Employee Relations: An International Journal

Susanne Bahn; Al Rainnie

2013 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-11-2011-0067

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse human resource supply chains and the responsibility of occupational health and safety (OHS) management using Australian evidence from two unrelated research studies in the resources sector. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on additional findings from the research projects using qualitative case study methodologies. The paper draws on interviews with the underground mining manager in study 1 and the OHS manager in study 2, together with current literature on supply chains and OHS responsibility in Australia. Findings – The paper uses examples drawn from two research studies conducted in the resources sector in 2011 to present the notion that there has been a shift in responsibility and management of OHS from the top of the supply chain to the bottom. Research limitations/implications – The paper draws on two unrelated studies that investigated different issues in OHS management. There is a need to undertake specific research to confirm the argument that suggests that the OHS management systems are improving for the bottom of the human resources supply chain in the resources sector. Practical implications – Findings suggest that in the middle tier resources sector the bottom of the human resources supply chains have robust OHS management systems and induction training, contrary to the weakening of OHS management in typical supply chains in other sectors. Originality/value – Unlike manufacturing, healthcare, the public sector and transport, there is little research conducted in the resources sector researching supply chains and OHS management. This paper provides limited evidence of a differing picture in the resources sector than other industries; however, it argues that further studies should be conducted.

Caroline Cintas; Berangere Gosse; Eric Vatteville

2013 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-02-2013-0024

Purpose – Since the beginning of the twenty‐first century, human resource management (HRM) has entered into a somewhat strained relationship with religious diversity. In France, the need to deal with demands for recognition of faith practices has led to the compilation of new guides to the management of religious diversity. Is religious identity a new dimension of HRM in France? Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with an examination of some examples of these documents produced by large French companies. It is revealed that they contain a set of recommendations leading to differential management of the various religious identities. Findings – Incorporating such a practice into an HRM strategy is a mixed blessing, bringing with it both hopes and risks. On the one hand, it may help to maintain equality and boost firms’ economic performance. On the other hand, however, it may also compromise group cohesion and disrupt social ties. Originality/value – In view of these contradictory tendencies, the paper concludes by asking whether the principle of secularism should be extended to the management of HR.

Ali Najeeb

2013 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-08-2012-0057

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of human resource (HR) actors in the design and implementation of HR practices. More specifically, the paper explores how interactions between various HR actors influence the design and implementation of HR practices in tourist resorts in the Maldives. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative, multiple case study approach was used. Data for this study were collected in seven tourist resorts in the Maldives through 49 semi‐structured interviews conducted with managers with different functional roles, at various levels in the organisational hierarchy and with non‐managerial employees. Field observations and a range of secondary sources supplemented the interview data. Findings – The findings show that all HR actors influence the design and implementation of human resource management (HRM) practices in these resorts to some degree, although the extent of their involvement varies from actor to actor. Execution of HR practices necessitates interaction among HR actors as they contest and reconcile their interests and roles. High levels of social capital enhance the roles of HR actors as they overcome constraints to the implementation of HRM practices. Research limitations/implications – This study is a qualitative and exploratory study. Data are clustered at the sub‐unit level and limited to a single industry. This presents limitations in generalising the findings. A more extensive study covering other industries is necessary to explore different configurations of the negotiated relationships among HR actors. Practical implications – This study identifies various management strategies that could be used to enhance HR actors’ social capital. These strategies could be useful for managers in other organisational settings Originality/value – There is a dearth of literature on the interactions between managers at different levels in organisational hierarchies and with different functional roles, and how these interactions affect the design and implementation of HRM practices in organisations. Using social capital theory, this research explores the interaction between HR actors in the design and implementation of HRM in the context of self‐contained resorts in the Maldives, thereby shedding light on a context that has attracted little research to date.

Richard D. Waters; Denise Sevick Bortree; Natalie T.J. Tindall

2013 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-12-2012-0095

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use relationship management theory to measure the impact of relationship cultivation on the employer‐employee relationship. Specifically, the paper examines how well Kelly's (2001) conceptualization of stewardship can impact internal stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – Through intercept surveys of 421 adults, the paper used existing scales to measure dimensions of the employer‐employee relationship and the participants’ perceptions of stewardship in the workplace. Findings – This study found that the four dimensions of stewardship significantly impact feelings of trust, commitment, satisfaction, and balanced power between the employer and the employee. Additionally, increased use of stewardship resulted in increased involvement by employees. Practical implications – The results of the paper offer several specific suggestions employers can do to communicate more effectively with their employees so that they are not only more informed but also feel more positively about the relationship they have with the employer. Originality/value – Original stewardship scales were developed for the paper so that they can be tested in domains outside the nonprofit sector, where they have been routinely tested with donors and volunteers.

Dwayne Devonish

2013 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-01-2013-0004

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether two factors of affective psychological well‐being, job satisfaction, and work‐related depression, play a role in mediating the relationship between workplace bullying as a social stressor at work and three forms of employee performance or behaviors: task performance, individual‐targeted citizenship behavior (OCB‐I), and interpersonal counterproductive work behavior (CWB‐P). Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopted a cross‐sectional survey research design which captured a sample of 262 employees across a number of organizations in a small developing country in the Caribbean region. Findings – The findings revealed that job satisfaction alone partially mediated the relationship between workplace bullying and task performance, whereas work‐related depression alone partially mediated the relationship between workplace bullying and OCB‐I. Both job satisfaction and work‐related depression partially mediated the relationship between workplace bullying and CWB‐P. Research limitations/implications – The paper utilized a cross‐sectional self‐report survey research design which does not permit causal inferences to be made. Longitudinal research is needed to further investigate these relationships reported here. Practical implications – Management must seek to deal with the emergence of workplace bullying through their human resource management policies and practices as well as encouraging positive interpersonal work climates and cultures among employees. Originality/value – The paper is the first to investigate how various elements of psychological well‐being can serve to mediate the relationship between workplace bullying and performance outcomes.

Konrad Turek; Jolanta Perek‐Bialas

2013 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-04-2013-0039

Purpose – The purpose of this empirical paper is to investigate the employers’ perception of productivity of older workers in Poland with comparison to the younger ones. The paper examines whether various factors including employee's skills and company policies play a role. The findings were compared with situation in the Netherlands, discussing the differences. Design/methodology/approach – Data come from 2009 representative survey (CATI) of 1,037 Polish companies. Supervisor’ rating method was used for assessment of workers skills and productivity. Primary analysis are linear regression models with employer's assessment of productivity of older and younger workers as dependent variables. Findings – In case of older workers, higher assessment of soft skills is the most influential factor for explaining the assessment of productivity, while hard skills play smaller, yet not minor, role. In case of younger workers the relation is reversed. Age management aiming at improvement of older workers’ job performance correlates with higher rating of their productivity. Research limitations/implications – Cross‐sectional researches in the case of age‐group comparison may be biased by the cohort effect. Practical implications – The paper brings forth important implications for policy makers and employers who will have to deal with the challenge of an aging and shrinking workforce. They refer to lifelong learning, system of public health, age management. The most important conclusion concerns the negative influence of age‐related stereotypes for the labor market situation of older workers. Originality/value – The paper presents data from the first research aimed at employers’ views of older workers in Poland. The paper extends the knowledge about relation of employers’ opinions, their actions and situation of older workers.