PJ Holtum | The University of Queensland, Australia (original) (raw)

Papers by PJ Holtum

Unpublished Thesis, 2018

Sociological evidence of deviant behaviours amongst insecure, un-unionised workers suggests that ... more Sociological evidence of deviant behaviours amongst insecure, un-unionised workers suggests that workers have the ability to challenge the organisational makeup of their workplaces. However, despite the prevalence of evidence, the focus on individual worker deviance has led many theorists to become concerned with the transformational and political potential of such behaviour. More specifically, concerns are raised as to whether deviance can affect a political struggle or whether it should be relegated to a more personal coping mechanism. If such deviance is relegated to personal, rather than political dimensions, the problem emerges whereby workers engage in a kind of ‘decaf resistance’ (Contu, 2008) whereby their behaviour only succeeds in reproducing the same conditions they are already subject to.

In order to evaluate this problem, this thesis explores the formation of responsibility amongst cohorts of workers. By analysing responsibility, this thesis examines the social and political factors that oblige and direct individual behaviour as well as situating these responses within a wider organisational praxis of insecure work. Key research questions in this thesis are: how do workers respond to insecurities at work, and how are these responses shared with colleagues? This investigation into the subject of responsibility allows deviant behaviours to be assessed as a sociopolitical product of work rather than as a personal response to work.

The empirical research was conducted across five large, centrally organised worksites in Brisbane, Australia. Cohorts of six workers from each worksite were interviewed privately and off-site. Cohorts were selected from each site according to their status as casual or non-permanent employees, who were subject to procedural management with hourly (quantifiable) key performance indicators (KPIs). Interview questions were organised around workers’ daily responsibilities with a particular emphasis placed on obligations that deviated from managerial protocols.

Findings from the research show that conceptualisations of ‘smart work’ were shared across the cohorts of workers. The findings detail how worker strategies of ‘cutting corners’, ‘gaming the numbers’, and avoiding work were learnt behaviours that workers taught each other in the worksite. Moreover, the findings suggest that such practices of ‘smart work’ were not just sufficient but necessary to the wider functioning of the work environment; if workers were not ‘smart’ they were likely to be exploited by management.

I argue key themes from the findings reflect anarchistic predispositions towards mutual cooperation and self-organisation. Paramount to this discussion is the role of anarchistic responsibilities that favour strategies of direct action, decentralisation, and a non-hierarchical approach amongst the workers interviewed. While it is clear that ‘smart work’ continues to reproduce the labour process, I argue that these results highlight an element of informal collectivity that is absent from previous investigations into deviance and misbehaviour. I argue that such collectivity and mutual selforganisation demonstrate a sociological and transformational aspect of worker deviance that can be linked to wider discussions of political resistance.

The GNLU Law and Society Review, 2020

Platform work has received considerable critical attention in the media, in policy debates and in... more Platform work has received considerable critical attention in the media, in policy debates and increasingly in academic literature. Until recently much of this attention has been focused on the personalized service industry, namely Uber and other ridesourcing platforms. Uber’s arrival in Australia in 2012 underscores a diffusion of risk and responsibility in a weakening labour market. In this article, we argue that these problems are not coincidental, but that they are emblematic of the growing de-standardization of work in Australia and other countries. We explore literature on platform work, the de-standardization of work, and Uber in an Australian context, and discuss socio-legal and regulatory responses. We argue that the legal and policy considerations about the future of the personalized transport industry need to address the broader socio-economic landscape, that is eroding the rewards of paid work.

The Conversation, 2019

Being an Uber driver doesnt seem like a great 'gig': the pay is low, the support is terrible, and... more Being an Uber driver doesnt seem like a great 'gig': the pay is low, the support is terrible, and there can be quite a few risks involved. So why do drivers keep signing up? It turns out that Uber is still a better job than a lot of other jobs out there! This article explores the nature of insecurity in the Australian job market

Dialogue Journal, 2016

An op-ed i wrote in my PhD about combining post-structuralist anarchism with social research.

Dialogue Journal, 2018

A piece i wrote about combining anarchist frameworks with sociological research and inquiry.

Arena Journal, 2018

Insecurity is no longer a condition that is specific to a set class of workers; it has become a g... more Insecurity is no longer a condition that is specific to a set class of workers; it has become a global issue. It can affect workers of any age, gender or ethnicity, across industrial or service sectors, and even our universities are no longer safe from casualisation, underemployment and outsourcing. To be sure, employment has always had elements of precariousness associated with it, particularly in the primary sectors. However, the steady intensification of capitalism around the world, and its intrusion into almost every facet of human endeavour, has meant that precarious work, as Arne Kalleberg writes, 'has become much more pervasive and generalized: [even] professional and managerial jobs are also precarious these days'. The telltale signs of precarity, such as insecurity, uncertainty and atomisation/individualisation, are frequently associated with the neoliberalisation of global societies. The twin mantras of flexibility and mobility across the economic market are further evidence of neoliberal principles, as an increasingly casualised work force allows employers the flexibility to shed and acquire labourers in accordance with the demands of capital rather than any humanitarian concern.

The Conversation, 2016

Insecure workers find satisfaction through deviant behaviour at work, but dont join a union.

The University of Queensland, 2019

This report outlines and summarises the findings from our research into Uber driver-partners in l... more This report outlines and summarises the findings from our research into Uber driver-partners in late 2018, and early 2019.

The Courier Mail, 2019

Jodie Munro O'Brien from the Courier Mail interviewed me about my report with Greg Marston on Ube... more Jodie Munro O'Brien from the Courier Mail interviewed me about my report with Greg Marston on Uber driver-partners in Brisbane.

The Hitchhikers Guide to Capitalism was a public presentation i gave in 2014 to the Brisbane Free... more The Hitchhikers Guide to Capitalism was a public presentation i gave in 2014 to the Brisbane Free University. It deals with the issue of power in society. I argue that power is a social issue. That in order to be in a free society we need to redirect our social relationships away from closed-off capitalistic relationships to more open socially constructive relationships.

Drafts by PJ Holtum

This paper is the written version of a presentation i gave to the Work, Employment, Society confe... more This paper is the written version of a presentation i gave to the Work, Employment, Society conference in Leeds, 2016.

I present one set of findings from my PhD that explores the ethics of resistance in the workplace.