Perceptions and Experiences of Precarious Employment in Canadian Libraries: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Precarious employment is a labour practice characterized for employers by flexibility and economic efficiencies and for workers by vulnerability and uncertainty as to job duration, scheduling, and pay. It is increasingly common in Canada and can result in physical, mental, financial, and social strain for people who experience it. In libraries, it has the potential for negative effects on individual staff members, organizational health, and service quality. However, literature on precarious library work is scarce, and it is unclear how its effects on library staff compare to those described in the broader literature or how it affects the library field as a whole.
 The purpose of this study was to gather information about library workers’ perceptions and experiences of precarious employment and to see how it played out in library contexts. Thirteen library workers both with and without experiences of precarious employment participated in qualitative, semi-structured interviews, which were synthesized into a narrative summarizing their thoughts and experiences. Results indicated that while there were some positive effects of precarious work, they mainly benefited library organizations from scheduling and financial standpoints, while negative outcomes were more numerous, more salient, and affected individuals as well as organizations. Awareness of such perceptions and experiences may help to spark conversations and support for those experiencing negative effects from precarious work, and it can serve to reduce or eliminate factors leading to those effects. However, failure to address them may result in negative outcomes for library workers and organizations, such as stress, turnover, marginalization, burnout, leaving the field, reduced service quality, and more. Accordingly, this paper provides some of the first qualitative information on precarious employment in libraries and may be used to support broader discussions about the topic.

Into the Unknown: Onboarding Early Career Professionals in a Remote Work Environment

“…While in library school, I learned that the contracts I would take in my first years after graduation would be precarious roles marked by a lack of stability, a lack of financial security, and a great deal of professional uncertainty (Henninger, Brons, Riley, & Yin, 2019;Lacey, 2019). But what would I do if there were no jobs at all?…”

“…In the pre-pandemic world, workers in precarious roles were already living in "a state of material and psychological vulnerability" marked by uncertain employment duration and "a lack of access to the social protections and benefits" available to full-time employees (Henninger, Brons, Riley, & Yin, 2019, p. 2). In Canadian libraries, employees in contract and auxiliary roles have described the negative outcomes of these employment practices, including a lack of work-life balance, increased isolation, a lack of integration with their organization, and growing pressure to neglect personal health in exchange for more work and the chance for continued employment (Henninger, Brons, Riley, & Yin, 2019). During the last three recessions (1981-1982, 1990-1992, and 2008-2009), "young workers, less educated workers, and recently hired workers were more likely to be laid off-temporarily or permanently-than other employees", and this is still the case in our new pandemic era (Chan, Morissette, & Qiu, 2020, p. 1).…”

Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Precarious Positions in Canadian Libraries: Statistical Analysis of a National Job Board

“…It can include workers in part-time or full-time positions, temporary or permanent positions, and on-call or auxiliary positions. Although authors in recent years have begun to address the effects of precarious library work (Henninger, Brons, Riley, & Yin, 2019;Lacey, 2019;Skyrme & Levesque, 2019), there is still very little scholarship documenting the prevalence of precarious work or describing the characteristics of precarious jobs. Accordingly, this article focuses on examining the prevalence of precarious library jobs and the factors associated with them.…”

Employment Negotiation Behaviours of Canadian Academic Librarians: An Exploratory Study

“…As noted, many participants did not negotiate because they felt that they were lucky just to receive an offer. A recent study was conducted regarding the increasing presence of the "gig economy" in librarianship and the negative effects of precarious work in Canadian libraries (Henninger et al, 2019). The increased number of short-term positions over the course of one's career potentially means new librarians will negotiate more than their predecessors.…”