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Employee Relations
Journal Prestige (SJR): 0.551  Citation Impact (citeScore): 2 Number of Followers: 7  Hybrid journal * Containing 2  Open Access article(s) in this issue *ISSN (Print) 0142-5455 - ISSN (Online) 1758-7069 Published by Emerald  [360 journals]
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- How can the work environment be redesigned to enhance the well-being of
individuals with autism'-
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Authors: Michał T. Tomczak
Abstract: This article examines the opportunities to create optimal conditions for individuals with autism, to work successfully within the contemporary workplace and improve their well-being. These opportunities arise from digital technology (DT) development, enabling the work environment to be remodeled by providing new possibilities and ways of working. The author discusses both technology-based as well as non-technological accommodations supporting overcoming the workplace challenges faced by employees with autism. A qualitative research was conducted with the use of in-depth interviews with 21 individuals with expertise in the field. Possible technology-based work environment modifications and non-technological managerial practices facilitating work integration and the long-term well-being of individuals with autism were proposed. These solutions address four main problems: (1) effective communication; (2) time management, task prioritizing, and organization of work; (3) stress management and emotion control; and (4) sensory sensitivity. Proposed solutions include primarily the wide usage of electronic mediated forms of communicating based on non-direct and non-verbal contact; a flexible approach towards work organization; accurate stress monitoring systems; and an individualized approach toward office space arrangements limiting external stimuli. All this could lead not only to an increase in employment in individuals on the autism spectrum but also influence the improvement of the job performance of already employed. Modifications introduced could improve the long-term well-being of all employees, both with autism and neurotypical ones.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-06-27
DOI: 10.1108/ER-12-2021-0535
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Exploring secrecy in pay communication: a conceptual matrix
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Authors: Sarah Holtzen
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework that clarifies the construct of pay secrecy. Paralleling organizational justice research, two continua of pay information – a distributive continuum about pay raise outcomes and a procedural continuum of pay raise processes – are crossed to produce a 3 × 3 matrix with nine distinct forms of pay communication. Drawing on the substitutability effect from the organizational justice literature, the matrix highlights the importance of considering how the communication of different types of pay information interact with one another as individuals form pay perceptions. The matrix framework illustrates that not only information content shapes pay perceptions, but also the extent to which different types of pay information are communicated, and how these different types of information interact. As with any conceptual framework, the current manuscript is limited by a lack of empirical testing. Managers should be cognizant of the many different ways in which pay information can be communicated. A call is made to reconsider the use of traditionally binary terminology (secret or not) in favor of more accurate descriptions of the nuanced ways in which organizations communicate pay information. The value of the pay communication matrix lies in the nine unique forms of pay communication arising from the interaction of two different forms of pay information – distributive (outcomes) and procedural (process).
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-06-15
DOI: 10.1108/ER-04-2021-0164
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- The effect of high-performance work systems on risk-taking and
organizational citizenship behaviors: the mediating role of perceived
safety climate-
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Authors: Mohammed Aboramadan , Yasir Mansoor Kundi , Eissa Elhamalawy , Belal Albashiti
Abstract: Building on the social exchange theory and the norm of reciprocity, this study examines the effect of high-performance work systems (HPWS) during the COVID-19 pandemic on employee's risk-taking behavior and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Among the aforementioned links, perceived safety climate was theorized as a mediating mechanism. Multisource and time-lagged data were gathered from a sample of employees and their supervisors working in Palestinian nonprofit organizations. HPWS were shown to boost risk-taking behavior during COVID-19 pandemic. The direct effect between HPWS and OCB was not significant. Furthermore, safety climate mediated the effect of HPWS on both risk-taking behavior and OCB. The study's findings can be used by managers with regard to the utility of HPWS during times of crises and their impact on important behavioral outcomes. HRM scholars have started to look at how HR practices can be useful in helping to overcome a pandemic. However, limited empirical knowledge is available on the effects of HPWS on employees' work outcomes during crises. The study is aimed at addressing the aforementioned gap.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-06-09
DOI: 10.1108/ER-05-2021-0211
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- The dual pressures of youth and expansion: revisiting stage theories of
growth in SMEs-
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Authors: Adrian Wilkinson , Olav Muurlink , Keith Townsend , David Peetz
Abstract: The authors consider stage theories of human resource management (HRM) to explore how new companies experiencing high levels of growth face the dual pressures of youth and expansion. The firms in this study are a sub-group of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) called “gazelles”. While this is a qualitative study, participants were chosen through a modified random sampling approach that ensures that the sample is representative of a regional population of gazelle firms. New companies experiencing high levels of growth face the challenge of expansion while structurally immature. While the selected companies were ill-equipped in formal knowledge of HR they reacted to rapidly changing conditions and were forced to organisational flexibility meaning that few absolute rules were adopted. Gazelle literature tends to focus on impediments to growth, rather than HR staples such as recruiting and retaining staff. But the studied cases showed an acute appreciation by gazelle managers of the value of motivated, skilled staff able to turn their hand to the fluctuating requirements of the fast-growing firm and a desire to establish formal HR mechanisms as part of the response to the stress of growth.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-05-31
DOI: 10.1108/ER-12-2021-0525
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Going forward: remote working in the post-COVID-19 era
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Authors: Olatunji David Adekoya , Toyin Ajibade Adisa , Opeoluwa Aiyenitaju
Abstract: The urgent and unexpected transition to remote working during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic calls for an increased focus on the contemporary workplace, especially for the post-COVID-19 era. While most studies undertaken during the pandemic have focused on the consequences of remote working, this study, using the UK as the research context, focuses on the factors that may facilitate the effectiveness of remote working in the post-COVID-19 era from the perspectives of employees and employers. The study uses the interpretivist philosophical perspective to understand the study participants' subjective meanings and experiences. It utilises a qualitative approach, specifically data drawn from the semi-structured interviews of 31 participants. The study highlights the factors that may facilitate the effectiveness of remote working in the post-COVID-19 era. Flexible working preferences, smart working practices, self-discipline, and leadership roles and expectations emerge as enablers of remote working among the participants. It is evident from the study’s findings that both employers and employees have expectations about remote working conditions. Due to the changing work environment, where remote working is becoming more acceptable, this study focuses on a salient topic that examines how remote working may be facilitated effectively in the post-COVID-19 era. Thus, it makes predictions concerning the future of remote working post-COVID-19. It also emphasises that employers and employees have developed clear expectations about facilitating remote working and seek to meet these expectations by implementing various strategies.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-05-24
DOI: 10.1108/ER-04-2021-0161
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Gender labor inequalities in the public sector: the interplay between
policy and micro-politics-
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Authors: Eva Bermúdez-Figueroa , Beltrán Roca
Abstract: This paper aims to describe and explain women's labor participation in the public sector, particularly at the local level. The paper analyses the representation of women employees in the public sector through a case study of a city council in a mid-sized Spanish city. The authors delve into the extent of gender labor discrimination in public administration, exploring a diversity of situations, experiences, and perceptions of women workers in female, neutral, and male-dominated areas in the local administration. The authors have applied a combined methodology of quantitative analysis based on an exhaustive analysis of the list of job posts, and qualitative analysis from the narratives of women workers in biographical interviews, in women-dominated, neutral and male-dominated areas. The authors conclude by providing a clear description of women's representation in local administration. Despite the institutional efforts in applying gender equality norms and public policies in administration, employment and labor market, this article shows the persistent inequality in employment within the administration. The paper demonstrates that public administrations can be seen as gender regimes that tend to reproduce inequality by formal and informal dynamics. This inequality gender reproduction in a supposedly gender-neutral administration reflects discrimination in a labor market. The paper details phenomena relating to horizontal occupational segregation, glass ceilings, sticky floors, and the undervaluing of women's work, among other phenomena. The administration should consider two essential factors that endanger gender equality: (1) the demonstrated regression of gender mainstreaming and the effects on women's employment as a consequence of the crisis, and (2) neoliberal governments and extreme right-wing parties (or neoliberal governments and extreme right-wing parties' support, as is the case with the current Andalusian regional government), whose agenda includes the fight against what neoliberal governments and extreme right-wing parties call “gender ideology”. The gap between the effectiveness of gender legislation and actual working practices within the administration has been highlighted. This fact should be a wake-up call for the administrations to strictly comply with gender legislation, given that local administrations are the closest to the citizens. Future research should focus on changes to detect any regression and to prevent losing the improvements already achieved, which can still be very much strengthened. This article helps to fill the gap in the literature on gender discrimination in the labor market, which often omits the public sector, especially in local administration, which is the closest administrative structure to citizenship respecting public policies. The article contributes to highlighting the need for an egalitarian labor market in order to achieve optimal performance, commitment and efficiency in egalitarian labor relations in local administration.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-05-24
DOI: 10.1108/ER-06-2020-0306
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- The threshold effect of commitment-oriented HRM practices on employee job
performance: the role of employee age-
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Authors: Mingchuan Yu , Qianying Jiao , Greg G. Wang , Yuan Liu
Abstract: To reconcile the mixed findings on commitment-oriented human resource management (HRM) on employee job performance, this study tests whether commitment-oriented HRM has a threshold effect on employee job performance and when this threshold effect matters. The authors further tested the role of employees' age in the relationships. The authors conducted a survey and collected data from 601 employees in 32 firms in China, and used a multilevel approach to test the hypothesis. The results showed that the association between commitment-oriented HRM and employee job performance was J-shaped, meaning that commitment-oriented HRM was positively related to job performance when the degree of commitment-oriented HRM exceeded a threshold. Moreover, the authors found that employee age moderated this J-shape relationship. Specifically, the curvilinear relationship between development commitment-oriented HRM and job performance was stronger in younger employees. Contrary to our prediction, the results showed that younger employees reacted more strongly to improve job performance than older employees when maintenance commitment-oriented HRM exceeded a moderate degree. The findings on the J-shape effect and moderating role of employee age on the J-shape provided critical insights into understanding the mixed results of the effect of HRM. Additionally, this study provided new insight in the linkage between HRM practices and employee outcomes.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-05-17
DOI: 10.1108/ER-11-2020-0516
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Workplace spirituality and innovative work behavior: the role of employee
flourishing and workplace satisfaction-
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Authors: William D. Hunsaker , Wenjing Ding
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to explore the role of employee flourishing as a mechanism to explain the relationship between workplace spirituality and employees' innovative work behavior (IWB). Furthermore, this study investigates how the relationship between workplace spirituality and innovative behavior is moderated by employees' perceived workplace satisfaction. Based on structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression analysis, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 236 millennial workers in China's service and manufacturing industries. The research findings confirmed that workplace spirituality positively predicted the innovative behavior of employees; furthermore, employee flourishing and workplace satisfaction mediated and moderated the relationship between workplace spirituality and employee innovation, respectively. This study's findings suggest that workplace spirituality unlocks employees' innovative behavior through a heightened sense of flourishing and enhanced sense of workplace satisfaction. Organizations are advised to foster a climate conducive of workplace spirituality by developing mutually aligned values. Moreover, organizations are advised to train leaders on workplace spirituality dimensions and foster workplace practices that facilitate self-reflection, job crafting and team building, as a means of broadening employees' emotional states and workplace satisfaction. Few studies have examined the mechanisms that shape employees' innovative behavior through workplace spirituality. This study fills several research gaps by extending the theoretical implications of workplace spirituality and employee flourishing, as demonstrated by the multi-faceted role these variables play in motivating employees' innovative behavior among Chinese millennials. Additionally, this study demonstrates that higher levels of workplace satisfaction contribute to higher levels of innovative behavior.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-05-06
DOI: 10.1108/ER-01-2021-0032
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Collective turnover and unit performance: moderation effects of work
experience and time clustering of quits-
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Authors: Cristina Simón , Jason D. Shaw , Isabel de Sivatte , Ricardo Olmos Albacete
Abstract: The authors propose and test these boundary conditions to the relationship between voluntary collective turnover and unit performance: job and organizational tenure and the time clustering of turnover. The authors analyze longitudinal data obtained from 231 units of an international clothing retailer in Spain assessed during 36 months. The authors show that when the remaining workforce has moderate, but not low or high, levels of job and organizational tenure, the negative effect of quits on performance is buffered. Furthermore, their results show that time-clustered voluntary turnover patterns have stronger negative effects on unit performance than turnover patterns spread over time. The authors extend the collective turnover literature addressing two qualitative properties of the content of voluntary turnover, the experience of the workers that remain in the unit after the turnover events happen and how these events are clustered/dispersed over time.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-05-05
DOI: 10.1108/ER-02-2021-0074
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- COVID-19 challenges and employees' stress: mediating role of family-life
disturbance and work-life imbalance-
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Authors: Subhash C. Kundu , Prerna Tuteja , Purnima Chahar
Abstract: The paper focuses on examining the relationship between challenges caused by COVID-19 pandemic and employees' stress through the mediating role of family-life disturbance and work-life imbalance. A total of 1,556 respondents from 45 countries across all continents were included in this survey. Statistical techniques such as exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), correlations, multiple regression and bootstrapping were used to analyse the data. The results depicted that COVID-19 challenges induced stress among employees. In combination with this, family-life disturbance and work-life imbalance mediated the relationship between COVID-19 challenges and employees' stress individually as well as serially. The paper further suggests some recommendations to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 challenges on employees' stress. The major limitation of the study was in the data collection process. As the data were collected during the time period of pandemic, so, limited respondents were approached. Also, the international and cross-sectional design of the study can limit the applicability of the results. The study suggests organizations and HR managers to help in balancing family and work-life of employees, so that their mind can be kept stress free. The study has added knowledge to the existing literature of stress created due to the COVID-19 pandemic by explaining the serial mediation of family-life disturbance and work-life imbalance between the relationship of COVID-19 challenges and employees' stress.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-05-03
DOI: 10.1108/ER-03-2021-0090
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- A family-oriented view on well-being amongst low-status expatriates in an
international workplace-
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Authors: Washika Haak-Saheem , Xiaoyan Liang , Peter Jeffrey Holland , Chris Brewster
Abstract: The pandemic emphasised the importance for society of the “hidden” workforce – cleaners, delivery drivers, security guards or hospital porters. This paper explores the well-being of low-status expatriates in the international workplace exemplified by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is one of the first studies examining the well-being of people at the bottom of the pyramid, living in difficult circumstances, and undertaking work that is hard and sometimes dangerous. The authors adopt an exploratory approach. Using semi-structured interview data from 21 low-status expatriates, the authors examine their experiences in the UAE in relation to their well-being, allowing the authors to suggest the need to develop our understanding of the concept of well-being and the concept's application. Low-status expatriates live restrictive lives, away from their family and friends for extended periods, and subject to rigid terms and conditions of employment. Difficult circumstances, long working hours, late or arbitrarily reduced salary payment and a lack of voice affect their personal well-being and sacrificed to consideration for their family well-being. Applying the concept of well-being in such cases requires the authors to develop the notion beyond the individual to encompass the wider family. This exploratory analysis opens new avenues for well-being studies and highlights the need for contextualised research. Future research might benefit from quantitative methods being used alongside qualitative methods and collecting multiple perspective data, including the views of managers and policy makers and data from the “left-behind” families of these low-status expatriates. There is plenty of scope for managers of low-status expatriates to improve the latter's well-being. Given the lack of interest in doing so, the authors suggest that policy makers may need to modify extant legalisation to ensure a greater focus on low-status expatriates. The authors believe this to be the first study to examine the impact of family orientation on the well-being of low-status expatriates, encouraging the authors to challenge and suggest developments to current understandings of well-being.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-04-21
DOI: 10.1108/ER-06-2021-0256
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Flexible working in the public sector – a case of inflexibility:
senior managers' experiences-
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Authors: Joan Amanda Ballantine , Tony Wall , Anne Marie Ward
Abstract: The public sector is often considered the vanguard in terms of the availability and promotion of flexible working arrangements (FWAs). Despite this, little is known about how senior managers in the public sector engage with FWAs. This paper aims to address this gap, reporting on a number of issues, including the reality of FWAs, the existence of a flexibility stigma and whether this is gendered, and the drivers influencing the uptake of FWAs. Theoretical insights of flexibility stigma from the literature and data from semi-structured interviews with senior managers in the Northern Ireland Civil Service explore the realities of FWAs at this level. The findings indicate a decoupling between the rhetoric and reality of FWAs, with few senior managers availing of such arrangements. The authors also identify a complex web of issues that constrain senior managers' agency in shaping a positive culture of FWAs at senior management level in the Civil Service, including an inherent resistance to flexibility, a lack of visible role models and negative perceptions around progression. The findings also indicate deeply held perceptions among senior males and females that availing of FWAs is associated with a flexibility stigma. These perceptions were confirmed by the small number of senior females with caring responsibilities who were availing of FWAs. The paper provides senior managers and human resource practitioners with insights into the difficulties associated with wide-scale FWA availability and use at senior levels of the Civil Service. The findings of the study offer valuable insights into the experience of senior managers in the public sector as they engage with FWAs. The study, therefore, contributes to the limited literature in this area.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-04-21
DOI: 10.1108/ER-08-2020-0379
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- How simulated home influences Chinese expatriates: the partial mediating
role of organizational embeddedness and organizational identification-
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Authors: Hao Huang , Hong Liu , Xingguang Zhao , Hanrong He , Yusen Ding
Abstract: The purpose of this research study is to explore the influence of perceived organizational support (POS) on organizational embeddedness and organizational identification in the simulated home environment. Another objective of this study is to provide an effective cross-cultural adjustment model adopted by many Chinese enterprises operating overseas. Furthermore, it examines the mediating effects of organizational embeddedness and organizational identification on POS and expatriate adjustment. The data of this quantitative research study was acquired from a questionnaire survey completed by 326 expatriates from Chinese enterprises in a power station in Bangladesh, and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS software. The study found that POS of expatriates is positively correlated with their organizational embeddedness and organizational identification, and it positively impacts expatriate adjustment. Moreover, the study also evaluated that organizational embeddedness and organizational identification positively influence expatriate adjustment. Finally, it was demonstrated that organizational embeddedness mediates the relationship among living POS, emotional POS and expatriate adjustment. Organizational identification mediates the relationships among work POS, emotional POS and work adjustment. Organizational identification mediates the relationships between work POS and interaction adjustment. The research results demonstrate that the living, work and emotional support to the expatriates from the projects department of Chinese enterprises is of particular importance for their better adjustment in overseas engineering projects. Furthermore, these results are particularly conducive to the successful management of employees accommodated in fully-closed and semi-closed simulated homes. In the setting of a simulated home in the overseas engineering projects, this research study has demonstrated for the first time that the living, work and emotional support provided by an organization can effectively help its expatriate workers acclimatize during their overseas placement.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-04-15
DOI: 10.1108/ER-01-2021-0040
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Are older applicants less likely to be invited to a job interview' –
an experimental study on ageism-
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Authors: Éva Berde , Mánuel László Mágó
Abstract: The main goal of this paper is to test whether older Hungarian women face age discrimination in the job market. The theoretical framework of this paper measures the level of discrimination and highlights that age discrimination leads to a waste of human resources. Two pairs of fictitious CVs were created; each pair included a younger (34 years old) and an older woman (60 years old) with an age difference of 26 years. One pair was designed for office assistant positions, the other for economic analyst positions. The contents of the CVs with photos were entirely fabricated except for active email addresses and phone numbers to allow responses to be tracked. LinkedIn accounts were also created for the analysts. Applications were sent over a four-month period from November 2019. The rate of invitation to interviews was analysed with mathematical statistical methods and a small probability model. The younger job seekers were invited to interviews about 2.2 times more often than the older ones. Based on the authors’ probability model, employers evaluate the skills of older applicants at only 45–67% of their actual skills. The experiment had to be stopped due to the Covid-19 lockdown as there were no new job postings. The experiment demonstrates that age discrimination exists in Hungary. In addition to traditional audit job applications through HR portals, we used LinkedIn too. The small probability model applies an old framework in a new environment.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-04-12
DOI: 10.1108/ER-11-2020-0515
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Work–life balance indicators and talent management approach: a
qualitative investigation of Indian luxury hotels-
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Authors: Sunil Budhiraja , Biju Varkkey , Stephen McKenna
Abstract: The purpose of the study is twofold: (1) it captures the work–life balance (WLB) experiences of front-office employees to inductively classify a set of WLB indicators for the locally owned Indian luxury hotels and (2) it further examines the existing WLB practices of the select hotels with the lens of talent management (TM) approach of key human resource management (HRM) practices (Thunnissen, 2016). To explore and classify WLB indicators, an exploratory, qualitative approach is utilized by administering seven focus group discussions involving 70 front-office employees working in Indian luxury hotels. Seven in-depth interviews with HR professionals were triangulated with secondary data to capture and analyse the existing WLB practices of sampled organizations. Four clusters of WLB indicators that are grounded in the lived experiences of front-office employees are identified and presented. Interview data from human resource representatives unveil that hotels consider existing WLB practices as key HRM practices with an inclusive TM approach. The findings also surface the differences in expectations of front-office employees and WLB practices followed by the hotels. First, the paper addresses the issue of WLB from employees’ perspective which is crucial for designing effective WLB practices. Second, the paper contributes to the existing TM literature from the perspective of WLB practices. The originality of the study is grounded in the employees’ lived experiences to classify the WLB indicators for India and further examine the WLB practices through the lens of the TM approach.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-04-04
DOI: 10.1108/ER-05-2021-0206
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- The impact of exclusivity in talent identification: sources of perceived
injustice and employee reactions-
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Authors: Jonathan Peterson , Loubna Tahssain-Gay , Benraiss-Noailles Laila
Abstract: This paper examines antecedents to perceived injustice in exclusive talent identification practices. 31 in-depth interviews with individuals working in for-profit organizations in France were conducted and analyzed. Interviewees represented a variety of sectors such as transportation, aerospace, energy and telecommunications. The use of exclusivity in talent identification influences perceived organizational justice through ambiguous advancement policies, support from hidden networks, lack of diversity in the talent identification process, frequent gender discrimination, and premature labeling of talent. These practices suggest breaches in procedural, distributive and interactional justice by allocating advantages to some employees over others. Exclusivity yielded frustration, jealousy and potential retaliatory behavior against those individuals deemed to be unfairly identified as talent. The challenge of ensuring fair and equitable talent identification is a growing issue for organizations. For managers, it requires paying close attention to how some forms of exclusivity in talent identification may create unfair treatment of employees. While organizational justice research focuses on the background and practices that promote justice, our research finds its originality in examining the sentiments of injustice that remain contextual, subjective and comparative.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-04-01
DOI: 10.1108/ER-03-2021-0123
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Legal framework for the protection of foreign employees in China
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Authors: Wenfang Wu , Xuan Luo
Abstract: This study aims to examine the adequate application of rights and protections granted to employees under labor laws and regulations to foreign employees working in China. The authors analyzed applicable laws, regulations and related literature on the employment of foreigners in China and employed quantitative and qualitative methods to scrutinize the features of labor disputes involving foreign employees, to assess claims of inconsistencies. A group of judges and labor arbitrators were also interviewed. The inconsistencies between Chinese immigration and labor laws, and between applicable laws and court enforcement, result in a considerable gap in employment protection for foreign employees. They have grown over the last two decades, in a changing legal environment of labor protection and labor market for foreigners. This study focused on documented foreign employees' labor litigations from 2017 to 2020 in people's courts in China's five most economically developed regions. Future studies could cover a wider geographic territory and labor disputes of undocumented foreign employees to provide an even more comprehensive picture of the challenges and potential solutions. The inconsistency between immigration and labor law regarding employment protection for documented foreign employees requires legal clarification and regulation to ensure equal employment protection of both Chinese and foreign employees. There are limited studies using empirical data from different regions in China to document and understand the gap between the statutory labor protections and the labor protection granted to foreign employees in law as well as in court practice.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-03-29
DOI: 10.1108/ER-07-2021-0335
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Measuring talent management: a proposed construct
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Authors: Muhammad Mujtaba , Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik , Kamran Ahmed Soomro
Abstract: The study aims to develop a construct to measure talent management (TM) in an organization. The study adopts a fourfold approach to develop the construct. Data were collected through close-ended questionnaires by conducting surveys from human resource professionals. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis techniques were employed to analyze the data and develop the construct. Results of the study indicate that TM practices are crucial in changing business dynamics. A final 26 items under 5 factors (identification of critical positions, talent acquisition, talent development, talent engagement, and talent retention) were found significant and integrated TM strategies in uncertain economic environments. This research focuses on the entire process of the TM cycle and develops an integrated construct of TM; thus, the study will provide an in-depth understanding of TM strategies to practitioners and researchers, facilitate researchers for the effective conduct of empirical research work on TM, whereas, for practitioners, this work will support in designing of TM strategies leading to organizational performance. This is the first research study that has been done in the context of South Asia. It will help build up TM strategies to the necessity of a business environment.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-03-23
DOI: 10.1108/ER-05-2021-0224
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Does office aesthetics drive job choice' Boosting employee experience
and well-being perception through workplace design-
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Authors: Lorena Ronda , Elena de Gracia
Abstract: Drawing from experiential theory and decision-making theory, this article aims to posit that workplace aesthetics acts as a driver for job choice when included with an employment offer. Whilst organisational literature has recognised that office experiential cues in general, and aesthetics in particular, affect employee performance and well-being, employer attractiveness scales have not yet incorporated office aesthetics as a component of job-offer choice. A choice-based conjoint (CBC) experiment was conducted to estimate the weighted utilities of three aesthetic and three non-aesthetic employer attributes. Subsequently, the attributes' importance in the job choice decision was estimated. The results indicate that aesthetic attributes in the workplace can be equally important in the decision-making process as non-aesthetic attributes and that aesthetic attributes deliver as much utility as non-aesthetic attributes in driving job choice. These conclusions are relevant for Human Resource (HR) managers engaged in crafting job offers, who should consider that employees may improve their assessment of a job offer as a result of superior organisational aesthetics demonstrated during the recruitment process as well as in contexts where employees would be expected to combine remote and office-based work. The present study represents a novel approach to understanding job applicants' preferences for aesthetic elements in the workplace. The results suggest that the workplace experience is relativistic and that considering applicants' latent preferences is crucial when designing efficient job offers.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-03-21
DOI: 10.1108/ER-06-2021-0253
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Engaging with social media in a context of fragmentation and change:
Chilean unions' use of the Internet and social media-
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Authors: Daina Bellido de Luna
Abstract: This paper explores the ways in which a range of company-level trade unions based in Chile's food manufacturing industry engage with Internet technologies and social media. The research has a qualitative methodology with 69 semi-structured interviews conducted between 2015 and late-2019 with different level informants such as trade union leaders, human resource managers, line managers, labour lawyers, academics and field experts. The findings suggest that these trade unions' engagement with social media was not widespread, using it to share communication of day-to-day activities with members. The article argues that even in contexts where there appear to be some radical union traditions, a trade unions' identity, as well as the nature of the employment relationship, can have a constraining effect regarding how unions use digital technologies and social media. The article suggests new ways for Chilean trade unions to take the opportunities offered by digital platforms and social media to enhance the representation of their workers' collective rights while advancing the labour movement's agenda. The paper makes a direct contribution to the literature on Internet technologies, social media and the labour movement, while expanding the empirical evidence on the topic and looking at the limitations and constraints on the use of social media in this context. Given the current discussion in academic settings as well as within the union movement about the importance of social media for trade union revitalization, the present paper focuses on building empirical research in a less known context (i.e. Chile).
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-03-17
DOI: 10.1108/ER-03-2020-0139
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Temporary and permanent agency workers. A study of perceived
organizational support and dual commitment-
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Authors: Mariavittoria Cicellin , Andrea Tomo , Stefano Consiglio , Luigi Moschera , Massimo Aria
Abstract: This study aims to analyze the effects of the type of agency contract on the relationship between agency workers' organizational commitment and perceived organizational support. The authors extend a previously developed model considering organizational support and affective commitment by including also continuance commitment in the Italian employment agency industry. The authors use a probabilistic stratified sampling method on a sample of 8,283 agency workers. Data were analyzed with structural equation modelling (SEM) and multiple group analyses. The findings confirm the positive relationship between perceived organizational support from both the agency and the client organization and agency workers' affective commitment to them. The authors also find that agency workers develop a mutually related dual commitment in response to the support they receive from both organizations. The paper contributes to the literature on agency workers and suggests useful managerial and policy makers interventions for both temporary work agencies and client organizations for the development of the agency industry as well as the well-being of workers.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-03-04
DOI: 10.1108/ER-06-2021-0243
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- An exploratory study on the prevalence of workplace violence: the case of
Algerian hospitals-
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Authors: Yamina Heddar , Mébarek Djebabra , Saadia Saadi
Abstract: Workplace violence is a universal phenomenon that is constantly increasing. In this regard, this study aims to investigate the prevalence of violence committed against Algerian health professionals. A cross-sectional survey, based on an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire, was conducted in healthcare settings of eastern Algeria (where 144 respondents participated in this study). Besides, socio-demographic characteristics and data related to violence, including its prevalence, different forms, perpetrators, reporting and the way it is handled, were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Half of the respondents were victims of violence. More specifically, 90.1% of them were verbally abused. Compared to physical violence, verbal violence was significantly perpetrated against women and young health professionals (p
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-02-25
DOI: 10.1108/ER-09-2021-0409
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Employee emotional intelligence, organizational citizen behavior and job
performance: a moderated mediation model investigation-
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Authors: Shu-Hsien Liao , Da-Chian Hu , Yi-Ching Huang
Abstract: Emotional intelligence (EI) affect behavior and thinking patterns are linked to physical and mental health, employee interpersonal relationships and job performance. Regarding individual EI, workplace employees expect high organizational support with positive employee relations, because they regard employee relations as a perceived support from the organization, which reflects a positive organization's citizenship behavior. Thus, in terms of human resource management, enhancing organizational citizen behavior can ensure that employees continue to improve job performance by maintaining a positive psychological state and employee relations. Using a questionnaire survey and structural equation modeling, this study aims to investigate the relationships between EI, psychological capital, job performance, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and perceived organizational support. The research subjects (N = 536) were in life insurance companies in Taiwan. The results showed that psychological capital plays a mediating role in the effect of EI on OCB. Perceived organizational support is used to determine the existence of the effect of moderated mediation in the proposed research model. This is the first study to find that the indirect effect of EI on organizational citizen behavior through psychological capital is stronger when there are higher levels of perceived organizational support than when there are lower levels of perceived organizational support. In addition, in terms of employee relation development, employee perceived organizational support from organizations is a critical influence which bridges employees' EI and organizational citizen behavior through psychological capital on the human resource management.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-02-24
DOI: 10.1108/ER-11-2020-0506
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Does work engagement mediate the impact of green human resource management
on absenteeism and green recovery performance'-
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Authors: Golnaz Darban , Osman M. Karatepe , Hamed Rezapouraghdam
Abstract: This paper tests a research model that examines work engagement (WENG) as a mediator between green human resource management (GHRM) and absenteeism and green recovery performance. To gauge the aforesaid linkages, the authors used data collected from employees and their supervisors in the international five-star chain hotels in Istanbul, Turkey. One-hundred and eighty-two respondents completed the surveys. GHRM fosters WENG. As predicted, WENG alleviates absenteeism and triggers green recovery performance. Employees' favorable perceptions of GHRM (cognitive evaluation) give rise to higher WENG (emotional response), which in turn directs their behaviors such as reduced absenteeism and higher green recovery performance (behavioral response). No empirical study has gauged the linkage between GHRM and WENG and nonattendance behavior or absenteeism so far. Moreover, there are few empirical pieces in the current literature that have tested the mechanism through which GHRM is associated with green and/or nongreen outcomes.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-02-22
DOI: 10.1108/ER-05-2021-0215
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Impact of leader's e-competencies on employees' wellbeing in global
virtual teams during COVID-19: the moderating role of emotional
intelligence-
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Authors: Priya Chaudhary , Mukta Rohtagi , Reetesh K. Singh , Simple Arora
Abstract: The current study aims is to investigate the impact of leader's e-competencies on the emotional wellbeing of employees in GVTs. Also, the moderating role of a leader's emotional intelligence in enhancing the wellbeing of the employees during the pandemic was explored. A survey of 810 employees belonging to international IT companies was conducted. The conceptual model was hypothesized and validated using CFA and PL-SEM. The three core e-competencies of leaders (e-communication skills, e-change management skills and e-technological skills) impacting the wellbeing of employees in the COVID pandemic were found. Also, emotional intelligence significantly moderated the association of leader's e-competencies and the wellbeing of employees. The study is limited to IT sector companies. Data were collected using the snowball sampling technique through a self-reported questionnaire. Future studies can explore the relationship between e-leadership and variables like job performance in other sectors. A unique framework of “leaders” e-competencies and employees' wellbeing, moderated by emotional intelligence, has been proposed and validated. The present study is relevant for guiding the traditional leaders and managers transitioning to e-leaders due to the pandemic. The current exploration is one of its kinds to understand the dynamics of study variables in international workplaces. Today, the majority of organizations are conducting their business through GVTs. Therefore, the emerging leaders have to display specific e-competencies to contribute to employees' wellbeing effectively.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-02-08
DOI: 10.1108/ER-06-2021-0236
Issue No: Vol. ahead-of-print , No. ahead-of-print (2022)
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- Appropriately organized work and employees' concerns related to work from
home during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case in Slovenia
Open Access Article-
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Authors: Maja Rožman , Vesna Čančer
Abstract: The main aim of the paper is to establish the effects of appropriately organized work as well as the effects of the employees' concerns related to work during the COVID-19 pandemic on work efficiency and work satisfaction among employees working from home during this period. The empirical research includes 619 employees in Slovenia, who participated in the survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modeling was used in exploring the effects between constructs. Based on the results, the authors found that appropriately organized work during the COVID-19 pandemic has a positive effect not only on the work efficiency of employees who work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia but also on their work satisfaction. Also, based on the results, the authors found that the employees' concerns related to work during the COVID-19 pandemic have a negative effect on the work efficiency and on the work satisfaction of employees who work from home during this period in Slovenia. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way we live and work; therefore, this paper contributes to the creation of new working conditions and employee management during and also after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-05-09
DOI: 10.1108/ER-09-2021-0402
Issue No: Vol. 44 , No. 7 (2022)
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- What's in it for me and you' Exploring managerial perceptions of
employees' work-related social media use
Open Access Article-
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Authors: Kaisa Pekkala , Tommi Auvinen , Pasi Sajasalo , Chiara Valentini
Abstract: This study focuses on managers' perceptions of employees' communicative role in social media, and explores the changes in the contractual nature of employment relations in mediatized workplaces in which the boundaries of professional and private life are becoming more fluid. A qualitative approach was employed to explore this relatively new phenomenon. The data, comprising 24 interviews with managers responsible for corporate communication and human resources in knowledge-intensive organizations, was thematically analysed. The analysis shows that employees' work-related social media use creates new types of exchanges and dependencies between an organization and individual employees, which relate to employees' representation, knowledge and networks. The study is among the first to examine the exchanges and dependencies in an employment relationship that emerge from increased use of social media for professional purposes.
Citation: Employee Relations
PubDate: 2022-03-15
DOI: 10.1108/ER-12-2020-0518
Issue No: Vol. 44 , No. 7 (2022)
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- Employee Relations
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