Employee Relations: An International Journal

Chu‐Mei Liu

2006 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710714441

Purpose – This paper aims to assess the status of the organizational commitment construct and introduce a new way of looking at organizational commitment – especially in early stages of employment, wherein the target company seems to be having problems. Design/methodology/approach – Change in organizational commitment is measured at two points in the early employment of new salespersons in order to isolate the effects of early employment exposure of the medical representatives, a period of 18‐month when attrition of new employees is high. Findings – Training satisfaction and perceived reward equity were the only antecedent factors that showed significant positive relationship with organizational commitment. Manager commitment showed positive contribution, the relationship was not significant. All the three antecedents significantly contributed to organizational commitment. The strongest contributor was manager commitment. Research limitations/implications – The sample time frame is limited to two data points. Additional research is needed to determine whether these variables have similar influence in other organizations or whether other antecedent variables can be identified. Practical implications – Company management must pay more attention to early employment experiences. New salespersons need the training to feel competent and able to meet company mandated and/or personal objectives. Salespeople have primary contact to the organization via their immediate sales manager and need to feel like they are fairly rewarded for their efforts. Commitment to the organization partly due to a commitment to the area manager. It is important to build strong relations at the area manager level. Originality/value – This effort is a by‐product of a research activity on the effectiveness a pharmaceutical company's training program for newly hired sales representatives.

Ann‐Kristina Løkke; Jacob K. Eskildsen; Troels Wendelboe Jensen

2006 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710714450

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers of absenteeism and gives information of the relationship between absenteeism and personal and organizational characteristics in the Nordic countries. Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical assumptions are tested empirically on data from a survey carried out in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. 10.748 employees from randomly selected households participated. Differences were examined using analysis of variance. Findings – Among the findings are that Danish employees are less absent than employees in Norway, Finland and Sweden. Employees working in the public sector, more specific the municipalities, have a higher level of absence compared to the private sector. According to the personal characteristics, women are more absent than men in all Nordic countries, but the effect of age differs according to the country in question. If the manager however is a woman and the employee likewise, then the level of absence is higher in Denmark, Norway and Finland compared to the other gender constellations. Originality/value – Because of the lack of international comparative studies of absenteeism in the Nordic countries, this paper brings new and a deeper understanding of the area as a basis of further empirical research and/or management concern.

Sandra Watson; Gillian A. Maxwell; Lois Farquharson

2006 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710714469

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore different levels of line manager perspectives, namely strategic and first‐line on their role in human resource management (HRM) and human resource development (HRD), and to identify enablers of and barriers to devolving HR to line managers. Design/methodology/approach – Using a deductive approach, case study data was collected from 76 hotels, owned by Hilton UK, via self‐administered questionnaires to strategic and first‐line managers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative results, prior to significance tests being conducted in SPSS to identify differences in means based on managerial positions. Findings – A number of points of divergence in opinions are revealed, implying that there is potential for the case organisation to secure greater engagement of its first‐line managers in HR roles. Reducing the workloads and short‐term job pressures of these managers, together with capitalising on the good relations with the hotel HR specialists are means to develop greater engagement. Importantly, improving all line managers’ understanding of the organisational basis of their involvement in HR may bolster their performance in HR activities. Originality/value – This paper offers a fusion of two theoretical perspectives (HRM and HRD), in addition to identifying differences in perceptions of two different levels of line managers.

Angie Knox; Dennis Nickson

2006 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710714478

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to compare employment relations in the hotel industry in Australia and the UK. Australian industry employment is regulated by the state and union recognition is enshrined. A substantial proportion of Australian hotel employers engage directly in firm‐level bargaining with trade unions, with unionisation rates across the industry far higher than in the UK. The analysis focuses on employment strategies emphasising numerical/temporal and functional flexibility since efforts to enhance workplace flexibility underpin employment regulation in Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on interviews conducted in 13 exclusive, luxury hotels in Australia. Interviewees consisted of HR and departmental managers, employees across all hotel departments and relevant union officials. Findings – Labour utilisation practices in Australian luxury hotels reflect relatively sophisticated and systematic endeavours on the part of employers. The specific content and effect of these strategies varies in accordance with hotels' bargaining arrangements. Whilst employee relations outcomes were not entirely without problems in Australian luxury hotels, they do signify that regulation and trade union recognition can produce substantial benefits for employers and employees. Research limitations/implications – Recognition of potentially positive employment relations outcomes in Australia points to the need for further research in the UK to reassess employers' attitudes to trade unions in a changing employment relations landscape. Originality/value – The paper offers a comparison between Australia and the UK in an area that is still relatively under‐researched.

Victoria Bellou

2006 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710714487

Purpose – This study aims to identify specific changes in the content of the psychological contract during mergers and acquisitions (M&As), looking into both the “previous” and the “current” psychological contract. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 255 non‐managerial employees who had recently gone through a MorA, participated in the study. They were asked to evaluate both their previous psychological contract (prior to the MorA) and their current psychological contract (after the MorA). Paired t ‐tests provided support for the propositions stated. Findings – Statistical analysis revealed that employee perceptions of both organizational obligations and contributions change after a MorA. Furthermore, employees with limited coping with changes ability are more likely to consider that their contract has changed after a MorA. Research limitations/implications – The cross‐sectional character of this study may have increased common method bias. Still, no other option existed in this organizational setting. Practical implications – These findings suggest that major organizational changes, such as MorA significantly impact on individuals' view of their employment relationship. In fact, employees that feel confident in handling organizational changes are more prone to believe that their psychological contract has replaced by a new, subordinate one. Consequently, it is important that organizational agents shield employees against M&As negative impact by fostering coping with changes ability. Originality/value – The paper offers insights into psychological contracts after a major organizational change.

Lawrence Nurse; Dwayne Devonish

2006 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710714496

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of workers' demographic characteristics on their perceptions of procedural justice from grievance management. A related aim is to determine whether procedural justice perceptions have an impact on perceptions of distributive justice. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a survey of 660 employees across the public and private sectors. Perceptions were measured with the use of a dichotomous scale, and logistic regression analysis was applied to test the relationships between the dependent and independent variables. Findings – Except for education, demographic characteristics made no significant difference to workers' perceptions of procedural justice afforded by grievance procedures. Perceptions of procedural justice, however, had an impact on perceived distributive justice. Research limitations/implications – The use of dichotomous response sets prevented the use of factor analysis. Logistic regression analysis compensated for the inability to use ANOVA. Further research is needed to explain why education moreso that any other demographic characteristic would influence procedural justice perceptions of grievance management. Research is also required to isolate the effects of justice perceptions on satisfaction with the trade union and organizational citizenship behaviours. Practical implications – Failure to pay careful attention to procedural justice can create problems for managers, workers and unions. Originality/value – This paper highlights the need to pay due attention to procedural justice. It continues a line of inquiry on workplace justice that has only recently been initiated in Barbados.