Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
18
I.ContemporaryAmericanSocietyandPolitics
1973,167,seealsoWhiteandRyan2008,1470).Tecontactsalsooferspendingtime
together(5),mutualhelpandsmallfavors(4),contactwithmanypeopleandthepos-
sibilitytoexchangeinformation(3),supportandasenseofsecurity(3),apeacefullife:
“wecoexistwellwedon,tstandineachother,sways”(Q),nobenefits(1),noanswer
given(6);morethanoneanswerwasgivenbythreepeopleonly.Whatmigrantsrecip-
rocateishelpinthefirstplace,andbyhelptheymean:“whateverhelptheyneed”(9),
“anyhelpandnancialhelp”(2),noanswer(7),“Idon,tknow”(1).
Howeveroptimisticthesendingsmayseematrstglance,theyindicateabitof
apuzzlingfactaswell:aboutonethirdoftheintervieweesseestheircontactsasneither
beneficialforthemnorforthepeopleinvolvedinarelationshipwiththem,asseven
peoplelefthesequestionsunanswered,andtheywerethesamepeople.Oneperson
openlyadmittedthathedidnotseeanyadvantagesintheserelationships.Specula-
tionsonthereasonsforthissituationmayvary,butmaybethebestexplanationisin
thewordsofthisman:“Tohaveclosefriends,neighbors,youneedtoinvitethemto
yourplacewhohastimeforthis?Richfriendsmaintaincontactforthesakeoftheir
businessesiftheyareintroubletheycancountoneachother”(Q).Tesewordsalso
inawayexplainwhypeopleinAmericabowlalonetoday.
Socialcapitalintheworkplace
Wheremanypeoplemeetinoneplace,evenforashorttime,theyhavetocoexistand
thereforeitisnotafar-fetchedstatementthatsocialconnectionsintheworkplaceare,
toagreatextent,enforcedratherthandesired.Ontheonehand,thesecontactsstand
achanceofdevelopingintolong-lastingfriendshipsoratleastacquaintances,especially
ifbuiltontrustandreciprocity,butontheotherhand,intheworkplacetherearealways
unfavorablesituationswhichmakesocializingdifcult.Putnamblamesdownsizing,
“rightsizing,”“re-engineering,”layofs,jobuncertaintyandlackofstabilityofanykind,
and,whatismore,itisnotjobtenurebutjobperformancethatdoesnotallowforthese
relationshipstobestrong.AsPutnamputsit,theAmericanworkplacehasbecome
moreofabattlefieldwhereoneconstantlyhastocompetewithhisworkmatesforrec-
ognitionandmoney,andcompetitionbasedonthesecharacteristicsmakesfriendly
socialtiesimpossible.Anotherfactorwhichaddstothislististhetypeofemployment.
Peopleemployedpart-timeorthosewhoworkfromhomehavealimitedchancefor
accumulatingtheirsocialcapitalintheworkplace.
Onthewhole,therespondentsdescribedtheirworkcontactsas:“closefriends”(10),
“co-workers”(8),“friends”(8),and“other”(7).Twopeopleworkalone.Onlyone
persongaveanegativeanswer:“TePolesIhired,theynowworkwithmeandtryto
getridofme,theyconstantlystabmeintheback”(C).Tenpeoplechosemorethan
oneanswertodescribetheirrelationshipswithco-workers.Teseanswerssuggest
thattheworkplaceisoneofthemostimportantsourcesofsocialcapitalforPolish
immigrants.
Tetablepresentstheintensityofsocialcontactsintheworkplace.Ofen,todescribe
therelationshipsindetail,manyanswerswerechosen.