ABSTRACT Two different theoretical perspectives concerning technology and the future of work are examined. One is linked to mainstream economics, whereas the other is associated with critical (‘post‐work’) discourse. Ideas about work—its nature and impacts on well‐being—matter in both perspectives. Indeed, they shape visions of a ‘better’ or ‘ideal’ future. They also influence policy responses to new technology. A critique is presented of the ways that work and its possible futures are understood. This critique is used to develop a different set of ideas about how technology might be harnessed to reduce the burden and raise the quality of work. The ability of ideas to effect reforms in and of work—ideas that have currency now and possible radical alternatives—is also assessed.

ABSTRACT The debate on the relationship between labour conditions in manufacturing sectors and global value chain (GVC) participation takes a new turn with the emergence of sub‐Saharan African (SSA) economies as important sourcing destinations. With lower levels of economic development, and significantly lower wages than most other exporting countries, the question is how the insertion of SSA firms in GVCs affects workers in these countries—and who reap(s) the benefits. Interestingly, foreign owners of manufacturing facilities have received little scholarly attention, in contrast to the heavily scrutinized multinational companies (‘brands’) that buy from them. This article studies the Ethiopian apparel sector, which has sought integration in the global apparel chain exclusively on a cheap labour ticket. On the basis of unique worker‐level data, we analyse wages and working conditions, comparing foreign‐ and domestic‐owned factories, and those producing for export or the domestic market. We find that workers in foreign‐owned factories producing for GVCs have significantly lower wages and freedom of association, but better occupational safety and health than their peers in factories producing for the local market. We conclude that to alleviate poverty and poor working conditions in GVCs, global buyers are not the only key players to consider.

ABSTRACT Technology and power are shaped by social context, linked to interactions and relationships among organisational actors. New technologies such as algorithmic management (AM) represent novel sources of contestation, raising questions for workers and unions. Our study examines the social processes union leaders use to navigate the transformation of rules that organise work and power relations under AM in hotel housekeeping. Drawing on everyday social processes at the workplace and applying a relational lens, we identify three interrelated strategies: (1) collective sensemaking through skill‐building and coordination of shared interests; (2) consultation and negotiation, which involve relational dimensions with management; and (3) collective action, which leaders adapt to the context of technology. These strategies modify rules to realise workers’ interests and, in some cases, coalesce into new institutional rules. We show how union leaders build power from the bottom‐up and how power resources, and worker power in the context of technological change, can be situated in everyday social processes.

ABSTRACT The English National Health Service (NHS) is one of the largest employers in the world. It is currently suffering from high employee turnover and rising numbers of job vacancies. This article uses five waves of NHS Staff Survey data (2018–2022) to try to understand the relationship between line manager quality and staff intention to quit. It estimates pooled cross‐sections with data on close to 400,000 individuals and approximately 130 NHS Trusts. The analysis adjusts for a wide variety of confounding variables, including hospital trust fixed effects. We also check for omitted variables and potential endogeneity. Our econometric estimates point to the important influence that line manager quality has on employees’ intentions to quit or stay. This study's novel results suggest that an increase in line manager quality by one unit (on a scale from 1 to 5) is associated with a substantial decrease in NHS employee quit intentions of 17 percentage points.