Effects of Industrialization Effects on the Workplace - Term Paper Example

? Effects of Industrialization Effects on the Workplace Introduction Industrialization in the United s attracted numerousforces that have affected the workplace in all the industries. As more people shifted from agriculture to the industrial sector, labor unions formed to govern the rights of the employees in their workplace. Various factors integrated to influence gradual changes in the workplace to ensure the comfort of the employees as well as the optimization of their performance levels. The working conditions in different industries have changed due to various external factors that compel the employers to make the workplace as conducive as possible for all their human assets. Organizational cultures have been formed to instill different organizational values of the employees for the sole purpose of observing their personal beliefs integrated with the organizational values. In the current state of the workplace environment in different organizations in the United States, the employees have been greatly considered in the field of egonometrics. This is a move aimed at ensuring that the employees enjoy their workplace, and that their personal needs are met accordingly while at work. Industrialization and the factors influencing it have attracted positive effects on the workplace in the United States and it has enabled the workers to enjoy their jobs. Changes in the workplace over time At the beginning of the industrialization period in the United States, many farmers turned to working in the manufacturing industries. During this period, the employers treated the employees very unfairly since they were forced to work for longer hours under very harsh conditions. As the industrial sector developed, there emerged labor organizations that were formed to fight for the rights of the people at their workplace. The labor organizations managed to influence positively the employers to make the workplace a little bit more conducive for their employees, especially those who were on minimum wage casual jobs. The working hours were revised such that the employees were given longer resting breaks and they worked for shorter hours (Marler, 2012). The introduction of the use of machinery in the workplace had a great influence on the workplace. The employers started demanding for skilled workers who had gone through educational courses to handle the machinery. The human resource function in the workplace was developed. During the initial days of the function, the human resource officers were mainly concerned with ensuring that the employees performances to the required level. They were more concerned with the performance of the employees than their welfare in terms of health and financial compensation (Marler, 2012). The rapid industrialization in the U.S. later changed the function of the human resource department in the organizations. They adopted the task of taking an active role in the employing of the task force. The human resource function would send out the employment advertisements covering the requirements of the employers. They would later evaluate the applicants for their competence level and send the most appropriate applicants to the employers for the final evaluation. Following the development of the activities of the human resource function, the employees would forward their grievances to the employers through the H.R (Marler, 2012). As the human resource function became more concerned with the welfare of the employees, it advocated for the employers to keep improving the working conditions for the employees. This included the workplace safety, compensation for overtime and the provision of leave days. The salaries were revised over and again as the economic environment in the United States worsened. The human resource function in the workplace became the main avenue through which the workers’ rights would be pursued from the employers (Ogunyomi, Shadare & Chidi, 2011). The workplace was made comfortable for the employees including those who were disabled. In the initial industrialization stages, the disabled people were rarely enrolled into employment by the organizations that existed. In the past couple of decades, there have been drastic changes in the workplace due to the growth in technology. The conditions of the workplace have been made extremely conducive and safe through technology. The use of computers and the internet have replaced manual work and this has had positive and negative effects. The H.R function is now concerned with the performance of the employees and their comfort at work. The workplace is now divided into departments that hold high performance teams. The communication aspect in the workplace has also evolved with technology. Employees are now able to reach the employees through digital devices and the internet (Ogunyomi, Shadare & Chidi, 2011). Globalization is at its peak and the U.S. being a major player in international business has been affected by the phenomenon. Most of the organizations that actively take part in international businesses are adopting organizational cultures in their workplaces that enable them to integrate the values of their trade partners. The world is turning to be a global village and the workplace in many organizations is expected to change into a global center where the values of the task force are influenced by the requirements of their trade partners on the international market (Ogunyomi, Shadare & Chidi, 2011). Sociological concepts Industrialization in the United States commenced at a time when feminist campaigns were at their peak. The women in the society were employing fervent efforts to fight against the masculinity stereotype that was associated with working in the industries. In a period when women were expected by the society to be submissive and dependent on their male counterparts, the workplace was predominantly comprised of men. Most industries would not offer jobs to the women because they were considered the weaker sex both physically and mentally (Perotin & Robinson, 2000). This gender inequality prevailed for the better part of the first half of the 20th century but it was later whitewashed when women started empowering themselves and they put up strong competition against the men. Many women pursued education and they started landing jobs in the various organizations. Women’s competitiveness in the job market has been gradually increasing as more women pursue higher education. There have also emerged classes of female elite that have actualized their innovative ideas and formed large corporations that are very influential in the U.S. capitalist economy. The workplace in the U.S. organizations is currently almost equally distributed in terms of gender. Men and women have attained similar skill levels and they have the same opportunities of getting jobs. The society has fully embraced the potential of women as equal to that of their male counterparts (Perotin & Robinson, 2000). Following the acceptance of the female race in the competitive business world in the U.S., the workplace has changed to some extent. The issue of sexual harassment at work has risen and there have been many legal issues associated with this. Women and men in the workplace are expected to articulate their competence levels to propel their organizations to higher success grounds (Perotin & Robinson, 2000). This means that they have to interact and share their ideas. In the process of interaction, there are high likelihoods of intentional or accidental sexual harassments among the members of organizations. This issue has made the workplace a tense place for many employees and their employers because the consequences of receiving such allegations may include termination of one’s career. The workplace has fallen victim to many legal provisions to govern the conduct of the employees and their employers. The workplace has also experienced age limit changes over the years. At the beginning of industrialization, the workplace was dominated by the energetic youths who could work all day in harsh conditions. Following the introduction of machinery to replace manual work, older people showed up in the workplaces. In the current state of technology use, people of all age brackets are able to work freely on regular hours. The retirement age in the United States has been reviewed severally in the 20th century (Perotin & Robinson, 2000). Global influence on workplace Globalization has led to the diversification of the workforce in different workplaces. As the world nations form stronger ties with each other, the international organizations are gradually poaching employees from all over the world (Arabandi, 2011). The workplace in the United State is comprised of human assets from different ethnicities and diverse cultures. Globalization has opened ways for those pursuing education all over the world to compete for jobs in the international job market. Globalization has also increased the pressure in the workplace. The employers and the major stakeholders in different organizations are compelling their employees to portray their highest performance levels so that their companies can compete effectively in the global business markets. The knowledge of different international languages has been promoted in the workplace. In the past, English was unanimously used in the workplace. Globalization has attracted international investments in the U.S. market (Arabandi, 2011). Many international companies have established their companies in the U.S. and they have forced the natives to learn some of the international languages to qualify for various job opportunities. The use of the latest technology in the workplace has been enhanced by globalization. Many organizations have direct access to the latest technology relating to their organizational processes and they are investing in the technology to enhance their output level. Organizational outsourcing of human assets has enhanced the income level at the workplace. Many organizations are looking to harness the market value in the developing nations and they are forced to outsource task forces to work on the appropriate strategies to invest in these areas. Some of the employees in the U.S. are sent out on international projects that pay very well. The standards of the workplace have also been improved for competition purposes. Employees are also undergoing regular training through the H.R function in their organizations (Arabandi, 2011). Economic Influence on Workplace Industrial revolution brought about increased invention in the country that was also replicated at the workplace in various institutions. The technological inventions brought about by industrial revolution promoted the workplace output and significance of the employees. The employment opportunities that came into place from the innovations influenced the issue of equal opportunities at the workplace such that the need to provide greater protection for fairness in the country was established within the workplace institutions. Additionally, industrial revolution brought about changing economic trends, such as capitalism, which in turn affected the workplace structures within the labor market in America. Capitalism valued the bottom line more than the employees whose labor contributed to it. As such, the American workplace has become the site of greatest economic opportunities available across the globe. This has led to the increased immigration stream to the country. As a result, the American workplace has continually accommodated increased diversity (Akabas & Kurzman, 2005). Industrialization led to the rise of capitalism, which has shaped the global economy significantly. The economic trends shape the global economy that may in turn influence the workplace within various countries of which America is among them. The global economy development is part of the wider process of the economic trends that inform economic restricting within workplaces. The basic structures of workplaces are transformed according to the trends of the global economic developments. The process may include changing the workplace compositions to reflect diversities, technological knowhow and improved skill levels and experiences. Some changes experienced at the workplace due to the economic trends across the globe include the demographics that may result from changes in population. The American workplace is becoming increasingly diverse with individuals of color becoming the majority of the employees in many of the workplaces across the country (Andersen & Taylor, 2008). Economic restructuring have influenced the changes within the workplace in various ways. The workplace has become increasingly diverse with rising inequality between the groups within the American labor market. The economic trends for instance, have resulted in some employees having more work cut out for them while others are rendered redundant because of reduced work functions within the institutions. The employed are forced to work for longer periods according to the changing economic trends that compel some institutions to cut on their expenditure through downsizing and increasing the duties of the remaining employees. The wages have become flat in the American labor market whereas the annual working hours for the employees have increased over time. The increased working hours within the workplace has been highest for the low and middle class workers. The changes within the workplace brought about by the economic trends are such that the working hours for women have increased more than for men. In addition, the wages for men, young employers and service workers have largely remained constant. Women have enjoyed increased wages compared to men, particularly the top earners with a fall in wages for the low earners. The economic restructuring has also brought a change in the location of the jobs in the country, which has in turn affected the workplace. The majority of the jobs within the country have been relocated from the central towns and cities to the suburbs. The changes are also influenced by residential segregation. Particular groups that are disadvantaged in the American labor market through an amalgamation of movement of jobs and residential segregation such that the movement of jobs from the centre of the cities has affected minority workers disproportionately, particularly the minority women and African Americans among others. Employees with children make the workplace to be changed such that working far from home with children has to be incorporated in schedules that give them time to take care of their children. Downsizing due to the economic trends in America has also helped in influencing the workplace changes. Some workers have been laid off in a bid to lessen the corporate expenses. The layers of management within the workplace have been restructured such that employers have shrunk the management layers after the layoffs. As such, the overall number of managers in most of the companies has reduced, eliminating most of the career ladders, which permitted job mobility in the past. Social Influence on Workplace Despite inequality experienced in other parts of the country, the American workplace changed to accommodate diversity at the workplace because the employees are restrained by the laws and court actions from engaging in reckless behaviors against other employees. The employees in America work for much longer hours at the workplace than any other industrialized world in the world because of the motivation of capitalistic foundation. However, the social changes in terms of employee diversities at the workplace brought about by the effects of industrialization have been protected such that employees are protected universally through a minimum and maximum wage hour law. Though not all the changes within the American workplace may be, as the social workers want it to be, the political and legal processes within the American workplace at all levels have been employed in enhancing the changes within the workplace for all employees. The work responsibilities of employees and their conditions of employments within their places of work, together with the general economic context of the lives of the society members have defined the universal attention. This is from the labor market, in terms of the changes within the workplace out of the economic needs, to trends of the business world. The current ideology and accompanying trends, which perceive economic growth and global competition as the potential panacea for accomplishing improved wellbeing at the workplace is defined by the capitalist economy that developed during the industrial revolution period. To amass wealth through competition anchored on capitalism, the business institutions and government agencies have shifted to ensuring that the process involves taking into account the wellbeing and the social justice of the workers at the workplace. Through this, the workplace structures have changed to ensure that workers have appropriate environment that also takes care of their personal needs while at work (Akabas & Kurzman, 2005). The changes that were established from the industrial revolution period were among the many determinants that influenced the way women divided their time among the responsibilities that were related with production and reproduction. There were changes within the workplace during the earlier days of industrial revolution to accommodate women who had their place in the kitchen. Women changed from the household system to the factory system in a bid to gain employment within the labor market (Kinnear, 1982). Cultural Influence Certain changes within the workplace have been motivated by the technological changes that were brought about after the industrial revolution and developed since then. The technological developments that influence the changes within the workplace in America are such that the present global economy is not driven by the manufacturing base as it were in the past decades. The service industries have sprung to take effect and impact on the workplace to reflect the needs of the current economic driving factors. The workplace in America has changed because of the increased service industry such that the primary business is not the production of goods but the delivery of services like healthcare, banking and food provisions. Developments in the country take place within the global context and are reflected in the workplace changes to meet the global economy trends and needs (Andersen & Taylor, 2008). The workplace policies in the country have changed because of the cultural changes that ensured that women did not have their places in the kitchen after the industrial revolution. The burdens of the balance between family work and employment for most couples, especially women in middle class families, have been addressed through workplace policies. The workplaces have been restructured to factor in the needs of such employees through paid leaves as well as the alternatives for minimized hours. The changes within the workplace to cater for the family employees is due to the realization that well balanced work and family lives for employees within the country adds value and increases productivity to the institutions. Some workplace changes include the childcare centers for employees with children who need care. Generally, the issue of balancing between work and family is resolved through the appropriate policy measures that support employees with families (Andersen & Taylor, 2008). The availability of the technological advances, such as the social media collaborations, which have pushed the options of working past the initial phase into the ordinary when adequate institutions adopted innovations to sustain the process. Virtual offices have been on the increase making the workplace to be changed to accommodate fewer workers. Technological tools for communicating, sharing, and storing information have reduced the need for employees to interact with clients and fellow employees on an increased level. Employee may be working within the same institution but they are not interacting directly with one another. The relations between the employees on a personal level have reduced to some extent, unlike in the past decades during the pioneering years of industrial revolution (Akabas & Kurzman, 2005). Further, there is an increased trend towards electronic marketing and commerce in which companies have changed their workplace such that buying and selling transactions are carried online and not at the company’s premises. This trend has reduced some workplace issues that arose due to increased contact between employees and clients, such as workplace violence and customer discrimination. The popularity of the online companies has increased beyond the national borders to global. Productivity and returns in such cases have increased because of increased customer base and target market (Andersen & Taylor, 2008). Conclusion The industrial revolution that took place in America led to many changes within the American workplace to accommodate the changing trends across the world. These changing trends were influenced by several factors, including capitalism and economic changes, globalization and advances in technology besides social issues like equality. Capitalism and other economic trends influenced workplace changes through advocating for the interest of the workers and restricting the demographics of institutions to incorporate more diversity. Globalization ensured that the client base and target market of companies increase to other nations of which the diversity factors were deemed necessary for such companies. Technology advances influenced other organizations to downsize and restructure levels. Eventually, equality issues were instituted through policy measures after the diversification of employees to ensure that no discrimination was experienced. References Akabas, S. H., & Kurzman, P. A. (2005). Work and the Workplace: A Resource for Innovative Policy and Practice. New York : Columbia University Press. Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2008). Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. Belmont, CA : Thomson Learning. Arabandi, B. (2011). Globalization, Flexibility and New Workplace Culture in the United States and India. Sociology Compass, 5 (7), 525-539. Kinnear, M. (1982). Daughters of Time: Women in the Western Tradition. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Marler, J.H. (2012). Strategic Human Resource Management in Context: A Historical and Global Perspective. Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(2), 6-11. Ogunyomi, O.P., Shadare, A.O. & Chidi, O.C. (2011). Current Trends and Future Directions of Human Resource Management Practices: A Review of Literature. 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