Employee Rela ions
Se ice in e ac ion and digni y in cleaning wo k: how impo an is he o ganiza ional
con ex ?
So ia Alexand a C uz Manuel Ab an es
A icle in o ma ion:
To ci e his documen :
So ia Alexand a C uz Manuel Ab an es , (2014),"Se ice in e ac ion and digni y in cleaning wo k: how
impo an is he o ganiza ional con ex ?", Employee Rela ions, Vol. 36 Iss 3 pp. 294 - 311
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Simon M. Smi h, Pe e S okes, John F. Wilson, (2014),"Explo ing he impac o In es o s in People: A ocus
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An hony McDonnell, Julia Connell, Zeenobiyah Hanni , John Bu gess, (2014),"Ha ing “a say”: o ms o
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Se ice in e ac ion and digni y
in cleaning wo k: how impo an
is he o ganiza ional con ex ?
So ia Alexand a C uz
Facul y o Economics & Ins i u e o Sociology, Uni e si y o Po o,
Po o, Po ugal, and
Manuel Ab an es
SOCIUS – Resea ch Cen e in Economic and O ganiza ional Sociology,
Uni e si y o Lisbon, Lisbon, Po ugal
Abs ac
Pu pose – The pu pose o his pape is o explo e he ex en o which he na u e o a pa icula wo k
ac i i y – cleaning – changes ac oss o ganiza ional con ex s, conside ing speci ic indus y
cha ac e is ics and wo king condi ions in u ban se ings in Po ugal.
Design/me hodology/app oach – The pape d aws on he quali a i e analysis o da a collec ed
be ween 2010 and 2013 using open-ended in e iews wi h employees and di ec obse a ion in wo
shopping malls.
Findings – The empi ical e idence illumina es how he con ex s unde s udy shape he beha io o
ac o s and hei powe ela ions. By placing he pe spec i e o employees a he co e o he analysis,
he pape demons a es ha wo kplaces p o ide a majo si e o con lic and nego ia ion ega ding
digni y in cleaning wo k, bu his dispu e akes on di e en con ou s and sou ces o ension ac oss
o ganiza ional con ex s.
O iginali y/ alue – The seminal compa a i e analysis o comme cial cleaning and housecleaning
unde aken in his pape sheds ligh on he a ying dis ibu ion o oles and au ho i y a wo k.
Di e en ly han in ea lie s udies, he ac ual modes o se ice in e ac ion in his indus y a e
documen ed in a de ailed and c i ical manne .
Keywo ds Wo kplace, Gende , E hnici y, Ne wo ks, Digni y, Cleaning, Comme cial cleaning,
Housecleaning, Se ice in e ac ion, Domes ic wo k
Pape ype Resea ch pape
In oduc ion
Conside able a en ion has been ecen ly paid o he cleaning indus y. Mo e o en
han no , esea che s ocus on ei he comme cial cleaning o housecleaning se ice
se ings, cons uing hem as dis inc subjec s o enqui y. Such compa men aliza ion is
The cu en issue and ull ex a chi e o his jou nal is a ailable a
www.eme aldinsigh .com/0142-5455.h m
Recei ed 12 June 2013
Re ised 16 Oc obe 2013
12 Decembe 2013
Accep ed 13 Decembe 2013
Employee Rela ions
Vol. 36 No. 3, 2014
pp. 294-311
Eme ald G oup Publishing Limi ed
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-06-2013-0064
This pape d aws on esul s om wo esea ch p ojec s in he ield o sociology: “P o essional
g oups in se ices: social ca ego iza ion, labo ma ke s, ac i i ies and ca ee pa hs” (2009-2012),
conduc ed by P o esso D So ia Alexand a C uz a he Uni e si y o Po o; and “Domes ic
se ices and mig an wo ke s: he nego ia ion o he employmen ela ionship” (2010-14),
conduc ed by PhD Manuel Ab an es wi hin he Doc o al P og am in Economic and
O ganiza ional Sociology a he Uni e si y o Lisbon. The au ho s hank all o he indi iduals
and o ganiza ions who collabo a ed wi h us du ing ieldwo k, as well as he ellow esea che s
who p o ided impo an wo ds o ad ice and c i ique. A i s d a o his pape was p esen ed a
he semina “Wo k and Wo ke s: Reali ies, Iden i ies and P ocesses” a he New Uni e si y o
Lisbon, Ma ch 2-3, 2013. The wo esea ch p ojec s a e suppo ed by he FCT – Founda ion o
Science and Technology (g an s SFRH/BPD/43345/2008 and SFRH/BD/61181/2009).
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suppo ed by e iden di e ence conce ning wo kplaces and employe -employee
dynamics. Comme cial cleaning comp ises a a ie y o loca ions such as e ail, o ice,
hospi al, o indus ial si es. In u n, housecleaning is pe o med in p i a e households.
Howe e , bo h a e loca ed “a an impo an nexus o he global economy, o hey a e
essen ial o ensu ing ha he spaces o p oduc ion, consump ion and social ep oduc ion
which de ine he social a chi ec u e o he con empo a y economy emain sani a y and
unc ional” (He od and Aguia , 2006a, p. 427). O ganiza ional se ings a e associa ed
wi h pa icula social con ex s and ypes o employmen ela ions. Companies and
subcon ac ing a e shown o play cen al oles in he cleaning indus y, whe eas domes ic
se ice ela ionships a e ypically based on indi idual a angemen s and p i a e
unde s andings ega ding wo k con en s and condi ions. An ac i i y-cen e ed app oach is
bound o no e ha cleaning is a key se ice p o ided in bo h o hese “sec o s,” and o
ques ion o wha ex en he na u e and he meanings o wo k a y ac oss hem. As shown
below, he sociological li e a u e is especially use ul as i emphasizes he complexi y o
ela ional con ex s a wo k and hei in e wea ing wi h his o ical dynamics, powe
ela ions and asymme ies g ounded on class, age, gende , o e hnic di e en ia ion.
The pu pose o his pape is o explo e he na u e o a pa icula wo k ac i i y –
cleaning – ac oss di e en o ganiza ional con ex s and ques ion he exis ing modes
o se ice in e ac ion. We d aw on he empi ical indings o wo esea ch p ojec s
conduc ed in Po ugal be ween 2010 and 2013. The pape p oceeds as ollows. Fi s ,
a a ie y o con ibu ions om exis ing schola ship a e con ened o suppo he
o mula ion o he p oblem; elabo a ions on digni y a e paid pa icula a en ion.
Second, he se ing o Po ugal and indus y-speci ic cha ac e is ics a e desc ibed.
Thi d, me hodological p ocedu es and conside a ions a e exposed. Fou h, he o iginal
indings a e discussed. Placing he pe spec i e o employees ( a he han hei
employe s’) a he co e o he analysis, we will demons a e ha wo kplaces p o ide a
majo si e o con lic and nego ia ion ega ding digni y in cleaning wo k, bu his
dispu e akes on di e en con ou s and sou ces o ension ac oss o ganiza ional
con ex s. The con as be ween comme cial cleaning and housecleaning p o es o be
a use ul ins umen o ad ance ou knowledge on he dis ibu ion o oles and
au ho i y in his segmen o con empo a y labo ma ke s.
Cleaning wo k ac oss di e en o ganiza ional con ex s
The schola ship on ei he comme cial cleaning o housecleaning is oo oluminous o
e iew a leng h he e. Ins ead, ou aim is o discuss a numbe o con ibu ions ha help
iden i y he main possibili ies o in e sec ion be ween wha is gene ally cons ued as
comp ising wo dispa a e opics o enqui y.
Fi s o all, bo h cases pe ain la gely o he same wo k ac i i y – cleaning.
In his ega d, hey eme ge as esilien sou ces o low-skill and low-pay jobs in
con empo a y socie ies. Rega dless o ac ual employmen condi ions, cleane s play
a cen al ole in se e al spaces o p oduc ion, consump ion and social ep oduc ion
which cha ac e ize he mode n global economy, e.g. shopping malls, as hey ensu e
cleaning condi ions and unc ionali y (He od and Aguia , 2006a; Sassen, 2007).
Fu he mo e, he pe sis ence o low-skill wo k in cleaning jobs has been simul aneous
wi h a p ocess o ans o ma ion o he cleaning indus y owa d he s anda diza ion o
wo king p ocesses (He od and Aguia , 2006b) associa ed wi h a gene al need o
ce i ica ion in a con ex o inc easing compe i ion be ween companies (Aguia , 2001).
An “in e es ing con adic ion” (He od and Aguia , 2006a, p. 431) eme ges in his wo k
ac i i y. On he one hand, he p ominence o emale and mig an wo ke s in he
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wo k o ce encou ages an unde s anding o such wo k as unskilled. On he o he hand,
discou ses o p o essionaliza ion ha e engende ed new eali ies conce ning s anda d
modes o ope a ing and also new ways o naming his ac i i y. Thus, He od and Aguia
(2006a), d awing on p e ious wo k by Gaskell, sugges ha “skill” should be conside ed
a dependen a iable ela ed o who is doing he wo k and unde wha condi ions
(a consonan easoning om a eminis pe spec i e can be ound in Cockbu n, 1983).
The adi ional emphasis ha sociologis s o wo k gi e o p o essions unde pins he
con inemen o low-skill occupa ions o he ealm o inequali y s udies and hus hei
unde heo iza ion as a as wo k ela ions a e conce ned (Abbo , 1993, p. 203).
Ne e heless, a a ie y o au ho s obse e ha he ecen expansion o highly quali ied
jobs in he uppe s a a o ewa d coexis s wi h – and e en uels – he expansion o
ou inized low-paid jobs in he se ice indus y (Hochschild, 2000; Sassen, 2001;
Wa hu s and Nickson, 2001; Payne, 2009). In he con ex o pola izing labo ma ke s,
indi iduals ec ui ed as cleane s sha e pa icula socio-demog aphic cha ac e is ics
which iden i y hem as belonging o ma ginalized ca ego ies o wo ke s. They a e o en
women wi h li le o mal educa ion, mino i y e hnic backg ound, o discon inuous wo k
ajec o ies (Ande son, 2000; Eh en eich and Hochschild, 2002; B ody, 2006). They ind
hemsel es unde employmen egimes ha equi e wo k in ensi ica ion and he
eo ganiza ion o hei domes ic and child ca e a angemen s (Sei e and Messing, 2006;
He od and Aguia , 2006b). The close ie be ween pa icipa ion in he labo ma ke and
amily i ine a ies is no exhaus ed ou side he wo kplace, since inequali y egimes
and powe ela ions pe ade much o he e e yday ope a ion a employing o ganiza ions
as well (Acke , 2006). The ex ensi e use o ne wo king and in o mal p ocedu es o
ec ui men by bo h employe s and wo ke s is a signi ican illus a ion o how social
s uc u e a ec s economic ou comes (G ano e e , 1983, 2005). Implica ions o he ac ual
expe ience o employees a e ambiguous, as hey can en ail ei he a loss o a gain o
powe is-a
`- is employe s and labo ma ke dynamics a la ge.
In ega d o simila i y and di e ence be ween comme cial and housecleaning, wo
p ominen elemen s should be disce ned. Fi s , wo kplaces a y in size and na u e.
Whe eas wo ke s ec ui ed in comme cial cleaning pe o m hei se ice in a a ie y o
collec i e se ings (e.g. shopping malls, o ices, heal h ins i u ions, indus ial si es), hose
ec ui ed in housecleaning ca e o p i a e homes. Second, his a ia ion is associa ed
wi h di e en manne s o o ganizing wo k and s uc u ing au ho i y. Comme cial
cleaning ypically builds on a web o ela ions comp ising company owne s, manage s,
employees wi h supe iso y oles, and on line cleane s. Cleane s a e o en coo dina ed
unde a model o “ eamwo king,” al hough he p ac ical meaning o such wo d may
emain blu ed. In his empi ical s udy o comme cial cleaning dynamics in Aus alia,
Ryan (2012, p. 259) demons a es how eamwo king can be deployed o inc ease
manage ial con ol o e wo k, in ensi y wo k and educe labo cos s a he han ul ill he
sugges ion o indus ial democ acy. While housecleaning is inc easingly supplied by
o -p o i companies as well (De e e and Rousseau, 2009), mos o he s udies conduc ed
so a emphasize he di ec ec ui men o indi idual wo ke s – o e whelmingly women,
equen ly in-coun y o in e na ional mig an s – by p i a e households (Ande son, 2000;
Hochschild, 2000; Pa en
˜as, 2001; Eh en eich and Hochschild, 2002; Lu z, 2008; Ab an es,
2012). In o he wo ds, employe s a y in size and na u e as much as wo kplaces.
In compa ison o hei coun e pa s in he sec o o indus ial/comme cial cleaning, he
daily expe ience o domes ic wo ke s is likely o be much mo e indi idualized and soli a y.
Wha abou he con ac ual con igu a ion o employmen ela ionships? Ce ainly a
wide a ay o si ua ions coexis and he pic u e may di e ac oss coun ies. Howe e ,
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he empi ical s udies o paid domes ic wo k ci ed abo e (as well as ou own i s -hand
indings, o be discussed below) ind domes ic cleane s in a condi ion o sala ied
employees, e en hough such employmen s a us is obscu ed in daily in e cou se by
he singula na u e o p i a e households as bo h employe s and wo kplaces
(Ande son, 2007). In o he wo ds, he di ec ela ionship es ablished be ween employee
and household membe (s) can be pe cei ed – o ins umen ally pu sued – by one o
e en bo h o he pa ies in e ms ha esemble hose o sel -employmen , bu i is s ill
de ined by labo law as an employmen ela ionship, igh s and du ies applying
acco dingly ( o an in e na ional su ey o law and p ac ice in his espec , see
In e na ional Labou O ice (ILO), 2010).
The dominan ypes o employmen ela ionship and o ganiza ional s uc u e a e
expec ed o bea an impac on he dis ibu ion o au ho i y, oles and au onomy. They a e
also a piece o key explana o y alue o unde s and de elopmen s o e ime. Ou sou cing
and subcon ac ing ha e become a common ea u e o mode n-day comme cial cleaning
as a esul o co po a e s a egies o enhance lexibili y and labo di ision (Be ns ein,
1986; Eh en eich, 2002). In o mal wo k – unde s ood as wo k ha is “pe o med ou side
he ealm o labou egula ions and social p o ec ions” (Chen, 2011, p. 168) – has been
exposed as an impo an ea u e o bo h housecleaning and comme cial cleaning
(Sei e and Messing, 2006). The insc ip ion o wo k in b oade egula o y o symbolic
amewo ks o labo ela ions has implica ions o he manne s in which wo k is ca ied
ou and socially alued. In ac , as no ed by Abbo (1993, p. 187), “changes in occupa ions
canno be cons ued wi hou he wo k sys em ha en olds hem.” In he p esen case, he
quasi-p o essional appea ance o comme cial cleaning and he g ow h o a “discou se
conce ning p o essionaliza ion wi hin he con ex o a signi ican neolibe aliza ion o
wo king condi ions” (He od and Aguia , 2006a, p. 429) con as s wi h he less clea
posi ion o housecleaning is-a
`- is indus ializa ion and, in pa icula , he combina ion o
cleaning and o he household- ela ed asks in he p ac ical expe ience o many domes ic
wo ke s, including he p o ision o di ec pe sonal ca e. I is signi ican ha esea che s
dealing wi h paid domes ic wo k a he empi ical le el a e o en con on ed wi h
di icul ies in de ining hei e y objec o s udy. De ini ions o wo k, domes ic and ca e, o
men ion only he key examples, a e o en di e en ac oss empi ical con ex s and pe sonal
pe cep ions. “In he inal analysis,” Ande son (2000, p. 21) p oposes, “domes ic wo k is no
de inable in e ms o asks bu in e ms o a ole which cons uc s and si ua es he wo ke
wi hin a ce ain se o social ela ionships.” Fo he employees, such social ela ionships
a e a once a po en ial sou ce o p o ec ion and abuse. Wo k en i onmen s can u n ou o
be ei he iendly o hos ile depending o a la ge ex en on he in e ac ion wi h employe s
(Cock, 1980; Ko es, 2001; Go ban, 2012).
In sum, he ange o simila i ies and di e ences be ween comme cial and
housecleaning se ings pe ains chie ly o he modes o se ice in e ac ion. Rema kably,
howe e , he compa ison o se ice in e ac ion in hese wo con ex s emains up o
empi ical enqui y. In bo h cases, conside able e o s ha e been expended o documen o
compa e p ac ices ac oss geog aphic loca ionso his o icalpe iods,bu hesamecanno
be said o a sys ema ic o compa a i e analysis ocused on he “cleaning occupa ion”
o “occupa ional p ac ices.” Examining hese wo o ganiza ional con ex s in dep h is also
a c ucial con ibu ion o b idge he in ellec ual di ide be ween he s udy o wo k and
he s udy o o ganiza ions, which equi es analysis o comp ehend bo h in a and
in e -o ganiza ional o ces and he socioeconomic e ec s o o ganiza ions on employees
conce ning ma e s as di e se as wo k o ganiza ion, ewa d, inequali y, ca ee mobili y, o
wo k- amily balance (Ha eman and Khai e, 2006).
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Digni y and se ice in e ac ion in cleaning wo k
We adop Hodson’s (2001, p. 3) de ini ion o digni y as “ he abili y o es ablish a sense o
sel -wo h and sel - espec and o app ecia e he espec o o he s,” sough by employees
h ough pa icula ac s o esis ance agains abuse and mo e o less in en ional a emp s
o eclaim he capaci y o asc ibe meaning o hei wo k. Ins ead o subsc ibing o a
dualis ic no ion ha speci ic ca ego ies o wo k a e inhe en ly subo dina e o
empowe ing, a en ion is equi ed o he mic o-poli ics o wo kplaces as p oposed in
esea ch abou es he ic labo (Wa hu s and Nickson, 2001; Casaca, 2012). Wo ke s may
eso o passi e o ac i e s a egies o de end hei digni y, including co e endea o s
o educe hei indi idual pe o mance o , on he con a y, o make wo k mo e e icien
and humane, engaging in mul iple nego ia ions o he (objec i e and subjec i e) nexus o
au onomy and esponsibili y (Hodson, 2001). I is impo an o add ha inc easing
au onomy a he wo kplace can be associa ed wi h inc easing wo k- ela ed s ess i no
suppo ed by adequa e echnical, ma e ial and symbolic condi ions.
A dis inc ion be ween digni y in wo k and digni y a wo k is in oduced by Bol on
(2007). The o me conce ns he ealiza ion o in e es ing and meaning ul wo k wi h a
subs an ial deg ee o esponsibili y and au onomy, ecognized social es eem and
espec . The la e conce ns s uc u es and p ac ices ha o e equal oppo uni ies,
indi idual and collec i e oice, sa e and heal hy wo king condi ions, jus ewa ds and
secu e employmen con ac . Depending on hei si ua ion, wo ke s may be able o
enjoy digni y in one, bo h, o none o hese wo dimensions. The sepa a ion be ween
skilled and unskilled wo k is in e wo en wi h symbolic cons uc ions o class, gende
and e hnici y, as illus a ed in he associa ion o cleaning wo k wi h se ili y. While
se ili y can be seen as opposi e o digni ied wo k, “se ing o he s can be a sou ce o
digni y whe e i p o ides some hing o o he ha hey could no easily p o ide o
hemsel es and whe e i does no equi e compulso y de e ence” (Saye , 2007, p. 27).
I is no ewo hy he poli ical cen ali y gi en o he concep o digni y by he
In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion when add essing wo king condi ions in low-paid
sec o s such as domes ic se ice (ILO, 2010).
The sociological li e a u e on se ice in e ac ion is sensi i e o he di e en con ex s
in which employees and cus ome s build social ela ions, acknowledging hese
ela ions as mu ually de e minan and a ying in hei deg ee o s uc u a ion (Vallas
e al., 2009). Ou ieldwo k exposes a case – he cleaning indus y – wi h a pa icula
con igu a ion o se ice in e ac ion as wo k is pe o med mos ly when cus ome s
(in comme cial cleaning) o household membe s (in housecleaning) a e physically away
om he se ing o be cleaned. This complex in e ac ion (B e
´ in, 2000) cha ac e ized by
limi ed ace- o- ace communica ion does no p e en employees, cus ome s and
household membe s om de eloping elabo a e ep esen a ions abou one ano he .
While use s equen ly exp ess hei discon en abou he poo quali y o cleaning
se ices, he cleaning employees blame use s o a ca eless handling o acili ies,
in e p e ing his as a o m o dis espec owa d hemsel es. Bo h in comme cial
se ings and in p i a e households, he ma e o “ espec /dis espec ” is sugges i e o
how employees eel hei digni y o be unde h ea in daily in e ac ion.
Focussing on he e e yday expe ience o employees, ou empi ical analysis
will explo e he ex en o which di e ence in he o ganiza ional con ex and he
unde lying social logics de e mine di e ence in he na u e o his wo k ac i i y
and he e o e di e en condi ions unde which digni y is dispu ed and decided.
An o e iew o he empi ical se ing unde examina ion is p esen ed be o e p oceeding
in o he i s -hand indings.
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Comme cial cleaning and housecleaning in Po ugal: indus y cha ac e is ics
Acco ding o he Eu opean Union Labou Fo ce Su ey, he occupa ional g oup o
“Domes ic and ela ed helpe s, cleane s and launde e s” is ela i ely la ge in Po ugal:
by 2010, i comp ised an es ima ed numbe o 282 housand wo ke s, ha is, 5 pe cen
o he o al ac i e popula ion in he coun y, agains 3.9 pe cen in he o al EU-15
(Ab an es and Peixo o, 2012, pp. 150-154). The same s a is ical sou ce exposes a s eady
olume o his g oup in Po ugal since he mid-1990s, wi h a signi ican inc ease in
mos o he EU-15. In he mean ime, he numbe o indi iduals employed in “Ac i i ies
o households as employe s o domes ic pe sonnel” e ol ed in a simila ashion:
Po ugal emains among he EU-15 coun ies whe e la ges igu es a e o be ound,
s anding a 144 housand wo ke s in 2010 (2.6 pe cen o he o al ac i e popula ion),
while he clea in e na ional end is o inc ease[1].
Women compose he o e whelming majo i y o he popula ion employed in hese
occupa ional g oups (be ween 96 and 98 pe cen , in Po ugal). Again, his has been
obse ed a he in e na ional scale, and i is pa icula ly signi ican in Po ugal. The la ge
and s ill inc easing p opo ion o women in paid employmen – which dis inguishes his
coun y om he emainde o sou he n Eu ope – coexis s wi h pe sis en pa e ns o
gende segmen a ion in he labo ma ke , which a e especially un a o able o women wi h
lowe schooling o immig an backg ound (To es, 2008; Be io and Ve ashchagina, 2009;
Fe ei a, 2010). While p o essional a eas o highe s a us g adually open o women,
a gende ed di e en ia ion o skills a he bo om ie o jobs emains in place (Fe ei a, 1999;
Ama
ˆncio, 2007). I is impo an o bea in mind ha policies ega ding gende equali y,
amily and ca e, al hough hey can be nea ly app oached as dis inc issues o public
in e en ion, a e uniquely bound up in hei p ac ical ou comes (C omp on and Le Feu e,
2000; Rube y, 2002). The coun ies o sou he n Eu ope p o ide a c i ical illus a ion o his
ela ion, as imp essi e accomplishmen s in women’s igh s o e he las decades emain in
con lic wi h limi ed suppo i e policies conce ning childca e and elde ca e, an issue wi h
implica ions o bo h labo demand and supply in domes ic se ice occupa ions (Ca a ino
and Oso, 2000; C omp on, 2006; Laza idis, 2007; Wall and Nunes, 2010; Le
on, 2010).
Likewise, he g owing numbe o immig an women in he labo ma ke is
associa ed wi h hei concen a ion in he seconda y o pe iphe al labo ma ke ,
cha ac e ized by a p edominance o low-skill occupa ions unde p eca ious con ac ual
a angemen s (G
ois and Ma ques, 2009; Casaca and Peixo o, 2010). The ea ly in low o
mig an s om he o me Po uguese colonies in A ica has been o e aken by he
a i al o mig an s om o he coun ies, especially B azil and Uk aine, many o whom
a e women mo ing on hei own o ahead o o he amily membe s. Conside ing o icial
s a is ics, 41 pe cen o he o eign wo king women in Po ugal by 2010 we e employed
in “Elemen a y occupa ions,” a b oad ca ego y co e ing jobs in se ices, indus y and
ag icul u e o which no p io speci ic aining o c eden ial is equi ed (Ab an es and
Peixo o, 2012). Domes ic se ice emains hei mos common employmen sec o ,
eaching o e 20 pe cen o hei o al numbe . In addi ion, Po ugal has been signaled
in ea lie esea ch o an expanded unde g ound economy, which is expec ed o
be la gely uelled by he ope a ion o small en e p ises and undecla ed domes ic
se ices in ol ing a disp opo iona e numbe o women and immig an s (Baganha,
1998; Schneide and Klinglmai , 2004; Casaca and Peixo o, 2010).
In sho , cleaning se ices a e loca ed a he in e sec ion o a ious p essu es
obse ed a he na ional le el: he expansion o he se ice indus y, he sp eading o
co po a e lexibili y s a egies including subcon ac ing and ou sou cing, a change o
mind ame in public policy om ull employmen o employabili y, and he esilience
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o occupa ional seg ega ion based on gende and e hnici y. This is likely o be
associa ed wi h compe i ion and hie a chy bo h a he wo kplace and in he labo
ma ke a la ge. The e iewed s udies show ha he socio-demog aphic p o ile o
employees ec ui ed in comme cial cleaning and housecleaning is simila and many
women wi h li le schooling and/o immig an backg ound expe ience employmen in
bo h o hese se ings o e hei li ecou se, a end ha is con i med in ou own
ieldwo k. No wi hs anding hei in e linkage, he e a e also dis inc dynamics in
comme cial cleaning and housecleaning when i comes o labo demand and supply, as
shown in he discussion o empi ical e idence below.
Resea ch design and me hods
This pape d aws on esul s om wo esea ch p ojec s ecen ly conduc ed in Po ugal.
The empi ical in es iga ion on comme cial cleaning ( June 2010 – Janua y 2012) consis ed
o semi-s uc u ed in e iews wi h en women employed as cleane s in wo shopping malls
in he ci y o Po o and di ec obse a ion o hei daily wo k p ac ices. The echnique o
di ec obse a ion is pa icula ly use ul o cap u e he wo k ac i i y i sel (Tope e al., 2005),
and i allows cap u ing spa ial and empo al elemen s om he daily wo k o cleaning
employees and hei in e ac ion wi h cus ome s. I has he capaci y o gene a e ich
desc ip ion and an unde s anding o cleaning wo k based no only on employees
bu also on cus ome s. Two si es o obse a ion we e selec ed: he s olling a eas o he
shopping malls, whe e we egis e ed he mo emen s o employees who clean up a di e en
pe iods o he day and he week; and he oile s, chosen o i s ele ance in aming he
na u e o he wo k ac i i y unde analysis. Du ing he semi-s uc u ed in e iews, ou
s a egy – and emembe he i le o he book by S uds Te kel (1972/2004), Wo king. People
TalkAbou Wha TheyDoAllDayandHowTheyFeelAbou Wha TheyDo– was o lis en
o he cleaning employees alking abou wha hey do in hei daily wo k and how hey eel
abou i . To be su e, “lis ening” was in o med by an in e iew sc ip co e ing ques ions
abou he ca ee , wo k ac i i y, job sa is ac ion, amily dynamics and pe sonal li es.
Second, he empi ical in es iga ion on housecleaning (Ap il 2011 – Feb ua y 2013)
d aws on open-ended in e iews wi h 25 paid domes ic wo ke s in he ci y o Lisbon.
Simila ly o wha was done in he i s esea ch p ojec , esponden s we e loca ed
h ough snowball ecommenda ion, an adequa e s a egy o gain access o an occupa ion
o en pe o med in he unde g ound economy as ad oca ed in much o he exis ing
esea ch on paid domes ic wo k (Cock, 1980; Rome o, 1992; Hondagneu-So elo, 2001;
Van Walsum, 2011). The semi-s uc u ed sc ip co e ed expe iences in he labo ma ke ,
he o ganiza ion o domes ic labo , ela ionship wi h employe s and o he ele an
indi iduals and ins i u ions, pe sonal and household ajec o ies, and demog aphic and
socioeconomic ea u es. The o mula ion o new elemen s and esea ch ques ions by
esponden s was encou aged. Regula consul a ion wi h public o ice s, expe s and
o he s a egic in o man s p o ided use ul backg ound sugges ions and cla i ica ions.
In bo h esea ch p ojec s, he snowball ec ui men o esponden s pe mi ed
a sa is ac o y deg ee o us , inc easing he comple eness and eliabili y o da a.
We ha e ied whe e e possible o di e si y he demog aphic p o ile o esponden s,
which equi ed ejec ing some o he con ac s sugges ed and looking o o he s.
Acco ding o he p emises o quali a i e esea ch, he conce n was no o selec
a s a is ically ep esen a i e se o indi iduals bu a he a “socially signi ican ” one.
The e o e, esponden s a e conside ed no only as single indi iduals, bu as pa o a
social g oup ha sha es common cha ac e is ics (Rapley, 2007). The analysis o da a
builds on he no ion o ac o s being loca ed in speci ic social con ex s, he e o e gi ing
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The compa a i e analysis o comme cial cleaning and housecleaning con ibu es
o illumina e he di e en o ganiza ional and social logics a wo k. The con ex s o
employmen examined in his a icle e eal he same subal e n s anding o hese
wo occupa ional ac i i ies on he low-skill inges o he se ice sec o . Fu he
bene i s can be d awn om a compa a i e lens. Fu u e esea ch migh pay a en ion
o wo k pe o med by cleane s in ye o he o ganiza ional con ex s and examine
how se ice in e ac ion and digni y a e nego ia ed he e. I would also be ele an o
deepen ou unde s anding o he in e connec ion be ween he daily expe ience o
cleane s and ha o o he ca ego ies o wo ke s (e.g. manage s, secu i y o ice s,
e ail salespe sons), ques ioning o wha ex en such a icula ion can p o ec o
h ea en cleane s ega ding hei eelings o digni y and hei wo king condi ions
a la ge.
No e
1. These wo occupa ional g oups pe ain o dis inc classi ica ion schemes used in he labo
o ce su ey and o e lap pa ially. Al hough da a disagg ega ion could o e impo an
e idence conce ning he ields o ac i i y unde s udy, a ine le el o de ail equi es a
dec ease in sample size and hus loss o eliabili y.
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In e na ional Jou nal o Wo k O ganisa ion and Emo ion, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 74-86.
Mosley, R.W. (2007), “Cus ome expe ience, o ganisa ional cul u e and he employe b and”,
Jou nal o B and Managemen , Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 123-134.
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Abou he au ho s
So ia Alexand a C uz is an Assis an P o esso a he Facul y o Economics a he Uni e si y o
Po o, whe e she eaches o ganiza ional sociology and o ganiza ional beha io . She has
de eloped and coo dina ed esea ch p ojec s on se ice wo k, educa ion and employmen and
p o essional g oups. He cu en publishing in e es s include se ice wo k, employmen ,
managemen and social en ep eneu ship. So ia Alexand a C uz is he co esponding au ho
and can be con ac ed a : sac [email p o ec ed]
D Manuel Ab an es is a PhD Candida e a he Uni e si y o Lisbon and a membe o
SOCIUS – Resea ch Cen e in Economic and O ganiza ional Sociology. Since 2007, he has been
ac i e in empi ical esea ch on employmen , gende equali y, and mig a ion. He is also a gues
lec u e in sociology o wo k and leisu e a he Open Uni e si y Po ugal.
To pu chase ep in s o his a icle please e-mail: [email p o ec ed]
O isi ou web si e o u he de ails: www.eme aldinsigh .com/ ep in s
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cleaning wo k
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