Comparing and explaining HR department effectiveness assessments: evidence from line managers and trade union representatives

We compare and explain effectiveness assessments of two HR stakeholders: line managers and trade union representatives. We examine whether they have the same preferences regarding the roles the HR department has to fulfil (Ulrich 1997). Next, we test which strong HRM system characteristics (Bowen and Ostroff 2004) are decisive in determining the perceived effectiveness of the HR department in the preferential roles. With these analyses we examine whether the HR roles and strong HRM system characteristics are equally important to different stakeholders. Results show that the perceived effectiveness of the HR department in its operational roles is decisive in trade union representatives' general HR effectiveness assessment. For line managers, process-oriented roles are crucial. Next, if the HR department scores high on strong HRM system characteristics, it is perceived as more effective in its HR roles. Yet, the importance of specific HRM system characteristics depends on the role and stakeholder.     

Job regulation and the managerial challenge to trade unions: evidence from two union membership surveys

Data from a survey of union activists in twelve unions, and from a survey of members of the Communication Workers Union, are used to argue that changes in labour management and work organisation do not provide scope for social partnership at work, but do represent new difficulties for collective representation.     

Speaking up: employee voice and attitudes to unions in a non‐union US multinational firm

We examine employees' experiences of exercising voice in a large non‐union US multinational plant. We find that a majority of those who took action to address a problem reported an unsatisfactory outcome and that experiencing problems at work and taking action are associated with more positive employee attitudes to unions.     

Non‐union worker representation through civil society organisations: evidence from the United Kingdom

Drawing on research evidence from the United Kingdom, the main features of non‐union worker representation through civil society organisations (CSOs) are elaborated. The interventions of CSOs are marked by an emphasis on using indirect methods of worker representation beyond the boundaries of the workplace, such as awareness raising measures and political lobbying.     

Explaining activity and exploring experience—findings from a survey of union learning representatives

This article draws on data from one of the largest surveys to date of union learning representatives (ULRs) in order to build a unique picture of ULR experience and activity. It is found that ULRs made a contribution to increased diversity and represented an injection of ‘new blood’ within workplace union structures. Moreover, ULRs with no previous union involvement were just as likely to be active in promoting learning as their more experienced colleagues. At the same time, we found that a significant minority of trained ULRs were not active in union learning. While ULR activity was not confined within traditionally unionised settings, active and effective ULRs were most likely to be found in workplaces with substantive structures and institutions that underpinned union learning and reflected a clear commitment from the employer. ULR activity was more difficult to start and to sustain in workplaces in which this support was absent. The article concludes that in order for ULR activity to permeate such environments, some degree of additional statutory support may be necessary.     

Employment Tribunals and Acas: evidence from a survey of representatives

We report findings from a survey of representatives in Employment Tribunal cases, focusing on their views regarding the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). As in the earlier, smaller survey of lawyers by White (1989 ), Acas officers are found to be influential and effective in promoting settlement, and high levels of satisfaction are reported.     

Devolution and disabled workers: the experiences of union equality representatives in Wales

In contrast to the Coalition Government, the Welsh Assembly embraced the original objectives of the Public Sector Equality Duty and provided financial support to develop a network of union equality representatives (ERs). With reference to ER support for disabled workers, this article examines the role of devolution in equalities bargaining.     

A conscious‐authentic leadership approach in the workplace: Leading from within

This study combines components of the relatively nascent concepts of conscious leadership and authentic leadership. It is a synopsis of a recent empirical study comparing two groups of companies and their respective CEOs. Each group is comprised of three companies. Group I is led by CEOs who use a conscious‐authentic leadership approach in the workplace. They infuse their personal values, beliefs, and relational leadership behavior into the policies, practices, and employee programs within their respective organizations to achieve specific organizational outcomes. Group II CEOs do not use this leadership approach. The companies selected for study were categorized by disinterested third parties in the business community. This study explores the perceptions of the employees of both groups and the impact of the conscious‐authentic leadership model on organizational behavior and specific organizational outcomes in the workplace. The organizational outcomes tested in this study are voluntary employee‐withdrawal behavior and absenteeism during the period 2003–2005. An employee questionnaire was administered to the employees of both groups to measure organizational behavior. The same questionnaire was administered to the CEOs to determine their level of self‐awareness and their sense of the reality of the human condition within their respective organization. A separate leadership questionnaire was administered to the CEOs for a self‐assessment of personal attributes and leadership style. The findings provide a working definition of conscious‐authentic leadership behavior and a working model of the components of this approach as implemented by Group I CEOs in the workplace.     

Disaffection with trade unions in China: some evidence from SOEs in the auto industry

Despite the growing research into China's industrial relations system there is remarkably little research into how China's workers regard their trade union. This article draws on over 500 interviews conducted in three SOEs in the auto industry in Hubei Province to examine this question.     

Line managers and the management of workplace conflict: evidence from Ireland

In an effort to improve understanding of the role played by line managers in firms, this article examines the role of line managers and supervisors in the management of workplace conflict in firms in the Republic of Ireland. The article finds that while line managers are commonly seen as playing a significant role, they are also seen to do so often without organisational supports in areas such as training and performance monitoring and are seen often to lack the confidence to act independently. Line and supervisory ‘engagement’ in conflict management is found to be positively associated with a series of organisational outcomes, including relative labour productivity, relative absence rates and the capacity to handle change compared with other firms in the same industry. Line and supervisory management engagement in conflict management is found in turn to be associated with the use of commitment‐oriented HR practices and with the adoption by firms of a proactive approach to conflict resolution.     

Overcoming barriers to women's workplace leadership: insights from the interaction of formal and informal support mechanisms in trade unions

Women face gendered barriers to union leadership. In-depth interviews with UK and Australian female senior trade union leaders investigated how mentoring strategies can help women overcome barriers to leadership. Formal mentoring is most important, but the interaction of mentoring and informal support networks bolsters gender equality and workplace democracy.     

Partners in protest: parents,unions and anti‐academy campaigns

An analytical framework has been developed in order to enhance our ability to interrogate and understand the critical factors for successful union–community coalitions. The framework is then tested on a single case study, a campaign run by trade unions, parents and community groups engaged in opposing academisation of their community school. The framework helps structure analysis and aids evaluation of the impact of activists' choices on campaign outcomes.     

Engaged in battle: exploring the sources of workplace union militancy at Royal Mail

Sources of workplace union militancy at Royal Mail (UK) are examined in relation to four particular management initiatives in the late 1980s and 1990s. The wider industrial relations context and balance of power are emphasised and an assessment is made of the relative contribution of union leadership to workplace militancy.     

Effort reduction of employer‐to‐employer changers: Empirical evidence from football

We investigate changes in effort investment of employees who still fulfill a contract with their current employer but already signed a follow‐up contract with a new employer (employer‐to‐employer change). Because effort and outside contract assignments are hard to measure in firms, we use running data from professional football (n = 26,577) to proxy effort decisions. Fixed effect regressions reveal a statistically significant but weak reduction in a player's effort after signing a follow‐up contract with a new club. Because we find a statistically significant effort reduction in public sports, this effect might be even larger in less transparent labor markets.     

Managed activism: two union organising campaigns in the not‐for‐profit sector

Two union recognition campaigns are contrasted: one focusing on developing workplace activism but with little sectoral focus (a ‘bottom‐up’ campaign), and the other with a sectoral strategy and less emphasis on workplace campaigning (a ‘top‐down’ campaign). The outcomes indicate the need for approaches, which allow both a strong workplace activism and a clear sectoral strategy as both the ‘top‐down’ and ‘bottom‐up’ strategies present difficulties. Although there are positive outcomes in both campaigns, the cases show that unions seeking to represent the interests of previously unorganised groups of workers need influence at both the sectoral and workplace levels if they are to demonstrate their effectiveness.     

Sisters organising in Japan and Korea: the development of women‐only unions

In this article, I explore the development of women‐only unions in Japan and Korea. Women‐only unions, which organise women workers across enterprises and employment status boundaries in both countries, have appeared only recently and are new areas of research. While the strategy to form autonomous women‐only unions in Japan and Korea is a recent phenomenon, women workers in both countries are continuing a tradition of women's activism that has challenged both management and the male domination of the union movement. By taking a broad scope and by organising the growing non‐full‐time workforce and women employed in small workplaces, the formation of women‐only unions in Japan and Korea is a positive development for both non‐unionised women workers and for the broader workers' movement in general.     

The removal of workplace partnership in the UK Civil Service: a trade union perspective

Despite extensive research on the impact of social partnership in the workplace, limited investigation has been undertaken around its removal. This article examines, from a trade union perspective, the removal of the partnership agreement by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Public and Commercial Services Union.