Assessment Task 3:Analysis of Contemporary Media Reporting on the World of Work
Work in a Global Society
Topic 5 – Workers and Dignity at Work
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Lecture Recap
In groups, discuss:
What was the week 5 lecture about?
What were the major themes/ideas that you got out of it?
How are the weeks linked?
Is there anything you didn’t understand/would like clarity on?
I want each group to write their key points on the whiteboard.
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Key Concepts and Questions
Key concepts:
Dignity at Work
Dignified and Undignified Work
Forms of worker resistance
Questions:
Why is dignity at work an important consideration for workers and managers?
Workers respond to dignity threats in the workplace in a number of ways. Discuss these various responses and the implications for workers and organisations.
Do particular kinds of work afford employees greater dignity than others?
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Readings
Sayer, Andrew (2007) 'Dignity at Work: Broadening the Agenda' Organization 14 (4): 565-581.
Lucas, Kristin (2017) Workplace Dignity in Scott, C. and Lewis, L (eds) The International Encyclopedia of Organisational Communication. John Wiley and Sons: 1-13
Spicer, A. and Fleming, P. (2016) 'Resisting the 24/7 Work Ethic: Shifting Modes of Regulation and Refusal in Organized Employment' in Courpasson, D. and Vallas, S. (eds) The SAGE Handbook of Resistance. London: Sage Publications: 121-136.
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Dignity at Work
Drawing on the readings for this topic provide a comprehensive definition for ‘dignity at work’
Explain why dignity at work is an important consideration
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What makes for dignity at work?
Individually write a list of what you consider the most important characteristics of dignity at work.
Compare how your list compares to others
What might explain the differences among students?
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Work in the News
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/2-in-5-workers-polled-faced-sexual-harassment#:~:text=Two%20in%20five%20workers%20polled,in%20the%20past%20five%20years .
Work in the News
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https://theconversation.com/why-bosses-should-let-employees-surf-the-web-at-work-128444
Dignified and undignified work
According to Sayer (2007):
‘particular kinds of work may be seen as dignified or undignified in themselves, or at least, in the latter case, as difficult to do in a dignified way. The distribution of dignified and undignified work varies strongly by class, gender and ‘race’, and tends to be taken as confirming the status of those who do it’ (577).
Why might some work be more dignified or undignified?
How does the distribution of dignified work vary by class?
How does the distribution of dignified work vary by gender?
How does the distribution of dignified work vary by ‘race’?
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Dignity and the ‘Bad Boss’
Watch this video and discuss:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifq54t9OSmE
What is the relationship between dignity at work and the ‘bad boss’?
How have workers in the video responded to the lack of dignity at work?
Do you agree with the advice on how to deal with the ‘bad boss’?
Are there other ways you would suggest to a co-worker who is dealing with a ‘bad boss’?
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Why is dignity at work an important consideration for workers and managers?
Watch the following video, take notes and identify the evidence and arguments which are presented which might help you to respond to the question.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laWE8jcM2Ps
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BUSM4558 Work in a Global Society
Assignment two
Working on interview questions
Today is your time to work on interview questions in preparation for your interviews. Remember:
I need to see interview questions before you conduct interviews
You should have approx 10 questions;
Remember that your questions need to relate to your topic – you should focus on specific topics (not just random questions that are all unrelated)
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