Professor Jonathan Payne

Job: Professor of Work, Employment and Skills

Faculty: Business and Law

School/department: Leicester Castle Business School

Research group(s): Director of the People, Organisations and Work Institute (POWI)

Address: The Gateway, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK, LE1 9BH

T: +44 (0)116 257 7236

E: jpayne@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/bal

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Personal profile

Jonathan Payne is Professor of Work, Employment and Skills and Director of the People, Organisations and Work Institute (POWI). His main research interests include the political economy of skill, workplace innovation, UK skills policy, low wage work, job quality, and digital automation.

He has published extensively in these areas and is a co-author of Skills in the Age of Over-Qualification: Comparing Service Sector Work in Europe (Oxford University Press, 2016).

Prior to working in higher education from 1996, Jonathan was a teacher in mainstream secondary schools. He currently teaches on post-graduate modules on employee resourcing.

He is a member of the editorial board of the 'British Journal of the Sociology of Education' and an associate member of the research network on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE), for whom he was a lead researcher between 1998 and 2012.

He has advised policymakers on skills utilisation, lifelong learning and workplace innovation in Scotland, England, Finland and Norway.

He is currently researching the impact of digital automation on jobs, skills and wider job quality, and was the principal investigator on a Leverhulme-funded research project entitled: 'Digital technologies and job quality: do trade unions make a difference?' (£166,000, May 2020-January 2023). The study draws upon interviews with trade unions in selected sectors in Norway and the UK.

He is also conducting a project looking at the role of third sector organisations in helping vulnerable and long-term unemployed persons into work which examines the scope for a 'co-designed' approach to developing personalised packages of support, along with the role of employer engagement.

Research group affiliations

People, Organisations and Work Institute (POWI)

Publications and outputs

Trade unions, digitalisation and country effects: a comparative study of banking in Norway and the UK
dc.title: Trade unions, digitalisation and country effects: a comparative study of banking in Norway and the UK dc.contributor.author: Lloyd, Caroline; Payne, Jonathan dc.description.abstract: The resurgence of debate around digitalisation and work has seen the role of unions in the ‘social shaping of technology’ attracting renewed interest. A key question concerns how far national institutions influence unions’ ability to shape digitalisation in particular sectors and workplaces. Using a multi-level analysis that emphasises the inter-relationships between institutions, union power resources and agency, this article compares the role of two unions in the banking sector in Norway and the UK. Drawing on interviews with national officers and workplace reps, it addresses their involvement in decision-making processes and ability to influence outcomes in relation to digital monitoring and surveillance. The research findings highlight the continued salience of ‘country effect’ as evidenced by the Norwegian union’s more prominent role in shaping better worker outcomes. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Trade unions and Digitalisation in Norway and the UK: Findings from the food and drink processing sector
dc.title: Trade unions and Digitalisation in Norway and the UK: Findings from the food and drink processing sector dc.contributor.author: Lloyd, Caroline; Payne, Jonathan; Jose, Secki P. dc.description: A report of research findings from a Leverhulme-funded research project entitled, 'Digital technologies and job quality: do trade unions make a difference?', RPG-2019-275.
Trade unions and Digitalisation in Norway and the UK: Findings from the grocery retail sector
dc.title: Trade unions and Digitalisation in Norway and the UK: Findings from the grocery retail sector dc.contributor.author: Payne, Jonathan; Lloyd, Caroline; Jose, Secki P. dc.description: These are first-view research findings from a Leverhulme-funded research project entitled, 'Digital Technologies and Job Quality: Do Trade Unions Make A Difference?'; RPG-2019-275.
Trade unions and Digitalisation in Norway and the UK: Findings from the Banking Sector
dc.title: Trade unions and Digitalisation in Norway and the UK: Findings from the Banking Sector dc.contributor.author: Lloyd, Caroline; Payne, Jonathan; Jose, Secki P. dc.description: A research report based on findings from a Leverhulme-funded research project: 'Digital technologies and job quality: do trade unions make a difference?' (RPG-2019-275)
Employer engagement with third-sector activation programmes for vulnerable groups: interrogating logics and roles
dc.title: Employer engagement with third-sector activation programmes for vulnerable groups: interrogating logics and roles dc.contributor.author: Butler, Peter; Payne, Jonathan dc.description.abstract: Employer engagement with active labour market programmes (ALMPs) and related employability projects is seen as vital to their ‘success’. However, the role of employers remains under-researched – a gap which widens in relation to non-governmental programmes led by not-for-profit, third-sector organisations (TSOs). Recent studies suggest that engaging employers may depend on addressing both human resource (HR) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) ‘logics’ and linking the roles of ‘gatekeeper to jobs’ and ‘proactive strategic partner’. A key question is whether TSO-led programmes are better placed to combine these logics and roles in engaging employers to help vulnerable groups into decent sustainable employment. The article explores this through a case study of two projects in England. The findings highlight the challenges that TSOs face in having to appeal almost exclusively to a CSR logic and explores why this is the case. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
‘They tell us after they’ve decided things’: a cross-country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail
dc.title: ‘They tell us after they’ve decided things’: a cross-country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail dc.contributor.author: Payne, Jonathan; Lloyd, Caroline; Jose, Secki P. dc.description.abstract: The role of trade unions in the social shaping of digital technologies is a vital question for research, public policy and social justice. This article draws on interviews with two unions in the grocery retail sector in the UK and Norway, and examines their involvement in technology decisions, and whether they can shape better outcomes for workers. By comparing a ‘neo-liberal’ economy and a ‘Nordic welfare state’, the article considers whether stronger institutional power and regulatory supports in Norway provide for greater influence in a sector regarded as challenging for unions. The findings indicate relatively few country differences and help shed light on the factors that enable and constrain unions’ role in digitalisation.
Digital skills in context: Working with robots in lower-skilled jobs
dc.title: Digital skills in context: Working with robots in lower-skilled jobs dc.contributor.author: Lloyd, Caroline; Payne, Jonathan dc.description.abstract: Digital skills are increasingly presented as essential for work and labour market inclusion, with fears the low-skilled could be left behind. Lack of clarity about these new skill demands and limited evidence from the workplace have prompted calls to unpack skill requirements in specific sectors and occupations. This article analyses digital skills in relation to wider skills and knowledge required in a job, and examines the influence of the workplace, sector and national institutional context. The study focuses on robotic technologies in lower-skilled jobs, drawing on the experience of food and drink processing operatives, and logistic porters and service workers in public hospitals, in Norway and the UK. The article contributes to the conceptualisation of digital skills, probes country differences, and offers a grounded understanding of the challenges presented for workers in lower-skilled jobs. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Of charities and choice: Researching the choices of the long-term unemployed on third-sector employability programmes
dc.title: Of charities and choice: Researching the choices of the long-term unemployed on third-sector employability programmes dc.contributor.author: Payne, Jonathan; Butler, Peter dc.description.abstract: ‘Work-first’ (or ‘workfare’) activation policies severely restrict the choices of the unemployed. Can third-sector organisations (TSOs), with their person-centred mission, support long-term unemployed adults to make their own choices, given individual and societal constraints? Commentators often focus on ‘what works’ in supporting those with complex needs; others draw on the ‘capabilities approach’ (CA). With commentators often talking past each other, two key issues emerge. First, what constitutes real choice, and, second, how to deal with the testimonies of programme users when those experiencing social deprivation may overstate the choices available to them? We argue that the CA’s dichotomisation of ‘true/real’ versus ‘constrained/no’ choice is problematic for a balanced assessment of choice possibilities across different programmes. Building on insights from current literatures, we develop a framework for researching choice possibilities. Using qualitative research, we apply this framework to a TSO employability programme in England, and find users have more control over their choices compared with UK workfare policy. The article contributes to international debates on the value of the CA, the links between programme form, user choice and well-being, and the scope for TSOs to deliver on their user-centred mission and prefigure better alternatives to workfare. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Food for thought: Robots, jobs and skills in food and drink processing in Norway and the UK
dc.title: Food for thought: Robots, jobs and skills in food and drink processing in Norway and the UK dc.contributor.author: Lloyd, Caroline; Payne, Jonathan dc.description.abstract: There is intense debate surrounding digitalisation and its implications for work. However, empirical research within established workplaces, especially international comparative studies, remains limited. This article uses cross-country research to further analysis of the relative importance of different institutions, actors and power relations in shaping digitalisation and worker outcomes. Through a multi-level approach, it compares the use of industrial robots in the food and drink processing sector in Norway and the UK. Drawing on qualitative research, it explores the pace of digitalisation, the process of implementation, and job and skills outcomes. The study finds strong national differences in the pace of digitalisation, and the role of unions in the process of implementation. In Norway, union power at workplace and national level, embedded in institutional arrangements, underpins more advanced use of technology and improved outcomes for workers. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Fewer jobs, better jobs? An international comparative study of robots and ‘routine’ work in the public sector
dc.title: Fewer jobs, better jobs? An international comparative study of robots and ‘routine’ work in the public sector dc.contributor.author: Lloyd, Caroline; Payne, Jonathan dc.description.abstract: Routine manual work is often considered particularly vulnerable to digitalisation. Alongside potential employment effects, jobs are expected to change in terms of task and skill requirements. This article contributes to debates on the pace of digitalisation and the impact on low-skilled manual work through a study of transport robots in public hospitals in Norway and Scotland. Drawing on qualitative research, the findings are used to analyse the role of unions, as part of ‘country’ and ‘sector’ effects, shaping digitalisation and its outcomes. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.

View a full listing of Jonathan Payne's publications and outputs.

Key research outputs

Key recent research outputs include:

Lloyd. C. and Payne, J. (2023) ‘Trade unions, digitalisation and country effects: A comparative study of banking in Norway and the UK’, European Journal of Industrial Relations, online first, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09596801231188003

Butler, P. and Payne, J. (2023) ‘Employer engagement with third-sector activation programmes for vulnerable groups: interrogating logics and roles’, Journal of Social Policy, first view, 1-19, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279423000211

Payne, J., Lloyd, C. and Jose. S.P. (2023) ‘“They tell us after they’ve decided things”: a cross-country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail’, Industrial Relations Journal 54(1): 3-19

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2022) ‘Digital skills in context: Working with robots in lower-skilled jobs’, Economic and Industrial Democracy, online first

Payne, J. and Butler, P. (2022) ‘Of charities and choice: Researching the choices of the long-term unemployed on third-sector employability programmes’, Human Relations (online first). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00187267221105854

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2021) ‘Food for thought: Robots, jobs and skills in food and drink processing in Norway and the UK’, New Technology, Work and Employment, 28(2): 272-290

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2021) ‘Fewer jobs, better jobs? An international comparative study of robots and ‘routine’ work in the public sector’, Industrial Relations Journal, 52: 109-124.

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2019) ‘Rethinking country effects: robots, AI and work futures in Norway and the UK, New Technology, Work and Employment, 34(3): 208-225.

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2016) Skills in the Age of Over-Qualification: Comparing Service Sector Work in Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Research interests/expertise

The political economy of skill

Skills policy

Workplace innovation

Job quality

Low wage work and job quality

Automation, trade unions and the future of work

Third-sector employability programmes for the vulnerable, long-term unemployed

Areas of teaching

Employee Resourcing in its Economic and Labour Market Context (post-graduate)

Global Resourcing and Talent Management (post-graduate)

PhD and Masters dissertation supervision

Qualifications

BA (Hons) Politics (University of York) 1987

MA (econ) Political Theory (University of Manchester) 1989

PGCE (University of East Anglia) 1991

Courses taught

Employee Resourcing in its Economic and Labour Market Context (post-graduate)

Global Resourcing and Talent Management (post-graduate)

Membership of professional associations and societies

HEA Associate Fellow (2016)

Projects

Trade unions and digital automation

I am currently researching the impact of digital automation on jobs, skills and wider job quality, and was the principal investigator on a Leverhulme-funded research project entitled 'Digital technologies and job quality: do trade unions make a difference?' (£160,633, May 2020-June 2023). A joint project with Professor Caroline Lloyd (Cardiff University), the study draws upon interviews with trade unions in selected sectors in Norway and the UK. The reseach findings have been published in the Industrial Relations Journal and the European Journal of Industrial Relations, with further outputs planned. Further information can be found on the project website at: https://udig.powi.dmu.ac.uk/

Third-sector employability programmes

I am also conducting a project (with Dr Peter Butler, DMU) looking at the role of third sector organisations in helping the unemployed into work which examines the scope for a 'co-designed' approach to developing personalised packages of support, along with the role of employer engagement. Two articles have recently been published in Human Relations and the Journal of Social Policy, with others planned.

Conference attendance

Jonathan has presented numerous papers at a range of international conferences including the International Labour Process Conference, SASE, BUIRA, and the Work, Employment and Society conference. Recent conference presentations include:

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2023) ‘‘‘Making us visible?” Trade union involvement in the digitalisation of clerical work in hospitals in Norway and the UK,’ CERIC/MBS Disrupting Technology Conference, Prato, Italy, June 11-13.

Lloyd, C., Payne, J. and Jose, S. (2022) ‘Unions shaping digital technologies in banking? Comparing Norway and the UK’, British Universities Industrial Relations Association (BUIRA) conference, University of Birmingham, June 28-30.

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2022) ‘Trade unions and the implementation of digital technologies: the case of food and drink processing sector in Norway and the UK’, New Worlds of Work in the Manufacturing Sector? Productive Models and Industrial Relations in the Digital Transformation, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, the Sant’Anna School Node de Artes and Gerpisa, Pisa, Italy, May 24.

Jose, S., Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2022) ‘Shapers of technological change? Trade union strategies and influence in the grocery retail sector in Norway and the UK’, International Labour Process Conference, University of Padova, Italy, April 21-23.

Jose, S., Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2021) ‘Trade Unions and Digitalisation: Comparing union influence in the banking sector in Norway and the UK’, Industrial Relations in Europe Conference, Scuola Normale Superiore, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, September 16-17.

Jose, S., Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2021) Workshop: Digitalisation and Job Quality – Do Trade Unions Make a Difference? Challenging Tech conference, organised by Data Justice Lab and Prospect Union, Cardiff University, 6 May.

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2020), ‘What difference does it make? Exploring “country effects” on the use of robotics in the food and drinking processing industry in Norway and the UK’, CERIC conference on Disrupting Technology: Contextualising Continuity and Change in Technology, Work and Employment, Leeds University Business School, January 16-17, 2020.

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2019) ‘It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it? Introducing robotics in the food and drink industry in Norway’, International Labour Process Conference, Fragmentations and Solidarities, Vienna, April 24-26.

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2018) ‘Are there still differences in national approaches to innovation? Robotics and the implications for work’, 9^th Nordic Work Life Conference, Oslo, June 13-15

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2018) ‘A tale of two sectors: the impact of robotic and artificial intelligence technologies on jobs, skills and job quality in Norway and the UK, 4^th Fairness at Work Conference, University of Manchester, September 10-11

Key articles information

Key recent research outputs include:

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2022) ‘Digital skills in context: Working with robots in lower-skilled jobs’, Economic and Industrial Democracy, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0143831X221111416?casa_token=x8eCIqTWFzAAAAAA%3Aw1c34hV8oD8VdIKsskhmpuNhCevphQb4lbopU2NLoBLhYIU9lOqqvHsPvIsNzvuvuNFF2m41JQ

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2021) ‘Food for thought: Robots, jobs and skills in food and drink processing in Norway and the UK’, New Technology, Work and Employment, 28(2): 272-290

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2021) ‘Fewer jobs, better jobs? An international comparative study of robots and ‘routine’ work in the public sector’, Industrial Relations Journal, 52: 109-124.

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2019) ‘Rethinking country effects: robots, AI and work futures in Norway and the UK, New Technology, Work and Employment, 34(3): 208-225.

Payne, J. (2018) ‘LE(a)P in the dark? Devolution, local skills strategies and inclusive growth in England’, Journal of Education and Work, 31(5-6): 489-502.

Lloyd, C. and Payne, J. (2016) Skills in the Age of Over-Qualification: Comparing Service Sector Work in Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Consultancy work

Since 2017, I have actively engaged with trade unions in Norway and UK, using my research to inform their approaches to dealing with the challenges presented by digital automation. Participating unions have included Unite, Accord, UNISON and USDAW in the UK, and LO, HK, NNN, Finansforbundet and Fagforbundet in Norway. In January 2023, I organised an online workshop that brought together trade unionists from Norway and the UK to discuss approaches to dealing with digitalisation. In May 2023, I gave a presentation at an event hosted by LO, which was 'live streamed' to union reps across Norway.
Between 2019-2023, I have advised local third-sector organisations running employability projects for the vulnerable, long-term unemployed.
In September 2020, I gave advice to members of a team within the Department of Education (DfE) working on the forthcoming Further Education white paper interested in the role of FE in supporting employer demand for, and use of, skills.
In November 2018, I presented research on the impact of robotics in the food and drink processing sector to the Norwegian food workers’ union (NNN) annual conference in Oslo.
In June 2018, I presented research on the impact of robotics/AI on work and employment in the UK and Norway to a roundtable audience including the social partners in Norway.
In June 2017, I was invited to a roundtable discussion with the Chief Secretary of the Treasury and Economic Advisors on ‘The future of occupational regulation and its impact on the UK labour market’, to draw on my expertise in this area.
In July 2016, I was an expert advisor and reviewer for the Government Office for Science Foresight Team’s Review of skills and lifelong learning in Britain.
Provided feedback to the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research on apprenticeships in Norway and the UK (1999 and 2002).

Feedback on the Finnish Workplace Development Programme used to inform discussions within the Finnish Ministry of Labour (2003).
Unpublished report on Recognition of Non-Formal and Informal Learning in Norway used as a basis for an overarching OECD report on RNIFL.
Discussions with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the 2009 skills strategy, Skills for Growth.
Advice to key Scottish policy makers/stakeholders on skills utilisation policy in Scotland through the running of a high-level ministerial policy seminar (2011),
Advice to the Scottish Funding Council and the Skills Committee on the future development of its programme of skills utilisation projects (2011).

Current research students

PhD Student (part-time) Steve Baguley, The use of second-generation mindfulness interventions in coaching in the workplace, (first supervisor)
PhD Student (part-time) Heather Powell, Tackling labour exploitation in Leicester's garment industry, (second supervisor).
PhD Student (part-time) Fatima Malik, Trade union and worker voice in digital automation in high-skill sectors, (second supervisor)

Externally funded research grants information

'Digital technologies and job quality: do trade unions make a difference?', Leverhulme Research Grant, 2020-2023, principal investigator with Caroline Lloyd (Cardiff University), award: £160,633.

'Days of Future Past? The impact of robots on work in the UK and Norway', British Academy small grant, 2017-2019, co-investigator with Caroline Lloyd (Cardiff University), award: £9,640.

Internally funded research project information

"Co-designing pathways to decent work? A case study of two third sector projects in England working with the long-term unemployed, economically inactive and young people who are NEET", Business and Law Research Fund, November 2020-April 2021, co-investigator with Dr. Peter Butler.

Professional esteem indicators

I am an editorial board member of the British Journal of the Sociology of Education and a regular reviewer for the Industrial Relations Journal. In addition, I review submitted papers to a wide range of key journals including New Technology, Work and Employment, Human Relations, and the Journal of Education and Work.

Case studies

Third-sector employability projects

I have recently been working with third-sector organisations in the Midlands leading employability support for vulnerable, long-term unemployed persons (with Dr Peter Butler, DMU). This research project led to an 18,000 word report for our project partner, and has had demonstrable impact on the approaches taken by the organisations concerned as noted in the following feedback from the partner:

"The research made us reflect on our approach and helped us to better articulate our offer and how we could position the project on the employability landscape. Most importantly the research gave us confidence to express that ‘soft outcomes’ are just as important as ‘hard results’ (participants into jobs for example) – something we had been hesitant and nervous about. The benefits of the independent findings put [our projects] on the academic landscape and strengthened our engagement with funders in the last phase of the programme. As such, it was referred to in funding bids,...evaluation events and quarterly monitoring reports.... It is hoped that your research will be as valuable to other third-sector organisation working with unemployed/economically inactive vulnerable persons as it was for us."

We are currently exploring ways of broadening the 'reach' of this impact by sharing our reseach findings with networks supporting third-sector organisations in the employability space.

Trade unions and digital automation

My research with trade unions in Norway and the UK culminated in three sector reports and a short project brief for policymakers which can be found at: https://udig.powi.dmu.ac.uk/ . This research has benefitted participating unions as demonstrated by the following feedback:

The research work has animated discussions within the food and agriculture sector and provided a focus for future work. (Unite)

We are impressed with your thorough report and it is highly relevant for our work…Your research about digitalization will be of great use to us…Your questions for reflection have already started a process for improving our efforts in the area of digitalization and worker involvement... We are looking forward to working with you in the future. (Fagforbundet)

It has been an interesting and rewarding process, both in terms of reading the responses from our own union-representatives, and in terms of comparison with our colleagues from the UK. (Finansforbundet)

The research project has been very useful, both because it let us know about how digital transition is affecting retail workers…[and] have helped us reflect on some of the challenges we face and how we might begin to address these. (HK)

We will look to take these findings forward when we continue our strategic work with digitalisation…We hope to continue working with the researchers in the future. (NNN)

The comparisons of approaches has given us some good food for thought and will help us to build strategies for future waves of digitisation which continue at pace. (Accord)

…it is a brilliant piece of research…Particularly the comparisons between us and the Norwegian union were really interesting… your research will help us to make the argument that the introduction of new technologies in the NHS must start with the involvement of the workers who use them. (UNISON)