Publications

Beyond the Legal Gates : Kendra Briken and Dustin Hafki reflect on community-based efforts supporting workers to overcome legal gatekeeping.

Briken Kendra, Hafki Dustin

151 (2026)

The Ripple Effects of Work: Learning Disabilities Symposium

McFadyen Chirsty, Tonner Andrea, Black Angie, Briken Kendra, Congreve Emma, Essex Jane, Gilmour Jade, Harrower Audrey, Jack David, McKinlay Jack, Robinson Deborah, Smith Marisa, Stewart Ailsa, Watts Sarah, Whitworth Adam, Wisener Susan

(2026)

Form follows function? The twisted encounters of technology and work

Briken Kendra

Handbook on the Sociology of Work (2025) (2025)

Evaluating Employee Voice in Social Care: Time 3 Qualitative Findings : Report for Scottish Government and Inspiring Scotland

Nikolova Marina, Briken Kendra, Cunningham Ian, Scholarios Dora, McCarthy Tony

(2025)

Evaluating Employee Voice in Social Care : Findings from Staff Survey & Implementation of the Effective Voice Framework

Nikolova Marina, Scholarios Dora, McCarthy Tony, Briken Kendra, Cunningham Ian

(2025)

Technology and the labour process : insights from Indian e-commerce warehouses

Nataraj Manikantha, Taylor Philip, Briken Kendra

The Indian Journal of Labour Economics Vol 68, pp. 627-646 (2025)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s41027-024-00540-2

More publications

Teaching

My teaching covers the broad range of sociology of work. 

 My core areas are:

• Sociology of Work
• Social Theory
• HRM and Public Sector
• (International) Employee Relations
• Surveillance Studies

Research Interests

My reserach interests are in the broad area of changing work and employment structures, with a focus on new technologies and re-roganisation. I did research the impact of the implementation of New Public Management on public servants in different nations and sectors (police, waste collection, energy). More recently, I started to investigate in the effects robotics-led workplaces have on job quality. I am also interested in reseraching trade unions, particularly in terms of their representational and oragnisational capacities. My research relies on inter-disciplinary as well as international collaborations.

Professional Activities

Equal access to Justice at work?

Host

14/5/2026

Panel: Barriers to enforcement faced by workers at risk of exploitation

Speaker

6/3/2026

Do Scottish workers have effective voice?

Speaker

26/2/2026

Amplifying employee voice during crisis through non-union employee representative forums – evidence from social care.

Speaker

13/11/2025

Amplifying employee voice during crisis through non-union employee representative forums – evidence from social care

Contributor

10/9/2025

How should we be thinking about collective voice in 2025?

Speaker

27/8/2025

More professional activities

Projects

Generative AI in Third Sector Funding (pending outcome)

Briken, Kendra (Principal Investigator) McGuire, Darren (Co-investigator)

This is a pending application but the application has so far made it through the first review round at WEO department level

01-Jan-2026 - 30-Jan-2029

STUC Our rights in action

Briken, Kendra (Principal Investigator) Taylor, Philip (Co-investigator) Nataraj, Manikantha (Researcher) Rani, Misbah (Researcher)

Previously RKES 251033

01-Jan-2025 - 08-Jan-2025

Enhancing Data-driven skills development for PGR

Kim, Hyoje (Principal Investigator) Briken, Kendra (Principal Investigator) Wilson, Juliette (Principal Investigator)

15-Jan-2024 - 20-Jan-2025

Research Excellence Award: Sorry we missed you: The unheard voices of parcel delivery workers £101,388

Johnstone, Stewart (Principal Investigator) Briken, Kendra (Principal Investigator)

Freedom of association and worker representation are key tenets of international labour standards, the International Labour Organisation Decent Work Agenda, and UN Sustainable Development Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth. Though precise definitions of ‘decent work’ vary, employee voice has long been recognised as a central dimension of fair work and good jobs (Wilkinson and Fay, 2011), while limited voice opportunities can have a detrimental impact on employee health and wellbeing (Johnstone and Ackers, 2015).

Yet while the value of employee voice is well-established, most research assumes a ‘standard’ employment relationship, where a job is continuous, full time and with a direct relationship between employer and employee (ILO, 2023). Less attention has been paid to employee voice in the ‘gig economy’, now estimated to employ up to 5 million people in the UK (Shenker, 2019). Though several studies have explored collective action and self-organisation in ride hailing and food delivery (e.g. Uber,Deliveroo), little is known about voice in a broader sense i.e. “the potential to influence organisational affairs through a variety of means including formal/informal and individual/collective opportunities” (Wilkinson et.al, 2022). This is important as gig workers typically have fewer employment rights and limited face to face interaction with managers/co-workers, and are often subject to intense technological surveillance and performance management.

The study will explore the working lives of parcel delivery workers - who frequently attract attention in the media because of exploitative working conditions (Guardian 2017, 2018, 2021) - but who whose voices remain unheard in the literature.

01-Jan-2024 - 01-Jan-2027

Effective Voice in Scottish Social Care Workplaces – A Mixed Methods Study

Scholarios, Dora (Principal Investigator) Briken, Kendra (Co-investigator) Cunningham, Ian (Co-investigator) Johnstone, Stewart (Co-investigator) McCarthy, Tony (Research Co-investigator) Nikolova, Marina (Researcher)

19-Jan-2024 - 18-Jan-2025

Meeting the needs of unrepresented vulnerable low-income workers: capacity building for leveraging effective representation

Briken, Kendra (Co-investigator)

01-Jan-2023 - 31-Jan-2028

More projects