Employee Relations: An International Journal

Ferry Koster; Frans Stokman; Randy Hodson; Karin Sanders

2007 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710719978

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of task and informal networks and their interaction on cooperative types of employee behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – Two studies are used to examine the research question. The first dataset consists of book‐length ethnographies providing information at the team level. The second dataset is gathered through a survey across ten different organisations and provides information at the employee level. Both datasets are analysed using OLS regression. Findings – Cooperative behaviour is positively affected by task and informal interdependence relationships. However, when employees have task and informal interdependence relationships with co‐workers, they may show less cooperative behaviour. Research limitations/implications – A major limitation of this study is that it was not possible to include information about the structure of the networks in which the employees are embedded. The study provides evidence for the existence of exchange relationships between the employee and the team. Besides that, the study shows the importance of including formal and informal networks to study cooperative behaviour of employees. Practical implications – The findings provide practical information about how to manage cooperation within teams. Cooperative relationships can be created by either creating task or informal interdependence. Besides that, managers should strike a balance between task and informal interdependence. Originality/value – Existing research tends to focus on the effects of one type of network on behaviour. This research shows that different networks may affect employee behaviour at the same time.

Gill Maxwell; Laura Rankine; Sheena Bell; Anna MacVicar

2007 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710719987

Purpose – The aim of this article is to investigate the incidence and impact of FWAs in smaller businesses in Scotland, as an integral part of a recent European Social Fund project. From theoretical perspectives it discusses the influences on, and impacts of, flexible working arrangements. The focus is then placed on the smaller business sector as regards its distinctive features and flexible working arrangements. Design/methodology/approach – The papers presents the findings from empirical work comprising a large‐scale survey of, and series of interviews with, owner‐managers of smaller businesses in Scotland. Findings – Part‐time work, time off in lieu, staggered working hours and shift swapping are the main types of flexible work in smaller businesses. In many incidences flexible working arrangements are requested by employees, operated informally, and centred on the business needs. There is significant scope for greater uptake of flexible working arrangements in smaller businesses, especially in services sector businesses. Positive impacts of flexible work arrangements in recruitment and retention, enhanced employee relations, commitment and loyalty are found, together with disadvantages of operational problems and administrative burdens. It is proposed that the gap between the potential for, and current practice in, flexible working arrangements may be narrowed by targeting information and guidance on such arrangements specifically to the owner‐managers of smaller businesses. Originality/value – The literature on flexible working mainly concentrates on large organisations. With the growing economic importance and distinguishing features of the smaller business sector in the UK, there is a need to focus as much on this sector as large organisations.

Marie Gee Wilson; Andrea Polzer‐Debruyne; Sophie Chen; Sonia Fernandes

2007 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710719996

Purpose – This research aims to investigate the efficacy of family involvement in shift work training targeting both physiological and social coping strategies. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilized repeated surveys of work‐family conflict (WFC) and family‐work conflict (FWC) in a naturally occurring field experiment. Three small process manufacturing sites introduced training for shift workers, with or without family involvement, and with or without training on managing relational aspects of shift‐work. Findings – The inclusion of social coping strategies combined with family involvement significantly reduced work‐family conflict. Open response categories on the survey suggest that these reductions were due to the facilitation of a joint problem solving approach by family members. In contrast, employee focused training on physiological coping alone appears to increase family conflicts. Research limitations/implications – As a field study, this paper cannot control for the particularities of family situations. It should also be noted that the participants were all male, and results may have differed for female shift workers given differing family and work expectations. Practical implications – For employers and OSH officers, this research suggests that broader spectrum training may assist shift workers in managing the requirements and impact of unsociable hours of work. For the shift worker, the research reinforces the importance of family support and family involvement in moderating shift work's potentially negative effects. Originality/value – This is the first study to assess the impact of family involvement in training and development‐based interventions. This paper provides a unique perspective on shift work interventions by documenting both content and process effects for shift work support.

Matthew J. Brannan; Beverley Hawkins

2007 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710720002

Purpose – This article seeks to explore forms of selection practice, focusing on role‐play techniques, which have been introduced in many organizations in an attempt to “objectivize” the selection process by offering a means of assessing task‐specific aptitudes. Design/methodology/approach – This article draws upon an ethnographic study of a call centre in which the researcher underwent the recruitment and selection process to secure work as a precursor to conducting fieldwork within the organization. Whilst there is little precedent for the employment of ethnographic techniques in researching recruitment and selection, we argue such techniques are appropriate to explore the social processes involved in practices such as role‐play. The discussion draws upon fieldwork which was conducted at “CallCentreCo”, who continuously recruit customer service representatives (CSRs) to work in their call centre. CallCentreCo uses role‐playing exercises extensively in the selection of all grades of staff and are argued by CallCentreCo's Human Resource Manager to be essential in the recruitment of CSRs to ensure the selection of suitable candidates and minimize initial attrition rates. Findings – This article makes two contributions: first it provides empirical evidence to explore the basis of structured interviews by revealing how the view that role‐play can “objectivize” the selection process is potentially built upon false assumptions. Second, the article argues that supposedly “objective” practices such as role‐play seek to legitimize the overwhelmingly subjective interview process in order that it may serve purposes beyond initial selection: namely the control of future employees before they even enter the organization. Research limitations/implications – Although we make no attempt to generalize from such a limited case study, this article raises issues that are likely to be relevant to organizations as they increasingly search for more “effective” selection procedures, and to academic endeavors to critically theorize the purpose and effects of selection for the employment relation. Originality/value – The originality of this approach lies in the ethnographic study of the interview as a social interaction, the richness of which may be lost in the quantitatively dominated approach to analyzing selection.

Ian Drummond; Ian Stone

2007 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710720011

Purpose – Aims to explore aspects of employee relations in firms included within The Sunday Times list of the UK's “Best Small Companies to Work For”, focusing in particular on the use of high performance work systems (HPWS), and the way they impact upon performance in these businesses. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based upon a postal survey supplemented by detailed face‐to‐face interviews with CEOs in 60 per cent of the ranked firms. Findings – The SMEs studied are found to be highly successful in terms of sales and employment growth. Our analysis suggests that the common explanation for enhanced business performance in terms of HPWS (coherent bundles of human resource management practices that function synergistically and thus have more effect than might be expected from the sum of the parts) is a valid but partial. The bundles employed in these businesses are synergetic, but the enhanced outcomes produced need to be understood in terms of the system as a whole, not just the more concrete practices that are normally considered. Research implications/limitations – While there is a need to explore further some of the findings through larger scale qualitative research, we contend that the deeper understanding of HPWS emerging from this approach is important to the formation of effective policy in relation to the small business sector. Originality/value – It is suggested that the cultures, values and norms established within the businesses are necessarily part of the system and that they play a fundamental role in shaping, empowering and reproducing the practices used.

Abubakr M. Suliman; Fuad N. Al‐Shaikh

2007 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450710720020

Purpose – This paper aims at exploring, for the first time in the Arab World, the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in affecting work outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – A self‐administered questionnaire was used to survey 500 employees from 19 organizations in the United Arab Emirates. The findings are discussed in the paper along with some recommendations for managers and researchers. Findings – The results revealed significant differences between employees' perceptions of emotional intelligence, conflict and readiness to create and innovate. Research limitations/implications – The sample represented only financial and service sectors. The implications of the findings for researchers together with some future guidelines are discussed in the paper. Practical implications – The paper provides practitioners with some advice about understanding and managing climate and conflict. Originality/value – The paper is the first study in the Middle Eastern context that explores the link between the multifaceted concepts of EI, satisfaction and performance.