ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by outlining how organizations and the nature of work is in ‘perpetual motion’ and how the changes that are occurring are fundamental to our view on contemporary work and how it is experienced. We briefly explore a number of broader contextual changes and their influence in how work is defined and why these changes are occurring. However, our focus is on the transition from jobs to work and what this means to employment and the employment experience. To emphasize this transition and reinforce its meaning we turn our attention to what has been described as the Gig economy and what that means for concepts like employability, job security and the experience of contemporary working arrangements. We also explore the type of legislation necessary for working in the Gig economy and the skills and learning that will make this way of working in the new economy sustainable. We then turn our attention to exploring technology’s impact on work and jobs and how it is shaping the way we work, the way we experience it and the focus on flexibility. Then we turn to the changing contours of the work context, exploring the issues around sustainability, human capital and the meaning of good work. The chapter ends by pointing to how this sets a context for dramatic changes to how we work and working structures and how this directs the need to adopt a broad canvas around ‘future work’ when focusing on the future direction for work stress research.
