The new working-class youth employment of catering organizations during the pandemic

Abstract

The article discusses the specific characteristics of the employment of young workers of Russian catering organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among such characteristics, the following points stand out: the predominantly informal nature of labor relations; the routine nature of work under the control of the employer, carried out with the help of video surveillance; the dependence of the working day on the presence or absence of visitors (“guests”) in the organization; and the flexibility of the work schedule. Working youth of customer service is one of the groups of employees most affected by the pandemic. Based on the results of indepth interviews with young workers at three public catering organizations in Samara, conclusions are drawn about negative consequences of the pandemic. These are expressed by the young workers in the following: an increase in the risk of dismissal or unpaid vacation; working in the conditions of reduced working hours; reduction of wages; constant conflicts with visitors of catering organizations due to the mask regime; and prohibition of corporate events. In addition to the in-depth interview data, statistical data and other empirical data obtained within the framework of the ongoing research project “Life strategies of new working-class youth in modern Russia”, carried out with the participation of the author (2018–2021), are presented. In the theoretical aspect, the conclusion is made about the prospects of using the interdisciplinary approach “new working class studies”, which synthesizes the neo-Marxist (conflict) and cultural approaches, as well as the concept of “behavioral economics” to the analysis of employment problems in the service sector. Moreover, with such a methodology the precarious nature of the employment of service workers and the fact that the pandemic has a negative impact on all areas of their lives should be taken into account.