Brave New Workplace

Abstract

This article examines the present and future effects of technological change in the workplace. Several key technological innovations in the factory and in the office are examined with respect to their relevance to ten long-standing core issues: the “high flex” workplace; control of work; organizational change; impact on skill; technological unemployment; educational requirements and retraining; changing occupational and class structures; occupational safety and health; the interaction of work, leisure, and family; and the quality of working life. The article argues that while technological change sometimes makes work easier, cleaner, and safer, it also has a disruptive impact on many facets of working life that will have to be confronted by participants in, and students of, the New Economy.