The fissured workplace : why work became so bad for so many and what can be done to improve it / David Weil.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weil, David, 1961- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Labor--United States.

Industrial relations--United States.

Manpower planning--United States.

Quality of work life--United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (392 p.)

Edition:

Pilot project. eBook available to selected US libraries only

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Massachusetts ; London, England : Harvard University Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In the twentieth century, large companies employing many workers formed the bedrock of the U.S. economy. Today, on the list of big business's priorities, sustaining the employer-worker relationship ranks far below building a devoted customer base and delivering value to investors. As David Weil's groundbreaking analysis shows, large corporations have shed their role as direct employers of the people responsible for their products, in favor of outsourcing work to small companies that compete fiercely with one another. The result has been declining wages, eroding benefits, inadequate health and safety protections, and ever-widening income inequality. From the perspectives of CEOs and investors, fissuring--splitting off functions that were once managed internally--has been phenomenally successful. Despite giving up direct control to subcontractors and franchises, these large companies have figured out how to maintain the quality of brand-name products and services, without the cost of maintaining an expensive workforce. But from the perspective of workers, this strategy has meant stagnation in wages and benefits and a lower standard of living. Weil proposes ways to modernize regulatory policies so that employers can meet their obligations to workers while allowing companies to keep the beneficial aspects of this business strategy.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Part I. Vignettes from the Modern Workplace

Part II. The Forms and Consequences of the Fissured Workplace

Part III. Mending the Fissured Workplace

Notes

References

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780674727090

0674727096

9780674726123

067472612X

OCLC:

878139333