The employment relationship

In this comprehensive, empirical study, authors Bridges and Villemez systematically examine the types of social arrangements that promote stable employment relationships in a variety of organizational settings. They argue that these intricate arrangements provide a vital link between employers and employees where mutual rights and obligations are founded.

Based on the results of a representative survey of thousands of employees and their employers in a large, metropolitan labor market, the book concludes that bureaucratic employment relationships have the potential for both creating dependence on and liberating workers from the arbitrary decisions of managers and supervisors.

The Employment Relationship tests various sociological theories on the causes and effects of labor market structures, such as internal labor markets, job ladders, grievance procedures, rule-ordered control systems, and personnel departments.

It critically investigates: the ways in which these labor market structures are distributed across a variety of work organizations and industries; the exposure of different groups in an increasingly diverse work force to these elements; the consequences of these factors for workers' earnings, job satisfaction, and commitment to their current employers.

In addition, the text analyzes the position of women and minorities in internal labor markets; the effects of industry, the public and private sectors, and organization on bureaucratic employment relations; and the influence of workers' positions in internal and external labor markets on attachment to their jobs.

The Employment Relationship offers keen insights into the factors that have contributed to the bureaucratization of employment relationships in contemporary society. It will greatly benefit researchers, professionals, and advanced students in sociology, economics, business and finance, and personnel administration.