Employee Relations: An International Journal

Jacob K. Eskildsen; Kai Kristensen; Anders H. Westlund

2004 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450410511043

This paper studies differences in job satisfaction and intrinsic work motivation between employees with different characteristics. Based on a study of the literature assumptions regarding these differences are developed and tested on data from a survey in the Nordic countries. In this survey 9,623 employees from randomly selected households in the Nordic countries participated. Among the findings are that Danish workers were found to be the most satisfied and that there is no difference between the genders with respect to job satisfaction in the Nordic countries.

David Morris; Arzmi Yaacob; Geoff Wood

2004 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450410511052

The article, based on an extensive survey of employees within a Malaysian tertiary educational institution, explores employee attitudes and perceptions towards existing pay and promotional policies and the organisational implications thereof. It was found that sizeable components of the workforce were dissatisfied with existing procedures. The limitations of the present system highlight the need to develop new models for organising work and rewards within the state and quasi‐state sectors, models that balance the need for effective service provision with financial sustainability; and that reconcile wider social needs with “best practices” of human resource management.

Malcolm Sargeant

2004 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450410511061

This article considers the issues raised by the proposed abolition of the mandatory retirement age as a result of the Equal Treatment Directive, 2000/78/EC, and of proposed Age Discrimination in Employment Regulations. It argues that there are a number of distinctive retirement ages, namely, the contractual retirement age, the pensionable retirement age and the actual or normal retirement age. These may coincide or they may occur at different times, but it is only the contractual retirement age that is likely to be abolished by the Regulations. Their effect upon the retirement age will therefore be limited. As part of the research for this article a number of TUC affiliated trade unions were interviewed in order to gain an employee perspective of the issues surrounding the abolition of mandatory retirement ages.

Melanie Fraser

2004 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450410511070

Employees have a statutory right to request a change to their working hours or conditions to enable them to care for children (so long as they meet certain criteria). The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 enables workers to claim that a requirement, such as to work on a full‐time basis, is discriminatory. There are no eligibility requirements for this argument although there is an evidentiary burden. The penalties for breach of the Sex Discrimination Act are greater than the new right. To what extent do the new Flexible Working Regulations provide a right to a change in working patterns, and what role remains for the Sex Discrimination Act?

Gillian A. Maxwell

2004 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/1425450410511089

Academic interest in managing diversity is now developing from conceptual analyses to practical examples. However, the conceptual relationship between managing diversity and equal opportunities remains rather blurred. Perhaps investigation of managing diversity in practice may help bring greater focus to the relationship. This article seeks to bring further insight into the debate on managing diversity in terms of its link with equal opportunities and key dimensions in practice. On the basis of consideration of theoretical perspectives and dimensions of managing diversity, a practical development of managing diversity is discussed in a longitudinal case study of a proactive diversity initiative in BBC Scotland.

Michael Barry; Robyn May

2004 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450410511098

Legislative protections supporting New Zealand's compulsory arbitration system made unions a vital part of industrial relations from 1894 to 1991. Following a dramatic shift to a more deregulated labour market, the union movement suffered a sharp decline in influence and membership during the 1990s. In October 2000 the Labour‐Alliance Coalition that formed government in 1999 introduced its Employment Relations Act that includes new protections for registered trade unions. The early impact of the legislation has been to promote the registration of a plethora of new unions. However, the new unions formed since the introduction of the Act represent very few workers and have narrow interests. Although they exist formally as unions, these organisations are more accurately alternative forms of employee representation that exist to facilitate enterprise bargaining and, in some instances, to allow employers to frustrate the activities of larger, established unions.