Bubbles of Belonging at Work

Redrawing Boundaries of Inclusion and Exclusion in UK Restaurants during Brexit

Dados Bibliográficos

ID2374883
AutoresLaura J Reeves (0000-0002-6683-8880, University of Suffolk), E Bell (0000-0001-9026-7224, Stockholm School of Economics)
Ano2025
Volume39
Fascículo6
Páginas1329-1350
Data de publicação2025-08-03
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoWork Employment and Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0950-0170 • E-ISSN: 1469-8722
EditoraSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/09500170251350063
OpenAlexW4412868683
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas56

This article examines how Brexit affected EU migrants' sense of belonging at work by drawing on empirical data from a study of workers in the UK restaurant sector. Brexit was a political project of belonging that led to the formation of new communities at work based on citizenship and national identity. These 'bubbles' provided a sense of belonging for EU migrant workers during a period of heightened socio-political tension about migration. However, these bubbles were ruptured by conflict between EU migrants and other workers and managers, and by interactions with customers who become a conduit for socio-political issues to enter the workplace. The article highlights the problems with workplace community building as a strategy of solidarity in political contexts where societal belonging is disrupted. While bubbles of belonging create temporary safe spaces at work, by raising awareness of difference between groups they become a divisive approach to managing employee relations

Brexit · Business · European union · Inclusion (mineral · Inclusion–exclusion principle · International trade · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Work (physics · Emotional Labor in Professions · Employment and Welfare Studies · Engineering · Gender Studies · Law · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Mechanical Engineering