IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/woemps/v40y2026i1p153-174.html

What Does it Mean to be Passionate about Your Job? Three Meanings of ‘Collectively Oriented Passion’ in UK Pubs

Author

Listed:
  • Charles Umney

    (University of Leeds, UK)

  • Nicky Shaw

    (University of Leeds, UK)

  • Simon Williams

    (University of Leeds, UK)

Abstract

This article examines how understandings of passion shape people’s agency at work, through interviews with UK publicans. It addresses calls to rethink how ‘passion’ is conceptualised in the sociology of work. While discourses around passion are often thought to legitimise individualised working practices, the article explores more collective interpretations. It analyses how publicans exercised agency in negotiating externally imposed problems including the pandemic and exploitative relationships with leading industry actors. It identifies a collective understanding of passion centralising notions of community, which shaped participants’ agency in responding to these problems in three ways: providing motivation to persist in the industry; a frame for critiquing perceived injustice and (occasionally) mobilising against it; and a resource for reinvention in pursuing business sustainability. The main contribution is thus new concepts for analysing how ‘collectively oriented passion’ shapes individuals’ agency at work.

Suggested Citation

  • Charles Umney & Nicky Shaw & Simon Williams, 2026. "What Does it Mean to be Passionate about Your Job? Three Meanings of ‘Collectively Oriented Passion’ in UK Pubs," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 40(1), pages 153-174, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:40:y:2026:i:1:p:153-174
    DOI: 10.1177/09500170251371989
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09500170251371989
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/09500170251371989?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Charles Umney, 2017. "Moral economy, intermediaries and intensified competition in the labour market for function musicians," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 31(5), pages 834-850, October.
    2. Raffaella Valsecchi & Neil Anderson & Maria Elisavet Balta & John Harrison, 2023. "Managing Health and Well-Being in SMEs through an Adviceline: A Typology of Managerial Behaviours," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(2), pages 449-466, April.
    3. Glenn Morgan & Valeria Pulignano, 2020. "Solidarity at Work: Concepts, Levels and Challenges," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(1), pages 18-34, February.
    4. Paul Edwards & Monder Ram, 2006. "Surviving on the Margins of the Economy: Working Relationships in Small, Low‐Wage Firms," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(4), pages 895-916, June.
    5. Emma Hagqvist & Stig Vinberg & Jonathan Q Tritter & Erika Wall & Bodil J Landstad, 2020. "The Same, Only Different: Doing Management in the Intersection between Work and Private Life for Men and Women in Small-scale Enterprises," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(2), pages 262-280, April.
    6. Davide Però & John Downey, 2024. "Advancing Workers’ Rights in the Gig Economy through Discursive Power: The Communicative Strategies of Indie Unions," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(1), pages 140-160, February.
    7. Charles Umney & Genevieve Coderre-LaPalme, 2017. "Blocked and New Frontiers for Trade Unions: Contesting ‘the Meaning of Work’ in the Creative and Caring Sectors," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 55(4), pages 859-878, December.
    8. Vera Trappmann & Charles Umney & Christopher J McLachlan & Alexandra Seehaus & Laura Cartwright, 2024. "How Do Young Workers Perceive Job Insecurity? Legitimising Frames for Precarious Work in England and Germany," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(4), pages 998-1020, August.
    9. Liam Keenan, 2020. "Financialization, securitization and the decline of pubs in Britain [The financialization of home and the mortgage market crisis]," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 20(6), pages 1293-1311.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Johannes Kiess & Andre Schmidt, 2025. "The political spillover of workplace democratization: How democratic efficacy at the workplace contributes to countering right-wing extremist attitudes in Germany," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 46(2), pages 469-495, May.
    2. repec:osf:socarx:y943w_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Lorenzo Frangi & Anthony C Masi & Bénédicte Poirier, 2023. "From Unwoven Societal Relationships to a Broad-Based Movement? Union Power in Societal Networks in Quebec (Canada)," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(5), pages 1377-1394, October.
    4. García-Pérez, Carmelo & Prieto-Alaiz, Mercedes & Simón, Hipólito, 2020. "Multidimensional measurement of precarious employment using hedonic weights: Evidence from Spain," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 348-359.
    5. Wood, Alex & Lehdonvirta, Vili, 2021. "Antagonism beyond employment: how the ‘subordinated agency’ of labour platforms generates conflict in the remote gig economy," SocArXiv y943w, Center for Open Science.
    6. Salvo Leonardi & Mimmo Carrieri, 2020. "Populism and trade union internationalism: the case of Italy," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 26(3), pages 273-288, August.
    7. Camille Allard, 2025. "How Care Inequalities are Reproduced in ‘Carer-Friendly’ Jobs: The Case of Employer-Led Carer’s Leave," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 39(4), pages 814-835, August.
    8. Paul Sissons, 2021. "The local low skills equilibrium: Moving from concept to policy utility," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(8), pages 1543-1560, June.
    9. J. Celse, 2025. "Athletes vs. Musicians: Perceptions and Preferences in Workplace Social Programs," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 46(2), pages 1029-1039, March.
    10. Brändle, Leif & Rönnert, Anna-Lena & Moergen, Kristie J.N. & Zhao, Eric Yanfei, 2025. "Social class origin and entrepreneurship: An integrative review and research agenda," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 40(4).
    11. Salifu Yusif & Matthew Abunyewah & Michael Odei Erdiaw-Kwasie, 2024. "Challenges faced by minority technology entrepreneurs—women IT entrepreneurs in south africa post-apartheid era," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 336-372, September.
    12. Ines Wagner & Karen Jaehrling & Aurora Trif & Devi Sacchetto & Jan Czarzasty, 2025. "Navigating cross-border labour mobility and employment security in European shipbuilding: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 31(1), pages 41-54, February.
    13. Ruth Reaney & Niall Cullinane, 2024. "Inter-Union Solidarity and Strategic Group Identity: Insights from Works Councils in the French Car Industry," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(2), pages 377-398, April.
    14. Wei Wei & Tony Royle, 2025. "Confucian values and zero-hour contracts: Sensemaking in workplace regimes at McDonald’s in China and the UK," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 46(4), pages 942-966, November.
    15. Elsa Underhill & Dimitria Groutsis & Diane Broek & Malcolm Rimmer, 2018. "Migration Intermediaries and Codes of Conduct: Temporary Migrant Workers in Australian Horticulture," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(3), pages 675-689, December.
    16. Surhan Cam, 2014. "Non-unionised migrant workers in Britain: Evidence from the Labour Force Survey for a triple-challenge model," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 35(3), pages 531-556, August.
    17. Hana Urbancová & Lucie Vnoučková, 2018. "Impact of Employee Development in Agricultural Companies on Commitment, Loyalty and Performance," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 66(3), pages 803-811.
    18. Stumbitz, Bianca & Lewis, Suzan & Kyei, Abigail A. & Lyon, Fergus, 2018. "Maternity protection in formal and informal economy workplaces: The case of Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 373-384.
    19. Aslı Vatansever, 2023. "The Making of the Academic Precariat: Labour Activism and Collective Identity-Formation among Precarious Researchers in Germany," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(5), pages 1206-1225, October.
    20. Ana Alacovska & Joëlle Bissonnette, 2021. "Care-ful Work: An Ethics of Care Approach to Contingent Labour in the Creative Industries," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(1), pages 135-151, February.
    21. Małgorzata Baran & Barbara Sypniewska, 2020. "The Impact of Management Methods on Employee Engagement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:40:y:2026:i:1:p:153-174. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.britsoc.co.uk/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.