Sociology of the Workplace

Working in today’s society has changed in the last few decades. The economy and technology are the main reasons for this change. The type of job and environment where one works has also changed. The fact that many people work from home via the internet has drastically changed the workforce and the environment surrounding it. With this change have come new demands, expectations, and opportunities for employers. Everyone deals with these demands differently, affecting the employee’s quality of life and job satisfaction. Though the job and office types and locations have changed over the years the need for job satisfaction has not. In today’s economy the job is not as stable as it used to be. One must be prepared for changes in the future.

The structural-functional analysis of jobs in the U.S. is governed by the workforce stratification and technology. The more educated and diverse a society is the better society’s job market is served. This social economic separation of class has been both good and bad for society. Many workers at the lower levels of employment are both pleased and displeased with many aspects of work. Though this fact also holds true with most any job at any level, pay scale often compensates for endurance of a particular job type. The security of a person’s job also is an issue that in today’s economic times forces one to be prepared for change. This is to say that even if one’s field of expertise is needed today it may not be tomorrow. This type of ever-changing job market leads many to believe that another socio-economic change may occur at any time. This change was apparent with the transition into the industrial age and again in the information age. These concerns caused stress, various health issues, a...

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...low. “In most cases the limitations are not immediately apparent, moreover, is normally an unwritten and unofficial policy. The "Glass Ceiling" is distinguished from formal barriers to advancement, such as education or experience requirements” (Hester, 2007, para. 2).

In conclusion, technology in the workplace is a very good tool. This can save time, improve profits, and communication. Like any tool it is useless unless one is skilled in the use of it. A truly progressive company would train a current employee to be proficient in its use instead if eliminating them. By doing this, the employer would gain not only a newly invigorated worker, but their loyalty as well. Companies large and small would benefit to analyze themselves periodically to see how the employee likes their job. Maybe then they will realize that employees make the company, not the reverse.