PRUŽANjE USLUGA PUTEM INFORMACIONO-KOMUNIKACIONIH TEHNOLOGIJA

The new economic framework requires the existence of new forms of work. Their adaptability to changes that occur in the labour market is highlighted as the main reason for their appearance, and the same ones allow the employer to respond quickly and adequately to these changes. Since new, different market rules are present in the digital economy, existing forms of work outside of employment are considered less adequate for employers to respond to the new socio-economic framework. The characteristic of new forms of work, including mobile work, is that they are usually not sufficiently legally regulated, which means that there is no protection present for persons who exercise the right to work through these forms of work. Also, new forms of work and service provisions are a mixture of different legal affairs, whereby the employee or service provider is not included in the organizational structure of the employer. For example, mobil work based on information and communication technologies, or ICT-based mobile work involves regularly performing work tasks or providing services outside the employer's headquarters or outside the worker's home, supported by information and communication technologies and with the establishment of online connections to an employer's computer system, or using virtual collaboration instruments, such as emails, web dating software programs, etc. Although positive aspects of mobile work are often discussed, there are also negative consequences of the flexibility that mobile work in its nature contains, reflected primarily in intensifying work tasks and gradually eliminating the boundaries between family and work obligations.

Using Netnography to Investigate Travel Blogging as Digital Work

This chapter describes the method of netnography and illustrates the application of this online method to investigating the distributed, multi-modal, and mobile work of travel bloggers. It opens with a discussion of the emergence of travel blogging as a form of digital work which possesses nomadic qualities before moving on to a short discussion of the emergence of the method of netnography and its current developments. Following this, the author’s own use of the netnography method to investigate travel blogging is outlined with critical reflection on the advantages and challenges of the netnography method, both more widely and in relation to this research project in particular. The netnography method is critically appraised alongside a discussion of the ethical issues which must be taken into consideration when using the method. The conclusion outlines possible directions for the method’s future use.

EXPRESS: Control and Surveillance in Work Practice: Cultivating Paradox in ‘New’ Modes of Organizing

The new world of work is being characterized by the emergence of what are, apparently, increasingly autonomous ways of working and living. Mobile work, coworking, flex of-fice, platform-based entrepreneurship, virtual collaborations, Do It Yourself (DIT), re-mote work, digital nomads, among others trends, epitomize ways of organizing work practice that purportedly aligns productivity with freedom. But most ethnographical research already reveals many paradoxical experiences associated with these new prac-tices and processes. Indeed, it appears that with autonomy comes surveillance and con-trol, to a point where, as Foucault observed way back, subjectivity and subject become synonyms, and the current pandemic both strengthens and makes visible this situation. In this introduction to the special issue we make a foray into this situation, using four open and related themes developed in the five papers we selected: managerial control and technology; surveillance and platform capitalism; time and space; and new organi-zational forms and autonomy. Paradoxical movements are identified for each of them, before we conclude by reflecting on a grounding paradox which appears at the center of this special issue and the themes it covers.

How Can Head Worn Displays and Tablet Computers Affect Co-located Work: A Laboratory-Based Exploratory Study

Head-worn displays (HWDs) have shown promise for supporting workers in a range of contexts due to their ability to provide live ‘heads up and hands free’ information. However, in many work environments co-located workers may need to collaborate and communicate about the tasks that they are engaged with, and this may be difficult when information is presented privately on a HWD. The current study explored a laboratory-based dual-task game for evaluating how presenting task-relevant information HWDs versus tablet computers can affect the process of collaborative and mobile work. We found no effects of display type on performance, perhaps because ten of the twelve participating dyads allocated tasks in a way that minimised the need to communicate about the displayed information. We suggest that future research focusses on specific features of HWDs, and/or how representative teams adapt to the constraints of HWDs.

ICT-Enabled Mobile Work: Challenges and Opportunities for Occupational Health and Safety Systems

The development and dissemination of new technologies has brought forward a rise in flexible work arrangements, such as mobile work. In the literature, mobile work has mostly been discussed from a microergonomic perspective, considering detachment, stress, strain, and life-domain balance. However, the macroergonomic or institutional perspectives have often been neglected, although for occupational health and safety (OHS) management, as well as occupational health and safety systems, many questions remain unanswered. Therefore, in the present paper, information and communication technologies (ICT)-enabled mobile work is described taking into account institutional and regulative, as well as company-related, requirements. As the literature-based analysis was able to show, existing regulations cover many aspects of mobile work arrangements but also offer starting points for a more concrete protection of mobile workers. Furthermore, there are challenges regarding the enforcement of regulation. In this regard, new technologies might offer the chance to improve the interactions between institutional and company-related occupational health and safety systems. Additionally, 278 co-funded research projects in Germany were categorized, yielding 18 projects on new ways of work, of which another eleven projects addressed different aspects of mobile work. The project analysis revealed that current research focuses on tools and strategies for designing communication and cooperation. In conclusion, the examination of research trends can be used to generate new knowledge for better OHS management and effective OHS systems.