What forms of work engagement in the “Dirty Work” of a garbage collector? An approach through workplace studies
The objective of our research is to understand the forms that work engagement can take in a low-valued profession such as that of garbage collector. In this article, work engagement of garbage collectors is discussed with reference to the work of Alexandra Bidet. Through a mixed methodology, we explore how garbage collectors develop internal and external valuations in the relationship they have with their activities. A typological analysis makes it possible to grasp the diversity of the types of work engagement, referring to its sociological dimension: cooperation, appropriation of autonomy, mobilization of the body, technicality, and forms of adherence to professional standards. This original approach to work engagement criticizes its approach in management science, where work engagement is often understood from the perspective of a worker idealized by the employer rather than that of the actual worker.