Flexibility, Surveillance and Hype in New Zealand Financial Retailing

Abstract

The banking industry has been a major source of evidence for debates ranging from class analysis and proletarianization to deskilling and the feminization of work. The literature generated in these debates has, however, rarely touched upon the nature of the industry or of the work that characterizes it. Reference to the fact that banking is a major service industry has, therefore, been obscured by general references to white collar work or a non-manual labour process. This literature is reviewed and the New Zealand banking industry, where financial deregulation has proceeded apace, is used as a case study to demonstrate the significance of recognizing the specificity of the labour process. Attention is focused on service delivery in what is now more generally referred to as financial retailing. The contrasting flexible labour control arrangements of two banks are presented.