and fascinating for what it suggests is really happening in the workplace.' American Journal of Sociology

While most people work ever-longer hours, international statistics suggest that the average time spent on non-work activities per employee is around two hours a day. How is this possible, and what are the reasons behind employees withdrawing from work? In this thought-provoking book, Roland Paulsen examines organizational misbehavior, specifically the phenomenon of 'empty labor', defined as the time during which employees engage in private activities during the working day. This study explores a variety of explanations, from under-employment to workplace resistance. Building on a rich selection of interview material and extensive empirical research, it uses both qualitative and quantitative data to present a concrete analysis of the different ways empty labor unfolds in the modern workplace. This book offers new perspectives on subjectivity, rationality and work simulation and will be of particular interest to academic researchers and graduate students in organizational sociology, organization studies, and human resource management.

Foreword
Preface
1. Introduction
2. Power at work
3. Subjectivity at work
4. Mapping out empty labor
5. How to succeed at work without really trying
6. The time-appropriating subject
7. The organization of idleness
8. Resistance incorporated?
9. Conclusion
Appendix: methodological notes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Industry & industrial studies [KN], Business & management [KJ], Economics, finance, business & management [K]