Never before in history have so many humans suffered from depression, anxiety, and stress. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 300 million people struggle with depression - equivalent to 4.4 percent of the world's population, with even more suffering from anxiety and stress. Therefore, it is critical to understand why those of us, especially in prosperous countries with high living standards, continue to get sick, particularly due to work-related stress. Studies have consistently shown purpose and meaningfulness to be essential for performance and mental health in a work place. As a result, human beings are increasingly seeking purpose and meaning in their life. Key to unlocking meaning is the idea that we are all one human being, regardless of the context. It is the purpose of this book to ensure we stop separating our persona into a working human being and private human being, and instead see ourselves as one human being, with one life in one lifetime.

Mental health issues, stress and chronic illness are the biggest causes of absence from work and loss of productivity in most Western economies. Research and public awareness of this epidemic of physical and mental ill-health among working age people is growing, but our understanding of its impact on company performance and productivity and possible solutions for the future is less advanced. The Healthy Workforce: Enhancing Wellbeing and Productivity in the Workers of the Future examines current challenges and future solutions to understand issues around how we can improve the health of today's and tomorrow's workforce. This book will look at why workforce health is such an important challenge for businesses, governments and for employees today and how this will increase in the future with an ageing workforce. Closely linked to the authors' exploration of health issues in the work context is a focus on the impact of worker health on direct and indirect productivity costs. This book offers practical guidance for professionals on getting started in the delivery of an effective and evidence-based workplace health plan which can enhance and sustain productivity growth in business now and for the future.

Need to know how to buy a phone switch for your call center? How to measure the productivity of agents? How to choose from two cities that both want your center? No problem. "The Call Center Handbook" is a complete guide to starting, running, and im Establish and operate an efficient call center with this authoritative guide that covers everything from choosing the best site and buying the right equipment to managing agents, monitoring productivity, and enhancing customer relationships.

Bringing together studies of everyday local practices in workplaces within information society, this book has a special focus on social space and the agency of actors. It includes both theoretical reviews and detailed qualitative research. It also highlights the political challenges of the information society, challenges which are likely to become subjects of international concern.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203402650

Graham explores the attitudes of Japanese employees towards their work, their company and on related issues. Based on extensive original research inside a Japanese insurance company (C-Life), which subsequently went bankrupt, the book shows that attitudes towards lifetime employment, company loyalty and the other characteristics of Japanese working life, which are often portrayed in stereotype form in the West, are in fact more complicated than is at first apparent.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203433637

Satire plays a prominent and often controversial role in postcolonial fictions. Satire and the Postcolonial Novel offers the first study of this topic, employing the insights of postcolonial comparative theories to revisit Western formulations of 'satire' and the 'satiric'.
Through the varying lenses provided by satire's relation to irony, allegory, narrative and the grotesque, this book offers new readings of important novels by V.S. Naipaul (Trinidad), Chinua Achebe (Nigeria) and Salman Rushdie (India). It presents a detailed study of the complex and multidirectional ways satire has engaged with the history and messy aftermath of empire.

This book makes a major contribution to the debate within the UK and abroad on the reality of workplace unionism in an era of change. Drawing on examples of union renewal, the authors present an historical overview, and compare the UK experience with contrasting international examples. It presents both qualitative and quantitative research to provide new and comprehensive evidence on trade union strategies.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203167392

Based on findings of the recently published Joseph Rowntree report, this book provides an up-to-the-minute review of current research on flexibility, job insecurity and work intensification. It examines the impact of these developments on individuals, their families, the workplace and the long-term health of the British economy. Key questions addressed include:
* How are jobs more insecure?
* Does just-in-time labour mean more flexible contracts or more flexible workers?
* Does job insecurity entail a 'new flexible morality'?
* How does workplace stress affect individual health and family relationships?

This book explores the influence of collaborative relationships among dual career couples on innovation and productivity. It proposes a new definition of egalitarianism that considers joint investment in career satisfaction and success, rather than the division of domestic labour.

Working Equal exposes the myth of heroic individualism that is central to contemporary western thought. With more than 35% of full-time faculty with a spouse or partner in the same profession, dual career couples are a growing presence in higher education in the U.S.. This compelling and innovative volume examines and testifies to the contribution of intimate and familial relationships to artistic, literary, and scientific accomplishment. An original study of a growing phenomena in higher education, Working Equal presents a new and invaluable portrait of contemporary faculty life.

Telecommuting has been regarded as a powerful tool to reduce traffic congestion, pollution and energy consumption. It also supposed to improve lifestyle quality and job satisfaction by providing employees with flexible schedules with which to address their work load and personal requirements whilst also enhancing recruitment capability and productivity and significantly reducing costs. Nevertheless, a strong resistance to the adoption of telecommuting still persists. In this book, first published in 1996, state of the art demand modelling techniques are used to delve into critical issues raised by the question of telecommuting. The benefits and costs of telecommuting are investigated in an effort to provide concrete evidence to inform the private sector's adoption decision process and the public sector's policy design. This title will be of interest to students of business studies and human resource management.

Once hidden behind the veils of entrepreneurship, it is now clear that platforms are reshaping the world of work, and Amazon has been a forerunner in setting the trend. This book examines two key and contrasting Amazon platforms that differ in how they organize workers: its e-commerce platform and digital labor platform (Mechanical Turk). With access to the people who are working at the heart of these platforms, it explores how different working conditions alienate workers, and how, despite these conditions, workers organize within their political-economic contexts to express their agency in traditional and alternative ways. Written for social scientists studying and researching the platform economy, this is a timely and important analysis of work and workers on the (digital) shop floor.

There are 60 million health care workers globally and most of this workforce consists of nurses, as they are key providers of primary health care. Historically, the global nurse occupation has been predominately female and segregated along gendered, racialised and classed hierarchies. In the last decade, new actors have emerged in the management of health care human resources, specifically from the corporate sector, which has created new interactions, networks, and organisational practices. This book urgently calls for the reconceptualisation in the theoretical framing of the globalised nurse occupation from International Human Resource Management (IHRM) to Transnational Human Resource Management (THRM). Specifically, the book draws on critical human resource management literature and transnational feminist theories to frame the strategies and practices used to manage nurses across geographical sites of knowledge production and power, which centralise on how and by whom nurses are managed. In its current managerial form, the author argues that the nurses are constructed and produced as resources to be packaged for clients in public and private organisations.

Teleworking is an up-to-date, groundbreaking and comprehensive assessment of teleworking. It includes
* multidisciplinary contributions drawing on sociology, management science, economics, philosophy and information technology
* analysis of post-modern and post-industrial theoretical contexts
* a selection of empirical studies from across the world
* accounts of different modes of teleworking, from homeworking to centre-based working
* examination of the links between teleworking and the virtual organisation
Wide-ranging, detailed and original, this book is a valuable introduction to teleworking and an important contribution to the debate on the future of the labour market.

This up-to-date and comprehensive assessment of teleworking is based upon a conference at Brunel University, which was sponsored by BT and the European Commission. The book features contributions from a range of international and interdisciplinary perspectives. As well as an original analysis of the theoretical context of the post-industrial and postmodern world, it also contains detailed empirical studies of telworking in a number of different countries. Contributors explore many of the main issues in teleworking drawing on insights from business, economics, sociology and information systems. These include: conceptualizing teleworking; the management of spatial, temporal and cultural boundaries; the possibility of the virtual organization; integrating teleworking into an organizational perspective. This work provides an introduction to teleworking and a contribution to the debate on the future of the labour market.

Before 2019, coworking spaces were flourishing, however the COVID-19 pandemic put growth on hold. As organizations have begun to move towards more hybrid ways of working, they are becoming the preferred option and are particularly attractive for new business ventures. There are significant gaps in the research of coworking spaces: their forms, configurations, influences, challenges, and how to manage transformations of incumbents when establishing spaces. The trend is being noticed, but a better understanding of the phenomenon and a consideration of management innovations is needed to fully harness the true possibilities of coworking spaces. In Awakening the Management of Coworking Spaces, the chapter authors combine a scientific approach with managing implications, developing theoretic constructs, reporting qualitative and quantitative findings about challenges, potentials, effects, managerial solutions, and success stories. The contributors are academics and practitioners, bringing together their research and real-world experiences to help organizations shape best practices. An applicable and scholarly collection of chapters offers the latest research on coworking spaces - both the benefits and challenges - and provides a roadmap for corporations to get the best out of their employees whilst maximising their potential.

Title first published in 2003. Contributors from a wide range of European countries illustrate the validity of four propositions about employee participation: that different forms of employee participation mutually reinforce each other; that major shifts in employment relations require innovative approaches to participation; that appropriate conditions (including the provision of training and support) are required for the spread of participation; and that trade unions remain a crucial foundation for the promotion of participation.

Telecommuting has been regarded as a powerful tool to reduce traffic congestion, pollution and energy consumption. It also supposed to improve lifestyle quality and job satisfaction by providing employees with flexible schedules with which to address their work load and personal requirements whilst also enhancing recruitment capability and productivity and significantly reducing costs. Nevertheless, a strong resistance to the adoption of telecommuting still persists. In this book, first published in 1996, state of the art demand modelling techniques are used to delve into critical issues raised by the question of telecommuting. The benefits and costs of telecommuting are investigated in an effort to provide concrete evidence to inform the private sector's adoption decision process and the public sector's policy design. This title will be of interest to students of business studies and human resource management.

A "riveting and powerful" (Gretchen Carlson, cofounder of Lift Our Voices) insider's account on Wall Street-an updated Liar's Poker-where greed coupled with misogyny and discrimination enforces a culture of exclusion in the upper echelons of Goldman Sachs. Jamie Fiore Higgins became one of the few women at the highest ranks of Goldman Sachs. Spurred on by the obligation she felt to her working-class immigrant family, she rose through the ranks and saw it all: out-of-control, lavish parties flowing with never-ending drinks; affairs flouted in the office; rampant drug use; and most pervasively, a discriminatory culture that seemed designed to hold back the few women and people of color employed at the company. Despite Goldman Sachs having the right talking points and statistics, Fiore Higgins soon realized that these provided a veneer to cover up what she found to be an abusive culture. Her "engrossing" (Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro, authors of Power, for All) account is one filled with shocking stories of harassment and jaw-dropping tales of exclusionary behavior: when she was told she only got promoted because she is a woman; when her coworkers mooed at her after she pumped for her fourth child, defying the superior who had advised her not to breastfeed; or when a male boss used a racial epithet in front of her, other colleagues, and clients without any repercussions. Bully Market "exposes the #MeToo movement's unfinished work on Wall Street" (Meighan Stone, author of Awakening: #MeToo and the Global Fight for Women's Rights) sounds the alarm on the culture of finance and corporate America, while offering clear, actionable ideas for creating a fairer workplace. Both a revealing, extraordinary look at the industry and a top Wall Streeter's explosive personal story, Bully Market is an essential account of one woman's experience in a flawed system that speaks to the challenge and urgency for change.

From language classrooms to outdoor markets, the workplace is fundamental to socialisation. It is not only a site of employment where money is made and institutional roles are enacted through various forms of discourse; it is also a location where people engage in social actions and practices. The workplace is an interesting research site because of advances in communication technology, cheaper and greater options for travel, and global migration and immigration. Work now requires people to travel over great geographical distances, communicate with cultural 'others' located in different time zones, relocate to different regions or countries, and conduct business in online settings. The workplace is thus changing and evolving, creating new and emerging communicative contexts. This volume provides a greater understanding of workplace cultures, particularly the ways in which working in highly interconnected and multicultural societies shape language and intercultural communication. The chapters focus on critical approaches to theory and practice, in particular how practice is used to shape theory. They also question the validity and universality of existing models. Some of the predominant models in intercultural communication have been criticised for being Eurocentric or Anglocentric, and this volume proposes alternative frameworks for analysing intercultural communication in the workplace. This book was originally published as a special issue of Language and Intercultural Communication.

As more people choose to work from home, the challenges for both the home worker and traditional management increase. Many questions arise regarding how to appraise the remote worker, the logistics of home working, and productivity. The authors focus on developing the right skills to cope with this new environment and stress the importance of knowing what the homeworker needs. Other issues addressed are finding the right balance between the office, home and client sites, dealing with the creation of workable home office environment, and technological and legal issues.

A radical new business book from business trailblazers Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson that offers a reappraisal of business best practice - advocating stripping everything back to bare essentials. With its straightforward language and easy-is-better approach, Rework is the perfect playbook for anyone who's ever dreamed of doing it on their own. It will COMPLETELY change your approach to work. Every once in a while, a book comes out that changes just about everything. This is one of those books. Ignore it at your peril' -- Seth Godin, New York Times bestselling author 'Inspirational...REWORK is a minimalist manifesto that's profoundly practical. In a world where we all keep getting asked to do more with less, the authors show us how to do less and create more' -- Scott Rosenberg, Co-Founder of Salon.com 'Filled with excellent plain English advice, it's one of the best books out there for business productivity' -- ***** Reader review 'Every word is well-crafted, well-chosen, and easy to both digest and engage with' -- ***** Reader review 'Thought-provoking and truthful' -- ***** Reader review 'A must-read for today's managers' -- ***** Reader review ********************************************************************************************** From the founders of the trailblazing software company 37signals, here is a different kind of business book - one that explores a new reality. Today, anyone can be in business. Tools that used to be out of reach are now easily accessible. Technology that cost thousands is now just a few pounds or even free. Stuff that was impossible just a few years ago is now simple. That means anyone can start a business. And you can do it without working miserable 80-hour weeks or depleting your life savings. You can start it on the side while your day job provides all the cash flow you need. Forget about business plans, meetings, office space - you don't need them. The key is stripping everything back to the bare minimum and basics and then rebuilding; keeping everything simple and under control. You'll learn how to begin, why you need less than you think, when to launch, how to promote and whom (and when) to hire. Hardcore entrepreneurs, small-business owners, people stuck in day jobs who want to get out, and artists who don't want to starve anymore will all find valuable inspiration and guidance in these pages. It's time to rework work. Perfect for readers of Tim Ferriss's The 4 Hour Work Week, Seth Godin's Purple Cow and Chris Anderson's The Long Tail.

Traditionally, organizations have consisted of collections of people who physically gather together in one place to carry out some kind of coordinated activity. Today, however, business is increasingly relying on "virtual" processes in which people engage in internet-mediated interactions that often span the globe. These processes create intangible "imaginary organizations" that exist largely as a concept in the minds of electronically interacting individuals. As more and more high value-added work is performed by knowledge workers interacting through electronically mediated networks, however, managers and management researchers must evolve new concepts for monitoring, interpreting, assessing, and managing activities carried out in such virtual settings. This volume presents an important multidisciplinary approach to understanding these new kinds of imaginary organizations and their processes. Close reading of the papers in this volume should reward the reader with new insights into the inner workings of the new kinds of virtual organizations and processes that are gaining increasing prominence in business.

Over the past two decades the use of flexible employment relations has increased in most developed countries. The growth of temporary agency work constitutes a significant component of this development. Organizations are now facing the challenges of managing a blended workforce, i.e. a workforce consisting of both direct hires and contractors. At a time when Europe, as well as the rest of the world, is facing enhanced global competition and a severe labor market crisis, an understanding of temporary employment practices becomes all the more acute. With the evolution of the use of agency work in the Western world over the past decade, the chapters in this volume show how a focus on the management and organization of temporary agency work can be helpful to see possibilities and pitfalls for the use of temporary employment in the wake of changed employment practices and challenges to labor market stability and welfare structures.

Together, the new case studies presented in this volume provide a wide scope of analysis of the organization and management of temporary agency work, offering a much-needed contribution to the discussion of issues and priorities that guide and shape organizational practices today. Its particular uniqueness lies in the empirical richness and variety of local case studies and the way in which these are related to wider policy aims, ideological shifts, and the dynamics of organizational practice, with a particular focus on the organization and management of blended workforces .

"

Logistics and Supply Chain Management has been a vital part of every economy and every business entity. Both sciences have become prestigious research fields focusing on best practices, concepts, and methods. Outsourcing Management for Supply Chain Operations and Logistics Services is concentrated on the key players of the outsourcing paradigm; the organizations that provide logistics services, the Third Party Logistics (3PL's), as well as their clients, presenting and promoting the lessons learned by their cooperation. Specifically, this publication presents studies which are relevant to practitioners, researchers, students, and clients of the application of the Outsourcing practice on the Logistics and Supply Chain Management services giving emphasis to 3PL's.