Services in Virtual World: Understanding Work in Delivery Service of E-Retailing

Abstract

The advent of e-retailing has brought about colossal transformation in the realm of traditional retailing services. As a part of virtual services, the human component involved in this sector is hidden right from placing of an order till its delivery. These workers, once deemed as a segment of invisible workforce in academic debate, have lately caught attention with their growing resentment at workplace (Cherry, 2016). The purpose of this article is to understand the nature of work in delivery segment of e-retailing’s value chain that is emerging as a major blue collar job in several metro cities of India. This would help contextualize whether these kinds of jobs, being developed through advent of information technology in service economy, resembles post-industrial theory or supports critics of such theory. This has been carried out through analysis of work organization and workplace relationships in delivery services, against a backdrop of Braverman’s (1998) de-skilling thesis and Burawoy’s (1979) theory on ‘relations in production’.

Digitalisation and precarious work practices in alternative economies: Work organisation and work relations in e-cab services

“…Their prime motive is to hire a person who can follow the app and act without really having to question it. Hence, as highlighted in Sharma (2017), the focus of these gig companies is more towards developing social, emotional and aesthetic skills. There is clear technological encroachment in the work, as depicted by Braverman (1974), where the service providers are technologically instructed and directed at work.…”

“…There are hidden health hazards in these services arising due to work structurisation and the external environment in which the service is delivered. Work on wheels, as highlighted by Sharma (2017), possesses significant challenges for the health of the service providers. Being work based on continuous movement, spanning 12-18 hours a day, the service providers face different issues in terms of their health.…”