Customer sovereignty, algorithmic management, economic precarity and networked support: A Job Demands-Resources analysis of stress and response among Chinese couriers

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has given the global e-commerce market a strong boost, of which China has the largest share and is growing rapidly. Concerns have been raised about intensified work stress and its consequences on health and safety among Chinese couriers. Sociological research of work and occupations has offered important insights into the labour process and politics of the gig economy, although how exactly the workers perceive and respond to technology-driven structural changes remains less clear. We conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with frontline couriers in May-June 2021 in China and interpreted the emerged themes following the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. Four major work-stressor themes were identified: customer sovereignty, algorithmic management, economic precarity and networked support. These work conditions rarely worked alone. Technological, managerial and customer controlling mechanisms reinforced each other and increased work stress. In the absence of adequate organizational support, workers found support and resources through personal networks.

Competing Interest Statement

PW is a director and shareholder of CareLoop Health Ltd, a for-profit company that develops and markets digital therapeutics for mental health conditions; and a director of Prism Life Ltd, a small research and consultancy company.

Funding Statement

The project is funded by the MRC Public Health Intervention Development Scheme (PHIND). Grant Ref: MR/T027215/1. CA is supported by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre and NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre.

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The University Research Ethics Committee at University of Manchester, Ref: 2021-8761-18609 and Ethics Review Committee at the Beijing Normal University, Ref: 20200113011 gave ethical approval for this work.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.

Yes

Data Availability

All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors

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