Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Journal of Business Ethics https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3996-x ORIGINAL PAPER ‘Doing Dignity Work’: Indian Security Guards’ Interface with Precariousness Ernesto Noronha 1  · Saikat Chakraborty 2  · Premilla D’Cruz 3 Received: 26 May 2017 / Accepted: 10 August 2018 © Springer Nature B.V. 2018 Abstract Increasing global competition has intensifed the use of informal sector workforce worldwide. This phenomenon is true with regard to India, where 92% of the workers hold precarious jobs. Our study examines the dynamics of workplace dignity in the context of Indian security guards deployed as contract labour by private suppliers, recognising that security guards’ jobs were marked by easy access, low status, disrespect and precariousness. The experiences of guards serving bank ATMs were compared with those working in large reputed organisations. The former reported loss of dignity though their inherent self-worth remained partially intact, whereas the latter reclaimed dignity despite the precarious working conditions and the absence of unions. Guards from large reputed organisations evolved strategies by which they took advantage of the client’s  vulnerabilities, developed ‘thick’ relationships at work and immersed themselves in ’doing dignity work’ to ensure that they are not disposable. ‘Doing dignity work’ was a visible device which involved actions that met or went beyond the norms laid down by the client and was used by security guards to limit the extent of their precariousness. Since the opportunity to reclaim dignity was facilitated by large reputed clients’ adherence to legal regulations, we see implications of the study for the moral economy. Keywords Informal sector · Precariousness · Dignity · Dignity work · Non-standard work · Security guards · India Introduction The increasing integration of national economies with global markets has intensifed the competition in product, capital and labour markets, pressurising organisations to be efcient and fexible (Kalleberg 2000; Kalleberg and Hewison 2013). Accordingly, many governments have actively or passively deregulated in favour of investors and employers to enable them to be globally competitive, giving rise to the use of fexible production processes, employment systems associ- ated with low-quality employment and new forms of work organisation that promote precariousness (Anwar and Supri- yanto 2012; Evans and Gibb 2009; Kalleberg and Hewison 2013; Noronha 1996). Precarious work, which means uncer- tain, unpredictable and risky employment, has become much pervasive and generalised to include even the primary sec- tors of the economy (Kalleberg 2009). In addition, the ero- sion of government regulation, the retreating presence of unions, the decline of high-paying manufacturing jobs with the simultaneous increase in low-paying service sector jobs have all contributed to rising precariousness and indignity at work (Berg and Frost 2005; Kalleberg 2009). This is espe- cially the case with workers lower down the occupational hierarchy who face indignities of poor working conditions such as insecure employment, capricious treatment and a lack of voice (Berg and Frost 2005; Sayer 2007). Today, about 2 billion of the world’s employed popu- lations (representing 61.2% of global employment) are dependent on the informal economy for their living. Infor- mality exists in all countries regardless of the level of socio- economic development, with developing countries account- ing for 93% of the world’s informal employment (ILO 2018). With regard to India, Williams (2017) argues that 84.3% of non-agricultural workers have their main employment in the informal economy, with 79.2% of informal jobs being * Ernesto Noronha enoronha@iima.ac.in 1 Organisational Behaviour, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Wing 6, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015, India 2 Organisational Behaviour, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Wing 6, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015, India 3 Organisational Behaviour, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Wing 14, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015, India