Overview of the Sociology of Work: Adaptation of the American Workplace

Sociology of Work
Name
Institution

Sociology of Work
Introduction
Lately, there has been a rise in issues related to work-life balance (Royal, 2013), and as Kelly et al. (2014) reflects on their American Sociological Review study, 70 percent of the American workers endeavor to obtain a satisfactory balance between their work and family life. Kelly et al. (2014) further maintain that it is the employer's responsibility to ensure a work-life balance for their workers. Indeed, many employers have responded in the same fashion by modifying their structures and cultures to adapt to outside forces like society and policy demands. Thus, this paper, besides describing how the American workplace has adapted and how this affects the workers, it analyzes the worker's responses and their families' as well. Under the same breath, the paper considers the sociology of life in the context of social life, specifically the family.
Overview of the Sociology of Work
Regardless of the society, one lives in, everyone depends on the systems of production for their survival. Work or productive activity makes up the largest portion of people's lives; more than any type of behavior, it takes ups more of their time. In sociology, work is defined as the act of carrying out tasks that involve the expenditure of physical and mental effort, with the aim of producing goods and services for human needs (Edgell, 2011). Normally, work is an occupation or a job undertaken in return for a regular wage or salary. At this point, it is imperative to state that not all work – such as volunteering, forced labor, domestic work, and hobbies – is regularly waged or salaried (Edgell, 2011). The sociology of work dates back to the classical sociological theorists such as Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim who considered analyzing the contemporary work as central to sociology (Edgell, 2011). For instance, Marx was the first theorist actually examine working conditions in factories that emerged during the industrial revolution. He delved into how the transition from an independent craftwork to working as a factory employee under an employer led to alienation and deskilling. Meanwhile, Durkheim's concern focused on how the societies became stable through norms and customs, as well as traditions as industry and work morphed during the industrial revolution. On the other hand, Weber centered on the emergence of new types of authorities within the modern bureaucratic organizations. Today, many scholars and researchers studying sociology of work have taken a comparative approach (Edgell, 2011). For example, they may look at the types of organizations and employment across all societies. They may as well consider the connection between the sociology of work and social inequality.

What Are the Issues?
Work-life balance involves people feeling satisfied with how their time and energy is divided between paid work and every other thing they want to do, especially attending to their families. In the recent past, work-family conflicts have been common both in the US and other industrialized countries alike. According to Kelly et al. (2011), 70 percent of the US men and women reported some interference between their work and their non-work responsibilities. Balancing work and life is, therefore, a critical issue for people who care for the children, the elderly, and partners with long-term illnesses and/or disabilities, and those who attend to their part-time businesses, studies, and hobbies. Even so, there is no satisfactory work-life balance unique to people. As a result, they consider the number of hours they must work, the choice or level of control they have on how and when they work, and the satisfaction level and value they obtain from the work (New Zealand Department of Labor, 2007). For example, some individuals are happy with longer hours only when they can undertake other responsibilities in their lives with ease and feel that the work is worthwhile. On the other hand, others may have strictly limited work hours, and consequently, feel frustrated with balancing their work-life when they feel the work is meaningless or they have no control.
Adaptation of the American Workplace
There has been an increasing number of social issues affecting workers personal lives such as ill family members and others mentioned in the previous section that overwhelm the workers, especially parents, to the point of feeling stressed, and maxed out. Besides, longer working hours and more erratic work schedules escalating prevalence of two-career families, and the constant accessibility and global collaboration demands, alongside leaner operations have strained this area (United States Department of Labor, 2015). For instance, in a database of more than 5 million workers globally, more than 50 percent express their concern regarding inadequate staffing levels, while more than two-fifth reported that their employers did not offer sufficient work-life balance (Royal, 2013). It is no surprise that workers today struggle to balance their work and their personal responsibilities.
In another recent study, Kelly et al. (2014) investigated the possible modifications in the workplace that could address the surging health and productivity problem. They found that work-family conflict was not mainly the problem of the worker, but requires a systematic approach with some involvement of the management leadership (Kelly et al., 2014). The results of a Hay Group Study reflected on the awareness that assisting workers to achieve a reasonable work-life balance is beyond creating an attractive work environment, to a critical consideration for sustaining organizational performance (Royal, 2013). Based such empirical studies and the employees' personal issues and responsibilities, employers have had to incorporate various measures to address work-life balance. Basically, their approaches have been tactical and strategic, while others are based on policy. Those described in this paper include the location of jobs, changes in needed job skills, organizational restructuring, parental leave, and employee involvement.
Location of Jobs
Today, with the advent of technology, people can work from almost anywhere; they must report physically to work. Organizations, thus, strive to leverage on this opportunity to develop flexible work arrangements with the aim to promote a balance between their employees' work and personal lives (Kelly et al., 2011). Slowly, employers have begun to realize the numerous benefits derived from telework. The financial gains – such as paying less for workers in an office space – and an eco-friendly means of working notwithstanding, they have created a harmonious environment in which work and family do not compete against each other. Instead, they are actually synchronized, and as such, developing a stronger, happier, and more invested workforce (Kelly et al., 2014). Besides, numerous benefits of reduced work-life stress have been documented, both in physical and mental health such as reduced hypertension, lower alcohol and tobacco consumption, reduced marital tension, better parent-child relationships, and of course, better sleep (Kelly et al., 2011).
Changes in Needed Job Skills
Individuals with advanced employability skills to manage pressure are better off today. Employability skills are those skills that can allow an individual to get, keep, and be successful in their job. At the moment, career for life is not the only option. Most individuals will hold on to jobs under different employers and transverse through the employment sector throughout their working life. As such, in addition to the current work-life balance issues, employers look for skills that are beyond the individual qualifications and experience (Edgell, 2011). While an individual's education and experience may make them legible to apply for a job, employers are considering a mix of skills that one must exhibit. These are skills and attitudes that would among other things, allow the employee to relate with their colleagues, make critical decisions when faced with challenges, and be a good ambassador of the company. This means that an organized, self-driven individual will be more valuable than a technically skilled individual without those attributes. For the employer, having the right people on-board means identifying individuals with both the right skills and qualities to fulfill their designate roles and contribute to the success of the organization.
Organizational Restructuring
Organizations have been forced to modify their structures, cultures, and strategies to manage the work-life balance issues. Kelly et al. (2011) describe the Results-Only Work Environment as one of the ongoing, collective efforts developed to alter the organizational culture. The strategy attempts to modify the organizational culture to present a norm of flexibility when and where employees’ conducts undertake work. This creates the desired work environment where the workers and the managers are able to do what they want when they want, so long as they get their job done (Kelly et al., 2011). In that regard, workers can change, routinely, when and where they work, in light of their personal needs and job responsibilities. They do not need to notify anyone in this case or seek the permission of the manager(s). The ROWE strategy engages workers who prefer to either work under the fairly traditional hours in the office, or work at different times and/or places. According to Kelly et al. (2011), this group of workers is uniquely referred to as “a ROWE team” or “in a ROWE” instead of labeling them as telecommuters or the users of flextime. Furthermore, the adoption of this collective culture change curtails the risk that those workers who work unique hours or away from the physical office will be penalized during performance evaluation. This has been the main concern for many flexible work arrangements (Kelly et al., 2011).
Parental L...