A brief look at the notion of Postfordism and the connections that can be made between this movement and our work ethic today.
Fordism was a concept pioneered by Henry Ford in the early 20th century, founder of the Ford Motor Company. His model or work was unique, in that his factories consisted of a chain of workers, all highly skilled in one particular area of engineering and construction. This provided a 'convey belt' system of working, allowing cars to be produced more efficiently and at greater speed. This factory model also relied on a strict time schedule, with workers clocking in at nine and clocking out at five, creating a clear distinction between work and home hours. This is a model we often see today among large corporations, across many sectors.
However, during the Postfordist era there was a break down of this strict schedule. Workers began to re-skill themselves, becoming proficient in a range of areas within their profession, allowing for a greater diversity of work to be performed by just one individual. We can see this re-skilling today, as the younger generation advances with technology to become knowledgable in a range of areas, some online and some offline. Postfordism greatly informs how we work today - a generation of online workers do not have an office to work in, and so can work from home, at any time of the day or night, depending on the need for output.
We can also see an increase in immaterial labour - labour that does not produce anything physical as such. This can be found in the output of workers who labour online, as website designers etc. They still work and earn money for their labour, and have a reliable job, but the end outcome is just not a physical one. Digital technology has pushed the way we worked into new realms that were not possible before.
http://www.generation-online.org/c/fcimmateriallabour3.htm