Employee Relations: An International Journal

Teresa Ortega-Egea, M. ; Ruiz Moreno, Antonia ; Carmen Haro Domínguez, M.

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-07-2013-0081

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the presence of communication and knowledge flows influences the creation of a work context that supports innovation, and how this relationship is moderated by labor externalization. Design/methodology/approach – To study these relationships, the authors use a sample of 249 workers from five organizations. The different hypotheses proposed are contrasted using hierarchical regression analysis. Findings – The results obtained show the authors that, when communication flows exist, workers’ orientation to innovation is greater; likewise, knowledge transfer influences workers’ innovative attitude positively. However, the results are different when externalization of workers acts as a moderating variable. Practical implications – The firm's management should make decisions and foster the production of information flows between employees, as the results obtained indicate that communication and knowledge transfer encourage employee attitudes and behavior favorable to innovation. Originality/value – The main contribution of this study is to provide new empirical evidence on the influence of communication and knowledge flows on workers’ orientation to innovation. The authors also analyze how these relationships are affected by the presence of externalization. The evidence obtained in this study permits to deduce what actions foster or inhibit organizations in creating a work context that supports innovation and thus encourages the generation of innovation.

Toms, Simon ; Biggs, David

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-05-2013-0058

Purpose – Agency work represents a unique form of employment that has received increased attention in recent years. Supporters of the agency employment industry have cited increased accessibility and flexibility at an individual and organisational level, yet critics have highlighted disparities in treatment and the limited protection afforded by the contract. Previous psychological studies into the working experiences of these employees have forwarded a series of findings that have frequently conflicted, so this paper begins by exploring research into the areas of motive, job satisfaction, job security, and organisational support. The purpose of this paper is to better understand how this form of employment can psychologically affect agency workers by focusing upon these key areas. Design/methodology/approach – The study's research design incorporated 25 semi-structured interviews with agency workers, recruitment consultants, and representatives from third-party employers. These interviews were then supplemented by longitudinal data from follow-up interviews conducted with agency workers from the initial sample. During the study, the researcher undertook a number of agency working assignments, and ethnographic analysis of diary extracts represented a third source of data. Findings – Results highlighted the importance of motive, as it was found to influence how agency workers viewed their employment. The lack of obligation in temporary contracts was perceived to lead to isolation from permanent colleagues, increase vulnerability, and reduce job security and organisational commitment. Research limitations/implications – Findings strongly supported the claim that the pre-assignment motives of individuals had a significant impact upon their resulting experiences. Agency workers employed in longer-term assignments reported greater integration into the organisation, resulting in increased commitment towards the third-party employer, and improved relationships with permanent staff. Originality/value – The current research incorporated multiple perspectives to create an increased understanding of the agency employment industry and its impact upon individuals.

J. Burke, Ronald ; Astakhova, Marina ; Singh, Parbudyal

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-11-2013-0166

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of time affluence (TA) and material affluence (MA) in work and extra-work experiences of a sample of professional women working in Russia. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected form 168 women using anonymously completed questionnaires. Measures included personal demographic and work situation characteristics, work outcomes, indicators of work investment and extra-work outcomes. Findings – TA and MA were significantly and positively correlated ( r =0.22), with women indicating similar levels of TA and MA. Women reporting higher levels of MA generally indicated more favorable work outcomes (higher job satisfaction, lower intent to quit). Women reporting lower levels of TA generally indicated higher levels of work investment. However, neither TA nor MA predicted family satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – This study highlights the importance to take steps to increase TA and MA of Russian women to positively influence their work and extra-work experiences. Originality/value – These findings replicate and extend earlier USA, Egyptian and Turkish results to Russia. Unlike previous studies, the authors simultaneously included TA and MA constructs, thus providing important comparisons of their relationships with different outcomes. The authors also respond to the call to study TA and MA in different cultural contexts.

de Thierry, Ebony ; Lam, Helen ; Harcourt, Mark ; Flynn, Matt ; Wood, Geoff

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-02-2013-0020

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use the theoretical and empirical pension literatures to question whether employers are likely to gain any competitive advantage from degrading or eliminating their employees’ defined benefit (DB) pensions. Design/methodology/approach – Critical literature review, bringing together and synthesizing the industrial relations, economics, social policy, and applied pensions literature. Findings – DB pension plans do deliver a number of potential performance benefits, most notably a decrease in turnover and establishment of longer-term employment relationships. However, benefits are more pronounced in some conditions than others, which are identified. Research limitations/implications – Most of the analysis of pension effects to date focuses primarily on DB plans. Yet, these are declining in significance. In the years ahead, more attention needs to be paid to the potential consequences of defined contribution plans and other types of pension. Practical implications – In re-evaluating DB pensions, firms have tended to focus on savings made through cost cutting. Yet, this approach tends to view a firm's people as an expense rather a potential asset. Attempts to abandon, modify, or otherwise reduce such schemes has the potential to save money in the short term, but the negative long-term consequences may be considerable, even if they are not yet obvious. Originality/value – This paper is topical in that it consolidates existing research evidence from a number of different bodies of literature to make a case for the retention of DB pension plans, when, in many contexts, they are being scaled back or discarded. It raises a number of important issues for reflection by practitioners, and highlights key agendas for future scholarly research.

Caparrós Ruiz, Antonio

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-05-2013-0057

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed knowledge about the relationship between the inter-firm job mobility and the occupational transitions in Spain during the last years. In particular, it is tested whether if the type of job-to-job mobility (voluntary or involuntary) has some influence on the workers careers. The empirical analysis is based on panel data provided by the Living Condition Survey, which is conducted by the Spanish Statistics Institute (INE). The period analysed covers the years between 2005 and 2010 (both inclusive), what allows observing the labour mobility patterns in the recent Spanish economic crisis. Design/methodology/approach – The econometric specification used to analyse occupational mobility corresponds to a random effect panel multinomial logit model. The econometric model is estimated separately for workers that have remained at the same firm and for workers who have changed firms; for the latter group, a dummy variable indicating whether the individual quit or was laid off is included as a regressor. Findings – The results derived from the estimates of the econometric specifications show that individuals who voluntarily leave a firm find the decision has a positive effect on their careers, as their probability of upward occupational mobility is more than 90 per cent higher than for individuals who leave their previous position as a result of having been laid off. Social implications – This result is an argument in favour of adopting active labour market policies that help improve information flows in the labour market and allow workers a better understanding of potential job offers from outside firms. Originality/value – This paper analyses the relationship between inter-firm mobility and occupational transitions that has not yet addressed in the economic literature for Spain.

Pichler, Shaun ; Varma, Arup ; Yu, Andrew ; Beenen, Gerard ; Davoudpour, Shahin

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-11-2013-0165

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and test hypotheses about the independent relationships between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and high-performance work cultures (HPWC) and employee turnover. Given the growth of women in the workforce, the authors also develop competing predictions about how organizational gender demography (i.e. a higher percentage of women) may either strengthen or weaken the relationship of HPWSs to turnover. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 171 human resource (HR) executives across organizations of various sizes and industries in the Chicago metropolitan area in the USA was conducted. Findings – The authors found that HPWS and HPWC are associated with lower turnover, though the relationship between HPWC and turnover was stronger. Results also indicate that HPWS are more strongly related to lower turnover among organizations that employ relatively more women. Research limitations/implications – The results indicates that HPWS may not be universalistic in terms of their effectiveness specifically as related to turnover. This was a cross-sectional study; it would be useful for future research to use a longitudinal research design. Practical implications – The findings suggest that organizations should consider how their cultures, use of high-performance work practices, and gender demography are related to important HR metrics such as turnover. Social implications – This paper represents an important contribution to understanding the importance and implications of changes in the workforce demographic characteristics. Originality/value – This is the first study to integrate an organizational demography perspective with HPWS.

Morf, Manuela ; Arnold, Alexandra ; Staffelbach, Bruno

2014 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/ER-03-2013-0026

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how temporary agency workers’ job attitudes are influenced by the fulfilment of the psychological contract; a set of employees’ expectations, formed with the temporary work agency and its client: the host organisation. Design/methodology/approach – The paper estimated moderated regressions with data collected through an online survey of 352 temporary agency workers employed by a large temporary work agency in Switzerland. Findings – Results suggest that temporary agency workers’ job satisfaction, commitment towards the host organisation, and intentions to stay with the temporary work agency relate positively to the fulfilment of the psychological contract by both organisations. Additionally, reported spill-over-effects imply that the fulfilment of the psychological contract by one organisation moderates job attitudes towards the other organisations. Research limitations/implications – Results of the explorative study reveal that future research should consider the interrelated nature of psychological contracts in working arrangements when multiple employers are involved. However, for more generalisable results, a greater international sample, including different temporary work agencies, would be favourable. Practical implications – Findings will help temporary work agencies to better understand how they rely on host organisations to fulfil the temporary agency workers’ psychological contract to attract and retain temporary agency workers. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature in the understudied field of non-traditional work arrangements as one of the few to examine these spill-over-effects both empirically and theoretically.