Field Of Employment Relations Research Articles

Labour Legislation Compliance within the Small-Enterprise Sector

The purpose of this study was to investigate how compliance with labour law—particularly the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA)—could be promoted as sound governance practice. The study adopted a qualitative approach, and eight experts in the field were purposefully sampled and interviewed. The results suggested that small-enterprise owners were not knowledgeable about labour laws, hence their inability to comply with them. It was found that owners experienced labour laws as cumbersome, and their forced implementation had a negative impact on governance. It is suggested that different legal requirements be applied to the small-enterprise sector. Guidelines are proposed which legislators could use to assist the South African government in modifying the requirements of the LRA and the BCEA in respect of small enterprises. This study fills a gap in existing literature on small enterprises and governance in South Africa in the field of employment relations.

Labour Legislation Compliance within the Small-Enterprise Sector

The purpose of this study was to investigate how compliance with labour law—particularly the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA)—could be promoted as sound governance practice. The study adopted a qualitative approach, and eight experts in the field were purposefully sampled and interviewed. The results suggested that small-enterprise owners were not knowledgeable about labour laws, hence their inability to comply with them. It was found that owners experienced labour laws as cumbersome, and their forced implementation had a negative impact on governance. It is suggested that different legal requirements be applied to the small-enterprise sector. Guidelines are proposed which legislators could use to assist the South African government in modifying the requirements of the LRA and the BCEA in respect of small enterprises. This study fills a gap in existing literature on small enterprises and governance in South Africa in the field of employment relations.

Understanding Employees’ Perspective on Employment Relations: A Study on Selected Small Enterprises in India

A considerable portion of the Indian economy operates under the Small Enterprises or SEs where the studies on employment relations have largely remained neglected due to some reason or other. As such research in the field of employment relations in SEs will make a fruitful contribution to the existing ER/HRM literature (Wilkinson, 1999). There is complete lack of studies on employees’ perspectives in the field of employment relations undertaken from an Indian perspective. Employment relations in the Indian SEs are intricate, complex and understudied due to the precarious nature of employment and the absence of HRM mechanism. Therefore, it becomes imperative to understand how employees perceive employment relations in selected SEs in India. The sample consisted of 40 enterprises belonging to SEs in India. The author has ascertained ‘Mixed’ research methods for the present research. Finally, discussions have been made highlighting employees’ perspectives on employment relations in selected SEs in India.

Rethinking research supervision: some reflections from the field of employment relations

This essay offers some reflections for the theory and practice of research supervision drawn from the field of employment relations. It argues that rethinking supervision in terms of the employment relationship can advance dialogue and debate about supervision. This is twofold. (1) Reframing supervision in terms of the employment relationship can illuminate our understanding of supervision as an institutionally prescribed power relationship. (2) Normative scholarship on the employment relationship can illuminate what may constitute ‘good’ supervision as well as inspire a benchmark against which supervision can be evaluated and managed. The essay concludes by suggesting some possible implications for supervisory practice.

Conceptualizing Work, Family and Community: A Socio‐Ecological Systems Model, Taking Account of Power, Time, Space and Life Stage

AbstractA large body of empirical research now exists about ‘work and family’, much of it in agreement on critical issues. However, it is under‐conceptualized, it over‐researches professional and managerial workers and it under‐attends the larger terrain of work, family and community. This contribution argues the case for a stronger analytical framework around work, family and community and the ways in which they intersect, drawing on concepts commonly used in the field of employment relations. The article utilizes a body of empirical research about work, family and community in Australia to develop Voydanoff's ecological systems model of work, home and community, arguing that it is vital to unpack the ‘black box’ of ‘work’ in a multi‐layered way, to give appropriate weight to various sources of power, and to avoid an individualistic approach to the reconciliation of work, home and community life by locating analysis in a larger social and political context. The contribution proposes a ‘socio‐ecological systems’ model of work, home and community that delineates the four issues of power, time, space and life stage.

The Future Employment Relations: Insights from Theory

The other chapters in this volume examine likely trends and changes in the various institutions, practices and outcomes that comprise the field of employment relations (ER). For the most part, they are empirical-based. To complement them, in this chapter I provide an overview of several theoretical frameworks and models that in some way address and explain changes in employment relations over time. In particular, I canvas these models and frameworks in order to identify the central dependent variables in the field, the most important independent variables, and key contingencies. These relationships, supplemented with projected trends and developments with regard to the key independent variables, are then used to prognosticate about likely contours of change in employment relations in the years ahead. Included are convergence or divergence in employment relations systems in the world economy, future trends in industrial conflict, the future of labor movements and trends in union density, and the relative success of liberal market employment relations systems versus coordinated market employment systems.

Factors affecting student progression and achievement: prediction and intervention. A two‐year study

First‐year student dropout in the university sector can reach 20% or higher. Over a two‐year period, a simple instrument was developed to identify potential student low performance and withdrawal. It was based on a measure of students’ early expectation of higher education, matched subsequently with their actual experience. The instrument design was based both on the concept of a psychological contract, taken from the field of employment relations, and Seven Principles of good undergraduate teaching. An intervention programme of interviews was instituted with low‐scoring students. Findings, both statistical and qualitative, indicated a potentially useful role for the instrument, and an improvement in student progression and achievement for those receiving remedial intervention.

The discourse of diversity in unionised contexts: views from trade union equality officers

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the little researched question of how trade unions have interpreted and engaged with the discourse of diversity adopted by many organisations to replace the traditional “equal opportunities” discourse.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on interviews with national trade union equality officers, the paper presents a discourse‐based analysis, exploring what the shift towards a diversity discourse means for trade unions.FindingsThe paper identifies three main features of the diversity discourse, which cause concern from the trade union perspective: its business‐driven nature, its focus on the individual and its positioning as a top‐down managerial activity. The main concern expressed was that the upbeat rhetoric of the diversity discourse diverts attention from the realities of discrimination and disadvantage. However, the discussion concludes that unions believe it is possible to work critically with diversity in order to pursue equality objectives.Originality/valueThe paper offers an original perspective on the diversity discourse, and within the field of employment relations, an unusual analytical approach.

Book reviews

Reviews three books in the field of employment relations, industrial relations and human resource management: Employment Relations: Continuity and Change: Policies and Practices by E. Rose; Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice by M. Salamon; and Human Resource Management A Critical Text, edited by J. Storey. The review highlights the tension between the academic requirement for rigour in research and the publisher's requirement for a text that will have commercial value. It raises the point that textbooks often define of a research discipline for those outside academic circles. The review provides a detailed account of each book and compares their strengths and weaknesses. Concludes with a call to debate further what is required in a good textbook.