Employee Relations: An International Journal

Anthony McDonnell; Julia Connell; Zeenobiyah Hannif; John Burgess

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-01-2013-0005

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to bridge a gap in the call centre literature by considering how individual employees perceive their level of voice over workplace decisions. The inclusion of direct voice mechanisms is noteworthy as these are forms that have received much less attention vis‐à‐vis indirect voice. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed‐method approach was utilized comprising focus groups and questionnaires from over 350 respondents in nine call centres in Australia. Findings – The most pervasive type of employee voice found across all call centres was through direct channels. The team leader was viewed as especially important in terms of employees asserting that they have some influence over workplace issues. There was evidence that the greater the number of voice mechanisms available the higher the perception of autonomy and influence over work tasks, pace of work and quality standards. Research limitations/implications – Greater consideration is needed in the voice literature at how employees perceive different mechanisms and how institutionalized and legitimate these are within organizations. There appeared to be minimal positive feedback on how union's influenced the workplace, even in unionized environments. We call for further research on how union representation and direct voice channels work together and the impact on key individual and organizational outcomes. Practical implications – Employees may view the provision of multiple voice channels more favourable than any particular mechanism. The role of the team leader appears especially crucial in positive perceptions of employee voice. Originality/value – Call centre environments may be changing for the better and effective team leader/employee relationships appear to be at the heart of these changes. The paper demonstrates that direct voice mechanisms dominate the case study sites and that employee perceptions of “being heard” are as important as the actual voice mechanisms.

Susanne Pernicka; Astrid Reichel

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-02-2013-0023

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship of highly skilled work and (collective) power. It develops an institutional logics perspective and argues that highly skilled workers’ propensity to join trade unions varies by institutional order. Design/methodology/approach – Data from two occupational fields in Austria, university professors and management consultants, representing two different institutional orders were collected via questionnaires. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses. Findings – The results show that over and above organisational level variables, individual's background and employee power variables institutional logics significantly add to explaining trade union membership of highly skilled workers. Prevalence of a professional logic in a field makes collective action more likely than market logic. Originality/value – Highly skilled workers are overall described as identifying themselves more with the goals of their employer or client and with their professional peers than with other corporate employees or organised labour. They are thus expected to develop consent rather than conflict orientation vis‐á‐vis their employers and clients. This paper supports a differentiated view and shows that within highly skilled work there are groups engaging in collective action. By developing an institutional logics perspective it provides a useful approach to explain heterogeneity within the world of highly skilled work.

Olga Onoshchenko; Colin C. Williams

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-06-2013-0070

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the use of personal connections to circumvent formal procedures, known as blat in the Soviet era, in post‐Soviet societies by studying its role in graduate employment recruitment. Design/methodology/approach – To do this, the extent to which and how blat is used by graduates to find a job in the city of Mykolayiv in Ukraine is analysed through 85 face‐to‐face structured interviews with those who in the past seven years have sought employment after graduating from university. Findings – The finding is that blat is widely used by graduates to find a job. However, contrary to the existing literature which suggests that blat has become commodified in post‐Soviet market societies with monetary payment being requested by and given to personal connections “pulling strings”, no evidence is found that this is the case. Instead, this remains a non‐monetised form of friendly help by and for close social relations, akin to the Soviet era, and is viewed in a positive or neutral manner by participants even though its consequences can be to circumvent meritocratic formal recruitment procedures and foster nepotism and cronyism. Research limitations/implications – This study of blat is limited to analysing graduate recruitment in one city in Ukraine. Broader empirical research on the contemporary role of blat in this and other spheres in post‐Soviet societies and beyond is now required so as to develop a more nuanced context‐bound understanding of both the positive and negative facets of this social practice in contemporary societies. Originality/value – This study reveals that blat is commonly used to find graduate jobs and is widely viewed as a socially acceptable practice, despite hindering meritocratic recruitment procedures.

Simon M. Smith; Peter Stokes; John F. Wilson

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-09-2012-0064

Purpose – Investors in People (IiP) is a UK government‐backed scheme aimed at enabling organizations to develop their training and development cultures and, thereby, their competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions and understandings of individuals in six organizations undergoing IiP to explore recent claims within the literature concerning the Standard's impact on training and development, and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Data from 35 semi‐structured interviews among managers and employees of six diverse organizations were gathered and analysed. Findings – The paper identifies three key findings in response to recent literature: first, the findings do not support a causal relationship between IiP and training and development; second, the findings do not support a causal relationship between IiP and job satisfaction; third, and to support the other findings, the results indicate little employee awareness of IiP. Practical implications – If IiP – UKCES are to realize the potential of their Standard, it needs to find a way to ensure it has a direct and positive impact on skill development. Originality/value – While much of the previous research has identified associations between IiP and various outcomes, this paper seeks to identify the extent to which these associations can be considered to be causal.

Galit Meisler

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-02-2013-0021

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the associations between emotional intelligence (EI) and both political skill and job satisfaction, as well as the possibility that political skill mediates the relationship between EI and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – The data, collected from a sample of 368 employees, were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings – EI was positively related to political skill and job satisfaction. In addition, the findings show that political skill mediates the relationship between EI and job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – The research highlights the importance of EI and political skill in the workplace. Practical implications – EI training may be employed by organizations and human resource managers to enhance employees’ EI. Originality/value – Not enough research attention has been paid to exploring the interplay between EI and organizational politics. The current study clarifies the relationship between EI and political skill in the work arena. Moreover, this study found political skill to be a mediator in the relationship between EI and job satisfaction. Given that in the main the literature has neglected the possibility that political skill might act as a mediator and/or affect work attitudes/behaviors, findings from the current study broaden the scope through which the role of political skill in the workplace can be viewed.

Sofia Alexandra Cruz; Manuel Abrantes

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-06-2013-0064

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which the nature of a particular work activity – cleaning – changes across organizational contexts, considering specific industry characteristics and working conditions in urban settings in Portugal. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on the qualitative analysis of data collected between 2010 and 2013 using open‐ended interviews with employees and direct observation in two shopping malls. Findings – The empirical evidence illuminates how the contexts under study shape the behavior of actors and their power relations. By placing the perspective of employees at the core of the analysis, the paper demonstrates that workplaces provide a major site of conflict and negotiation regarding dignity in cleaning work, but this dispute takes on different contours and sources of tension across organizational contexts. Originality/value – The seminal comparative analysis of commercial cleaning and housecleaning undertaken in this paper sheds light on the varying distribution of roles and authority at work. Differently than in earlier studies, the actual modes of service interaction in this industry are documented in a detailed and critical manner.