Employee Relations: An International Journal

Böhmer, Nicole; Schinnenburg, Heike

2023 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-04-2022-0202

Human resource management (HRM) processes are increasingly artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, and HRM supports the general digital transformation of companies' viable competitiveness. This paper points out possible positive and negative effects on HRM, workplaces and workers’ organizations along the HR processes and its potential for competitive advantage in regard to managerial decisions on AI implementation regarding augmentation and automation of work.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review that includes 62 international journals across different disciplines and contains top-tier academic and German practitioner journals was conducted. The literature analysis applies the resource-based view (RBV) as a lens through which to explore AI-driven HRM as a potential source of organizational capabilities.FindingsThe analysis shows four ambiguities for AI-driven HRM that might support sustainable company development or might prevent AI application: job design, transparency, performance and data ambiguity. A limited scholarly discussion with very few empirical studies can be stated. To date, research has mainly focused on HRM in general, recruiting and HR analytics in particular.Research limitations/implicationsThe four ambiguities' context-specific potential for capability building in firms is indicated, and research avenues are developed.Originality/valueThis paper critically explores AI-driven HRM and structures context-specific potential for capability building along four ambiguities that must be addressed by HRM to strategically contribute to an organization's competitive advantage.

Bai, Peipei; Heidarian Ghaleh, Hossein; Chang, Huikun; Li, Longzhen; Pak, Jongwook

2023 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-04-2022-0192

The study aims to offer a nuanced, fine-grained understanding of how the relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWSs) and negative employee outcomes can be attenuated under self-sacrificial leadership (SSL).Design/methodology/approachHierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to test the proposed multilevel model on a sample of 37 first-line managers (FLMs) and 209 employees working in a large Chinese company.FindingsThe results showed that HPWS is positively related to emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. Most conspicuously, the authors found that such adverse effects of HPWS are mitigated with a high level of SSL.Practical implicationsThe dark side of HPWS can be alleviated if practitioners complement their practices with sufficient support for employees. Particularly, FLMs who exhibit subordinate-serving attitudes consider followers' well-being and provide them with resources can lessen the high pressure of HPWS in pursuit of performance enhancement.Originality/valuePrior studies on the relationships between HPWS and employee outcomes have produced somewhat mixed results. This study extended the current discourse by explicating instead why HPWS could potentially impair employee outcomes and how the negative effects of HPWS can be mitigated under positive leader behaviors.

Florkowski, Gary Walter

2023 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-06-2022-0260

Drawing on the international business and IHRM literature, this study investigated the effects that employment regulation and its nature of enforcement have on foreign investment in emerging markets.Design/methodology/approachPanel regressions with time fixed effects were conducted for the period 2002–2017 using regulatory, human capital, and economic data for 34 developing nations. Robustness checks also were performed by varying the measures for key predictors along with the modes of analysis (i.e., Pooled OLS with clustered standard errors, generalized estimating equations (GEE), and instrumental variable (IV) regression with the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach).FindingsAlthough the totality of restrictions did not have an impact, FDI inflows were negatively related to the process strength of enforcement. This suggests investors place greater emphasis on de facto exposure than on de jure enactments, favoring nations less willing or able to push for compliance. In addition, while GDP growth had a positive impact on inward investment, the opposite was found for licensing restrictions and labor productivity. The remaining controls failed to display consistent relationships with foreign investment.Research limitations/implicationsData constraints precluded the inclusion of additional economies and years before 2001. It also was not possible to directly evaluate the influence of labor costs without a standardized measure for developing nations. This entered at best indirectly in GDP per capita, which was tested.Practical implicationsThese findings have important implications for social responsibility, suggesting more aggressive monitoring is needed of investment criteria and government relations. At a minimum, social auditing and reporting should better document overt commitments to rights-adherence and compliance-partnering. CSR stakeholders can work in tandem, tracking enforcement more closely and lobbying governments to discourage policies of lax enforcement.Originality/valueThis is the first study to assess how legal stock and its manner of enforcement influence FDI inflows. Improving on earlier studies, employment law was measured with a broad legal scale that was annually adjusted. Enforcement was evaluated in two different forms, both as process strength and administrative capacity – the former drawing investors' attention.

Elbanna, Said; Obeidat, Shatha M.; Younis, Heba; Elsharnouby, Tamer H.

2023 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-08-2022-0401

This study aimed to contribute to the field of Human Resource Management (HRM) by providing a critical review of existing scholarly research and a thematic analysis of the workforce nationalization domain in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. To strengthen the literature on this topic, it seeks to identify key gaps and areas for further exploration.Design/methodology/approachA two-step systematic research methodology (qualitative and quantitative) and a thematic analysis of empirical and theoretical studies were used in this study. The quantitative review was conducted using a predesigned coding framework.FindingsThe study identified and discussed four perspectives of workforce nationalization in the GCC countries. These were (1) the conceptualization of workforce nationalization; (2) the role of institutional policies in achieving it; (3) the practices and outcomes of nationalization efforts and (4) the impact of gender and women in the nationalization process.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has several limitations, which the authors have addressed by proposing several future research avenues. For example, the reviewed studies are skewed toward certain countries (e.g. UAE and Saudi Arabia), which limits the generalizability of their findings.Practical implicationsA more comprehensive definition of nationalization, development of qualitative and quantitative measures to enhance HRM practices and outcomes, and the identification of alternative approaches to improve the employment of locals are emphasized as needs. Additionally, revised measures and mechanisms to rectify negative perceptions about entitlement and the revision of policies to integrate females in the national labor force are suggested.Originality/valueWorkforce nationalization initiatives in the GCC region offer a unique and rich research phenomenon replete with managerial, organizational, economic and political dilemmas. The investigation of this phenomenon would profoundly enlighten employers, policymakers and scholars.

Irvine, Annie; Suter, Jane

2023 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-09-2022-0451

This study addresses a gap in evidence on small employer experiences of managing mental health problems in the workplace. The authors gathered first-hand experiences of small business managers to empirically investigate how the small business context affects the management and support of mental health problems in the workplace, and the practice implications that arise.Design/methodology/approachQualitative interviews, combining semi-structured and narrative approaches, with 21 small business managers with experience of managing employees with mental health difficulties. The 21 managers recounted a total of 45 employee cases, which were analysed thematically, using a case-based matrix. Study participants were drawn from small businesses within England and Scotland (UK). Interviews were conducted between November 2019 and February 2020.FindingsSupport aligned with current understanding of effective practice, yet was often informal, instinctive and flexible. Accommodating employees with mental health problems impacted the workload of managers and co-workers, and business operation and growth. Challenges and tensions reflected the difficult balancing act faced by managers in organisations of all sizes. However, the intensity and immediacy of cross-pressures was enhanced for small businesses, due to their smaller workforce and lack of dedicated Human Resource Management and occupational health expertise.Practical implicationsGuidance should address the navigation of day-to-day management and support for employees with mental health difficulties, including approaches to balancing the needs of the wider workforce and business operation. Access to HR and occupational health expertise is valuable. Financial subsidies may be of lesser concern to small businesses.Originality/valueThis study offers originality in focusing exclusively on small business managers with first-hand experience of supporting employees with mental health problems. Findings challenge the perception that small firms have unique experiences, whilst highlighting contextual features that exacerbate intensity and immediacy of impacts.

Mordi, Chima; Ajonbadi, Hakeem Adeniyi; Adekoya, Olatunji David; Oruh, Emeka Smart

2023 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-09-2021-0423

This study explores the practices of locational flexibility in the Nigerian higher education sector. It examines the realities of remotely organising and managing academics' teaching and administrative workload, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachRelying on the interpretative paradigm, the dataset consists of semi-structured interviews with 92 professionals in the Nigerian higher educational institution (HEI) sector drawn from private and public federal government-owned and regional (otherwise known as state government) tertiary institutions.FindingsThe study highlights the practices of locational flexibility across the Nigerian higher education sector. Therefore, it underscores the notions of locational flexibility from the perspective of Nigerian academics. It reveals a paucity in the range and usage of locational flexibility options across the Nigerian higher education sector, as well as the factors shaping its implementation and utilisation. Ultimately, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings reveal that locational flexibility is predominantly environmentally induced.Originality/valueThis study focused on a salient topic that explores the practices of locational flexibility, particularly in an underresearched context of developing economies, specifically Nigeria. Moreover, the study contributes to the scarce literature on locational flexibility. Additionally, unlike previous studies that are mostly preoccupied with the meaning of the concept and the importance of the practice to employees' work-life balance, organisational flexibility, and overall operational performance, this study underpins the practices, utilisation and barriers to implementing locational flexibility.

Rusu, Mihai Stelian; Popa, Adela Elena; Pogan, Livia Dana; Gutoiu, Giorgian Ionut

2023 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-11-2022-0531

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the issues related to job insecurity became even more prominent than before. This paper sets out to identify the determinants of job insecurity in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic among Romanian workers, a topic than was scarcely addressed in previous studies.Design/methodology/approachBased on a representative sample at the national level (N = 744), the authors performed a multilinear regression analysis that pinpoints the factors predicting job insecurity.FindingsThis study findings indicate that high-skilled workers employed on permanent arrangements, having higher workloads, who had received organizational support, and managed to harmonize work demands with family responsibilities experience the lowest levels of job insecurity. In this study, teleworking does not influence the level of job insecurity. Gender (being male), working in the public sector and approving the political management of the COVID-19 pandemic also count in securing the feelings employees have about their job.Originality/valueBesides filling a geographical gap in the literature, another innovative contribution of the paper is the emphasis on the importance for the employees of how public authorities manage the public health crisis. Also, this study explores the workload as a factor of job insecurity which was unaddressed previously. Implications for research and practice are emphasized.

Chen, Silu; Liu, Wenxing; Zhang, Guanglei; Tian, Chenling

2023 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-05-2021-0220

The purpose of this study was to examine the underlying mechanism as well as the boundary effect between employees' perceived ethical human resource management (HRM) and ethical voice based on social cognitive theory. The authors expect that employees who perceive ethical HRM could develop their moral reasoning and conduct through one of the cognitive processes (i.e. vicarious experience).Design/methodology/approachBased on structural equation modelling and hierarchical regression analysis, the authors conducted a questionnaire survey on 265 employees and their immediate supervisors from a manufacturing company in China.FindingsEmployees' perceived ethical HRM was positively related to ethical voice, and moral efficacy mediated this relationship. Moral task complexity not only moderated the relationship between employees' perceived ethical HRM and moral efficacy but also moderated the indirect effect of employees' perceived ethical HRM on ethical voice such that the impact was stronger when the moral task complexity level is higher and weaker when low.Practical implicationsThis research model provides a framework through which organisations can diagnose potential ethical issues with the implementation of ethical HRM, as well as increase employee awareness of ethical values and then enhance their moral efficacy. Moreover, organisations can benefit from combining interventions and practices that influence the task design.Originality/valueThis study fills research gap by examining the mechanisms that shape employees' ethical voice from the perspective of HRM through moral efficacy and demonstrates that higher levels of moral task complexity contribute to higher levels of moral efficacy and ethical voice.

Bartram, Timothy; Cooper, Brian; Cooke, Fang Lee; Wang, Jue

2023 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-06-2022-0273

The development of sustainable employee-focused HRM approaches have grown in importance during and post-COVID-19. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which wellbeing-oriented HRM practices can transform workers’ feelings of burnout to enable thriving, and subsequently enhance in-role employee performance in high workload contexts.Design/methodology/approach This study draws on data gathered from 561 employees in bank branches operating in China across two time periods. The authors test the following hypotheses: (1) wellbeing-oriented HRM is positively related to employee thriving; (2) perceived workload is positively related to employee burnout; (3) thriving will mediate the relationship between wellbeing-oriented HRM and employee performance; (4) burnout will mediate the relationship between workload and employee performance; (5) thriving will mediate the relationship between workload and employee performance; and (6) burnout and thriving will sequentially mediate the relationship between wellbeing-oriented HRM and employee performance.Findings This study confirmed hypotheses 1–5. Hypothesis 6 was not confirmed. The authors find that thriving mediates the relationship between wellbeing-oriented HRM and employee performance, and burnout mediates the relationship between workload and employee performance. The authors also find workload was positively related to thriving (after controlling for burnout), consistent with the challenge–hindrance model of occupational stress.Originality/value The study builds on growing evidence that employees can thrive at work even when in stressful situations by using conservation of resources theory to examine how wellbeing-oriented HRM practices act as protective resources against demanding work situations. Findings demonstrate alternative pathways through which wellbeing-oriented HRM can enhance employee performance via reducing burnout and enhancing thriving.

Salas-Vallina, Andrés; Herrera, Justo; Rofcanin, Yasin

2023 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-10-2022-0485

Based on the job-demands resources model, this study examines the potential of human resource management practices to simultaneously improve physicians' burnout and quality of patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a sample of 499 physicians working in specialised medical units, structural equation models through PLS-SEM was used to check the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that human resource management can reduce physicians' burnout and increase quality of patient care by considering job demands and job resources as mediators. In addition, this study suggests that burnout and quality of patient care can be improved simultaneously.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is focused on healthcare, which opens important opportunities to extend the proposed model in other public and private industries.Practical implicationsManagers need to understand that fostering well-being among employees is crucial for human resource management and impacts positively on employee performance.Originality/valueThis study offers a double mediation process whereby job demands and job resources are key underlying mechanisms through which human resource management practices reduce burnout and improve performance in a compatible way.