The author of this article reflects on the question of how academics can increase the joyful and holistic nature of their work, in other words, how to shift from disenchantment to enchantment in the academy. The author argues that this shift is cultivated daily, not only in the "action" and "doing" portion of their work but in…

The decision to leave a successful career and great earning potential to start over as a novice with new surroundings and expectations is not made without consideration of a wide array of variables. Making the transition to higher education was not an easy one and the transition itself has presented various other challenges and joys that I have…

After finishing her undergraduate degree in English, the author's first employment was in an academic department at her alma mater. At a large public state institution, the salary scale for non-academic appointees was--and remains--woefully low. Knowing that monetary compensation wasn't the source of staff satisfaction, her chairman made a…

Over the past 15 years, traditional concepts of working conditions and of work have been challenged in industrialized nations. The improvement of working conditions has become a basic issue, affected by the economic situation, technological advances, social climate, labor relations, and individual behavior. (Author/SK)

Argues that the quality of work life literature is both appropriate and useful for understanding and improving the effectiveness and quality of school life. Suggests that both quality and effectiveness of learning and school operations can be improved by adopting participative management models and innovations. (CJM)

This article describes general changes in work and characteristics of those who will work, with special attention to the implications for industrial teacher education. Discusses the shift in jobs from goods producing to service producing, influences of technology, quality of work life, and the influence of the world economy. (Author/CT)

This paper defines natural workplace supports for individuals with severe disabilities and proposes a working model for future research and practice. Emphasis is placed on natural supports as an outcome of successful employment rather than a distinct model for support and as a contributing factor to the quality of life. (Author/CR)

Guidelines obtained from interviews with over 30 companies or business consultants are suitable for school administrators. Successful managers are increasingly interested in quality of work life, motivation, staff development, and public relations. (MLF)

The implementation of work redesign techniques described or similar advanced methods of organization and work system design should allow academic libraries to respond more effectively to rapid changes in user demand and improve the quality of working life of their employees. Included are 44 references. (Author/RAA)

There has been for over a century a movement for the humanization of work. The movement's two branches--a European one emphasizing worker alienation and structural change and a North American one emphasizing job enrichment--have converged somewhat as the concept of "quality of work life" (QWL) has emerged in the 1970's. Business concepts…

Elements of the "American dream" are adequate housing, education for one's children, and a secure retirement. Economic growth has long been seen as a way to realize the dream. Recent data indicate that achieving the dream and succeeding in the labor market have become more difficult due to sluggish productivity growth, increased competition from…

This series of articles cites a variety of sources and synthesizes a number of studies on the working conditions and the welfare of workers from several countries. (SSH)

In this essay, the author explains how teaching assistant (TA) unions work to the benefit not only of the graduate students who are their members but also of the writing programs that employ them. While university administrations understand unions to be bothersome at best and forces of evil at their worst, unions are essential to the maintenance…

Changing attitudes and life styles have made today's workers less dedicated to work values, says the president of the Work in America Institute. The author discusses the implications of these changes, workers' demands for participation in decision making, and the need for employers to show concern for human values. (MF)

This policy report is intended to be a vision, a design, for certain public systems that have significant involvement with an aging population. It focuses on the central question: What can be done to build community capacity for dealing with an aging society in Minnesota? The report focuses on these three topics: (1) life-cycle…