by Sara Tuxworth

The Frontiers in Sociology team welcomes Valeria Pulignano of KU Leuven, Belgium as Specialty Chief Editor for new specialty section: Work, Employment and Organizations.

Valeria Pulignano

“Work is a core activity in society. It is central to individual identity, links individuals to each other, and locates people within the stratification system,” she comments in reference to the role of work. “Perhaps only kin relationships are as influential in people’s everyday lives.”

Co-president of the European Sociological Association’s (ESA) Work, Employment and Industrial Relations network, Professor Pulignano tells us that there is a “skepticism among citizens, especially young people, that we may not be well-equipped to get quickly out of the [economic] crisis.” It comes as no surprise that from work stems a multitude of social, economic and political challenges.

There are numerous innovations that have already revolutionized the way we work. Self-checkout machines are ubiquitous whilst technologies that are in their developmental stages frequently hit the headlines, such as self-driving cars. Automated processes change, and will continue to change, the jobs available to people.

Increased automation “could undermine the role of work as the anchor of social structures,” says Professor Pulignano but these changes may also increase productivity, and the happiness and well-being of individuals.

The section’s publications will be openly accessible, enabling policy-makers and businesses around the world to make informed decisions to tackle these challenges.

“Open-access offers scope to share relevant and good quality work across the globe,” says Professor Pulignano. “Researchers who want their ‘voice’ to be heard by engaging in contemporary debates will find Work, Employment and Organizations attractive…I want this section to be a dynamic research field where particularly young scholars can benefit by adding to existing knowledge. In that regard, I do hope universities will engage in supporting their young scholars who wants to use open-access to increase their visibility.”

Damaris Critchlow, Journal Manager of Frontiers in Sociology would like to extend a warm welcome to Professor Valeria Pulignano as a new Specialty Chief Editor for the journal. The editorial team is further pleased to welcome our international board of Associate Editors:

• Roberto Rizza, University of Bologna, Italy

• Carol Stephenson, Northumbria University, United Kingdom

• Bernd Brandl, Durham University, United Kingdom

• Annalisa Murgia, Leeds University, United Kingdom

• Jane Hardy, Hertfordshire University, United Kingdom

• Paul Stewart, Grenoble University, France

• Arjan Keizer, University of Manchester, United Kingdom

Work, Employment and Organizations is now ready to welcome high-quality submissions and Research Topic proposals.

Research Topics open for submissions:

Non-standard work, self-employment and precariousness hosted by Valeria Pulignano, Annalisa Murgia, Emiliana Armano and Marco Briziarelli.

Unstable Work Careers, Work-Life Balance, Welfare, and Labour Market Policies hosted by Roberto Rizza.

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Frontiers journals have some of the highest citation rates. Among the world’s 20 largest publishers in 2017, Frontiers ranks 4th most-cited with an average of 3.65 citations per article.  In total, Frontiers articles have received more than 700,000 citations to date.