On the dynamics of work identity in atypical employment: setting out a research agenda

Abstract

Starting from the notion that work is an important part of who we are, we extend existing theory making on the interplay of work and identity by applying them to (so called) atypical work situations. Without the contextual stability of a permanent organizational position, the question "who one is" will be more difficult to answer. At the same time, a stable occupational identity might provide an even more important orientation to one's career attitudes and goals in atypical employment situations. So, while atypical employment might pose different challenges on identity; identity can still be a valid concept to assist the understanding of behaviour, attitudes and well-being in these situations. Our analysis does not attempt to 'reinvent' the concept of identity, but will elaborate how existing conceptualisations of identity as being a multiple (albeit perceived as singular), fluid (albeit perceived as stable), and actively forged (as well as passively influenced) construct that can be adapted to understand the effects of atypical employment contexts. Furthermore, we suggest three specific ways to understand the longitudinal dynamics of the interplay between atypical employment and identity over time: passive incremental, active incremental and transformative change. We conclude with key learning points and outline a few practical recommendations for more research into identity as an explanatory mechanism for the effects of atypical employment situations.

Work Precarity and Gig Literacies in Online Freelancing

“…P8 similarly identified disconnection from other workers as a major drawback of freelancing and joined a number of writing groups on Facebook in an effort to counteract this. As described by Petriglieri et al (2018) and Selenko et al (2018), networking and building relationships significantly contributes to identity and sense of belonging, which are often missing from gig work arrangements.…”

“…For this reason, some have used the term ‘platform workers’ to refer to gig workers (De Stefano, 2015). These workers are able to choose which projects to work on, and can more effectively organize their work schedules around their lives (Donovan et al, 2016), but this administrative, temporal, and spatial flexibility can be a double-edged sword, also resulting in challenges that can be summarized as more ‘uncertainty’ about one’s work (Selenko et al, 2018).…”

Maintaining High Eudaimonic Wellbeing Despite Ambiguity Intolerance Among Three Employment Status Groups: Examining the Buffering Effects of Positive Psychological Attributes

“…Whereas extant literature suggests that it is unemployment that is most detrimental to psychological wellbeing, some forms of work can make people feel worse than being unemployed. In circumstances where most work is described as precarious, individuals in salaried employment and unemployment face similar challenges including threats to work-related social needs and identities (Angrave & Charlwood, 2015;Selenko et al, 2018). The majority of jobs in less developed countries, at least in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa, are considered precarious (Desmond & Gershenson, 2016;Feder & Yu, 2019).…”

Mapping themes in the study of new work practices

“…The changing nature of work has been approached through various sub-disciplinary angles within the management literature, each contributing to different debates and questions surrounding new work practices. Research in organizational behaviour has, for instance, looked at employee motivation and the psychological implications of new work practices (Putnam et al, 2014;see Spreitzer et al, 2017, for a thorough review on organizational behaviour research on the new world of work), while research in organization studies has been more concerned with the themes of identity, resistance and power (see Barley et al, 2017;Fleming, 2017;Selenko et al, 2018). Commitment, career management and flexible work arrangements have been recurrent themes in the human resource management literature (e.g.…”