Workplace And Employee Survey Research Articles

Can older workers be retrained? Canadian evidence from worker-firm linked data

Our empirical analysis is based on Statistics Canada’s worker-firm matched data set, the 2003 Workplace and Employee Survey (WES). The sample size is substantial: about 4,000 workers over the age of 50 and 12,000 between the ages of 25 and 49. Training was a focus of the survey, which offers a wealth of worker-related and firm-related training variables. We found that the mean probability of receiving training was 9.3 percentage points higher for younger workers than for older ones. Almost half of the gap is explained by older workers having fewer training-associated characteristics (personal, employment, workplace, human resource practices and occupation/industry/region), and slightly more than half by them having a lower propensity to receive training, this being the gap that remained after we controlled for differences in training-associated characteristics. Their lower propensity to receive training likely reflects the higher opportunity cost of lost wages during the time spent in training, possible higher psychological costs and lower expected benefits due to their shorter remaining work-life and lower productivity gains from training, as discussed in the literature. The lower propensity of older workers to receive training tended to prevail across 54 different training measures, with notable exceptions discussed in detail. We found that older workers can be trained, but their training should be redesigned in several ways: by making instruction slower and self-paced; by assigning hands-on practical exercises; by providing modular training components to be taken in stages; by familiarizing the trainees with new equipment; and by minimizing required reading and amount of material covered. The concept of “one-size-fits- all” does not apply to the design and implementation of training programs for older workers.

Work hour congruence: the effect on job satisfaction and absenteeism

This study examines the effect of work hour congruence on employee job satisfaction and absenteeism using a large, longitudinal sample from the Canadian Workplace and Employee Survey (WES). An employee is said to have work hour congruence when they actually work the number of hours that they desire. Results indicate a difference between employees who desire more hours and those who desire fewer hours: employee desire for and receipt of more hours was related to positive changes in job satisfaction, while employee desire for and receipt of fewer hours was related to reduced absenteeism. In addition, the results suggest that employees respond to employers who at least try to meet their needs, those who desired more hours and received some, but not all of these additional hours showed a positive increase in job satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature by using of a precise measure of work hour preference and change, differentiating employees who desire fewer hours from those who desire more and examining both full and partial work hour congruence.

Non-Strike Collective Actions and Alternative Dispute Resolution System In Non-Union Workplaces

Despite the growing separation of individual employees from traditional bases of collective representation, evidence from existing studies suggests that workers increasingly engage in various forms of industrial disputes other than strikes. Filling the gap in the literature in industrial relations and HRM which have largely omitted explicit consideration of non-strike collective disputes, we explore their dynamics relations with grievances in non-union settings. In particular, we highlight the role of Alternative Disputes Resolution (ADR) system in the dynamics. Using data from the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) conducted by Statistics Canada, we found that workplace conflict evolve from individual forms of expression (grievances) to collective forms (job actions) in a bottom-up fashion but only where the grievance procedure ends at management and is not neutral. Thus our findings provide significant theoretical insights into conflict dynamics that have practical implications for dispute resolution.

How does variable pay relate to pay satisfaction among Canadian workers?

PurposeThis study aims to determine the effect of individual and group variable pay plans on pay satisfaction among Canadian workers from six occupational groups.Design/methodology/approachTheoretical foundations rest on the discrepancy model of pay satisfaction and equity theory. Canadian national data from the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that individual and group variable pay plans act differently on workers’ pay satisfaction. For individual pay plans, being eligible for a variable pay plan, and thereby having one's performance rewarded, has no effect on pay satisfaction. Workers on variable pay plans are more satisfied with their pay only when they receive performance‐dependent payouts. In short, they want to be rewarded not only for performance but also for effort. For group pay plans, not receiving payouts has no negative effect on pay satisfaction. In contrast, receiving payouts creates pay dissatisfaction. Individual and group plans have a distinct effect on pay satisfaction by occupational group.Practical implicationsManagers can make informed decisions regarding the adoption of variable pay plans and their implementation.Originality/valueThis study sheds light on the link between variable pay and pay satisfaction. It improves our understanding of the mechanism by which variable pay affects pay satisfaction: the effort – performance – pay link (i.e. risk and perceived fairness of the allocation).

50 + among the 50+: who works long workweeks among older workers in Canada?

The focus of this short report is on workers who are 50+ years of age and who have a work schedule averaging 50+ hours per week (i.e. a ‘long workweek’), using Statistics Canada's linked Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) 2005 microdata, as well as selected qualitative study findings. The results show that the proportion having a long workweek is actually higher among older workers relative to others. Also, mean job satisfaction among older workers with a long workweek is at least as high as older workers without one, whether or not controlling for other factors. In terms of the characteristics of older workers with a long workweek, this is overwhelmingly a male-dominated group, and the majority are in a managerial/professional occupation. Thus, they do not exhibit the characteristics typically associated with those having poor quality schedules or employment. Since older workers represent a growing proportion of labour markets in industrialised nations, it is important that these workers access sufficiently attractive employment opportunities to keep them in the labour force. However, the findings provide yet another reminder that workers' scheduling realities and preferences are not homogeneous.

Is the Union Employment Suppression Effect Diminishing? Further Evidence from Canada

That unions suppress employment growth among their employers has been such a ubiquitous finding that it has been dubbed “the one constant” in industrial relations research (Addison and Belfield, 2004). However, all of the empirical findings on which this conclusion is based come from data collected in 1998 or earlier, and the Canadian findings (Long, 1993) date from more than twenty-five years ago. Noting this, Walsworth (2010a) utilized data from the Statistics Canada Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) covering the period 1999-2005 to investigate the more recent magnitude of the employment growth suppression effect in Canada. He found that, compared to Long’s (1993) findings, the union employment suppression effect has apparently diminished in Canada. However, we note that Walsworth’s (2010a) analysis is not comparable to that conducted by Long (1993) in several ways. For example, Walsworth (2010a) did not segment his analysis by establishment size, or by industrial sector. Moreover, Walsworth (2010a) attempted no analysis of the reasons behind a possible diminution in the union employment growth suppression effect, an omission that we address by examining employee earnings growth and the union wage premium as possible contributing factors. We analyze WES data collected during 2001-2006 and, like Long (1993), find important differences when segmenting our analysis according to establishment size, as the union employment suppression effect was evidenced in large manufacturing establishments, but not in smaller manufacturing establishments. However, unlike Long (1993), we also find important differences between the manufacturing sector and the service sector, where we find no union employment suppression effect among larger service establishments, and a significant positive union effect on employment growth among smaller service establishments—the first finding of a positive union employment growth effect in any context. Our analysis suggests that a declining union wage premium may have played a role in these results.

Are Immigrants’ Pay and Benefits Satisfaction Different than Canadian-born?

This study contributes to the emerging literature on immigrants’ life, job, and pay satisfaction by focusing on a relatively understudied aspect of the immigrant experience – satisfaction with pay and benefits. The purpose of the study is to first examine whether there are differences in satisfaction with pay and benefits between Canadian-born and immigrant workers, and if so, to then examine factors associated with immigrants’ pay and benefits satisfaction using discrepancy and equity theoretical frameworks. Immigrants are examined in four cohorts based on the year of arrival. We use Statistics Canada’s 2005 Workplace and Employee Survey (WES), which is a large Canadian dataset containing responses from both employers and employees enabling us to control for individual and workplace heterogeneity. Both descriptive and multivariate regression results found that, with the exception of the pre-1965 cohort, all immigrant cohorts report significantly lower pay and benefit satisfaction compared to Canadian-born workers. Further, we find that for Canadian-born workers, external and internal referents, non-wage benefits, and pay-for-performance are positively related to pay and benefit satisfaction, whereas pay-for-output is important for the 1986 to 1995 and 1996 to 2005 immigrant cohorts. We conclude that the lack of consistency in the factors contributing to pay and benefits satisfaction across Canadian-born and immigrant groups suggests that the theories and traditional models for pay and benefit satisfaction may not be as relevant when studying immigrants. We recommend that further studies of a qualitative nature tease out factors associated with immigrants’ pay and benefits satisfaction and contribute to the refinement of existing theories. The results can also assist human resource managers and government policy-makers to facilitate more successful integration and retention of immigrants.

Weighting Large Datasets with Complex Sampling Designs: Choosing the Appropriate Variance Estimation Method

Using the Canadian Workplace and Employee Survey (WES), three variance estimation methods for weighting large datasets with complex sampling designs are compared: simple final weighting, standard bootstrapping and mean bootstrapping. Using a logit analysis, it is shown - depending on which weighting method is used - different predictor variables are significant. The potential lack of independence inherent in a multi-stage cluster sample design, as in the WES, results in a downward bias in the variance when conducting statistical inference (using the simple final weight), which in turn results in increased Type I errors. Bootstrap methods can account for the survey’s design and adjust the variance so that it is inference appropriate and corrected for downward bias. The WES provides mean, as opposed to standard, bootstrap weights with the data; thus, a further adjustment to account for the reduced variation inherent when information is grouped is required. Failure to use mean bootstrap weights appropriately leads to biased standard errors and inappropriate inference.

Research Note: Workplace Child Care and Elder Care Programs and Employee Retention

Using Statistics Canada’s Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) data for 2003 and 2004, this research note addresses an important component of labour market retention by investigating whether the presence of workplace child care and elder care programs influences employees’ decision to quit. The key findings are as follows: (a) workplace elder care support is almost non-existent in Canada; (b) employees are more likely to remain with an organization that offers workplace child care support programs; and (c) those employees who actually use the workplace child care support are even more likely to stay with the organization. We suggest that future research should assess whether the particular support programs themselves ‘cause’ employees to stay, or whether there are other factors (within organizations offering these support programs) that account for the retention.

The Impact of Aggregate and Sectoral Fluctuations on Training Decisions

The literature has not resolved yet whether the effect of macroeconomic fluctuations on training decisions is positive or negative. On the one hand, the opportunity cost to train is lower during downturns, and thus training should be counter-cyclical. On the other hand, a positive shock may be related to the adoption of new technologies and increased returns to skill, making training incidence pro-cyclical. Using the Canadian panel of Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) we document another important channel at work: the relative position of a sector also matters. We find not only that training moves counter-cyclically with the aggregate business cycle (more training during downturns), but also that the idiosyncratic sectoral shocks have a positive impact on training incidence (more training in sectors doing relatively better). These findings help us better understand training decisions by firms.

Who Trains' High-Tech Industries or High-Tech Workplaces'

This study contributes to the expanding body of research in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT). Using data on business sector workplaces from the 1999 Workplace and Employee Survey (WES), we investigate factors related to the incidence and intensity of training. The study focuses on whether training incidence and training intensity are more closely associated with the technological competencies of specific workplaces than with membership in ICT- and science-based industry environments. The study finds that training incidence depends more on the technological competencies exhibited by individual workplaces. Among workplaces that decide to train, these technological competencies are also important determinants of the intensity of training.

Predictors of Participation in Voluntary Vocational Training

Using Canadian national data from the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES), this study aims to identify predictors of participation in voluntary vocational training for female and male managers, respectively. Results show a higher rate of participation for female managers and a differential effect of predictors by gender. For men, schooling is the sole human capital variable significantly linked to the probability of participating in voluntary vocational training. For women, the probability of participating in voluntary vocational training varies by age, organizational tenure and schooling. Results also indicate that both participation in mandatory training and family responsibilities are significantly and negatively linked to participation in voluntary training for female managers but not for male managers.

Low-Paid Workers and On-the-Job Training in Canada

This paper provides evidence of on-the-job training for low-paid workers in Canada and examines workplace and individual factors associated with their on-the-job training. The study uses Statistics Canada’s Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) 2001 data. Results show that less than a quarter of low-paid workers received on-the-job training in 2001 as compared to one third of higher-paid workers. A decomposition of regression models indicated that this substantive gap is statistically significant. With the shrinking labour force, ongoing skills development is needed to enable workers to earn a decent living, fulfill their work-related goals, and contribute to the current and future productivity of their workplaces and the economy. We recommend governments provide support for low-paid workers’ on-the-job training.

Lower monetary returns for that many overtime hours? Forget it!

This study uses the Statistics Canada Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) to test gender earnings disparities for management and professional employees who work hours in excess of the full-time weekly standard. The hypothesis is that lower unpaid overtime hours for women leads to a lower overall earnings profile compared to men, despite the achievement of relatively high labour market status. A rat race theory is advanced, which proposes that the majority of women face discrimination in their attempts to compete with men in the labour market based on overtime hours. The econometric analysis, which considers both supply-side and demand-side causal variables, confirms that women's hours over and above the standard workweek significantly influence earnings. However, a unique decomposition technique reveals that men clearly have a more favorable pay structure on the higher echelons of the labour market, while women are forced into inefficiently excessive hours.

Les rendements de la formation en entreprise

This article studies the impact of firm-sponsored training on productivity. The data used are taken from the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) of Statistics Canada (1999–2002). The impact of training on productivity is measured by estimating a Cobb-Douglas production function, where investment in human capital is treated as a production input. Our methodology is distinguished from that used in earlier studies by the fact that we model the firm's decision to offer training or not as well as the effect of training on productivity, which allows us to take into account the selection bias associated with training decisions. Our results permit us to conclude that training designated as “formal” provides higher productivity gains than training regarded as informal. We note also that failure to account for selection bias results in an overestimation of the effects of formal and informal training on the productivity of firms.

Does the Wage and Professional Valorization of the Training in Company Differ According to the Sex? The Canadian Example (La Valorisation Salariale Et Professionnelle De La Formation En Entreprise DiffèRe-T-Elle Selon Le Sexe ?: L'Exemple Canadien)

The paper focuses on the effects of formal and informal on-the-job training on wages and promotions for men and women. For that purpose, we use the 1999-2000 Canadian Workplace and Employee Survey (WES). Using a simulated maximum likelihood, we estimate a recursive trivariate probit that simultaneously models the both decisions to follow formal and infomal on-the-job training and their impact on promotion process. We evaluate the returns of promotions and of the two kinds of on-the-job training through a Mincer wage equation using instruments for these variables.

La valorisation salariale et professionnelle de la formation en entreprise diffère-t-elle selon le sexe ? L'exemple canadien

The purpose of this article is to assess the effects of formal and informal on-the-job training on wages and promotions – with a focus on gender differences. For this purpose, we use the 1999-2000 Canadian Workplace and Employee Survey (WES). Using a simulated maximum likelihood, we estimate a recursive trivariate probit that simultaneously models the probability that an employee will engage in on-the-job training and the influence of such training on promotion. We assess the wage returns for on-the-job training and the returns on promotions by means of a wage equation using instruments for these variables.

Non-Standard Work and Benefits

This paper examines whether there has been improvement in benefits coverage for non-standard workers since the Wallace Report in 1983. This study uses Statistics Canada’s Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) 1999 data. Results show significant differences in the receipt of benefits among non-standard workers, suggesting heterogeneity within this group of workers in terms of benefits coverage. Regular part-time and temporary full-time workers receive fewer benefits than regular full-time workers. Temporary part-time workers have significantly less likelihood of receiving benefits than the other three groups of workers. Overall, results show that since the Wallace Report findings, there has been little improvement in benefits coverage for non-standard workers, and they continue to be relatively disadvantaged in comparison to regular full-time workers.

The Relationship between Employee Involvement and Workplace Dispute Resolution

This paper examines the relationship between employee involvement programs and workplace dispute resolution using data from the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) conducted by Statistics Canada. The results provide support for a link between employee involvement and lower grievance rates in unionized workplaces. This link existed for establishments in both the goods and service sectors, but the practices involved differed between industrial sectors. By contrast, in nonunion workplaces, results of the analysis provided support for a link between the adoption of employee involvement programs and formal grievance procedures, but not between employee involvement and lower grievance rates.

Returns to Computer Use and Organizational Practices of the Firm

In this paper, we test the hypothesis that computer use will lead to productivity gains only if the firm uses an appropriate set of organizational practices. Detailed data on organizational practices and workers’ compensation are obtained through a Canadian longitudinal linked employer-employee database called the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES). Linked data allow us to take into account both worker and firm unobserved heterogeneity through the estimation of a linear mixed model of wage determination. Our results suggest a small but positive computer-wage premium whose size is related to a set of organizational practices.