Purpose Creativity fosters innovativeness, competitiveness and sustained success. This study aims to evaluate the mediating role of employee creativity in the nexus of human resource management (HRM) practice and organizational ambidexterity. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 973 employees of 75 health care institutions comprising 48 (indigenously-owned) and 27 (internationally-owned). The positivist paradigm was adopted. Construct validity and reliability were established using confirmatory factor analysis. The study hypotheses and proposed model were evaluated using structural equation modeling Findings The study’s results show that ability-enhancing practices and organizational ambidexterity were positively related. Motivation-enhancing practices and organizational ambidexterity were positively related. Opportunity-enhancing practices and organizational ambidexterity were nonsignificantly related. Employee creativity mediates the ability-enhancing practices and organizational ambidexterity relationship. Similarly, employee creativity mediates the motivation-enhancing practices and organizational ambidexterity relationship. Nonetheless, employee creativity did not mediate the opportunity-enhancing practices and organizational ambidexterity relationship. Research limitations/implications The generalizability of the findings will be constrained due to the research’s health care focus and cross-sectional data. Practical implications The findings of the study would provide valuable insight to stakeholder’s, policy makers and management of health care institutions in developing a supportive work environment that promote the generation of originality and novelty in ideas to ensure institutional competitiveness, competencies and innovativeness. Originality/value By evidencing empirically that employee creativity mediates the ability-enhancing practices, motivation-enhancing practices and organizational ambidexterity relationship, the study extends the literature on employee creativity, HRM practices and organizational ambidexterity.

Purpose This article explores the growing ambiguity in employment classification in the context of the gig economy and the rise in nonstandard work. It seeks to examine how employment status, a concept at the core of the welfare state, affects the interpretation and enforcement of employment and welfare rights and the pivotal role played by state institutions. Design/methodology/approach We use a case study approach drawing on a recent landmark case in Ireland (Karshan vs Revenue Commissioners). We analyse the role of state institutions in shaping individual employment and welfare rights while securing economic efficiency and income tax generation for the state. We draw on the body of work surrounding the Supreme Court judgement including policy documents and public communication from relevant state institutions in their responses to the judgement. Findings We find that through the interplay of institutions the state contributes further to labour market dualisation both in practical and conceptual terms maintaining a fragmented and two-tiered concept of what constitutes employment for tax purposes in one sphere and for social and employment rights in another. Our findings show that a worker can simultaneously occupy insider and outsider positions in this regard. Originality/value The article offers a novel perspective by moving beyond the legal analysis of employment status to examine the integration of economic and social domains, highlighting how state institutions contribute to and even exacerbate labour market dualisation.

Purpose This study aims to examine the effects of social media-based onboarding and microlearning practices on Role Clarity (RC), Sense of Belonging (SB), and employee performance in hybrid work environments, as well as the conditional role of Psychological Safety (PS) in these relationships. By focusing on the post-hire phase, this study extends the discourse on social media beyond talent acquisition into the critical domain of talent management and integration. Design/methodology/approach The research uses four annual waves (2020–2023) of employee survey data from IT and professional services businesses operating in OECD and European Union countries (N = 1,400). The measurement structure is evaluated using Exploratory Factor Analysis/Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and hypotheses are tested using regression-based mediation/moderation (conditional process) with bootstrap inference. In a second stage, firm-year panel models (N = 350 firms, 2020–2023) are estimated using firm and year fixed effects, along with cluster-robust standard errors, to corroborate the temporal robustness of the observed relationships. Findings The findings indicate that social media engagement and microlearning participation significantly increase RC (ß = 0.287 and ß = 0.253) and a SB (ß = 0.198), and that these two constructs have a positive and substantial effect on performance. While microlearning participation partially mediates the relationship between social media engagement and the outcome variables, PS emerges as a significant contextual variable that strengthens this chain. Findings indicate that the effects are particularly concentrated in teams with high digital engagement and a strong PS climate. Originality/value The study proposes an integrated model that links social media-enabled onboarding, microlearning, RC, belonging, and performance into a single pathway in hybrid work settings. By combining individual-level survey evidence with longitudinal firm-year fixed-effects corroboration, the study extends the social media discussion from recruitment to post-hire talent integration.

Purpose This study aims to systematically explore the role of social media in shaping Employer Branding (EB) by consolidating existing research. It investigates how social media platforms enhance EB, support talent acquisition, inform digital communication strategies, and interact with moderating or mediating factors influencing employer brand outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology, guided by the PRISMA framework, was employed. A comprehensive search in the Scopus database yielded 72 articles, from which 59 peer-reviewed studies were selected based on rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria. These studies were thematically analyzed across four research questions. Findings The findings reveal that social media significantly enhances EB by signaling organizational values, leveraging employee-generated content (EGC), and facilitating targeted, platform-specific recruitment strategies. LinkedIn, Glassdoor and Instagram emerged as dominant platforms for employer brand positioning. Key communication strategies include authenticity, transparency, employee advocacy, and emotional resonance. The review also identifies critical mediating and moderating factors such as employer attractiveness, person-organization fit, employer reputation, social media use, and value congruence. Despite these advancements, the literature reflects theoretical fragmentation, the methodological dominance of cross-sectional surveys, and limited contextual and cultural variations exploration. Originality/value This review is a comprehensive EB and social media research synthesis. It contributes to theory by integrating diverse conceptual frameworks and identifies research gaps related to longitudinal analysis, geographic diversity, and digital innovation. It provides actionable insights for scholars and practitioners navigating the complexities of digital EB.

Purpose We explore theoretical resources from the classic sociologist Georg Simmel in service analyses. Thereby, we concentrate on the theory of alliances in order to apply it to relations between management, home aid workers and clients in a Norwegian case. Design/methodology/approach Questions of possibilities of alliances between two parts against a third in the triad provide significant analytical lines. The data are derived from participant observation, individual interviews and focus group interviews, and collected shortly after the organizational change in four organizations, that is between January and June 2006, and are now re-analysed. Findings In the service triad, there are three logical possibilities of alliances that we explore: (1) worker and client against management, (2) worker and management against client and (3) management and client against worker. Further, in empirical cases over time, alliances can change, and more than one alliance can exist at the same time within the same service triad. Originality/value We apply Simmel’s underused theory in social service research to a qualitatively based study of organizational changes in home care work in Norway. Thereby new social science knowledge is generated.

Purpose This study examines how green human resource management (GHRM), directly and indirectly, individually and collectively, affects green creativity (GC), green psychological climate (PGC), green in-role behavior (GIB) and green extra-role behavior (GEB) in Pakistani small, medium, and large textile enterprises. The study examines how PGC mediates the relationship between GHRM and GIB, and GEB and ethical leadership (EL) moderate the relationship between PGC and GIB, and GEB. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in 2 phases: in phase 1 (N = 41 records), a systematic literature review was performed to identify the gaps, and in phase 2 (N = 412 managers and supervisors), a quantitative survey method was employed. Findings The results showed that GHRM positively impacted GC and PGC. GHRM practices, including employee involvement (GEI), training and development (GTD), and recruitment and selection (GRS), enhanced PGC. However, compensation and reward (GCR) and performance and management (GPM) do not significantly affect PGC. GHRM practices significantly influenced GIB and GEB, and in turn, PGC positively affects GIB and GEB. GIB and GEB also significantly contribute to GC. PGC does not mediate the relationships between GHRM and GIB, GEB. EL significantly moderates the relationship between PGC and GIB, improving green behavior in textile enterprises. Practical implications This study highlights the need for Pakistani textile companies, especially SMEs, to prioritize GHRM practices like green training and GEI. Policymakers should encourage the adoption of GHRM to align corporate practices with environmental goals. Originality/value This study is unique in examining how GHRM practices, directly and indirectly, and EL influenced PGC and employee green behaviors in Pakistani textile SMEs. It also examines how EL moderates GHRM, providing insights for environmental sustainability managerial strategies and policy frameworks.

Purpose This article examines the phenomenon of job postings created without genuine hiring intent, commonly referred to as ghost ads. These postings have become a strategic tool for organizations in the digital recruitment era, particularly with the rise of platforms like LinkedIn for talent sourcing. Design/methodology/approach This study employs a conceptual, theory-driven analysis to examine ghost job advertisements as an organizational recruitment practice. Drawing on Resource Dependence Theory (RDT) and Transaction Cost Theory (TCT), the paper theorizes why and how organizations deploy job postings without immediate hiring intent within social media–based recruitment systems. Practitioner surveys, industry reports, and documented recruitment practices are used selectively as contextual indicators rather than as empirical tests. The analysis develops a multi-level conceptual framework and formal propositions that explain organizational antecedents, platform-enabled mechanisms, and consequences for job seekers, organizations, and labor markets, with the aim of guiding future empirical research. Findings The study finds that ghost job advertisements can be understood as a structurally embedded recruitment practice rather than isolated or unethical anomalies. Drawing on RDT and TCT, the analysis shows that organizations use ghost ads to manage labor market uncertainty, maintain access to potential talent, and signal organizational vitality, enabled by the low marginal costs and data-retention capacities of social media recruitment platforms. While these practices provide short-term organizational flexibility, they shift informational and emotional costs onto job seekers, distort vacancy signals, and raise longer-term concerns for trust, transparency, and legitimacy in labor markets. Originality/value This study offers one of the first theory-driven conceptual analyses of ghost job advertisements as a structurally embedded recruitment practice rather than an isolated or deviant behavior. While ghost ads are widely discussed in practitioner and media contexts, they have received little systematic attention in HRM and employee relations scholarship. By integrating RDT and TCT, the study develops an original multi-level framework explaining why organizations deploy ghost ads, how digital recruitment platforms enable their use, and what consequences arise for job seekers, organizations, and labor markets.

Purpose This study investigates the factors that influence workers’ transition from informal to formal employment. It aims to understand the behavioural patterns, motivations and skill gaps contributing to this transition. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a qualitative design, utilising semi-structured interviews with 46 respondents across two phases. The first phase involved interviews with 29 young professionals who had recently adopted new-collar jobs. The second phase included interviews with 17 trainers from multiple industries. Findings The study revealed that individuals are more likely to transition from informal to formal employment when seeking financial stability, a better career and a sense of purpose. However, many people who make this change lack the skills to succeed. They must also collaborate with businesses to ensure their programs effectively convey the correct information. Research limitations/implications The research involved a small number of participants from various sectors. Additionally, the study employed qualitative methods, with findings based on people’s opinions and experiences. Future research may use quantitative methods to collect data that can be measured and analysed. Practical implications This study demonstrates pathways to vocational training programs towards advancement in career choice. This training can help people get the skills they need for career advancement. Social implications This study identifies pathways to vocational training programs that facilitate career advancement. This training can help individuals acquire the skills necessary for career advancement. Originality/value This research aims to explore the transition from informal to formal employment. It also demonstrates how vocational training programs can be enhanced to enable more people to secure decent jobs. It presents the concept of new-collar empowerment to conceptualise how digitally mediated professional routes can change the access of selected informal labourers to decent work, in an existing narrative of informal-formal transition.

Purpose Understanding how characteristics of the work context may influence employee green behavior (EGB) is essential for organizations to achieve their environmental sustainability goals. So far, however, the role of workplace information and communication technology (ICT) use in influencing EGB is not well understood. Drawing from the concept of “twin transformation” and work design theory, we hypothesize that workplace ICT use is positively associated with four specific dimensions of EGB (i.e. changing work processes, embracing sustainable innovation, monitoring environmental impact, and reducing resource use). Additionally, we explore how perceived environmental impact of work moderates these relations. Design/methodology/approach We collected longitudinal data from N = 2,418 employees in Germany across four monthly measurement waves and analyzed the data using mixed effects models. Findings Workplace ICT use was positively related to embracing sustainable innovation at the between-person level. Additionally, the positive between-person relation between workplace ICT use and reducing resource use was stronger when the perceived environmental impact of work was lower (vs. higher). Furthermore, perceived environmental impact of work moderated the positive within-person relation between workplace ICT use and monitoring environmental impact, such that this relation was stronger when the perceived environmental impact of work was higher (vs. lower). Originality/value This study advances the understanding of how workplace ICT use is related to EGB, providing novel insights into how the “twin transformation” unfolds at the individual level.