Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to focus on the development of a health and safety (HS) representative role typology that demonstrates how representatives enact their roles and improve ...occupational health and safety (OHS) under New Zealand law. It aims to consider the factors that influence the roles that HS representatives' assume.Design methodology approach - This qualitative, cross-perceptual study centres on the role enactments of eight HS representatives at two metal manufacturers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with HS representatives, managers, workers, senior managers, OHS managers and a union convenor. "Types" were differentiated by the HS representatives' purpose, activities and OHS impacts.Findings - In total, four HS representative role "types" were identified: administrators, workshop inspectors, problem solvers and craft experts. Administrators implemented and operated OHS management systems and improved OHS management. Workshop inspectors undertook compliance and monitoring roles and improved workers' attitudes towards OHS. Problem solvers found solutions to control hazards and improved production from an OHS perspective. Craft experts applied technical knowledge to influence strategic OHS decisions. Role enactment appeared to be influenced by representatives' expert power, job roles and the organisational role definition. Representatives operating under both managerial and worker defined HS representative systems, increased worker "voice" by providing an avenue to redress OHS concerns.Practical implications - Implications arise for OHS policy, HS representative training courses and organisational managerial support.Originality value - The paper presents a HS representative role typology distinctively based on cross-perceptual data that also provides a more holistic perspective of the HS representative role by considering representatives' purpose, role enactment and OHS impact.
Marketing the products of other companies within an individual company intranet can benefit both employees and the company itself. This study examines the dimensions of satisfaction with a ...businesstoemployees B2E benefit system and the linkages between satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior OCB. Structural equation modeling of data shows that convenience, delivery, interface, accuracy, price and security are factors that affect employee satisfaction with the B2E benefit system. Price is more important to the satisfaction of males than females. Significant, positive relationships were found between satisfaction and OCB. Perceived organizational support plays a stronger mediating role in leading to OCB for females than it does for males.
Whilst notions of conflict have historically underpinned the rhetoric and policy focus of employment relations, more recently the locus of debate has shifted towards the relationship between ...employment relations and organisational performance. Yet, Acas remains best known for its dispute resolution services. Using new data, the paper explores Acas' dispute resolution functions, but also examines a broader range of Acas interventions aimed at supporting organisations in handling conflict through arrangements for improved employment relations. It reports data on Acas customers' perceptions of the nature and impact of Acas interventions. Focusing on the activities aimed at tackling collective issues, it considers how these fit into the Government's wider productive workplace agenda. It concludes that Acas' strength lies in bringing the parties to the table, both to resolve disputes and also to develop innovative strategies for improving workplace effectiveness. The paper also assesses future opportunities for seeking a more strategic approach to managing conflict at work.
Many organizations are adopting quality and innovation as practices that allow them to achieve competitive advantage owing to an increase in competitiveness. The goal of this paper is to examine ...whether quality can be regarded as a resource that sets up the necessary bases for implementing innovations in organizations. First, the concepts of quality and innovation are determined, so that we can analyse how they relate to each other. Later on, the different contributions existing that deal with the relationship between quality and innovation are revised. In the second part of the research, we formulate and verify some hypotheses, which are empirically tested using a sample of bank employees in several financial entities. Results allow us to establish that quality relates to innovation both directly and indirectly, in the latter case through employees' satisfaction.
Purpose
This paper aims to detail the policies and practices that helped Creditsafe UK, a provider of online company credit reports, to earn 23rd place in the latest Sunday Times Best 100 Companies ...to Work For.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper focuses on the areas of recruitment, induction, training, empowerment, teamwork, management style, flexible working and promotion from within. It includes the personal stories of three employees of the company.
Findings
The paper explains that the culture built from day one has been conducive to high levels of employee engagement. Significant emphasis has been placed on creating an environment that welcomes dynamic, motivated and hard‐working people and gives them the opportunity to grow to the best of their ability.
Practical implications
The paper highlights the importance of creating a friendly, high‐energy, engaged environment with opportunities for personal growth and advancement.
Social implications
It stresses the key role of promoting employees from within the company.
Originality/value
The paper details a number of unusual HR practices, including the provision of activity areas with table‐tennis or football tables, plus a disco ball adorning all sales departments, with the sales floor being affectionately referred to as the dance floor. It advances the view that, through creative employment‐engagement strategies, companies can derive measurable and tangible business benefits. Companies can improve their profitability by investing in employee development, through productivity gains and reduced employee churn.
Collective bargaining in public services Nomden, Koen; Farnham, David; Onnee-Abbruciati, Marie-Laure
The International journal of public sector management,
11/2003, Letnik:
16, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This article shows that regulation of the employment relationship in European public services has tended to give more importance to collective bargaining than to unilateral employer regulation. ...Although collective bargaining is a general trend, it is not the same in every country. This article concentrates on collective bargaining levels and the outcomes of collective bargaining in selected European states. A major explanatory factor of the extent of collective bargaining is the nature of the civil service system. Reformed "non-career" systems tend to adopt collective bargaining institutions, resulting in binding collective agreements between employers and unions, while classical "career" systems do not.
Marketing the products of other companies within an individual company intranet can benefit both employees and the company itself. This study examines the dimensions of satisfaction with a ...business-to-employees (B2E) benefit system and the linkages between satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Structural equation modeling of data shows that convenience, delivery, interface, accuracy, price and security are factors that affect employee satisfaction with the B2E benefit system. Price is more important to the satisfaction of males than females. Significant, positive relationships were found between satisfaction and OCB. Perceived organizational support plays a stronger mediating role in leading to OCB for females than it does for males.
Individualism in organisations Morgan, David E; Zeffane, Rachid
Employee relations,
12/2003, Letnik:
25, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
A shift from collectivism to individualism in managing employees is identified in employment studies. Developments in Australia have reflected this change, accompanied by claimed organisation ...benefits. This paper examines an empirical data set to examine such claims on key dimensions in the employment relation. The analysis points to few differences in views between employees working under individual contracts and those not. Moreover the factors generating concern over individual and firm performance among employees differed little between the two groups. Traditional work factors underpinned attitudes for both. The differences that emerge from organisation size, union membership and gender appear to be inconsistent with the claims of individualism. The data point to the importance of general employee concerns - job satisfaction and perceived management style - in generating employee commitment and loyalty. The findings have implications for the nature of employee relations and management, which are discussed in light of their theoretical and practical ramifications.
Collective bargaining in public services Nomden, Koen; Farnham, David; Onnee-Abbruciati, Marie-Laure
The International journal of public sector management,
2003, Letnik:
16, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This article shows that regulation of the employment relationship in European public services has tended to give more importance to collective bargaining than to unilateral employer regulation. ...Although collective bargaining is a general trend, it is not the same in every country. This article concentrates on collective bargaining levels and the outcomes of collective bargaining in selected European states. A major explanatory factor of the extent of collective bargaining is the nature of the civil service system. Reformed 'non-career'systems tend to adopt collective bargaining institutions, resulting in binding collective agreements between employers and unions, while classical 'career'systems do not.
Individualism in organisations Morgan, David E; Zeffane, Rachid
Employee relations,
12/2003, Letnik:
25, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
A shift from collectivism to individualism in managing employees is identified in employment studies. Developments in Australia have reflected this change, accompanied by claimed organisation ...benefits. This paper examines an empirical data set to examine such claims on key dimensions in the employment relation. The analysis points to few differences in views between employees working under individual contracts and those not. Moreover the factors generating concern over individual and firm performance among employees differed little between the two groups. Traditional work factors underpinned attitudes for both. The differences that emerge from organisation size, union membership and gender appear to be inconsistent with the claims of individualism. The data point to the importance of general employee concerns - job satisfaction and perceived management style - in generating employee commitment and loyalty. The findings have implications for the nature of employee relations and management, which are discussed in light of their theoretical and practical ramifications.
