The employment relationship

by William P. Bridges

In this comprehensive, empirical study, authors Bridges and Villemez systematically examine the types of social arrangements that promote stable employment relationships in a variety of organizational settings. They argue that these intricate arrangements provide a vital link between employers and employees where mutual rights and obligations are founded. Based on the results of a representative survey of thousands of employees and their employers in a large, metropolitan labor market, the book concludes that bureaucratic employment relationships have the potential for both creating dependence on and liberating workers from the arbitrary decisions of managers and supervisors. The Employment Relationship tests various sociological theories on the causes and effects of labor market structures, such as internal labor markets, job ladders, grievance procedures, rule-ordered control systems, and personnel departments. It critically investigates: the ways in which these labor market structur