Professor Francis Green, a labour economist, confirms that the emergent emphasis on multiskilling, or functional flexibility, has led to a more efficient use of labour but has also led to problems for employees who are managing a more diverse set of work expectations. The requirement to attend to a greater diversity of tasks, often supported by technological advances that allow multitasking, has meant that the worker has to deal with conflicting demands. Green argues that the British workforce has experienced a dramatic 'upskilling' over the last generation, as they have shifted the bulk of their work onto computers. At the same time as they have been mastering new technology, the demands on them have multiplied. The result of the increase in work demands is a more stressed workforce (Bunting, 2003).

Research conducted in the Philippines by Lu (2009) confirms the impact of work intensification (the workload for each worker), and work extensification (the reduction in work rest) on the ill health in women in manufacturing work. Globalisation has had a major impact in the Philippines where economic liberalisation has seen the deregulation of goods and services and the privatisation of government-owned companies. Presidential decrees in the Philippines have enforced a blanket on strikes and relieved employers of the obligation to pay overtime.

Consistent with trends elsewhere, global competition has induced downsizing in companies in the Philippines and promoted the need for multiskilled workers capable of multitasking. A key industry focus is in electronics and garment manufacturing in which there is a preference for female over male labourers. Lu's (2009) study documented various illnesses experienced by women workers as a result of work intensification and work extensification. Reproductive dysfunctions were reported by women who work at the soldering workstations in electronic establishments along with musculoskeletal stress. Women also reported that the need for upskilling and too much concentration in coping with the pace of the machines, the coordination between worker and the machine, as well as tiring visual strain in inspecting minute chips during the entire workshift, produced anxiety-related problems. According to the women, mental and psychological ill health were not uncommon in the workplace.

Questions

1 What are the negative outcomes of functional flexibility reported in the case?
2 What steps could be taken to reduce the impact of the flexibility response?