A NEW Service and the NEWORKerWhen people talk about the introduction of a new service, they refer to something that is not yet being offerred by anyone else. The style of work that is performed by the NEWORKer or portfolio worker is seen as something new. Yet in many ways, working in this style is amongst the oldest known to mankind. Yet, in that lies a paradox. Prior to the industrial revolution, people worked where and when they could, meeting the demands of family and their community. The industrial age transformed that and put people in front of machines for as long as they could stand there. In the 20th Century, through the power of employee collectives, those hours have been reduced to 40 hours per week (with a variation upwards in the last few years). There are many industries that are well founded on the style of the NEWORKer and have been for many generations. Those in the building industry for example move from contract to contract, some not knowing where the next contract will be, many relying on their alliances with other suppliers or professionals in the industry. There the service is not recognised as new. However, in working in a similar environment of short-term or task-orientated contract, NEWORKers and Portfolio workers are now being seen as providing a new service. This service recognises the need for flexibility. A uniform or standardised approach to the delivery of services no longer meets the needs of the employer, the public or the employee. The system has to allow for non-standardised approaches that recognise the change in lifestyle, what has become referred to as the life/work balance, the differing priorities that people put on family/work/community and organisational interests. Conditions of work change and the "new service" provided by NEWORKers is one way in which employers, business owners and managers are able to have their needs met in a mutually acceptable manner. The paradox of the situation is that the NEWORKER is seen as providing a new service to the business community. The paradox that is experienced by NEWORKers and portfolio workers is that the systems of employment are becoming more rigid and the flexibility that is often sought through this new service by both employers and employees is being restricted and "pulled back" into the "traditional" 40 hour, 5 day week, work week pattern.
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© 2003 The Nework Centre | email neworknz@yahoo.co.nz |
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