Employee Relations: An International Journal

John Gennard

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910979211

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the response of industrial relations systems to the current financial crisis. Design/methodology/approach – This editorial outlines the effect of the financial crisis on industrial output, unemployment and redundancies. It then examines the impact in the banking and manufacturing sectors of the single European market before looking more closely at the impact on individual European countries. There is also a look at public policy, labour market mechanisms design to protect employment levels and workers incomes. Findings – The financial crisis has led to large rises in unemployment and redundancies and to large falls in industrial output. Collective bargaining has played an important problem‐solving role in achieving a peaceful adjustment at the workplace to falls in product demand. Collective agreements have been concluded designed to preserve jobs by providing for shorter working time with the state providing compensation for the corresponding fall in income. Originality/value – The paper offers insights into the financial crisis and employee relations.

Victoria Bellou

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910979220

Purpose – Realizing the importance of value congruence between employees and organizations, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of person‐organization (P‐O) fit on employee behavior through the exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect typology within the Greek public sector. Furthermore, it tests the mediating role of job satisfaction on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – The study took place in all three public hospitals located in a major Greek city, where 125 usable questionnaires are gathered. The statistical analyses include descriptive statistics and stepwise regression analyses. Findings – Evidence from the private sector in the field of P‐O is transferable, at least to some extent, to the public sector, as the level of P‐O fit increases loyalty and reduces neglect. However, job satisfaction mediates the relationship only between P‐O fit and loyalty. Practical implications – In an era that a major goal for both private and public organizations is to maximize performance ensuring a compatible workforce is an imperative. It is thus highly important that human resource management policies and practices are decentralized, to allow public organizations meet economic and social challenges. Originality/value – The added value of the present paper lies in the fact that the factors related to the setting and the individual are decisive for the impact that P‐O fit has on employee responses.

Emma Parry; Shaun Tyson

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910979239

Purpose – The 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/approach – A longitudinal survey of HR managers and four case studies within a range of UK organizations are used to elicit data on organizational responses. Findings – Unsurprisingly, 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/value – This 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.

Fernando Matías‐Reche; Enrique A. Rubio‐López; Antonio Rueda‐Manzanares

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910979248

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider whether those nonprofit organizations which exhibit more similar characteristics to market organizations regarding the percentage of paid employees with functions similar to the ones in market organizations in relationship with total workers have a different model of human resource management in relation to their CEO than those organizations which exhibit fewer similarities to market organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses proposed in this study have been tested using a sample of 1,999 Spanish nonprofit organizations. Findings – The results show that the CEOs of nonprofit organizations with most similarity to for‐profit organizations will have a more formalized employment relationship and a higher level of education than the CEOs of nonprofits with least similarity to for‐profit organizations. Research limitations/implications – This paper has several limitations from the heterogeneity of the sample to the fact that the conducted study is a cross‐sectional study of the current situation. Practical implications – The practical implications of this paper imply that nonprofit organizations which are evolving, in terms of their workforce, towards a high percentage of paid employees or those who are already in this position will have to adapt to the way in which for‐profit organizations operate if they wish to achieve levels of effectiveness and efficiency to make them competitive in this sector. Originality/value – One of the reasons for proposing this work is the small number of empirical studies trying to address systematically the relationship between the CEO and the characteristics of nonprofit organizations.

Barry Foster; John Murrie; Ian Laird

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910979257

Purpose – The 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/approach – A 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. Findings – The 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/value – This 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.

Graeme Martin; Martin Reddington

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910979266

Purpose – The 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/approach – To 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. Findings – Dynamic 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/implications – The model is used to offer some research propositions for academics operating in this newly emerging field of human resource management (HRM). Practical implications – Some theory‐driven advice are also offered for HR practitioners. Originality/value – The 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.

Matthew Allen; Heinz‐Josef Tüselmann

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910979275

Purpose – The 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/approach – Drawing 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. Findings – The 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 implications – The 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/value – The 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.