Compilation of research reports on employment trends and the patterns of work and leisure in the USA - covers productivity and the work ethic, the social implications of shortened hours of work, job satisfaction, working class attitudes, the changing role of management, technological change, education and training, unemployment, etc. References and statistical tables.

Abstract: Ten reports issued since 1976 detail many of the social and economic forces that have affected family life and examine some of the suggestions for easing present family burdens. An initial overview examines transitional signs in families (stress, family stability, child-rearing attitudes, decreased parental influence); reviews historic forces and home life; and discusses national family policy proposals. Detailed discussions on issues of major concern and attention in recent times include: violence in the family; teenage pregnancy; single parents; working women; youth unemployment; college tuition costs; housing; mandatory retirement; and the physical fitness boom. It is concluded that despite signs of family discord, most sociologists and psychologists believe the American family as an entity will prevail. (wz).

How the rise of machines changed the way we think about work—and about success. The phrase “a strong work ethic” conjures images of hard-driving employees working diligently for long hours. But where did this ideal come from, and how has it been buffeted by changes in work itself? While seemingly rooted in America’s Puritan heritage, perceptions of work ethic have actually undergone multiple transformations over the centuries. And few eras saw a more radical shift than the American industrial age. Daniel T. Rodgers masterfully explores the ways in which the eclipse of small-scale workshops by mechanized production and mass consumption triggered far-reaching shifts in perceptions of labor, leisure, and personal success. He also shows how the new work culture permeated society, including literature, politics, the emerging feminist movement, and the labor movement. A staple of courses in the history of American labor and industrial society, Rodgers’s sharp analysis is as relevant as ever as twenty-first-century workers face another shift brought about by technology. The Work Ethic in Industrial America 1850–1920 is a classic with critical relevance in today’s volatile economic times.

This second edition of the best-selling textbook on Work Motivation in Organizational Behavior provides an update of the critical analysis of the scientific literature on this topic, and provides a highly integrated treatment of leading theories, including their historical roots and progression over the years. A heavy emphasis is placed on the notion that behavior in the workplace is determined by a mix of factors, many of which are not treated in texts on work motivation (such as frustration and violence, power, love, and sex). Examples from current and recent media events are numerous, and intended to illustrate concepts and issues related to work motivation, emotion, attitudes, and behavior.