‘Because I need somewhere to vent’: the expression of conflict through work blogs

Abstract

Employee resistance has traditionally been analysed as an activity that occurs in the work organisation. In recent years, new Internet communication technologies, such as blogs, have expanded the possibilities for employees to express conflict. This paper explores how these developments can add to our understandings of employee resistance to the labour process.

The Online Unmanaged Organization: Control and Resistance in a Space with Blurred Boundaries

“…Other scholars study the use of blogs as an escape channel for displaying emotions, seeking identities, and resisting organizational control (Ellis and Richards 2009;Schoneboom 2007Schoneboom , 2008Richards 2008). In 2002, the case of Heather Armstrong, who was fired after writing about the annoying habits of managers and coworkers in her personal blog, sparked a fierce public debate because she was blogging from home and her writings did not name people and companies.…”

“…The underlying tensions regarding labor processes of this ''new contested terrain'' (Hurrell et al 2013) have hardly been studied (McDonald and Thompson 2016;Richards 2008Richards , 2010. The loosening of boundaries of unmanaged organization affects both employers and employees.…”

“…Schoneboom (2007) investigates how workbloggers try to rescue their identities by publishing ironic posts that satirize management routines and rules and express the meaningless nature of work. Richards (2008) observes how work blogging created exciting new potential for self-organized and narrative-based forms of employee resistance. Ellis and Richards (2009) note that work blogging offers employees the possibility to connect to each other, as well as a voice that is free of hierarchy.…”

Venting, joining and educating: Motivations for knowledge sharing in the UK police blogosphere

“…She also concludes that these types of blogs are often well-written and '…compelling because their authors are embedded participant-observers, reporting first-hand on office gossip, overheard conversations, meeting dynamics and corporate communications and transforming them into eloquent human comedy and drama' (p.420). Richards (2008) suggests there has been much criticism of the potential damage to employers' businesses or reputations resulting from workblogs as well as the alternate view, that they provide much-needed information, particularly in the public services (McClellan, 2004).…”

“…There has been a great deal of research carried out on blogging in general, covering a variety of angles: from its inception and growth (Blood 2000; anthropological aspects (Reed 2005, Hevern 2004) and the dichotomy of privacy on the internet (De Laat 2008); to the phenomenon of 'workbloggers' (Richards 2008). Nardi et.…”