The new workplace: change at work in Ireland

This paper examines new forms of work organization in Ireland, their incidence, shape and origins. Using data from a recently conducted national workplace survey it is timely on two counts: it provides for the first time reliable data on key dimensions of work reorganization. Previous research findings, which have relied on company listings for their sampling frames, have been of questionable statistical provenance. Second, from this more reliable statistical base, the paper seeks to question the popularly held contention that the radical shift in fortunes enjoyed by the Irish economy in recent years is, in no small measure, due to workplace innovation. In addition, the paper examines the factors associated with new work practices. Three variables stand out as exercising particularly robust effects: establishments in 'high-tech' sectors of the economy, financial services and competitive strategies that give emphasis to product and service customization. Finally, the paper attempts to locate patterns of workplace change in Ireland within the wider international literature.     

Preventing and correcting workplace harassment: Guidelines for employers

In recent years, the number of harassment claims filed with the EEOC has declined overall, but this fact masks a frightening reality: though claims involving some types of harassment have declined, claims for other types of harassment—especially nontraditional forms of harassment—have actually increased. Therefore it remains necessary for employers to maintain a current anti-harassment program, which should consist of the following elements: (1) a clear anti-harassment policy; (2) an explicit statement of prohibited behaviors that can be considered harassment; (3) a complaint procedure that encourages employees to come forward with harassment complaints; (4) protections for complainants and witnesses against retaliation; (5) an investigative strategy that protects privacy interests of both the alleged victim and the accused offender and ensures confidentiality to the extent possible; (6) periodic management training and employee awareness programs that continue to communicate the organization's position on this issue; and (7) measures and processes to ensure prompt corrective action to stop ongoing harassment, and appropriate remedial and disciplinary actions for offenders. In this article, we provide best practice recommendations concerning each of these elements.     

Virtue in small business in small places: Organisational factors associated with employee dishonest behaviour in the retail sector

The organisational factors associated with employee dishonest behaviour are understudied because dishonesty is sensitive topic and organisations are not willing to reveal misbehaviour to the wider public. This paper addresses this research gap by providing an empirical study on reporting of dishonest behaviour of retail employees in Estonia and Latvia. The aim of the paper is to find out how organisational factors affect the reporting of dishonest behaviour in retail sector. Local vs international retailers and rural vs capital city stores characterise organisational factors and these are analysed in different hypothetical scenarios: low wage, perceived injustice and boredom. The sample consists of 781 retail employees from six retail organisations. The study employed a survey with manipulated questionnaires. Some of the main findings are the following: employees in international retail chains and in stores located in capital cities deem dishonesty more prevalent compared to domestically owned shops and stores situated outside metropoles. However, employees outside capital cities were more sensitive to the motives, especially perceived injustice. Implications for retailers are discussed at the end of the paper.     

Are ICT,Workplace Organization,and Human Capital Relevant for Innovation? A Comparative Swiss/Greek Study

This paper investigates and compares the relationships for Swiss and Greek firms between indicators for the intensity of use of modern information and communications technologies (ICT), several forms of workplace organization, and human capital, on the one hand, and several measures of innovation performance at firm level, on the other hand. For the Swiss firms, we find that ICT contribute to innovation activities (a) as enablers of process innovation (but not of product innovation) and (b) as means for increasing the efficiency of the R&D process. The organizational variables for “work design” and “employee voice” show significant positive correlations for most innovation indicators. Human capital matters primarily for R&D activities. The findings for the Greek firms indicate positive correlations of ICT with product and process innovation and of new “work design” with product innovation and R&D. No correlation of human capital with innovation could be found. No complementarities for the three factors with respect to innovation performance could be detected in either country.     

Workplace incivility against women in STEM: Insights and best practices

As demonstrated by both empirical and non-empirical research, women are more likely than men to be a target of workplace incivility. This manifests in a variety of negative outcomes for female employees, including turnover intentions, poor performance, and higher levels of stress. The problem is exacerbated for women in STEM fields due to factors unique to these industries. Herein, we outline the unique characteristics of STEM organizations that can foster the creation and sustenance of an atmosphere promoting workplace incivility against female employees. Then, we provide five best practice recommendations geared toward reducing incivility, improving work climate, and promoting overall retention of women in STEM.     

Private returns to education versus education spill-over effects

In this study we test whether education spill-over effects biase private returns to education. We newly investigate for such effects within narrowly defined occupational groups of a given firm using, going thus a step further than earlier studies analysing such effects at employer level or within regions. Using panel data from a Swiss employer-based labour force survey of 1996 we find clear empirical evidence for education spill-over effects on individual wages (2%). This result proved to be robust against an alternative explanation based on imperfect substitution between highly and less educated workers. Consequently, conventionally calculated private returns to education are shown to be biased upwards. This work was undertaken under the TSER program PL980182 for the PuRE project and was supported by the Swiss Federal Office for Education and Science. I thank Josef Zweimüller and Rafael Lalive for their valuable suggestions. Any remaining errors are my own.     

浅谈高职高专公共英语的定位

高职英语教学是高职教育的重要组成部分，但长期以来一直缺乏准确定位。导致事倍功半。高职英语教学要在英语基础知识基础上，培养学生的实际涉外能力，从而最终形成职业英语能力。     

Perceptions of workplace bullying in the New Zealand travel industry: Prevalence and management strategies

Workplace bullying is a major cause of stress and psychological harm for employees and a costly problem for organisations. Within the travel industry, little is known about the extent and nature of the workplace bullying problem. This paper reports on findings from a survey of 332 New Zealand travel industry staff and managers. The finding that more than one-in-ten respondents experienced bullying in the workplace indicates a significant problem for the sector. In comparison to those who had not experienced bullying, targets of bullying reported lower levels of constructive leadership, colleague support, and supervisor support, and lower self-rated performance. Targets also reported higher levels of stress, lower levels of emotional wellbeing, higher absenteeism, and a higher intention to leave the organisation. Organisational responses to bullying reported to be most effective were those that focused on improvements in communication and relationships. The paper discusses the importance of leadership in developing a bully-free culture within organisations.     

基于扎根理论的职场排斥行为结构分类的探索性研究

一直以来,以职场排斥为代表的职场冷暴力的研究未得到足够的关注,对于职场排斥行为的结构探讨也尚属空白.本研究基于扎根理论对职场排斥行为的结构进行了探索性研究.通过深度访谈、三级译码等质化研究,明晰了职场排斥行为由人际忽视、资源隔绝、蓄意抵触、价值诋毁和差序格局偏见5个维度构成.在此基础上,进一步界定了职场排斥行为的概念内涵,并给出了相应的概念定义,从而丰富了职场排斥行为的理论体系.     

Trust and HRM in the new millennium

This paper introduces the topic of trust in the workplace. The rationale for the growth of interest in trust is explored, as are the implications for HRM policy makers and researchers. Here, we also outline the main thrust of the eight papers incorporated in this special edition. First, we explore the topic of HRM and trust, before moving to issues relating to trust and workplace change. Next we discuss team dynamics, manager–employee relationships and trust and, finally, the characteristics associated with trust and situational, dispositional and affectual factors.