Search results

1 – 10 of 30
Per page
102050
Citations:
Loading...
Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 1 December 2000

Lynette Harris

As the volume and complexity of employment legislation increases, small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) without access to internal human resource expertise are increasingly…

1183

Abstract

As the volume and complexity of employment legislation increases, small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) without access to internal human resource expertise are increasingly vulnerable to litigation and its associated costs. The disproportionate impact of employment regulation on the small firm has long been a concern of SME owner‐managers and is expected to increase as a result of the recent rapid expansion of labour law in the UK. This paper will consider evidence from a recent survey of small businesses, which examined their main employment concerns and the sources of advice they use on employment relations matters. The survey’s findings illustrate the particular challenge increased employment rights presents to the smaller organisation. It identifies a need for more intensive support tailored to the specific circumstances of individual firms in developing proactive approaches to human resourcing which not only comply with but also reflect the spirit of the legislation.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 25 June 2010

Lynette Harrisr and Carley Foster

The purpose of this paper is to examine the implementation of talent management interventions in UK public sector organisations.

8965

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the implementation of talent management interventions in UK public sector organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws upon the findings of a qualitative study of talent management in two UK public sector case study organisations.

Findings

Implementing talent management was found to present particular tensions for public sector managers, particularly in terms of its alignment with well‐embedded diversity and equality policies and their own perceptions of fair treatment in the workplace. Despite an acknowledgement that the sector needs to attract, develop and retain the most talented individuals to achieve its modernisation agenda, interventions which require singling out those individuals for special treatment challenges many of its established practices for recruitment and selection, employee development and career management.

Practical implications

Public sector organisations need to invest both time and effort into developing appropriate and relevant approaches to talent management, which take proper account of line managers' perceptions of fair treatment and established organisational approaches to diversity and equality.

Originality/value

Talent management is a topic of growing interest from employers concerned about their work force demographics, specific skills shortages and the retention of high potential employees but the concepts that inform talent interventions are often unclear or are an uneasy fit with the beliefs and understandings about fair treatment of those who have to implement them.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 1 January 2008

Lynette Harris

Public sector reforms and external performance review has meant that the HR function in UK local government is not only expected to continuously review working practices but is…

8924

Abstract

Purpose

Public sector reforms and external performance review has meant that the HR function in UK local government is not only expected to continuously review working practices but is also facing major changes in its role and its own service delivery. This paper explores how changes driven by the pursuit of efficiency and cost cutting may impact on the function's ability to fulfil the employee champion role that Ulrich identifies as essential to it making a valuable strategic contribution.

Design/methodology/approach

The findings are drawn from interviews, focus groups and desk research conducted in three large local authorities

Findings

The emergent concerns, tensions and dilemmas across the case study organisations suggest that changes, both planned and actual, to HR's role and services will impact on the function's ability to act as an “employee champion” due to reduced employee contact and more fragmented HR roles.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are based on three case studies, so there is an issue of their wider application – and they provided rather more insights into the views of HR staff and line managers than of other employee groups.

Practical implications

The devolved, decentralised, outsourced and self service models of HR service provision require careful internal evaluation as this study's findings indicate they may well have hidden costs in terms of promoting employee commitment in large public sector organisations.

Originality/value

A qualitative study of how changes to the HR function's role and service delivery can impact on the HR's responsibilities for employee relations rather than the more usual considerations of cost effectiveness and efficiency.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 1 December 2005

Lynette Harris

To examine how an external performance review process introduced as part of the public sector modernisation agenda in England and Wales has impacted on HR service provision and…

6067

Abstract

Purpose

To examine how an external performance review process introduced as part of the public sector modernisation agenda in England and Wales has impacted on HR service provision and processes in local government and the extent to which it has acted as a catalyst for the development of more integrative and innovative HR practices to support organisational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study analysis of the Best Value Review (BVR) process of HR services at two county and two unitary authorities generated data from multiple sources including interviews, focus groups, consultative meetings as well as internal documentation. This approach was adopted to offer perspectives from different stakeholders in the employment relationship.

Findings

There was found to be a frequent lack of synergy between organisational goals, departmental plans and the performance objectives of individuals combined with an absence of shared understandings about human resourcing priorities or commitment to the processes needed to strategically integrate HR policies.

Research limitations/implications

Whilst providing insights into the Best Value (BV) approach to public sector modernisation, a wider generalisation of the findings cannot be drawn from four case studies.

Practical implications

Line management and the HR function need to share better understandings concerning the HR practices needed to support the modernisation agenda and their respective HR responsibilities.

Originality/value

This paper reveals that the BV performance regime was not encouraging, and even limiting, a corporate approach to the HR policies and practices required to develop longer term organisational capability.

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 1 July 2002

Lynette Harris, Dave Doughty and Susan Kirk

This article examines the reallocation of human resource management responsibilities from HR specialists to line managers in UK public sector organisations in an increasingly…

8323

Abstract

This article examines the reallocation of human resource management responsibilities from HR specialists to line managers in UK public sector organisations in an increasingly regulated working environment. It uses evidence about the extent and scope of HR devolution in a large unitary city council, the British Library and a county probationary service. Based on the perceptions of senior managers, middle managers, HR specialists and the trade union representatives, it specifically explores: the issues devolution raises about the HR responsibilities of line managers; the experience of HR devolution in the public sector; and the impact of a more externally regulated and litigious workplace on continuing devolution.

Details

Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 26 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0590

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 1 September 2002

Lynette Harris

Examines the impact of employment regulation on owner‐manager approaches to the employment relationship at the level of the individual firm. While there was no reported principled…

3385

Abstract

Examines the impact of employment regulation on owner‐manager approaches to the employment relationship at the level of the individual firm. While there was no reported principled opposition to extending employment rights as suggested by a number of earlier studies, the cumulative effect of recent legislation was perceived by owner‐managers to be reducing their competitiveness by placing costly and time‐consuming demands on the smaller business. The case study companies were increasingly formalising their employment processes largely to defend their decisions against potential litigation. Despite certain acknowledged benefits, this increasing proceduralisation was held to be detrimental to the informality and flexibility viewed as essential to effective working relationships in the smaller enterprise. Continuing recruitment difficulties combined with the costs associated with expanding regulation led the majority of the case study companies to identify an investment in automation and labour‐saving equipment as a preferable long‐term option to the expansion of the workforce.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2007

Lynette Harris, Carley Foster and Paul Whysall

The purpose of the paper is to show that a defining characteristic of the UK retail sector is the high number of women it employs but there remains an enduring…

2206

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to show that a defining characteristic of the UK retail sector is the high number of women it employs but there remains an enduring under‐representation of women in its management positions. The majority of women in the industry work part‐time and this paper aims to explore the factors that impact upon the career progression.

Design/methodology/approach

In the paper, 1,000 questionnaires were completed by store staff in three leading retailers, supported by interviews with store staff and SME retailers in the UK's East Midlands region.

Findings

The paper finds continuing barriers to career progression for women working part‐time in retailing. Despite family friendly employment policies becoming an increasingly important feature of modern work organisations, career progression was informed by a traditional concept of a career based on full‐time working.

Research limitations/implications

The paper was limited to one sector. There is a need for further studies into women's career progression in other sectors reliant on female employment.

Practical implications

The findings in the paper have implications for promotion policies, training and development provision and line management practices if retailers are to maximise the potential of the women they employ.

Originality/value

The paper suggests that retailing is an industry where a significant number of women are working below their potential despite organisational policies supportive of diversity and equality of opportunity.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 13 November 2007

Carley Foster, Paul Whysall and Lynette Harris

The aim of this paper is to highlight the factors that limit and support female career progression in the retail industry.

1888

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to highlight the factors that limit and support female career progression in the retail industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Data were collected from employees and managers working in 31 stores belonging to national stores operating in the East Midlands as well as ten SME independent retailers based in the region.

Findings

The women in this study can be categorised into those women who are not interested in pursuing a career in retail, those that seek promotion but have difficulties balancing the demands of their work and domestic circumstances and those who have actively pursued a career in the industry. Despite these categorisations, the study suggests that the career progression of all female staff is helped and hindered by a number of interrelating factors, such as whether they have a role model, are loyal to the store they work in or have children.

Practical implications

It is proposed that career initiatives in retailing need to be more adaptable so that they take account of the different development needs of these three types of women.

Originality/value

This is a large‐scale study that uses a mixed method approach and considers the opinions of store staff working in a range of roles.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 35 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 1 August 2003

Lynette Harris

As home‐based teleworking grows in the UK, more evidence is needed of how working from home shapes the employment relationship and the implications this may have for those line…

11976

Abstract

As home‐based teleworking grows in the UK, more evidence is needed of how working from home shapes the employment relationship and the implications this may have for those line managers responsible for a home‐based workforce. The reported experiences of a sales team and their line managers at one large international drinks manufacturing company of teleworking during its first year of operation revealed the importance of developing understanding of the complex interface between the domains of work and home life. The findings suggest individual circumstances require close attention before implementing home‐based working with line managers recalibrating perceptions of the boundaries between home and work for positive employee relationships to develop within a new paradigm of “home‐work” relations.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 1 October 2001

Paul Blyton, Edmund Heery and Peter Turnbull

Presents 35 abstracts from the 2001 Employment Research Unit Annual conference held at Cardiff Business School in September 2001. Attempts to explore the theme of changing…

12779

Abstract

Presents 35 abstracts from the 2001 Employment Research Unit Annual conference held at Cardiff Business School in September 2001. Attempts to explore the theme of changing politics of employment relations beyond and within the nation state, against a background of concern in the developed economies at the erosion of relatively advanced conditions of work and social welfare through increasing competition and international agitation for more effective global labour standards. Divides this concept into two areas, addressing the erosion of employment standards through processes of restructuring and examining attempts by governments, trade unions and agencies to re‐create effective systems of regulation. Gives case examples from areas such as India, Wales, London, Ireland, South Africa, Europe and Japan. Covers subjects such as the Disability Discrimination Act, minimum wage, training, contract workers and managing change.

Details

Management Research News, vol. 24 no. 10/11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0140-9174

Keywords

1 – 10 of 30
Per page
102050