Gender and Service: New Directions for the Study of ‘Front‐Line’ Service Work

Abstract

This contribution to On the Front Line records a dialogue between two female Fire Brigades Union (FBU) representatives in the Essex Emergency Control Room, who led industrial action over the imposition of a shift system that stretched their work-life balance to breaking point and constrained their ability to work full-time. Their testimony reveals how male members were mobilised in the interests of predominantly female control staff. Kate and Lynne's discussion illuminates the interaction of gender and class interests and identities in the union and in the lives of its women members. It provides insight into the efficacy of trade unions for women's collective action.

Empowering interventions in health and social care: Recognition through ‘ecologies of practice’

“…If 'ecologies of practice' denoted merely a rhetorical and declaratory approach, they would quickly be dismissed by service users. At the same time, the relationship between 'ecologies of practice' and managerialist frameworks and strategies can be complex, sometimes including active but implicit incorporation, for instance (Kerfoot and Korczynski, 2005).…”

Job demands–resources: a gender perspective on employee well-being and resilience in retail stores in China

“…Empirical insights from this emerging economy will allow us to interrogate theory drawn from Western contexts. This paper thus also contributes to the understanding of front-line service sector work, which provides a significant number of jobs but is still under researched (Huang & Gamble, 2015;Kerfoot & Korczynski, 2005). Retailing alone employs over 10 percent of the total labour force in advanced economies.…”

“…We focus on two aspects of job demands, which are factors particularly associated with people in the retail occupation (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), namely, workload and emotional demand. Retail sector jobs are often characterized by hard work and the need for emotion management to serve customer demands (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007;Kerfoot & Korczynski, 2005).…”

“…Every occupation has specific risk factors associated with job-related stress (Bakker et al, 2004); many service sector jobs, including retailing, involve emotional demands and employees often need to manage their emotions effectively to stimulate and meet customer demands, which in turn affect employees' well-being and organisational performance outcomes (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007;Kerfoot & Korczynski, 2005).…”

Nigellissima: a study of glamour, performativity and embodiment

“…The military strategist model of the marketing manager intent on market penetration through segmentation, targeting and positioning, has been deconstructed to reveal an underlying gendered discourse of conquest and mastery (Desmond 1997). Likewise, the concept of customer service work as 'front line' work reinforces a military (and gendered) analogy, as research would indicate that women are typically much more likely to have 'front line' roles, thus being in the firing line, so to speak, in terms of any conflict that may arise with customers (Taylor and Tylor 2001;Kerfoot and Korczynski 2005).…”