| dc.description.abstract | Platform-mediated work (PMW) is an emerging phenomenon. By combining new business models and digital technology, digital labor platforms can provide on-demand services that meet consumer needs in just a few clicks. As digitalization continues, this new way of organizing work is expected to account for a growing segment of the labor force. Although PMW provides opportunities, it also raises obstacles to occupational safety and health (OSH). This thesis explores the challenges posed by PMW through a multilevel perspective.
The study aims to illuminate PMW by addressing the phenomenon from various vantage points. The primary data were sourced from 58 interviews with diverse stakeholders, supplemented by documents, online observations of communities, and news articles. This case study research focuses on PMW via two types of digital labor platforms: food delivery and “information and communications technology” (ICT) consulting services.
At the individual level, the characteristics of the two platform types along with worker experiences are described and analyzed. The study reveals how business choices in the development of technology and work organization influence job demands and resources as well as the repercussions for OSH. Moreover, it considers how personal and contextual contingencies mediate the adverse outcomes individuals experience.
At the organizational level, PMW is explored through two popular safety-science perspectives. The findings highlight how organization fragmentation impacts the OSH management of PMW as well as how the spatiotemporal dispersal of workers challenges the development and investigation of safety culture.
At the societal level, this thesis identifies four gaps in the safety regulation of PMW and introduces the concept of regulatory escape. It describes how platforms deal with institutional complexities and highlights opportunistic tendencies that challenge the NWLM. In doing so, reflections are offered concerning the challenges faced by workers under this new paradigm.
This study’s theoretical contributions comprise a multilevel perspective on PMW, drawing on literature from organizational psychology, OSH, industrial relations, organizational theory, and public administration. This research fills a critical gap in our understanding of work through digital labor platforms by providing new empirical insights into PMW in Norway. | en_US |
