Employee Relations: An International Journal

Zhou, Ao; Blumenfeld, Stephen B.

2024 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-01-2023-0051

This study examines the transformation of labour non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Mainland China since the enactment of the 2017 Overseas NGO Management Law, which aims to regulate foreign concerns functioning outside the direct control of the state. It focuses on the extent to which these organisations have responded to the rapidly changing political and social environment by altering their goals and strategies in support of migrant workers. It also considers the relevance of Western social movement theories (SMTs) to China's grassroots labour movement in the 2020s. Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on case studies of ten labour NGOs operating in Beijing, Tianjin and Yunnan. It draws upon fifteen semi-structured interviews with the founders, leaders and activists affiliated with those organisations, as well as records and documented information of each of those organisations.FindingsWhile the power and influence of labour NGOs markedly diminished, most have been able to adapt their goals and the strategies remain sustainable amidst both China's changing political and social climates and the global pandemic. It suggests that conventional SMTs can still offer valuable insights into understanding the development of labour NGOs in China, although they might not fully interpret the specific conditions and challenges faced by these organisations.Originality/valueThis study stands out as one of very few to offer empirical evidence on the inner workings of China's labour NGOs over the last six years. It also contributes to our understanding of social movements in a non-Western context.

Zheng, Xiaojing

2024 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-12-2022-0551

This article aims to examine the role of boundaryless career orientation in influencing Internet professionals' strategies toward workplace problems in China's Internet companies, which feature prominent problems including excessive overwork. It addresses one question: how do Chinese Internet professionals make grievance strategies?Design/methodology/approachThis article draws on qualitative data based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 134 employees from 6 representative Chinese Internet companies. The data were collected during 2018-2021 and analyzed with a grounded theory approach.FindingsThis article highlights the role of boundaryless career orientation in explaining Chinese Internet professionals' strategies toward workplace grievances. The author develops a comprehensive model to illustrate how boundaryless career orientation influences four grievance strategies namely, strategic compliance, exit, dissent expression and resistance that correspond to four different motives to advance the professionals' boundaryless career: learning, transferring, relieving and resolving. Internet professionals choose different grievance strategies based on how each option can benefit their boundaryless career goals.Originality/valueThis article is one of the first to bring in boundaryless career orientation as a key factor in explaining Chinese Internet professionals' grievance strategies. It provides a fuller picture than previous studies by showing wide varieties of professionals' grievance behaviors. The finding of high-level boundaryless career orientation among Internet professionals offers insights on how companies can improve employment relations by improving career management practices.

Lu, Jingfu; Wan, Anlun

2024 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-01-2023-0043

Regarding human resource and labour relations management, academia focuses mainly on cities; however, rural areas are an integral part of China's economic structure. This study focuses on the movie projection industry in China's rural areas and explores how human resource practices (HRPs) are transformed and the labour process is reconstructed in digital transformation.Design/methodology/approachWe adopt a case study of a rural movie projection company. The company's HRPs reconstructed the labour process of movie projection, and they have been promoted as national standards. Data were collected from in-depth interviews, files and observations.FindingsRural movie projection companies combine high-performance and paternalistic HRPs in the media industry's digital transformation. HRPs and digital technology jointly reconstruct the labour process. First, the HRPs direct labour process practices towards standardisation. Second, the digital supervision platform guides the control style from simple to technical, placing projectionists under pressure while increasing management efficiency. Third, rural movies made using digital technology have disenchanted rural residents. Accordingly, the conventional relationships between the “country and its citizens,” “individuals themselves,” and “models and individuals” have been removed, and a new relationship between “individuals themselves” is formed thanks to the novel HRPs.Originality/valueThis research plays a crucial role in exposing researchers to the labour process of rural movie projection, which is significant in China but often ignored by Western academia and advances the Chinese contextualisation of research on labour relations.

Sun, Zhongwei; Zhang, Xuchuang; Wu, Xiaofang

2024 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-01-2023-0042

This study investigates the mediating role of wage and workforce adjustments, along with the moderating influence of collective bargaining system and employees’ localization, in elucidating the relationship between the COVID-19 shock and workplace employee relations (ER) tension.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data from 1,483 enterprises across 21 prefectural cities in China’s Guangdong Province are collected. The hypotheses are tested by logistic regression.FindingsThe study reveals a positive correlation between the COVID-19 shock and workplace ER tension across crisis-hit enterprises, irrespective of their size or industrial sector. Wage reduction and mass layoffs emerge as significant mediators, while the collective bargaining system (CBS) and employees’ localization act as moderators.Research limitations/implicationsThe measurement of ER is limited in a single-item scale. Representation of China is also limited since the study exclusively focuses on Guangdong province. The study offers some contributions that firm-level data reveal the pathway through which COVID-19 creates ER tension.Practical implicationsOn the one hand, the authors recommend the establishment of an effective communication system between employers and employees. On the other hand, managers should consider the role of informal institutions. Furthermore, the authors suggest implementing tailored strategies at the enterprise level.Social implicationsIntense external shocks result in widespread layoffs and increased wage reductions within workplaces, and under such circumstances, formal or informal institutions may be insufficient to alleviate ER tension. In this case, the state authorities – including governments and other public agencies or bodies – are necessary to intervene in to organize tripartite dialogue.Originality/valueWhile numerous emerging studies on COVID-19 explore how different countries manage industrial relations tension at the national level, few focus on ER at workplace level, particularly in developing countries. Understanding how workplace ER evolve during external shocks and identifying institutional measures to mitigate their negative impact is crucial for future crisis management.

Burdziej, Stanisław; Haffer, Rafał; Moszyńska, Anna; Karwacki, Arkadiusz

2024 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-11-2023-0586

Previous research has demonstrated that the experience of fair treatment (organizational justice) motivates workers to accept their leaders’ decisions, even when these decisions are viewed as unfavorable. We aim at extending these findings by testing for mediating effects of the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organization as a particular example of a hindering external condition. We expected that employees’ perception of management response to the pandemic would partly mediate the effect of organizational fairness on employee compliance.Design/methodology/approachIn Study 1 we surveyed a nationally representative (N = 1,001) sample of employees. In Study 2 we used a representative sample (N = 250) of those workers who were laid off during the pandemic.FindingsWe show that an organization’s perceived ability to adapt to the pandemic partly mediated the relationship between organizational justice and acceptance of management decisions. Employees who were treated fairly were more ready to accept management decisions and viewed their organization as better prepared for hindering external conditions such as COVID-19. Their perceptions of organization’s ability to adapt partly mediated the effect of organizational justice on decision acceptance.Originality/valueOur study is among the first to identify a link between organizational fairness and organizational adaptation. We show that employees perceive fair organizations as better prepared for external shocks.

Farrukh, Muhammad; Attiq, Saman; Rafiq, Muhammad; Raza, Ali; Ansari, Nabeel Younus

2024 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-08-2022-0370

Although the importance of high-performance work practices to foster individual-level outcomes is well documented, how team-level perception of HPWPs impacts team-level outcomes is not well researched, particularly in the hospitality sector. To fill this research gap, the role of team-level perception of HPWPs in fostering team engagement through team psychological capital is investigated.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire.FindingsThe study findings suggest that in the presence of HPWPs, front-line service employees have high psychological resources and are more engaged in performing their organizational tasks.Originality/valueThe hotel management should benefit from high-performance work practices to enhance employees' attachment with their service organizations for exhibiting work engagement.

Boyraz, Maggie; Gilbert, Rosemarie

2024 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-09-2023-0478

This study explores the topic of remote work and the changing motivations to working from home after the COVID-19 pandemic-induced exposure to working from home. It examines the effects of that forced work from home (WFH) experience on subsequent motivations for continuing part or all of that changed mode of working. In this study, the authors examine the perspective of front-line knowledge workers regarding the motivation to WFH based on their lived experiences.Design/methodology/approachSelf-determination theory (SDT) provided the theoretical basis for the study (Ryan and Deci, 2000, 2017). The authors employed semi-structured individual and group interviews (with 28 participants) and explored the following questions: How has the competence aspect of motivation to WFH changed due to the shift that occurred during the pandemic? How has the relatedness aspect of motivation to WFH changed due to the shift that occurred during the pandemic? How has the autonomy aspect of motivation to WFH changed due to the shift that transpired during the pandemic?FindingsThe findings show that there was a change from an extrinsic motivation based on external factors to one that is more intrinsic, or internal, in nature for knowledge workers who experienced the switch to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study makes an important contribution by developing a theoretical model based on SDT (Ryan and Deci, 2000, 2017) in the context of WFH. In the first phase (Phase 1), workers experienced many transitional challenges due to the suddenness and intensiveness of the shift. However, over time workers adapted and adjusted (we refer to this as Phase 2 in our model). Ultimately, all three aspects of SDT – competence, relatedness and autonomy – increased motivation to work from home. However, we also found some factors that act as demotivators to knowledge workers for embracing remote work such as those involving career advancement and the expectation of voice. Despite these moderating factors, the overall progression toward the desire to WFH, at least on a hybrid basis, has continued after adjusting to the forced experience of telecommuting during the pandemic.Originality/valueThe contribution of this study is to disaggregate the short-term effects of the sudden transition, to the longer-term effects after adaption and adjustment occurred, and to connect that to a new perspective on work by employees. It does this by extending SDT to the context of motivation regarding work from home. The COVID-19 pandemic provided experience of and opportunities for telework to more employees and changed many of their expectations and motivations. By looking at front-line knowledge workers’ expectations and motivations related to home-based work, we can better understand the increased demand by workers for hybrid work schedules.

Tiwari, Anjali; Khan, Saleena; Chandran, Renju; Tewari, Alok

2024 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-07-2023-0369

This study dwells into the crucial aspects of gig workers' jobs that are absent, with specific focus on the work life of food delivery workers (FDWs) and how it impacts their work happiness.Design/methodology/approachTo create a conceptual model, 21 delivery workers were first interviewed, and the data gathered were scrutinized. Subsequently, a questionnaire was sent to 493 delivery partners, probing about their opinions of work factors that could affect their level of happiness. The collected data were put to study by the authors using AMOS and SPSS.FindingsFive missing work components were revealed by qualitative investigation. The absence of voice, recognition, career growth, work satisfaction, and dignity at work contributed to unhappiness of the workers. The qualitative analysis was supported by quantitative findings. Additionally, company policy moderated the relationship between absence of voice, absence of career growth, absence of job satisfaction and absence of work happiness.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies using a mixed-method approach to identify factors contributing to the unhappiness of FDWs in work. The originality of this study also lies in establishing the moderating influence of company policy on the relationship between the absence of voice, absence of career growth, absence of work satisfaction and absence of workplace happiness among the workers.

Gupta, Himanshu; Dhar, Rajib Lochan

2024 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-09-2023-0491

The catastrophic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have considerably impacted the labour market and increased job insecurity among workers. This study systematically reviews the literature on job insecurity conducted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic with three key objectives. First, to identify the key antecedents of job insecurity during the pandemic. Second, to identify the outcomes associated with job insecurity during the pandemic. Third, to identify the underlying boundary conditions that strengthened or alleviated the association between the antecedents of job insecurity and its associated outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe study followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines for the selection and inclusion of scientific literature by systematically searching five electronic databases, namely, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science and Psych Info.FindingsA perception of health-related risks, negative economic consequences and organizational restructuring during the pandemic were the primary factors contributing to job insecurity among workers. The consequences encompassed detrimental impacts on health and well-being, proactive measures undertaken by employees to alleviate the threat of job loss, and a variety of tactics employed to cope with stress arising from job insecurity. The boundary conditions elucidate the factors that alleviated job insecurity among workers and influenced both their work and non-work outcomes.Originality/valueThis is the first systematic review summarizing the literature on employees' experiences with job insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a systematic review, this study provides doable steps that HR managers can take to effectively manage job insecurity among workers, particularly during a crisis.

Wang, Zhen; Chen, Huan

2024 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/er-03-2024-0157

Leader high performance expectation (LHPE) as a performance management practice is becoming more common in today’s business environment, with managers setting ambitious goals to motivate employees to excel at their jobs. This study aims to critically examine LHPE as a performance management practice within contemporary organizations, focusing on whether LHPE has opposing effects on employee performance and health, as well as how servant leadership can improve the benefits of LHPE while lowering its costs.Design/methodology/approachA path analysis of data from a three-wave survey of 416 full-time employees was used to test our hypotheses.FindingsLHPE has opposing effects on employees via two distinct pathways: motivational effects on employee performance via harmonious work passion and strain effects on employee health via work strain. In the face of LHPE, servant leadership can assist in achieving a mutual gain between employee performance and health.Originality/valueThis study contributes uniquely to the field of employee relations by offering a comprehensive analysis of LHPE’s dual effects. It moves beyond traditional views that focus on singular outcomes, providing a deeper understanding of how LHPE can both motivate and strain employees. Highlighting servant leadership’s role signifies a novel approach to managing LHPE’s complexities, presenting valuable insights for HR practitioners and organizational leaders. This research underlines the importance of balancing performance expectations with employee well-being, aligning with modern perspectives on positive employment relationships.