Search results for " industrial relations"

The ‘gig economy’: employee, self-employed or the need for a special employment regulation?

2017

The digital era has changed employment relationships dramatically, causing a considerable degree of legal uncertainty as to which rules apply in cyberspace. Technology is transforming business organisation in a way that makes employees – as subordinate workers – less necessary. New types of companies, based on the ‘on-demand economy’ or so-called ‘sharing economy’ and dedicated to connecting customers directly with individual service providers, are emerging. These companies conduct their entire core business through workers that they classify as self-employed. In this context, employment law is facing its greatest challenge, as it has to deal with a very different reality to the one existi…

Hyper-mobile migrant workers and Dutch trade union representation strategies at the Eemshaven construction sites

2016

The EU regulatory regime and employers’ cross-border recruitment practices complicate unions’ ability to represent increasingly diverse and transnationally mobile workers. Even in institutional contexts where the industrial relations structure and labour law are favourable, such as the Netherlands, unions struggle with maintaining labour standards for these workers. This article analyses Dutch union efforts to represent hyper-mobile construction workers at the Eemshaven construction sites. It shows that the nexus of subcontracting, transnational mobility, legal insularity and employer anti-unionism complicate enforcement so that even well-resourced unions can, at best, improve employment c…

Democratic Dialogue and Development: An Intellectual Obituary of Björn Gustavsen

2018

Abstract Bjorn Gustavsen, with an original professional background as a lawyer and judge in his native Norway, had a formative role in organisational development processes in Norway, Sweden, Scandinavia and the European Union over four decades. Following in the tradition of Norwegian working life research by Trist and Thorsrud, he provided the conceptual framework and practical case studies which have driven major national and international programmes. He learned from different experience of organisational change in, for example, the USA and Japan, but he identified a distinctive way forward for the European Union, where he acted as a senior adviser. In contrast to conventional Taylorist to…

The role of task-related antecedents for the development of turnover intentions in temporary project teams

2016

AbstractHigh turnover can cause serious problems in organizations. Yet, previous research confirmed that HRM practices are useful to influence the development of turnover intentions. Existing studies have revealed a variety of factors that drive individuals to leave permanent organizations (POs) but almost no research has considered turnover in temporary organizations (TOs). Yet, TOs, such as project teams, have become increasingly prevalent and exhibit several characteristics that are distinct from POs. Hence, the antecedents of turnover intentions in TOs may also differ from those in POs. However, empirical evidence for this proposition is still lacking. In order to address this research …

The Worst Record in Europe?: A Comparative Analysis of Industrial Conflict in Spain

2001

Since the transition to democracy, Spain has recorded the highest strike rate of EU countries. Drawing on a comparison with Franzosi's analysis of strikes in Italy, this article seeks to explain the high number of working days lost in Spain by reference to the role of sectoral bargaining, the instability of corporatist relations, solidaristic features of worker representation and Spanish society, and the development of industrial action by unions outside the main confederations. It is suggested that the pattern of industrial conflict reflects the limited strategic options available to Spanish trade unions and Spanish employers' ambivalence toward industrial relations institutions. The arti…

Exploring the relationships between high involvement work system practices, work demands and emotional exhaustion: a multi-level study.

2016

This study explores the impact of enacted high involvement work systems (HIWS) practices on employee emotional exhaustion. This study hypothesized that work overload and job responsibility mediate the relationship between HIWS practices (ability, motivation, opportunity and work design HIWS practices) and employee emotional exhaustion. A total of 360 employees (nested within 49 work units) rated their feelings of work overload, job responsibility and emotional exhaustion. The line managers from these work units rated the enacted HIWS practices. Results indicate that ability- and motivation HIWS practices are positively related to work overload, and ability-, motivation- and work design HIWS…

2020

In contemporary working life of Nordic countries, employee involvement and well-being are emphasized and organizational functions and demands are continuously changing. Thus, the study of human resource management (HRM) practices and their consequences for employees is relevant. This study examines conflicts related to HRM in Finnish project-based companies and provides new information on the implications of conflicts in HRM practices for theorists and practitioners. The research was conducted qualitatively using content and thematic analysis. The findings suggest that conflicts framed within HRM practices are generally the result of the practices and expectations of the organization and ma…

Investigating the links between resilience, perceived HRM practices, and retirement intentions

2019

Purpose Human resource management (HRM) scholars’ interest in older employees’ resilience has only recently started to emerge. Little is known about how resilience and perceived HRM are linked to different retirement intentions. Drawing on the conservation of resources and social exchange theories, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the links between perceived HRM practices, resilience and retirement intentions. Additionally, the paper examines the possible mediating role of resilience in the relationship between perceived HRM practices and retirement intentions. Design/methodology/approach In 2016, a cross-sectional study was conducted among older (50+) nursing professionals work…

Organizational learning capability and organizational citizenship behaviour in the health sector: examining the role of happiness at work from a gend…

2016

Both researchers and managers are interested in finding the factors that raise organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), particularly in the health sector. In this complex context, characterized by a high workload, it becomes essential that physicians voluntarily contribute beyond their official job description. Our research aims to evidence the working conditions that promote OCB, considering the role of organizational learning capability through happiness at work. Our research was based on a sample of 167 allergists at Spanish public hospitals, and by means of structural equation models, interesting results were found. We offer to hospital managers both a tool and an explanation for the…

The Comintern as a World Network

2017

International audience