Directions for advancing the study of work transitions in the 21st century

Abstract

Participants: Researchers, graduate students, and community group members met to identity ways to advance the knowledge base of strategies to enhance work participation for those in the most disadvantaged groups within society. Methods: A participatory approach was used in this workshop with presentations by researchers and graduate students. This approach included dialogue and discussion with community members. In addition, small group dialogue and debate, world cafe discussions, written summaries of group discussion and reflection boards were used to bring new ideas to the discussion and to build upon what we know. Findings: Two research imperatives and six research recommendations were identified to advance global dialogue on work transitions and to advance the knowledge base. Occupational justice can be used to support future research directions in the study of work transitions. Conclusions: Moving forward requires a commitment of community of researchers, clinicians and stakeholders to address work disparities and implement solutions to promote participation in work.

Mapping the Evolving Ideas of Occupational Justice

“…In a study by Mirza (2012), resettlement policies were seen to emphasize self-sufficiency and employment such that support services staff focused exclusively on either work or welfare, and ignored other occupational interests, and social integration of refugees with disabilities. Finally, the focus of a think tank of scholars in 2012 was to highlight the benefits and need for an occupational lens to critically evaluate and address workplace inequities, pointing to participation and social inclusion as issues of OJ (Shaw et al, 2012).…”

Are we ready to address the new expectations of work and workers in the transforming world of work?

“…Consideration of the impact of the changing nature of work requires a move toward more futuristic thinking about consequences for future workers. Work is by nature complex; however the study of work transformation and its situated nature further underscores the need for more interprofessional approaches and cross cultural studies [5] that can focus on the prevention of occupational injustices for workers and employers. One way that this can be achieved is through research teams identifying potential social problems that arise for groups of workers or workplaces within communities and targeting areas for change to prevent injus-tices from occurring.…”

“…On a global level, the transformation of work and the pervasiveness of the unemployment experience across the globe calls for critical dialogue and critical social perspectives. Critical perspectives are needed to understand the source of occupational injustices [5] and examine the change processes to support adoption of new work opportunities and the changing expectations of work on workers, workplaces and communities. For instance, at the macro level the dialogue needs to be on the identification of types of work/employment shifts, the use of theories and knowledge to prevent occupational injustices associated with unemployment, and the use of interprofessional knowledge that can foster innovations in labour policies, education, training, transitional supports and job creation toward sustainable employment opportunities.…”