In a scenario reminiscent of employment upheaval in the industrial age, globalization is having a profound impact on today’s workplace. There is an increasing disconnect between the rules that traditionally governed our working lives and the social and economic changes rippling through the work world.

A multidisciplinary team of more than 70 Canadian and international researchers led by Gregor Murray, Canada Research Chair in Globalization and Work and professor in the Université de Montréal School of Industrial Relations, is examining how people contend with workplace renewal. Funded through SSHRC’s Major Collaborative Research Initiatives program, Murray’s team is posing key questions: How can we ensure both economic success for organizations and social well-being for workers in an increasingly international age? How do we find the balance between fairness and efficiency, and compassion and competitiveness?

The goal is to gain a better understanding of what it takes to evolve and thrive in this new work environment—to ensure Canadians can participate meaningfully in the creation of tomorrow’s workplace and society.

Gregor Murray, industrial relations, Université de Montréal