Resisting fast food: practices of misbehaviour against organizational standardization

Journal title SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO
Author/s Manuel Trevisan
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2026/174
Language English Pages 22 P. 52-73 File size 271 KB
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This article examines misbehaviour practices among fast-food workers, an industry characterized by a standardized labour process and a high degree of managerial control. Karlsson (2012) expands on Ackroyd and Thompson’s (1999) conceptualization of misbehaviour by analyzing behaviors that do not conform to organizational expectations and that are directed towards those at the top of power hierarchies as forms of resistance. Using the concept of misbehaviour as a heuristic device, this study explores the tacit forms of resistance enacted by fast-food workers to reclaim the subjective meaningfulness of their work when objective sources of meaning are limited. From exercising mobility power through quitting to engaging in silent workplace rebellions, such as quiet quitting, fast-food workers enact daily practices of resistance that allow them to assert autonomy and dignity, thereby creating meaningful work experiences.

Keywords: Labour process theory (LPT), misbehaviour, standardization, fast-food industry.

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Manuel Trevisan, Resisting fast food: practices of misbehaviour against organizational standardization in "SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO " 174/2026, pp 52-73, DOI: