Non-manual Employment Research Articles

Between hard and soft HRM: human resource management in the construction industry

The rapid change in the economic environment has not resulted in the development of sophisticated human resource management practices in the UK construction industry. There are similarities between personnel practice in construction and ‘hard’ models of HRM, particularly in relation to manual workers, but non-manual employment resembles more the conditions where ‘soft’ HRM might be expected. Focusing on the HRM levers developed by John Storey, HRM practices are examined in relation to the role of personnel departments, line management responsibility, performance management, and values and beliefs of personnel managers. The survey results suggest few signs of fundamental or far-reaching innovation in human resource management practice in the construction industry despite the changing shape of construction companies. There are some, though limited, signs of change in respect to expectations of training and employee development in the future.

British Unions in Decline: Determinants of the 1980s Fall in Union Recognition

This examination of establishment-level data from the Workplace Industrial Relations Surveys of 1980, 1984, and 1990 shows that the proportion of British establishments (that is, workplaces in both the private and public sector) that recognized unions for collective bargaining over pay and working conditions fell by almost 20% between 1980 and 1990. Largely accountable for this decline was a much lower rate of union recognition in establishments founded in the 1980s than in previous years, particularly in the private sector. Citing these findings, as well as recent structural changes in employment in the British labor market (such as the shift from manufacturing to services, from manual to non-manual employment, and from full-time to part-time work) and a government that continues to enact anti-union legislation, the authors foresee no reversal of unions' decline in the 1990s.

Performance appraisal as icon: Oscar-winning performance or dressing to impress?

This article firstly examines the changing focus of performance appraisal in relation to the control exercised by management over the work process and its ‘pre-defined’ outcomes. Here it assesses the subtle control strategies employed in the (post)modern 1990s form of management and, more specifically, the requirement on individuals to present the right image as a means of subordination. The work of Foucault is put forward as an alternative conception to traditional perspectives on performance appraisal and is then used to analyse data gathered from a case study in the Midlands. Foucault's work examining the manipulation of power/knowledge is used to interpret the changing strategy for individuals. The privileges ordinarily associated with non-manual employment are viewed as increasingly vulnerable in these circumstances to the dictates of performance appraisal. The case study highlights some of these issues in situ and illustrates the arbitrary use of power/knowledge over employees.

Prevalence of antibodies to herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 in pregnant women, and estimated rates of infection.

There has been a recent increase in notifications of genital herpes but it is not known whether this has been reflected in the pregnant population. We have therefore carried out a study to determine the prevalence of herpes simplex antibodies in pregnant women and to estimate the incidence of primary infection. Sera were collected from 3533 women at antenatal clinics and tested for total antibodies to herpes simples virus (HSV), and if positive, for specific antibodies to HSV-2. Estimates of HSV-1 seroprevalence were derived from the HSV-2 seronegative population. HSV-1 seroprevalence was nearly 100% in black women born in Africa or the Caribbean and 60-80% in white, Asian and UK born black women. It was lower in women in non-manual employment. HSV-2 seroprevalence was related to age, rising from 0 at age 16 to 40% at age 35 in black women, and to about 10% in Asian and white women. The estimated incidence of primary HSV-2 infection during pregnancy, per 1000 pregnancies, was about 2.4 in Asian women, 5 in white women, and 20 in black women. Estimates of the incidence of neonatal infection were derived from these figures and compared to the nationally reported rates.

De-Industrialization and Occupational Mobility

Lovatt and Ham (BJS 1984) have argued that changes in the industrial and occupational structure do not modifjz patterns of inequality as measured by occupational mobility, but instead conMirm existing patterns. However, a careful examination of their evidence shows that their data are not in a form which makes comparison with other mobility studies easy, nor do they provide an unequivocal basis for generalizations. This review of their argument helps to remove some potential points of confusion and to clarify substantive differences between the modification and the confirmation theses. New evidence about mobility in five industrial sectors is presented, which illustrates the relationship between growth of sector, growth of non-manual employment, and mobility opportunity. In particular it is demonstrated, contrary to Lovatt and Ham's view, that female mobility does not 'counterbalance' changes in male mobility, and that mid and late career mobility do not counterbalance trends in intergenerational mobility at first job. It follows that, although there has been little change in mobility trends in the 1970s and early 1980s, the main trend has indeed been to modify patterns of inequality in favour of the non-manual class. In a valuable contribution to the debate about the consequences of deindustrialization, Lovatt and Ham have suggested that recent changes in the labour market 'have afXirmed an existing and stable pattern of inequality' rather than leading 'to some modification to the pattern of social inequality'.l In particular they argue that rates of class mobility do not change as a result of the dedine of manufacturing industry and the growth of service industry. They identify Payne and Payne, inter alia, as exponents of the 'modification' thesis, examining with considerable care but ultimately rejecting the case which had been outlined in an earlier article in this Journal.2 The purpose of the

An Examination of the Differential Patterns in the Cyclical Behaviour of the Employment, Hours and Wages of Labour of Different Skills: British Mechanical Engineering, 1963-1978

This paper compares the cyclical behaviour of the employment, hours and wage rates of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour in British mechanical engineering from 1963 to 1978. Figure 1 shows the variation of the employment share of skilled and non-manual male labour in relation to the cyclical fluctuations during the same period, where the cycle measure employed is the percentage deviation of output from its trend value. A casual inspection reveals that the percentage of skilled labour in manual employment reaches peaks in the 1967, 1972 and 1977 recessions, while falling to lows in the 1966, 1969-1970 and 1974 booms. In similar fashion, the percentage of non-manual labour in total employment attains a peak in 1972 and 1977, and falls to a low in 1974-1975. These observations indicate that there is a differential cyclical response of the employment of different types of labour, and suggest that skilled and non-manual employment fluctuate relatively less. The fixity and heterogeneity of labour was first highlighted by Oi (1962) and Becker (1962). The introduction of hiring, firing and training costs, which vary among different groups of workers, implies that the employment behaviour of these groups will differ markedly over the course of the business cycle; i.e. the stock of some groups of labour is relatively in the short run. We will be referring to this as the fixed labour hypothesis. It applies especially to skilled workers because they usually embody more specific on-the-job training than lower skill groups. During short-run cyclical fluctuations we expect that the adjustment in the employment of skilled workers will be slower than that of lower skill groups; and if one identifies non-manual labour with relatively higher skill than manual labour, the same employment behaviour will be expected for non-manual labour. The examination of the relative employment variation of skilled labour is useful in the discussion of the aggregate employment function, for which research has led to the empirical finding of short-run increasing returns to labour. The explanation usually given to this is that there are short-run adjustment costs, which prevent the firm from adjusting the employment of skilled and non-manual labour instantaneously, with respect to cyclical demand shifts. However, excluding the work of Rosen (1968), there has not been any direct empirical testing of such a hypothesis.' Another implication of the fixed labour hypothesis concerns the short-run behaviour of the hours of work of skilled labour. As the most substantial

Occupational and Industrial Transition in Social Mobility

Social mobility has normally been measured as moves between occupational statuses, but mobility researchers have not taken the economic dimension sufficiently into account because of their prior interest in stratification. A proper explanation of mobility needs to be based on an analysis of the occupational processes of modern capitalism: labour market forces, industrial mix, occupational transition, wars and depressions, etc. One example of this is demonstrated using data from the Scottish Mobility Study to show how mobility rates have changed, with particular reference to the 1930s, the Second WorldWar, and the 1960s. These changes are related to the growth of tertiary sector industry and nonmanual employment which, the authors conclude, have resulted in a reduction in mobility opportunities since 1960.

Population mobility and labour supply in rural regions: North Norfolk and the Galway Gaeltacht.

Drudy P. J. and Drudy S. M. (1979) Population mobility and labour supply in rural regions: North Norfolk and the Galway Gaeltacht, Reg. Studies 13, 91–99. Rural regions can be conveniently divided into two types—‘marginal’ and ‘prosperous’. This paper shows that there are a number of close similarities between the problems of these two types. The North Norfolk sub-region of eastern England is compared to the Galway Gaeltacht in western Ireland. Although these areas experience somewhat different adjustments in relation to their agricultural sectors, the effects of such adjustments are remarkably similar. Employment outside agriculture is insufficient so that there has been a consistent migration from both areas. The results of school-leaver surveys give an indication of migration plans of young people and they suggest that any development programme must contain a significant element of Non-Manual and Professional employment.

The Ability and Attainment of Short-Sighted Pupils

In a national study short-sighted children are found to be hard working and attentive in class, to have many academic hobbies and, take relatively little interest in sport: they are successful at school and have high ambitions for further education and employment. In non-verbal tests their scores are similar to those of children with perfect vision, but in attainment tests they have a considerable advantage. These findings are related to the age of onset of short sight and home circumstances. The hypothesis is put forward that families with a history of short sight have over the generations acquired academic interests and a high valuation of non-manual or professional employment that are passed on to the children.