Varieties of crisis and working conditions: A comparative study of Greece and Serbia

We explore two historically different, yet regionally connected, countries and the way that their weak institutional foundations and long-term economic turbulence have made them unable to overcome crises, leading to the institutionalisation of adverse working conditions. We focus on the outcomes of the systemic crisis in Greece and the transition crisis in Serbia using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with managers and employees in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in two time periods. We argue that, although the crisis has different origins in the two countries, in both it has led to adverse working conditions becoming institutionalised in organisations and, therefore, less likely to change. Our research explores the institutionalisation of adverse working conditions and offers an understanding of the lived reality of institutions in the way they are experienced by individuals, examining variations in the origins, pressures and outcomes of different types of crises on business practices from an individual perspective.