Service interaction and dignity in cleaning work: how important is the organizational context?
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which the nature of a particular work activity – cleaning – changes across organizational contexts, considering specific industry characteristics and working conditions in urban settings in Portugal.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on the qualitative analysis of data collected between 2010 and 2013 using open-ended interviews with employees and direct observation in two shopping malls.
Findings
The empirical evidence illuminates how the contexts under study shape the behavior of actors and their power relations. By placing the perspective of employees at the core of the analysis, the paper demonstrates that workplaces provide a major site of conflict and negotiation regarding dignity in cleaning work, but this dispute takes on different contours and sources of tension across organizational contexts.
Originality/value
The seminal comparative analysis of commercial cleaning and housecleaning undertaken in this paper sheds light on the varying distribution of roles and authority at work. Differently than in earlier studies, the actual modes of service interaction in this industry are documented in a detailed and critical manner.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper draws on results from two research projects in the field of sociology: “Professional groups in services: social categorization, labor markets, activities and career paths” (2009-2012), conducted by Professor Dr Sofia Alexandra Cruz at the University of Porto; and “Domestic services and migrant workers: the negotiation of the employment relationship” (2010-14), conducted by PhD Manuel Abrantes within the Doctoral Program in Economic and Organizational Sociology at the University of Lisbon. The authors thank all of the individuals and organizations who collaborated with us during fieldwork, as well as the fellow researchers who provided important words of advice and critique. A first draft of this paper was presented at the seminar “Work and Workers: Realities, Identities and Processes” at the New University of Lisbon, March 2-3, 2013. The two research projects are supported by the FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology (grants SFRH/BPD/43345/2008 and SFRH/BD/61181/2009).
Citation
Alexandra Cruz, S. and Abrantes, M. (2014), "Service interaction and dignity in cleaning work: how important is the organizational context?", Employee Relations, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 294-311. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-06-2013-0064
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited