Moral sentiments and oppositional practice in branch work: a moral economy approach

Purpose In light of the liberalization of the financial market, bank work underwent seismic changes in the UK, encompassed in the shift from a traditionally conservative clerical job embedded in paternalist occupational cultures, to an individualised and risk-oriented sales job. This article analyses why and how two groups of bank workers who started employment in banks, either before or after the mid-1990s, differ in their labour agency vis-à-vis the contemporary organisation of bank work and its sales orientation. Unravelling how the group that started their employment before the mid-1990s tended to engage in oppositional practices at work, whereas the group that started employment in banking after the mid-1990s tend to consent to the sales driven demands of the labour process, the article asserts that variances in worker’s agential practices are connected to the different moral sentiments of both groups. Design/methodology/approach The article is based on 39 oral history informed in-depth interviews with branch workers and managers from the UK’s “big four” banks. Findings Branch work is found to support a conditional social environment, undermining shared identity and community. Data reveal how long-standing branch workers, who were employed in banks before the focus on sales practices, react differently to workers who joined later. Originality/value Conceptually, the article draws on moral economy approaches to work and employment (Baines, 2023; Bolton and Laaser, 2013; Sayer, 2007), underlining the centrality of moral sentiments for understanding oppositional practices in the face of radical changes in the labour process. We offer a new perspective on oppositional practices, providing an alternative view of prevalent trigger points, such as interest, identity and autonomy.