Between mundane and extreme: the nature of work on the UK supermarket frontline during a public health crisis

Abstract

The normally low-risk and routinised nature of supermarket frontline work evolved drastically amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on a refined conceptual framework of extreme work, this article examines how the public health crisis coupled with maxinisation of organisational flexibility gives rise to extremity in mundane work settings. The findings based on 50 interviews with workers and managers who worked throughout the pandemic on the UK supermarket frontline offer empirical insights into the macro-micro dynamics of extreme-mundane work. These insights reveal a nuanced narrative of supermarket work as both alienating, owing to the frequent encounters of abuse and undervalued responsibilities, and fulfilling as a respite from social isolation induced by the pandemic. This narrative illustrates the complexities of individual motivations to engage with extreme work, while highlighting a need for structural support in coping with elevated exposure to risks and uncertainties. The article argues that the nature of work and workplaces in the face of extreme externalities remains contingent upon human resource management practices on the frontline of a crisis.

Keywords:

• COVID-19 pandemic
• crisis management
• extreme context
• extreme job
• extreme work
• HRM
• retail frontline

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to the research participants for their time and valuable insights without which this publication would not have been possible. We would like to express our gratitude to Professor Sian Moore and Professor Kirsty Newsome for their support in the early development of this project, and to the British Academy and Leverhulme Trust for funding this project. We are thankful to the three reviewers and the editors for their constructive and timely feedback.

Data statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, MC. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Small Grant.