# Historical Factors that Influenced the Work Environment

## Overview

History influences us all, and the work environment is no different. Way back in the past, most people worked on farms, or perhaps were involved with small home industries. They worked from home for the most part, often working with the cycles of nature. When the industrial age began, people started to go from their homes to a specified place of work. Large factories were built, and people often had to work long hours in poor conditions for little pay.

More recently, technological changes have led (and are leading) to a lot of changes in work. People are leaving school and going into jobs that may not exist in 10 years - or they are finding careers in jobs that did not exist 10 years ago.

Perhaps you'd like to read more about the history of work?

### The evolution of work

There have been three main stages in the evolution of work:

1. pre-industrial
2. industrial
3. post-industrial.

#### Pre-industrial

Before the Industrial Revolution, agricultural production and cottage industries were the usual forms of work. This was mostly manual labour or using manually operated machines. Workers were generally employed through a farm rental system (usually for a large landowner). Sometimes they maintained a small free holding of their own and produced small amounts of product that they would trade at a market.

Work at pre-industrial (also called non-industrial) levels still exists in some parts of the world. In the developed world, however, industrialisation has transformed the way we work.

#### Industrial

Industrialisation transformed the agricultural tradition-based work that was carried out in small villages. A system that was structured around the seasons and daylight hours changed to a system in which the majority of work was carried out for a wage (albeit a small one). Labour was divided between those who worked in the fields and those who worked in the factories.

Patterns of work that had existed for centuries changed suddenly when people began to work in factories that weren't dependent on daylight or the day of the week, and in which work involved mass labour rather than small personal or family gangs.

#### Post-industrial

People in the developed world are now entering a third, post-industrial age. Clearly, there are major variations in the stages of development around the world. Some countries, notably the United States, are well advanced into the third age.

This post-industrial age involves new technologies. It is also commonly called the knowledge age. Computers, the internet, and the globalisation that is their consequence have caused methods of production, methods of supply, and methods of payment to change. Many people believe the impact of the transition to the post-industrial age will be as dramatic as industrialisation. Certainly, the work environment will be different.

### Work in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the world of work is in transition. Unlike the United States and much of Europe, primary industry (agriculture) is still the basis of our economy. We are moving towards the third age (post-industrial) but still have a way to go. The number of post-industrial jobs in New Zealand is growing, but they may still be a minority. One trend is clear, however. White-collar jobs (and knowledge work) are replacing blue-collar jobs (which often involve more manual work). Further, blue-collar jobs tend to be less well paid as the reliance on new technologies and the service sector changes the balance of the workforce.

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