Employee Relations: An International Journal

John Gennard

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910965405

Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to examine the development of transnational collective bargaining at the company level in Europe Design/methodology/approach – This editorial outlines the levels at which bargaining takes place in the European Union, the EU Commission proposals for a procedure for transnational collective bargaining, the procedures agreed by the EMF and UNI‐Europa Graphical for the negotiation of company‐wide transnational agreements, and the content of some existing transnational company‐wide agreements. Findings – The existence of company‐wide transnational agreements demonstrates that European industry federations can provide added value to multinational companies by providing effective procedures within which transnational company agreements can be concluded. They also demonstrate that the negotiation of such agreements requires substantial resources and cannot be done without the assistance of the EWC. The existing transnational collective agreements in the metal trades show that European trade union organisations have to be determined to follow procedure, provide a trade union answer to EWC bargaining and that national based unions are unlikely to be able to negotiate with European level corporate management. Above all, existing transnational company collective agreements show that the EMF procedure for the negotiation of such agreements is effective, credible and workable. Originality/value – The editorial offers insights into the process and procedures involved in negotiating company‐wide transnational agreements.

Michael Dempsey; Chris Brewster

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910965414

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore trade union management, using data from four major unions. Managers and management have generally been absent from trade union discourse but unions are substantial organisations that need good management. The paper seeks to understand the extent to which senior trade union officials accept managerial roles and to discuss the significance of this. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on 56 interviews with senior trade union managers using a case study approach. Findings – The paper concludes that management is consciously understood and implemented by trade union leaders who take their managerial roles and achieving the goals of the members seriously. It suggests that this is likely to affect the dynamics of the relationships between the various actors in trade union democracy. Research limitations/implications – Evidence is gained from trade union managers themselves. Further research needs to focus both on the managed and on the lay members to whom managers are accountable. Originality/value – This paper begins to fill a lacuna in the literature examining the way unions operate by concentrating on managers and management rather than on administration.

Julia Connell; Zeenobiyah Hannif

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910965423

Purpose – The paper seeks to determine whether and how the quality of working life (QWL) varies between call centres (CCs) in the in‐house/outsourced, public and private sectors and the implications of these findings on human resource management (HRM). Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports on findings derived through empirical qualitative case study research in two Australian CCs: Govtcall, an in‐house, public‐sector CC, and Salesplus, an outsourced, private‐sector CC. Quality of work life outcomes are determined through in‐depth interviews with CSOs, supervisors and managers, where a comparative approach is utilised. Findings – The in‐house, public‐sector CC Govtcall emerges as being inferior in terms of job content, working hours and managerial/supervisory style and strategies. Conversely, Salesplus features a management model that is more akin to what would be expected in a CC operating under a professional service model. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was limited to two CCs; thus, the findings may not be representative of the wider CC context. Practical implications – A productivity orientation and employee focus are not a mutually exclusive phenomenon. Union presence and public‐sector status do not guarantee better working conditions and higher QWL. Managerial styles and strategies have a significant impact on QWL in the CC context. Originality/value – QWL is an under‐researched area where CCs are concerned. Similarly, much of the existing CC research is based on the private sector, despite the public sector emerging as a large user of CC operations.

Kay Greasley; Paul Watson; Shilpa Patel

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910965432

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the impact of organisational change on public sector employees utilising the implementation of the UK Government's “Back to work” programme (BTW) as a case study example. The paper seeks to explore the employee response to the changes they experience as a result of this new initiative. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was adopted for this study, employing in‐depth interviews across the UK. The interview strategy sought to focus on the individual experiences and perceptions of those involved in the operation of the programme. Findings – The findings highlight how the interviewees face organisational change as part of their everyday life, with the pace of change increasing and becoming more radical. Many of these organisational changes are related to the introduction of new initiatives that require amendments to existing working practices. It was found that a lack of permanency and constant switching of initiatives, imposed by central government, could result in cynical attitudes towards a new initiative as interviewees await the newer, bigger and brighter programme. Practical implications – The study indicates that when a new initiative is introduced this involves change which impacts on employees and there needs to be a management response to this challenge to ensure that initiatives are successful. Notably there needs to be a move from quick fix, early‐win outcomes as new programmes take time and effort. Originality/value – The paper presents empirical evidence of the impact of change as a result of a new initiative involving public sector employees. It demonstrates how the political context driving new initiatives like the BTW programme affects employees on the “shopfloor” and emphasises the need for management to respond to this challenge.

William Hunter; Douglas Renwick

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910965441

Purpose – The paper seeks to detail the formal and informal aspects of involving line managers in human resource management (HRM). Design/method/approach – The investigation was conducted by interviewing line managers at one work organisation. Findings – Formally, line managers state that they accept their HR roles, are competent in HRM, and have time/support to do it effectively, but informally do not place much reliance on written HR policies, revealing a degree of “loose coupling” between the formal/informal elements of their involvement in HRM. Research limitations/implications – Future research could ascertain if the findings herein on the formal and informal development of managers by their seniors and peers in HRM are common to other work organisations. Limitations are that this is a single case relying on qualitative data, meaning issues of generalisability of findings arise. Practical implications – It may be of benefit to discover to what extent the informal internal networks line managers use to make decisions in HRM occur in other work organisations. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the existing knowledge by providing empirical data on the formal and informal aspects of involving line managers in HRM in an under‐researched context (a small British non‐profit organisation without a HR function), which adds to the literature on actual line management practices in HRM.

Colin C. Williams

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910965450

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the prevalence in Europe of a so far little discussed wage practice in which employers pay their declared employees two wages, one declared and the other an undeclared (“envelope”) wage. Design/methodology/approach – To evaluate the pervasiveness of envelope wages in Europe, a 2007 Eurobarometer survey on undeclared work is reported involving 26,659 face‐to‐face interviews which included a section on whether employees are paid an additional envelope wage by their declared employer. Findings – The finding is that one in 20 employees receive some of their wage from their employer as an undeclared “envelope wage” and on average this amounts to two‐fifths of their wage packet. This payment arrangement, however, is more prevalent in some businesses, places and populations than others. Smaller businesses and construction firms are more likely to pay envelope wages. Men, younger persons and the lower paid are more likely to receive such wages. And geographically, envelope wages are more common in East‐Central Europe, where such payments are more likely to be for regular employment hours, whilst in Continental Europe and Nordic countries envelope wages are less common and received more for overtime or extra work conducted. Practical implications – Through an evaluation of its prevalence, this paper displays the need for action to tackle this illegitimate wage practice and briefly reviews a range of policy options and measures. Originality/value – This is the first extensive evaluation of the commonality of envelope wages in Europe.

Maria Teresa Vieira Campos Proença; Eva Teresa Valente Dias de Oliveira

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910965469

Purpose – This study aims to investigate decision‐making processes and to identify factors which influence managers in the selection of job applicants' CVs and how these factors differ from the firm's recruitment and selection policy. Design/methodology/approach – Twenty‐four semi‐structured interviews were conducted among HR managers or similar staff members responsible for recruiting and selection in small, medium, and large‐sized Portuguese firms. The interview comprised two parts: description of the selection policies that they used followed by a CV assessment game to understand decisions regarding the acceptance of a specific candidate. Findings – Interviewees' narratives are similar, describing a step‐by‐step process based on the firm's explicit policy and the model of a prediction of the job candidates' future performance based on subjective criteria. Research limitations/implications – Possibly, the results described are related to the research methodology – more specifically the use of a fictional set of CVs where the decisions made do not have any consequences. At the same time, managers are more relaxed when playing the “CV game” and tend to adopt more genuine and usual behaviours. Practical implications – The paper calls for an integrative practice in CV analysis combining both the structured and rational dimension and the informal dimension (tacit knowledge, emotion and intuition). Originality/value – The paper stresses the paradoxical behaviour of practitioners. On the one hand, the “good” of rational procedures is part of their rhetoric; on the other hand, the use of emotion and intuition is revealed in their practices.