Workers Are Working Harder: Effort and Shop‐floor Relations in the 1980s

There has been considerable debate as to whether levels of worker effort rose in Britain during the 1980s. Case‐study evidence from four organizations suggests that effort levels did indeed increase. The extent to which workers were aware of this was, however, moderated by the limited extent of the change, by the fact that it was sometimes accompanied by other changes, and by the recruitment of new workers. Future research should investigate in more detail the components of effort, workers' view on why effort levels have changed, and managerial interpretations.