This paper discusses the neglected theme of job design in education. It argues that the traditional top-down method of designing work roles ignores the interests, abilities and needs of employees and leads to individuals adopting an unsanctioned approach to job design, "job crafting". It is posited that a third approach is needed, that…

Employee retention must be rethought in a free-agent market. Compensation can shape who leaves and stays. Job design and customization can tailor jobs to employee needs. Encouraging social ties among colleagues and selecting appealing locations for workplaces are other ways to retain talented workers. (SK)

Reviews the range of responses taken in industrialized countries seeking to deal with substantial worker displacement. Practices discussed include preventive subsidies, buyouts, retraining, job-search assistance, job creation, local and regional development, and local enterprise development. (Author/JOW)

Conceptualizes job characteristics theory as a model of person-environment fit. Explores the potential costs and benefits of person-job congruence, using recent developments in the person-environment fit literature to suggest ways in which characteristics of jobs and characteristics of individuals may influence one another. Discusses implications…

This article examines some of the indicators that have been used to assess job commitment: statistical series on absence from work; quits; working part time by choice (phenomena generally associated with weak commitment); and multiple job-holding and overtime (often associated with strong commitment). (SSH)

Members of Professional Secretaries International (PSI) were surveyed to discover how corporate restructuring has influenced development of the secretarial profession since 1990. Of the 500 questionnaires mailed to PSI members in the United States and Canada, 174 (34.8%) were returned. Of those surveyed, 71% have been assigned a variety of duties…

Bridging the gap between theory and practice, the author through a case-study approach of industries in the United Kingdom and Europe has identified motivation techniques resulting in job enrichment. The book is written in the belief that work is more efficient when it is enjoyable and that human beings will become obsolete unless allowed to…

The policy options offered in the literature concerning temporary work address two major concerns: (1) the conditions of temporary work itself; and (2) the elimination of fulltime jobs, or lack of growth, and their replacement by temporary work. Both temporary help firms and the organizations that use temporary help should be required to report on…

This paper provides a basic overview of the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which mandates equal access, protection, and opportunity for persons with disabilities in four major areas: employment, telecommunication, transportation, and public services and accommodations. It notes that the employment…

What factors affect the attachment of employees to their work and work organization? What are the consequences of attachment or lack of it? The report summarizes the broad findings of a long-term research project designed to examine attitudinal and behavioral aspects of individual-organization linkages, conceived in two broad categories--the acts…

Diverse opinions are held by workers, union officials, and labor researchers about the importance of the quality of working life to workers. Major issues in this debate focus on the following questions: (1) Is there a workers' movement to improve the quality of working life? (2) Do workers seek meaning and self-fulfillment in their jobs? (3) Can…

This publication summarizes the proceedings of the Conference of Union Officials on Issues Related to Labor-Management Cooperation in Quality of Worklife (QWL) Improvement Efforts (March 1979) and subsequently treats issues that emerged in more detail. Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to QWL. A summary of the Washington, D.C. conference…

The 1980s have been a period during which important private experiments with innovations have occurred in employee participation, work redesign, and the introduction of new technologies and new systems of production. It is now time to move beyond the experimental stage. The following four interrelated policy initiatives should guide public efforts…

Part of a series designed to provide practical resources for transition personnel on a variety of topics critical to the process of preparing individuals with disabilities for adulthood, this guide focuses on transition to employment. Chapter 1, "Employment and Students with Disabilities," discusses the meaning of work in American…

This book is designed to help people develop an action plan to enhance their situation at work. Part 1 focuses on political behavior at work as a key to advancement. It discusses assessing career setbacks and recovery from them. Subsequent sections focus on the following areas of self-study that are necessary to enable the individual to manage…