@misc{KatarzynaPillingerGeroldetal., author = {Katarzyna, Gruszka and Pillinger, Anna and Gerold, Stefanie and Theine, Hendrik}, title = {(In)visible by design: an analysis of a domestic labor platform}, series = {Critical Sociology}, volume = {2024}, journal = {Critical Sociology}, number = {0(0)}, doi = {10.1177/08969205241276803}, pages = {1 -- 20}, abstract = {Since the rise of platform labor, food delivery, and ride hailing workers have become a visible part of cityscapes, unlike platform workers in the domestic sector. The invisibilization and economic devaluation of reproductive tasks, especially in the private sphere, has a long history. Although platforms are not likely to yield a radical transformation in this sector, qualitative changes concerning the invisibility of work outsourced by households can be observed. In this contribution, we draw from the analytical framework of (in)visibility of/in platform-mediated work and map it against our research findings on a key platform in domestic cleaning in Europe, including netnographic data and interviews with workers and clients. Using the framework as a heuristic tool leads us to a more nuanced understanding of (in)visibility in platform-mediated cleaning in perceptible, institutional, and individual terms. Moreover, we argue that the interrelations between these three layers of (in)visibility offer novel insights for making sense of worker organizing and collective action, the practices related to leaving the platform, and the issue of workers' occupational identity of domestic cleaners. As such, the study contributes to the current debates on platform labor and domestic work, including the value-visibility relation and the role of digital platforms therein.}, language = {en} } @techreport{GeroldGruszkaPillingeretal., author = {Gerold, Stefanie and Gruszka, Katarzyna and Pillinger, Anna and Theine, Hendrik}, title = {Putzkraft aus dem Netz - Perspektiven und Erfahrungen von Reinigungskr{\"a}ften in der plattformvermittelten Haushaltsreinigung}, address = {D{\"u}sseldorf}, isbn = {2509-2359}, pages = {60}, abstract = {Reinigungsarbeit ist als haushaltsnahe Dienstleistung generell durch einen hohen Anteil informeller Arbeit gekennzeichnet. Was {\"a}ndert sich, wenn Reinigungskr{\"a}fte {\"u}ber digitale Plattformen vermittelt werden? Anhand qualitativer Interviews und einer Umfrage unter Reinigungskr{\"a}ften untersucht diese Studie Einkommen, Arbeitszeiten, Gesundheits- und Sicherheitsrisiken bei plattformvermittelter Reinigungsarbeit in Privathaushalten. Wie werden die Arbeitsbedingungen durch den Einsatz algorithmischen Managements gepr{\"a}gt? Welche M{\"o}glichkeiten der politischen Regulierung gibt es?}, language = {de} } @techreport{GruszkaPillingerGeroldetal., author = {Gruszka, Katarzyna and Pillinger, Anna and Gerold, Stefanie and Theine, Hendrik}, title = {(De)valuation of household cleaning in the platform economy}, publisher = {WU Vienna University of Economics and Business}, address = {Vienna}, pages = {24}, abstract = {The division of paid and unpaid work fostered by the industrial revolution resulted in the devaluation of domestic work, including cleaning. Taking place behind closed doors renders this kind of work largely invisible. The arrival of platforms in this sector provides a novel possibility to explore the (de)valuation of household cleaning. Building on the literature on platform labor, we identify three "sites of valuation" and explore these in the case of the major platform operating in this field in Germany: Helpling. By means of the walkthrough method, we collect data from i) the Helpling webpage and infrastructure; ii) client reviews; and iii) cleaner profiles, and analyze the material with a grounded theory approach. We outline what these sites allow us to see about "good cleaning" or "good cleaners", thereby unfolding how the infrastructure and the worker-client relationship are co-constructed. We argue that the digital infrastructure of platforms makes aspects of valuation of household cleaning visible, some of which have otherwise been hidden behind closed doors, such as affective labor, trust, or safety. The emerging picture leaves little prospect for digital platforms to foster actual valuation and appreciation of historically devalued domestic work such as cleaning. This would require, for example, improved working conditions - which would entail a fundamentally different business model underlying platform companies and altered regulatory frameworks. We stress here that it would also require active contribution of platforms to redefine the appreciation for and the recognition of cleaning (and other domestic work) in social-cultural terms.}, language = {en} } @misc{GeroldGruszkaSardadvaretal., author = {Gerold, Stefanie and Gruszka, Katarzyna and Sardadvar, Karin and Theine, Hendrik and Pillinger, Anna}, title = {Outsourcing domestic work in the crisis of social reproduction : platform-mediated cleaning and the role of clients}, series = {New technology, work and employment}, journal = {New technology, work and employment}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken, NJ}, issn = {1468-005X}, doi = {10.1111/ntwe.70015}, pages = {1 -- 12}, abstract = {Amid the crisis of social reproduction, outsourcing domestic work has become increasingly appealing, with labour platforms offering new avenues to do so. This article explores the largely overlooked perspective of clients using platform-mediated cleaning services, focusing on Helpling in Germany. Drawing on a multi-method study, we examine clients' motivations for hiring cleaners through platforms and their perceptions of working conditions. We also analyse interactions between clients and cleaners, and how these are shaped by the platform. Our findings suggest that platforms like Helpling are attractive because of their convenience and their promise of an allegedly legal alternative to informal arrangements. While some clients express concerns over precarious working conditions, others justify them through market logic or assumptions about cleaners' backgrounds. The platform infrastructure helps mediate trust, yet personal relations between clients and cleaners limit the platform's strategy of delegating management and control mechanisms to clients.}, language = {en} }