Degraded and Deskilled: The Proletarianization of Clerical Work

Abstract

The changing conditions of clerical work in several types of large and small organizations are examined. The analysis is based on observations in organizations, discussions with managers and intensive interviews with thirty clerical workers. Proletarianization is said to occur as clerical work loses the features that have traditionally placed it among middle-class, white collar occupations; as narrow, largely manual skills displace complex skills and mental activity; as close external control narrows the range of worker discretion; and as impersonal relationships replace social give and take. The extent of proletarianization varies among organizations. The larger organizations are leading the changes by developing technologies and organizational techniques for proletarianized clerical work. In the conclusion it is argued that structural changes promoting proletarianization may seriously impair the very efficiency that the changes are claimed to promote.

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