Varieties of crisis and working conditions: A comparative study of Greece and Serbia

Abstract

Greece and Serbia are historically different, yet regionally connected. Their weak institutional foundations and long-term economic turbulence have prevented them from overcoming crises, leading to the institutionalization of adverse working conditions. We focus on the outcomes of the systemic crisis in Greece and the transition crisis in Serbia, using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with managers and employees in small- and medium-sized enterprises in two time periods. We argue that, although the crisis has different origins in the two countries, it has consolidated adverse working conditions. Our research explores the institutionalization of adverse working conditions and offers an understanding of the lived reality of institutions, examining variations in the origins, pressures and outcomes of different types of crises on business practices from an individual perspective.

Dead-end jobs or steppingstones? Precarious work in Albania

“…In line with previous research for this region, this study highlights the peculiarities of South East European (SEE) labour markets, and their impact on HRM and working conditions claiming that the realities of the world of work in the region are permanently unstable and turbulent (Cooke, 2018; Prouska et al. , 2016; Psychogios et al. , 2020; Schmid and Wagner, 2017).…”

“…In summary, Albania is characterised by weak institutional foundations and long-term economic, and by extension labour market, turbulence which has fostered the institutionalization of adverse working conditions (Psychogios et al. , 2020; Sanfey and Milatović, 2018).…”

“…1 Jobs without wtitten contract (avoiding taxation and social secmity payrnents) 2 Employers will register workers as receiving minimmn wage for tax reasons and asking them to paiiially retllln in cash the minimum wage received by bank 3 Opportunities for bribe1y and conuption or other fo1ms of in kind payments such as real estate or land Apart from the above mentioned flexicurity reforms, a number of demand-driven forces have contributed to persistent growth in LQFE. Business has been supportive of LQFE because they lower costs and reduce bureaucratic legal procedures associated with permanent and füllso of adverse working conditions(Psychogios et al, 2020;Sanfey and Milatovic, 2018). The separation of the private and public spheres of work indicate that the Albanian labour market does not operate as a single competitive market, but rather displays the features of dualistic market with contractual relationships and wage differentials determined in part by noncompetitive structural barriers.…”

Context-specific understandings of uncertainty: a focus on people management practices in Mongolia

“…To achieve this kind of understanding about the Mongolian context, we collected data through semi-structured interviews with Mongolian managers. Interviews offer an opportunity to explore, through face-to-face conversation, participants' lived reality of institutions and turbulent environments (Psychogios, Szamosi & Prouska, 2020), as well as the interaction of structures, events, human actions and contexts (Tsang, 2014), along with context-specific understandings and responses (Punch, 2014).…”

Employee participation and representation in Central and Eastern Europe

“…Most of the studies in management literature attempting to categorise countries based on various employment aspects are conducted in western contexts (Cooke et al, 2011) which, among other attributes, tend to have strong and established institutional bases. Yet, the literature on employment relations in CEE countries is more fragmented and partial (Larsen and Navrbjerg, 2013), because of the changing political and economic context (Psychogios et al, 2019). CEE countries are characterised by highly diverse institutional histories (Ivlevs and Veliziotis, 2017; Soulsby et al, 2017) and transition paths to democracy (Hardy, 2014).…”