Do unionized organizations in British Columbia face a greater challenge attracting and retaining new post-secondary graduates? Does the often adversarial nature of the union-management relationship translate into a culture that is perceived as negative and inconsistent with Gen X-Y workplace values? To what extent does a perceived negative workplace culture affect their decision to join or stay? What can employers and unions do to reshape any negative perception that may exist? These are questions that Ken Kaiser, faculty member in the School of Business at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, has posed in human resource management and labour relations classes for several years. His answer: workplaces with a perceived adversarial culture are at a serious disadvantage in competing for young, trained professionals.
This discussion paper reports on research that looked at whether the relationship between employee intention to quit and human resource management (HRM) changed based on union membership. The investigation first considered whether HRM reduced or increased an employee's intention to quit. Next, the moderating effect of union membership on the relationship between HRM and quit intent was considered. Did an employee's union member/non-member status in any way change the effects of HRM on employee quit intent, and if so, how?
This paper provides analysis into the workings of the collective agreement that governed the relationship between the National Hockey League and its Players' Association. By examining the elements and processes of the collective agreement, the nature of negotiation, and the roles of agents, owners, general managers, and arbitrators, it shows how significant increases in player compensation that occurred over a ten-year period set the stage for the 2004-05 negotiations and season-long lockout.
Too often, implementing information technology initiatives neglects consideration of the human factor from very early in the process. The author demonstrates that attention to organization development and change management in IT implementation has resulted in a positive impact on productivity, job satisfaction, and other work attitudes. This justifies proactive efforts to plan for change management effectiveness in most organizational interventions, particularly in IT initiatives that traditionally tend to turn the organization into which they are introduced upside-down
Strategic Human Resource Management: A Practitioner?s Point of View
Interview by Mary Lou Coates; featuring Debbie Bennett, VP Human Resources and Finance, Ottawa Citizen. 2007
This discussion paper reports on research that looked at whether the relationship between employee intention to quit and human resource management (HRM) changed based on union membership. The investigation first considered whether HRM reduced or increased an employee's intention to quit. Next, the moderating effect of union membership on the relationship between HRM and quit intent was considered. Did an employee's union member/non-member status in any way change the effects of HRM on employee quit intent, and if so, how?
What do top leaders want from HR professionals? The following information, drawn from the author's ongoing research, provides valuable insight into what CEOs think HR managers are doing well and what competencies need developing. In general, the CEOs agreed that their HR departments did a good job in the transactional aspects of their work but that more skill in leadership and strategic areas was needed. Their responses underline the new role for HR practitioners being written into the organizational script: that of a strategic business partner to senior leadership.
This study investigates managers? perceptions toward employees with varying medical conditions during a request for workplace accommodation. Workplace accommodation is likely to be viewed as unwarranted by co-workers and supervisors when it comes to individuals with psychiatric illnesses, and companies feel that it was easier to accommodate people with physical disabilities versus those with mental and emotional problems. The discussion paper explores this dynamic.
Since the 1980s, a great deal of research has looked at the possible causes and impact of work stress on health. While the links between specific diseases and stress are complex and often unclear, it has long been accepted in the health literature that negative health outcomes and stress are related. Nursing is a particularly stressful occupation and there is an emerging body of literature devoted specifically to the prevalence, sources, impacts of, and responses to organizational work stress among nurses. This discussion paper looks at the Canadian and global research in this area, the workplace context, changes in the occupation of nursing, the role of hospital restructuring on workplace stress, and responses to stress among nurses.
Strategic Human Resource Management: A Practitioner?s Point of View
Interview by Mary Lou Coates; featuring Debbie Bennett, VP Human Resources and Finance, Ottawa Citizen. 2007
Visible minorities still face barriers that impede their success in the workforce. The most powerful force preventing them from entering the labour market and climbing the corporate ladder is systemic discrimination. This paper seeks to shed some light on the damaging effects of systemic discrimination through the eyes of visible minorities. It contends that the existence of federal employment equity legislation has improved the representation of visible minorities in the labour force. Therefore, the author proposes that similar legislation be reintroduced in Ontario in an effort to do the same.
Too often, the determination of just cause and application of discipline is not straightforward. This discussion paper explores why managers have such difficulty dealing with these kinds of situations, and provides a decision-making tool that can significantly reduce the need for discipline, while increasing the opportunity for positive, development-focused approaches for corrective action. It also reviews some of the very persuasive arguments that have been brought forward in recent years regarding why a new understanding and new resolution strategies are needed. Further, the paper builds a case for organizations and unions working together to adopt these new approaches.
Why is there no consensus about best practices for managing individual employee performance (IEP) in unionized workplaces? This paper discusses the reasons, investigating the success of collectivist or high-performance work systems; why managers and unions need to address IEP issues and what's in it for them; what academic research says about best practices; and workable strategies for managing IEP.
This paper provides analysis into the workings of the collective agreement that governed the relationship between the National Hockey League and its Players' Association. By examining the elements and processes of the collective agreement, the nature of negotiation, and the roles of agents, owners, general managers, and arbitrators, it shows how significant increases in player compensation that occurred over a ten-year period set the stage for the 2004-05 negotiations and season-long lockout.
This review of the academic literature considers the prevalence of work teams in industry, and what factors influence whether self-managing teams become high-powered, or low-performing.
What skills need to be mastered for an academic team to succeed? The most important are the ability to establish effective team management practices, and developing advanced communications and problem-solving skills.
