Employee Relations: An International Journal

Hennekam, Sophie; Peterson, Jonathan; Tahssain-Gay, Loubna; Dumazert, Jean-Pierre

2018 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-06-2017-0142

The purpose of this paper is to examine how managers deal with religious diversity in secular organizations in France.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 28 semi-structured in-depth interviews with managers in France were conducted, transcribed and analyzed.FindingsThe findings reveal three distinct strategies. First, the authors identified a “flexibility within the rules” strategy in which managers try to accommodate religious practices by making allowances, create mutual understanding and trust. Second, a “separation strategy” emerged in which managers keep work and religion clearly separated. Those managers expressed a strong adherence to rules and perceived the implementation of allowances difficult not only for their own organization but also in light of third parties with whom they worked. Third, the findings reveal a “common-ground” strategy in which managers stressed the communalities between individual workers, downplayed their differences and sought to create a strong corporate culture to which all employees could relate.Practical implicationsThe expression of religious beliefs in the workplace is increasing. However, little is known about how managers deal with the perceived clash of secularism and the presence of different religions in the workplace. Implications for managers such as taking into account perceptions of justice, practical issues as well as the importance of communication and education are discussed.Originality/valueReligion is a deep-level and understudied aspect of diversity management that deserves more attention given the increase in religious diversity in the workplace.

Berber, Nemanja; Lekovic, Bojan

2018 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-08-2017-0188

The purpose of this paper is to research the impact of one of HRM activities, employees’ development, on the level of organizational innovative performances. HR development techniques that organizations use in order to develop employee’s knowledge, skills and abilities and their impact on the perceived level of organizational innovativeness was set in the focus of research, with the intent of determining which development techniques influence organizational innovative performance.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on the data from CRANET project, which has been largely used in exploring the relation between HRM activities and other variables of organizational behavior and performances. Data for this study were collected from a sample of 1,384 organizations from 8 CEE countries (Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Serbia) for the period 2015–2016. The correlation was used to explore the relations between variables. Ordinal logistic regression was used in order to explore the relations between the employees’ development techniques, training importance and training effectiveness and the level of organizational innovativeness.FindingsThe regression model showed that there are a statistically significant relations between the effectiveness of training expressed by systematic evaluation of training practice, and the methods of employees’ training (use of projects to stimulate learning, on-the-job training, development centers, use of international work assignments and mentoring) with the level of innovation. The importance of training practice expressed by the ratio of the annual training budget in the total payroll costs did not show statistically significant relations with the level of innovation. Also, systematic estimation of the need for training of personnel has not shown statistically significant relations with the innovation rate of the organization.Research limitations/implicationsThe data are derived from single source respondents, and response rates between countries do vary. At the country level, every effort is made to represent the structure of the economy in the country and at the point in which the data are being collected.Practical implicationsTraining and international working assignments have a direct positive relation with the level of organizational performances, while teamwork and coaching and mentoring have not shown the same. Organizations and their HR managers should pay special attention to planning and implementation of HR development programs – coaching, mentoring and teamwork – in order to create space for organizational innovation enhancement.Originality/valuePrevious literature seeking to clarify the role of HRM and fostering organizational innovation has made its evident contribution based on theoretical papers. In order to improve the current situation in which empirical evidence is very rare, research on the significance of the employee development program and its impact on the organizational innovative performances is based on quantitative indicators of the conducted research. The relation of HRM and innovative performances in the CEE region was studied in only a few studies. In the previous period, this region has often been omitted in the field of HRM research. Therefore, an additional novelty can be derived from a research sample compiled from the CEE region countries in the conducted research.

Skorupińska-Cieślak, Katarzyna

2018 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-07-2017-0159

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors influencing the presence of works councils in Polish companies. The study also considers the incidence of councils in organizations and management’s attitude towards these institutions of employee participation.Design/methodology/approachBased on a sample of 402 Polish private companies, the probit model was calculated to identify the determinants of a works councils’ presence. The coverage of active councils was evaluated on the MRPiPS database and the GUS database.FindingsThe data show that the coverage of works councils in Polish organizations fell suddenly after the introduction of the amendment of the Act from 2009. Moreover, trade union density has a strong positive influence on the occurrence of works councils in companies. Councils are also more likely to be found in older foreign-owned companies in which forms of direct participation are used. Additionally, a higher share of shift workers in companies is associated with a higher probability of works councils’ presence.Research limitations/implicationsThere are some difficulties with obtaining a precise analysis of the coverage of works councils in Poland.Practical implicationsPolish findings may be useful for other countries of Central and Eastern Europe with similar characteristics of industrial relations and similarly short traditions of works councils.Originality/valueThis paper extends the previous research on the operation of works councils in Polish industrial relations by providing an econometric analysis of the determinants of councils’ presence in companies. Such an analysis has been conducted in Poland for the first time.

Kloutsiniotis, Panagiotis V.; Mihail, Dimitrios M.

2018 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-08-2017-0201

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the Greek banking sector and examine the indirect effects of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on service quality. Specifically, this study examines the effects of employees’ perceptions of HPWS on their trust toward their managers, as well as on service quality, through the mediating role of employee outcomes (measured by job satisfaction and affective commitment). In addition, trust is also tested for its role as a potential mediator and moderator in the relationship between HPWS and employee outcomes.Design/methodology/approachPartial least squares structural equation modeling was used on a sample of 350 front-line employees working in the Greek banking sector.FindingsThe findings showed that employee outcomes mediated the relationship between HPWS and service quality. On the other hand, although trust mediated the relationship between HPWS and employee outcomes, no support was found for its moderating effect. Finally, although not included in the initial analysis, trust was found to play a mediating and moderating role in the relationship between HPWS and service quality.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the vital role that a “trusting” work environment has to play on employee attitudes and outcomes. As this study shows, the positive employee behaviors along with their willingness to accept and support organizational goals influence their level of productivity.Originality/valueThis study sheds lights on the mediating and moderating role of trust in the relationship between HPWS, employee outcomes, and service quality. Finally, implications are drawn for organizations, managers, and practitioners.

Luu, Tuan Trong

2018 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-06-2017-0134

There has been a growing number, though still modest, of organizations in Vietnam context that hire employees with disabilities and build disability inclusive management practices and disability diversity climate for them to engage in their work roles. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how disability inclusive HR practices contribute to work engagement of employees with disabilities working in Vietnam-based information technology (IT) industry.Design/methodology/approachThe research model was tested through the data collected from employees with disabilities and their direct supervisors from IT companies based in Vietnam.FindingsThe data analysis revealed that disability inclusive HR practices influenced employees with disabilities to engage in their work activities through organizational identification as a mediator. Moral leadership exhibited a positive interactive effect with disability inclusive HR practices in promoting organizational identification of employees with disabilities and, in turn, their work engagement. In addition, employees’ idiosyncratic deals were found to serve as an individual enhancer for the link between their organizational identification and work engagement.Originality/valueThis research sets a milestone for more empirical inquiries on disability-oriented antecedents at both organizational and individual levels that can foster work engagement of employees with disabilities.

Kuna, Shani; Nadiv, Ronit

2018 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-07-2017-0160

Understanding occupational boundaries is vital in the contemporary economy, in which knowledge-based work is a central feature. The purpose of this paper is to identify and decipher boundary work which affects the cooperation and demarcation between human resource (HR) managers and external organization development (OD) practitioners during organization change processes.Design/methodology/approachData are based on in-depth interviews with HR managers and external OD practitioners in the Israeli business sector.FindingsEncounters between HR managers and external OD practitioners are potentially volatile given mutual experiences of occupational threat. Three distinct patterns of boundary work for negotiating OD-HR jurisdiction are identified. These yield differential occupational and organizational outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is based on a medium-sized sample of practitioners of HRM and OD in the Israeli business sector. The data focused on one-sided descriptions of occupational relations.Practical implicationsThe findings shed light on boundary work associated with fruitful HRM-OD partnerships. This may greatly advance the success of costly organization change and development interventions which demand the collaboration of both parties. Implications are offered regarding the academic education and practical daily management of both groups of practitioners.Originality/valueDespite their growing relevance, empirical investigations of daily HRM-OD interfaces are scarce. This exploratory research addresses this gap in the literature and offers theoretical and practical insights.

Mushfiqur, Rahman; Mordi, Chima; Oruh, Emeka Smart; Nwagbara, Uzoechi; Mordi, Tonbara; Turner, Itari Mabel

2018 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-06-2017-0131

The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of work-life-balance (WLB) challenges for Nigerian female medical doctors. This study focusses on Nigeria, which its peculiar socio-cultural, institutional and professional realities constitute WLB as well as social sustainability (SS) challenge for female medical doctors.Design/methodology/approachRelying on qualitative, interpretivist approach and informed by institutional theory, this study explores how Nigeria’s institutional environment and workplace realities engender WLB challenges, which consequently impact SS for female doctors. In total, 43 semi-structured interviews and focus group session involving eight participants were utilised for empirical analysis.FindingsThe study reveals that factors such as work pressure, cultural expectations, unsupportive relationships, challenging work environment, gender role challenges, lack of voice/participation, and high stress level moderate the ability of female medical doctors to manage WLB and SS. It also identifies that socio-cultural and institutional demands on women show that these challenges, while common to female physicians in other countries, are different and more intense in Nigeria because of their unique professional, socio-cultural and institutional frameworks.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of the WLB and SS requires scholarship to deepen as well as extend knowledge on contextual disparities in understanding these concepts from developing countries perspective, which is understudied.Originality/valueThis study offers fresh insights into the WLB and SS concepts from the non-western context, such as Nigeria, highlighting the previously understudied challenges of WLB and SS and their implications for female doctors.

Williams, Colin Charles; Bezeredi, Slavko

2018 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-04-2017-0085

To transcend the long-standing debate regarding whether workers are driven into the informal economy by either their involuntary “exclusion” or voluntary “exit” from the formal economy, the purpose of this paper is to propose and evaluate the existence of a dual informal labour market composed of an exit-driven “upper tier” and an exclusion-driven “lower-tier” of informal workers, and to explore its policy implications.Design/methodology/approachTo do so, data are reported from a 2015 survey of the informal economy conducted in South-East Europe involving 6,019 face-to-face interviews in Bulgaria, Croatia and FYR Macedonia.FindingsIdentifying a dual informal labour market with three exit-driven informal workers for every exclusion-driven informal worker, a multinomial logit regression analysis reveals that, compared to the exclusion-driven “lower tier”, the exit-driven “upper tier” is significantly more likely to be populated by the formally employed, retired and those not struggling financially. Participation is not affected by the perceived severity of penalties and likely risks of detection, but relative to those in the exclusion-driven “lower tier”, there is a significant correlation between those doing so for exit rationales and their lack of both horizontal trust and vertical trust in formal institutions.Practical implicationsThe outcome is a call to transcend the conventional deterrence approach of increasing the penalties and risks of detection. Instead, to tackle those driven by exit rationales, tackling both the lack of horizontal trust that other citizens are operating in a compliant manner and the lack of vertical trust in formal institutions is advocated. To tackle exclusion-driven informal workers, meanwhile, a focus upon the macro-level economic and social conditions which lead to their participation is required.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to empirically evaluate the existence of a dual informal labour market and to evaluate its policy implications.

Ferri, Laura Maria; Pedrini, Matteo; Riva, Egidio

2018 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-09-2017-0211

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether and how the actual use of supports available from the state, organisations and families helps workers reduce perceived work–family conflict (WFC), explored from both works interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) perspectives.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on a survey of 2,029 employees at six large Italian firms. To test hypotheses, a hierarchical regression analysis was performed.FindingsWFC should be explored considering its bi-directionality, as supports have different impacts on WIF and FIW. Workplace instrumental support elicits mixed effects on WFC, whereas workplace emotional support and familiar support reduce both FIW and WIF.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to the Italian national context, and data were collected in a single moment of time, which did not allow for observing changes in employees’ lives.Practical implicationsHuman resource managers, as well as policy makers, will find this study’s results useful in designing effective work–life balance policies and supports, in which attention is devoted mainly to promoting workplace emotional supports and facilitating familiar support.Social implicationsThe study highlights that by reducing pressures from work and family responsibilities that generate WFC conditions, organisational and familiar supports elicit different effects, which should be considered carefully when defining policies and interventions.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few that compare the role of supports provided by actors in different sectors on FIW and WIF, thereby allowing for an understanding of whether the bi-directionality of the conflicts is a relevant perspective.

Baeza, Miguel A.; Gonzalez, Jorge A.; Wang, Yong

2018 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-12-2016-0236

The purpose of this paper is to study how job flexibility influences job satisfaction among Mexican professionals, and focus on the role of key socio-cultural moderators relevant to Mexican society.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explore how this relationship may be more important for women, employees with dependents such as children and elder parents and younger generations of professionals (e.g. Millennials).FindingsThe authors find that job flexibility is positively related to job satisfaction. This relationship is stronger for employees without dependents, as well as for younger generations of professionals (e.g. Millennials). Surprisingly, the relationship between job flexibility and job satisfaction does not differ by gender. The findings explain why job flexibility is more conductive to job satisfaction for employees without dependents, who tend to belong to younger generations.Originality/valueOverall, the findings present important implications for managing job flexibility in Mexico and other Latin American countries, particularly for younger professionals.