Anke Butscher moderates conference on how work shapes democracy
On 13 February 2025, Anke Butscher moderated the conference ‘The world of work between heteronomy and democratic practice – a political challenge’. The conference was organised by Arbeitskreis Soziales Hamburg.
Scientists from various institutes and universities in Hamburg are involved in the AG Soziales Hamburg with the aim of stimulating a public and continuous debate on the social divide in Hamburg. Since 2010, the AG Soziales Hamburg has been organising annual conferences on the topic of social division.
This year, the conference focussed on the connection between the world of work and the democratic constitution of our society. It is becoming increasingly clear what consequences professional experiences of alienation, discipline or heteronomy have. They can spill over into areas beyond the world of work and determine susceptibilities to populist slogans and changeable voting behaviour, for example. This is by no means limited to a single sector, occupational group or social class and is a highly topical issue shortly before the general election.
Prof. Bettina Kohlrausch, Director of the Hans Böckler Foundation and Professor of Social Transformation and Digitalisation at the University of Paderborn, gave a presentation on the structural connection between the world of work and democratic ‘attitudes’. She referred to both theoretical and empirical findings, not least a study conducted across Europe in 2024 on how work, transformation and social living conditions are linked to anti-democratic attitudes.
She notes that opportunities for participation in the workplace and good working conditions have a positive effect on a democratic climate. When people are involved in the triad of ‘democratic, material participation and social recognition’, they feel less threatened by transformation processes. Prof. Dr Michael Hüther, Director of the German Economic Institute, explained in his commentary that potential growth is limited by demographic change and that companies are responding to the shortage of skilled workers with ‘labour hoarding’. To expand on the conference topic, Prof. Hürther referred to a study conducted by the Social Science Research Centre Berlin (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung gGmbH) in February 2024, which, based on a quantitative and qualitative survey of CEOs of leading employers’ and trade associations, reveals a strategy of exclusion on the part of the business community towards the AfD. The organised business community sees hardly any overlaps in the party’s programme and views the party primarily as a political, but also as an economic location risk. Nevertheless, there are doubts about the extent to which marginalisation could play into the AfD’s hands and to what extent this refusal can be sustained at all if they are increasingly elected to political responsibility.
Prof. Dr. Ralph Sichler, industrial psychologist and Professor of Psychology at the Bertha von Suttner Private University in St. Pölten, demonstrated the relevance of sovereignty and recognition for employees. Firstly, he presented a definition of work and discussed the approach of the working sovereign. The underlying question is: What role does the organisation of employment relationships play in securing the existence of a democratic community? Recognition is seen as an essential social bond, which is communicated through cooperation at work and is the basis for commitment and participation in the working environment. In the discussion with Prof. Bettina Kohlrausch, the power relations through property and work were addressed and it was discussed how sovereignty can even be effective in precarious working environments.
Finally, Tanja Chawla, Chairwoman of the German Trade Union Federation Hamburg, Thomas Rath, Vice President of the Hamburg Chamber of Crafts and Thomas Goes (PhD), researcher at the Sociological Research Institute Göttingen (SOFI) at Georg August University and author of the book ‘Green Socialism? Über das politische Bewusstsein von Arbeiter*innen in Zeiten des Umbruchs’ on contempt for democracy and disruption of industrial peace as challenges for companies and trade unions.
Through our consulting and services we contribute to a sustainable economic and social development that takes the socio-ecological challenges of our time seriously. We are an active part of civil society and take a stand on social issues that affect us as a company. We work cooperatively with other market participants. In our team, we strive for a worthwhile cooperation where mutual appreciation, the compatibility of work, family, volunteer work and leisure time as well as the ecological and social orientation of our business processes are important to us.
Freepik
