Tom Juravitch

Keynote- Globalisation and the Changing nature of work and its impact on workplace and labour organisation

Regimentation of work is still in existence - example given from call centre industry in telecommunications industry - this is not the way work was meant to be in the 21st century! Stress generated between reasons why people have entered the industry and the ways in which their work is delivered to them and monitored - eg call observation and sales tracking. Scheduling of leave time - employees told when leave could be taken, also when mandatory overtime needed. Impact on family - no flexibility in schedule for dealing with sudden changes. Very easy to off-shore the roles. Rising levels of 'bad' jobs at large US enterprises. Previously large numbers of 'good' jobs being created in US. Reliance on large profitable firms to provide good jobs now no longer working. Not just about pay, but more about working conditions.

Impact of these changes on learning at work. Through individualisation of work delivery and completion, social aspects of work and learning have disappeared. Investment in formal training focussed on tasks, process and review of work methods. Hope in some corners whether a triple bottom line approach may lead to changes.

"A broken dream factory - there's not a single person there who wouldn't rather be somewhere else."