bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Organizational reactions to UK age discrimination legislation
Authors: Parry Emma , Tyson Shaun 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use neo‐institutional theory to examine organizational responses to the age discrimination at work legislation, recently introduced in the UK. The paper examines reasons managers advanced for the introduction of human resource (HR) policies about age discrimination, in addition to legal compliance.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal survey of HR managers and four case studies within a range of UK organizations are used to elicit data on organizational responses.FindingsUnsurprisingly, the introduction of the new legislation has created strong coercive pressure on organizations. However, the results also provide evidence of mimetic and normative pressures within organizations. There is a complex range of factors that influence changes to policies and practices. In addition, the impact of organizational context, manager stereotypes and public and private sector differences are examined. The implications for explaining coercive change in organizations in terms of different legal philosophies and for future research are discussed.Originality/valueThis paper adds to a currently sparse literature on the introduction of age discrimination policies by organizations and uses a neo‐institutional framework to examine the forces that may affect the introduction of these policies over and above legislation.
It takes two to tango: evidence of a decline in institutional industrial relations in New Zealand
Authors: Foster Barry , Murrie John , Laird Ian 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the attitudes of employers in a de‐regulated institutional industrial relations framework, and whether they are still willing to engage in collective bargaining (CB).Design/methodology/approachA cross‐sectional survey design using a self‐administered postal questionnaire, seeks information on employers' attitudes to a range of issues. Included are employers within all 17 standard industry classifications used by previous New Zealand researchers.FindingsThe paper quite convincingly shows that unless employers are prepared to engage in dialogue with employees or third parties and unless the benefits to be gained from such a dialogue are more widely accepted it is unlikely they will engage in CB. Therefore, involvement would appear to be limited to those areas that do not hinder managerial freedom.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies in New Zealand of employers' attitudes to CB since the 1990s. The paper provides valuable data for policy makers, unions, employers and employment relations researchers.
Reconceptualising absorptive capacity to explain the e‐enablement of the HR function (e‐HR) in organizations
Authors: Martin Graeme , Reddington Martin 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to ask why some organizations might be better than others at continuous innovation in the field of e‐enablement of human resource (e‐HR).Design/methodology/approachTo answer this question, the notion of absorptive capacity (ACAP) is applied to explain some of the problems faced in moving from face‐to‐face HR to a technology‐mediated model.FindingsDynamic ACAP models are adapted to produce a more realistic, iterative framework in which realized capacities for e‐HR innovations contribute to, and constrain, potential capacities for further innovations.Research limitations/implicationsThe model is used to offer some research propositions for academics operating in this newly emerging field of human resource management (HRM).Practical implicationsSome theory‐driven advice are also offered for HR practitioners.Originality/valueThe specific contribution is to introduce the concept of ACAP to HRM scholars and practitioners interested in the field of e‐HR and Web 2.0 social media.
All powerful voice? The need to include “exit”, “loyalty” and “neglect” in empirical studies too
Authors: Allen Matthew , Tüselmann Heinz‐Josef 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to set out and justify a broader, systemic typology that encompasses, and is built around, the notion of voice. This leads to the development of a number of insights that can result in the generation and testing of more accurate hypotheses on the links between voice mechanisms and workplace outcomes.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on different aspects of the concept of “power” and arguing that these are central to the notion of “voice”, the paper illustrates how “exit”, “loyalty” and “neglect” are also underpinned by power. A corollary of this is that these other concepts should routinely be included in studies of the links among voice and workplace outcomes.FindingsThe paper develops hypotheses that can enhance the understanding of the likely impact of voice policies on employees' attitudes and behaviour as well as on firm performance.Practical implicationsThe hypotheses suggest that, if employees perceive voice mechanisms in a negative way, they may respond in a variety of ways that can have a detrimental effect on firm performance. Understanding these different responses and the likely reasons for them can lead to more appropriate policy responses by managers.Originality/valueThe paper specifies the conditions under which relationships between voice, exit, loyalty and neglect will affect workplace outcomes in greater detail. This leads to a re‐examination of factors that should be included in empirical assessments. Research findings may need to be re‐evaluated as a result.
Crossing the line: boundaries of workplace humour and fun
Authors: Plester Barbara 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to present exploratory, empirical data from an ethnographic study into workplace humour and fun. It explores the notion that workplace humour and fun are influenced by the creation of boundaries that either enable or constrain activities.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data were gathered from four New Zealand companies within different industries. Mixed methods were used and included semi‐structured interviews, participant observation and document collection.FindingsThe findings suggest that organisational culture is influential in boundary creation. In three formal companies, boundaries for humour and fun activities were narrower, and this constrained humour activities. In an informal company, wider boundaries resulted in humour activities that were unrestrained which created an unusual and idiosyncratic company identity.Research limitations/implicationsIt would be useful to replicate this exploratory research in different workplace sectors and environments.Originality/valueBoundaries constructed through social processes are assuming greater importance in modern organisations. However, research has not investigated boundaries around workplace humour and fun. Understanding boundaries may assist work groups when creating (and promoting) fun. This original research considers both managerial and employee concerns, and findings extend theory on workplace fun and humour.
Fun and well‐being: insights from senior managers in a local authority
Authors: Renee Baptiste Nicole 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to critically examine the dynamics of fun and well‐being at work, as experienced and perceived by senior managers in a public sector context.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on research into well‐being with a British Local Authority, focusing on 12 senior managers through verbal accounts of their own experiences and perceptions of fun initiatives.FindingsThe data reveal that managers were not having “fun”. However, well‐being at work emerged as central to influencing and enabling “fun at work” and was strongly linked to eight organisational factors (Working Time Arrangements; Stress Management; Communication Strategies; Reward Strategies; Management Development; Team Working; Relationships with Stakeholders; Clarification and Reduction in Change Initiatives). Thus whilst “Fun at work” prescriptions are common in the literature, findings from these accounts indicate people might be happier to experience better well‐being at work.Research limitations/implicationsSenior managers’ accounts of well‐being identified salient issues, thus providing a basis for broader research in this area.Practical implicationsAttention to the material aspects of employment relations is recommended over ‘silly hat day’ prescriptions. Organisations wishing to enhance fun at work could focus efforts on creating organisational conditions that encourage well‐being through the eight identified factors. This has relevance for the employment relationship, and for practitioners and academics alike.Originality/valueThis study makes a distinctive contribution to the fun at work literature by providing rich empirical data, and extending the “tenets of fun” to consider an alternative conceptualisation of “well‐being at work” instead of the organised/managed fun activities presently embraced in the literature.
Rituals of fun and mischief: the case of the Swedish meatpackers
Authors: Strömberg Susanne , Karlsson Jan Ch. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThis article seeks to analyse rituals of humour and joking practices among two groups of meatpacking workers, to better understand the organic dynamics of workplace fun.Design/methodology/approachThis is an ethnographic study of two groups of meatpacking workers within a Swedish food preparation company. Data were collected using multiple methods including observations, field notes, and individual and group interviews.FindingsThis study uncovers ample evidence of joking practices among the workers studied. These are presented on a continuum of pure to applied humour in five types: jokes, physical joking practices, clowning, nicknaming and satire.Originality/valueThis article gives a rich description and analysis of organic workplace humour in a contemporary food production setting and offers a typology of joking practices.
Worker centers: defending labor standards for migrant workers in the informal economy
Authors: Theodore Nik , Valenzuela Abel , Meléndez Edwin 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the role of day labor worker centers in improving wages and working conditions of migrant casual workers in the USA.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports the results of a survey of worker center executive directors and senior staff, with particular attention to the ways in which centers maintain wage rates, allocate jobs, and redress grievances.FindingsDay labor worker centers are now an important presence in construction industry casual labor markets, performing HRM functions that benefit employers and workers.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was undertaken during a time when the US construction industry was enjoying an expansion. It is unclear what a macroeconomic downturn might mean for the effectiveness of worker centers to maintain labor standards.Practical implicationsConditions of instability and the violation of basic labor standards that occur in casual labor markets in the USA exist in other countries as well. Day labor worker centers might be a model intervention that could apply in other contexts.Originality/valueThe paper presents results from the first national survey of day labor worker centers. It highlights the key activities of these emerging labor market institutions.
Employers' use of low‐skilled migrant workers
Authors: Forde Chris , MacKenzie Robert 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the implications for HRM of employers' use of migrants in low‐skilled work in a UK‐based firm. Is the use of migrant workers for low skilled work associated with “soft” or “hard” approaches to HRM? How do employers recruit migrant workers? What career progression paths are available to these workers in firms? What are the expectations and aspirations of migrant workers?Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines these issues through a case study of a UK‐based employer using large numbers of migrant workers. The paper draws on data from a survey of migrant workers in the firm conducted in 2006, and from interviews with managers and migrant workers within this firm, conducted between 2005 and 2006.FindingsThe paper highlights the “hard” HRM strategy pursued by the company in order to maintain a competitive advantage based on low labour costs and substitutability of workers. A contradiction is noted between the desire of the firm to retain migrant workers with a strong work ethic and gain high commitment, on the one hand, and their continued attempt to compete on the basis on minimal labour costs and follow a “hard” approach to HRM, on the other.Practical implicationsThe paper points to the importance of analysis of employers' use of migrants and the strategies they are adopting towards using these workers. Developing an understanding of these strategies is critical to understanding the social and economic experiences of migrant workers.Originality/valueThe paper combines qualitative and quantitative research through an intensive case study to illuminate the implications for HRM of employers' use of migrants in low‐skilled jobs.
Safeguarding the global contingent workforce? Guestworkers in Australia
Authors: Toh Stefanie , Quinlan Michael 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine occupational health and safety (OHS) and workers' compensation legal entitlements and policy issues raised by the use of foreign temporary workers under the s457 visa scheme in Australia.Design/methodology/approachInterviews were conducted with 15 representatives of unions and employers along with written responses from government agencies and examination of government statistics, court and other documents.FindingsThe study suggests that foreign temporary workers can face significant difficulty in accessing their OHS rights and entitlements. This represents a challenge for government as well as unions and human resource professionals trying to manage workforce diversity.Research limitations/implicationsFurther detailed investigation is required into the extent of problems identified in this paper in Australia and other countries.Practical implicationsThe study indicates that governments making use of guestworkers need to investigate whether these workers have effective access to the protection of OHS and workers' compensation laws and, if not, as indicated by this study, to make suitable policy interventions.Originality/valueThe human resource implications of managing guestworkers have been under‐researched to date despite the global growth in numbers. The paper starts to fill this gap, identifying a number of important policy issues in relation to OHS.
Return migrant status and employment in Finland
Authors: Saarela Jan , Finnäs Fjalar 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relative employment levels of return migrants in Finland with regard to their re‐adaptation into the labour market.Design/methodology/approachLongitudinal census data distinguished Finns who had lived abroad and returned to Finland. These return migrants are compared with non‐migrants with regard to employment levels, using logistic regression models that account for sex, age, education, mother tongue and place of residence.FindingsBoth male and female return migrants have odds of employment that are only about half those of their non‐migrant counterparts. The employment differential is stable over time and, consequently, not particularly sensitive to changes in the macroeconomic environment. Relative employment rates of migrants with short periods abroad and long periods in the home country are somewhat higher than those of other migrants, but still lower than those of non‐migrants. Difficulties in readapting into Finnish society are consequently associated with personal characteristics that cannot be observed explicitly but are apparently associated with job‐finding probability.Practical implicationsConsidering that Finland at present has no explicit measures directed towards return migrants, it is suggested that this group should be given more policy attention.Originality/valueThe paper provides quantitative evidence that Finnish migrants have substantial difficulties in finding employment in the home country labour market subsequent to return migration, and that these problems cannot be attributed to structural factors.
What determines employer willingness to “top up” social insurance?
Authors: Smyth Russell , Nielsen Ingrid , Qian Xiaolei 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the factors predicting which employees receive employer‐funded commercial pension insurance contributions in Shanghai's zhenbao (town insurance) program, introduced by the Shanghai Government in 2003.Design/methodology/approachA series of hypotheses are developed to examine whether employees with characteristics that make them more influential constituencies will be more likely to receive voluntary commercial pension insurance contributions. The hypotheses are tested through application of a ReLogit model to data on 103,095 employees enrolled in the town insurance scheme in one district as at the end of 2004.FindingsThe study finds that only a small proportion of individuals in the sample receive commercial pension insurance. The most important determinant of whether an employee received commercial pension insurance is his or her level of education.Research limitations/implicationsThe study provides support for the societal corporatist perspective that employers who place a premium on human capital and invest significant resources in the skills of their workers will favor social policies that target benefits to a selected group of workers to reward their performance and foster commitment. A limitation of the research is that it is based on data collected soon after the town insurance scheme was introduced. The low level of employee coverage may improve once employers become more familiar with the operation of the scheme.Practical implicationsEmployers should consider social insurance as a labor market strategy to retain staff and enhance the human resource base of the firm.Originality/valueLittle attention has been given to the role of employer‐funded social insurance within the ambit of labor market strategies designed to enhance the human resource base of the organisation. This is the first study to use micro level data to examine the determinants of voluntary employer contributions to social insurance.
Job characteristics and voluntary mobility in The Netherlands
Authors: Gesthuizen Maurice 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the impact of the subjective evaluation of job characteristics on voluntary mobility, the impact of voluntary mobility on changes in these job characteristics, and differential education and gender patterns.Design/methodology/approachOrdered and multinominal logistic regression analysis and longitudinal panel analysis.FindingsDissatisfaction with one's wage, the match between job content and personal capacities, working hours, and the job in general cause voluntary external mobility. The latter two also increase the odds of voluntary internal mobility. Voluntary internal and external mobility in turn decreases dissatisfaction with several job characteristics. The higher the educational level, the weaker the impact of dissatisfaction with working hours on voluntary internal mobility. For women, wage dissatisfaction has a stronger impact on voluntary external mobility than for men. Moreover, dissatisfaction with the number of working hours and the job in general more often cause voluntary internal mobility for women than for men. The revenues of changing positions within or between firms, however, do not substantially differ across education and gender.Originality/valueThis paper shows that subjectively evaluated job characteristics are important push factors and result in voluntary mobility, and in some cases for women to a stronger degree than for men. Even though it could be expected that returns to voluntary mobility are lower for women and lower educated individuals, they do not differ substantially from the returns that men and higher educated workers receive.
The influence of CEO perceptions on the level of organizational learning
Authors: García‐Morales Victor J. , Verdú‐Jover Antonio J. , Lloréns Francisco Javier 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to take an in‐depth look at the differences in learning based on the nature of the process, analysing the influence of CEO perceptions of personal mastery, shared vision, environment and strategic proactivity on the learning level.Design/methodology/approachThis investigation drew up a structured questionnaire to better understand how CEOs face learning issues. A series of χ2, t‐tests, Harman's one‐factor tests, correlations, and regression analyses were used. The hypotheses are tested using data from 239 firms located in Spain.FindingsThis investigation shows the influence of CEO perceptions of several strategic factors and capabilities (personal mastery, shared vision, environment and strategic proactivity) in single‐ and double‐loop learning and the influence of this learning level on organizational innovation and performance. It adds theoretical and empirical arguments to the two main learning levels in the literature.Originality/valueThe research provides empirical evidence that: personal mastery and a stable environment have a positive and significant impact on the generation of single‐loop learning; personal mastery, shared vision, ambiguous environment and strategic proactivity have a positive and significant influence on the generation of double‐loop learning; and both learning levels affect the generation of greater organizational innovation and performance.
The occupational domain and initial earnings of recent Irish graduates
Authors: Pontikakis Dimitrios 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the hypothesis that those with a university qualification in science and technology (S&T) enjoy favourable labour market outcomes.Design/methodology/approachAnalysis is based on individual‐level data detailing the labour market experiences of Irish university graduates upon entering employment. A Gini‐Hirschman index is used to estimate the number of occupational options open to graduates of a particular educational background. Additionally, an ordered probit model of earnings is estimated, which is controlling other factors, measures the effect of S&T education on the distribution of earnings.FindingsS&T graduates have a wider occupational domain. Additionally, tabulations indicate that on the whole they tend to earn more. Application of an ordered probit model controlling for other factors suggests that engineering graduates enjoy a clear earnings advantage; however the opposite appears to be the case for science graduates.Originality/valueThe paper presents original insights into the occupational outcomes of Irish technical graduates. The relatively lower earnings of science graduates bring into question the current preoccupation with the supply side and suggest that a closer look at the demand for such skills may be warranted. These findings may be interesting for policy seeking to influence skill structure and for further studies investigating the returns to components of skill.