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Purpose: Employees play a vital role in the success of a corporation. While boards of directors are created to protect shareholders' interests, it is unclear if these directors also ensure employee welfare. In this vein, our paper examines the relationship between board leadership structure and employee well-being. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employ several analysis techniques, including univariate analysis, ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions, two-stage least squares (2SLS) regressions, propensity score matching methodology, the Heckman Selection model and difference-in-differences analysis. The sample comprises USA public firms for the period 1998–2018. Findings: Our findings indicate that having an independent chairperson can significantly benefit the welfare of employees, especially for firms with overly powerful chief executive officers (CEOs) and during times of financial distress. Originality/value: Independent leadership structure is one of the crucial board characteristics that have not been examined to explain employee welfare at firms. We find that an independent chairperson can mitigate the negative effect of overly powerful CEOs on employee benefits. Importantly, independent chairpersons are beneficial for employees in difficult times and when CEOs are busy with daily activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to critically review new developments in the law of tort dealing with employee references. Design/methodology/approach: The author analysed various sources including statutes, articles and case law to determine current position. This paper will consider new developments in the law of tort dealing with employee references. The real issue for an employee arises when an employer or their manager provides them or their prospective new employer with an employment reference about them that is untrue or misleading. The impact on the employee might be that they lose a job opportunity and/or suffer damage to their reputation. In these circumstances, the subject of the reference currently has legal redress under the law of tort under both common and statute laws. This paper will concentrate on analysing the legal redress available under the law of tort and critically review this legal process in light of recent legal decisions and other legal developments. There have been various statutory developments in the area of tort which could apply here that they have resulted in the scope for a legal action being considerably limited. These have been highlighted. Also, recent cases have presented obstacles to future claims being brought in certain circumstances and these have been analysed. Findings: The outcome of this is that pursuing a claim under the law of tort more has been made more difficult for the employees affected and accordingly is less likely to be successful. This is clearly a serious issue that deserves recognition and possibly changes in the law. A conclusion which this article supports. Originality/value: To the best of the author's knowledge, little has been written on this topic to date, so this paper will fill a serious void. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the importance of knowledge sharing (KS), organizations find it difficult to motivate their employees to share their knowledge with co-workers. Based on a combination of the group value model and the socialization resources theory (SRT), this study is, therefore, an endeavor to contribute to the understanding of how organizations can develop efficacious tacit knowledge sharing (TKS)-strategies by harnessing insights from the impact of respectful engagement (RE) and workplace friendship (i.e. friendship opportunity and friendship prevalence). Design/methodology/approach: Group value model and SRT are used to develop a new pathway to TKS which focuses on how RE among employees contributes to the development of workplace friendship which in turn facilitates TKS. Self-reported data were collected online from 593 employees working in various organizational sectors. Hypotheses were tested with structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings: The results suggest that RE is an essential precursor of TKS, having both direct positive relationship with TKS and partial indirect positive relationship through friendship opportunity and friendship prevalence. RE was also positively related to the two facets of workplace friendship (i.e. friendship opportunity and friendship prevalence). Both friendship opportunity and friendship prevalence were positively related to TKS. Practical implications: These findings underscore the importance of implementing initiatives that support positive interrelations characterized by respect at work in order to promote TKS. Originality/value: By linking RE to TKS, this study adds new insight to the relational basis of sharing personal asset/resource as tacit knowledge. The inclusion of mediation path helps in shedding light and opening up a black box of RE-TKS interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic has caused stress for everyone and impacted the lives of people globally. Such stress increases troubles for the employees. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to identify symptoms of health problems that employees face during the COVID-19 epidemic. Also, the aim of the paper is to examine if there are statistically significant differences in the physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms of health problems among employees before the COVID-19 epidemic and employees during the COVID-19 epidemic. Design/methodology/approach: The research is based on a survey of 950 employees in Slovenian companies. The factor analysis and the t-test for two independent samples were used to test the hypotheses of the research. Findings: The results show that physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms of health problems of employees during the COVID-19 epidemic are intensified as compared to the before COVID-19 epidemic era. Originality/value: The results highlight the measures with which companies can reduce the problem of different symptoms of employees during the COVID-19 epidemic. The results can be useful for employers and for managers who want to create an adequate working environment for employees during the COVID-19 epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to establish the state of employee engagement levels in Europe and offer insights into the reasons behind the current state of affairs. It proposes that management matters most out of all the factors influencing employee engagement, and that European organisations should therefore invest in equipping their leadership teams to provide employees with a positive experience of the workplace. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses data from the Gallup World Poll, which Gallup has used to conduct surveys of the world's adult population, using randomly selected samples, since 2005. Covering more than 160 countries since its inception, the survey was conducted via computer-assisted telephone interviews in 2020 to account for COVID-compliant safety measures. Findings: This paper provides insights into the engagement levels of European employees, which remained dismally low in 2020 as it has for the last decade. By far, the biggest influence on the state of employee engagement is leadership, which will require improvement if European organisations are to improve their employee engagement levels. Originality/value: This paper fulfils the need for organisations to gain a better understanding of how to improve their employee engagement levels in the wake of a significant global crisis. Inspiring workplace cultures that maximise the well-being of every employee can help to reverse the decline of economic dynamism across the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this study, the authors aim to explain the mechanism between transformational leadership and job crafting. They predict that job-based psychological ownership (job-based PO) mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and job crafting. Furthermore, job-based PO is more effective when employees have a high level of affective organizational commitment. Design/methodology/approach: The authors collected time-lagged data through a paper–pencil survey from the sales department of large pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan. Findings: The findings of this study suggest that job-based PO mediates the positive relationship between transformational leadership and job crafting. Moreover, the relationship of job-based PO with job crafting is moderated by affective organizational commitment such that the relationship was stronger at the high levels of affective organizational commitment than that of the low levels of affective organizational commitment. Practical implications: On practical grounds, job crafting can be useful for individuals and organizations. On individuals' side, it helps them to balance their job demands and resource; on organizations' side, it provides a solution to the ongoing problem of disengaged employees and suggests managers identify new ways to support employees with their job redesign. Originality/value: This study suggests that job-based PO and affective organizational commitment are important factors that influence the relationship between transformational leadership and job crafting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to provide a deeper look into why luxury resorts engage in the H-2B visa program and the opportunities and challenges from the human resources employee perspective. Adequate staffing is a well-documented challenge for luxury resorts due to their location, seasonality and access to qualified labor. Many resorts turn to the H-2B non-immigrant visa to mitigate the issue. Design/methodology/approach: This study consists of in-depth interviews with human resource employees. An additional survey centering on descriptive statistics, the level of engagement, cost and experience with H-2B visa programs was collected. Findings: The findings of this study provide a deeper understanding why luxury resorts use H-2B employees in their operations. The results shed a deeper light on issues centering around the H-2B visa process, its uncertainty, cost and complexity. Practical implications: Temporary H-2B workers are essential to the success of resort operation. Collaboration between the resort management and government agencies is essential as strategic solutions must be implemented. Resorts must explore diversified recruitment opportunities and the use of technology while keeping human labor in the center of its core operation. Originality/value: The first exploratory study providing a deeper look into the many challenges' luxury resorts face when using the H-2B visa program from the human resources employee perspective. A call for change is being made as the respondents established the need for H-2B workers, however, the system in place makes it difficult to obtain such employees and to continue resort operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study how employee representatives in European Works Councils (EWCs) treat confidential information and how such strategies might improve the EWC functioning. Design/methodology/approach: Building on interviews of several case studies of EWCs, this paper brings together insights from industrial relations and occupational psychology literature. Findings: The results show that through actively challenging the management, an EWC can reduce the amount of information labelled as confidential and become freer to communicate with their rank and file. Actively challenging management, however, does not seem to impact the openness of the management to give early and complete information. Research limitations/implications: The paper is based on several case studies, which limits the generalisability of the findings. The results, however, indicate that research is required on how challenging confidentiality can incite managements to provide earlier information. Practical implications: The research show clearly the potential but also limitations for employee representatives in actively challenging the management over what information is confidential. Social implications: This study studies a universally difficult topic for employee representatives: how to handle confidential information. The findings show that EWCs have little levers to force management to provide early information. For this, more structural change is needed. Originality/value: This study is the first to focus exclusively on the issue of confidentiality in EWCs. This is a central concern for employee representatives, but research, until now, has not given much insight in which strategies work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of different types of corporate issues and employee–organization relationships (EORs) on employees' perceptions of the issues and on their communicative actions. Specifically, this study investigates how employees who have experienced an internal or an external issue within their organizations differently perceive the organizational issue and engage in positive and/or negative communicative behaviors. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was conducted with 363 full-time employees in large-sized companies in the USA who have experienced any internal or external issues within the past six months. Findings: Employees are more cognitively aware of and feel more involved and less constrained in solving an internal company issue than an external one. Experiencing internal issues has led employees to share negative information about their organization externally. The quality of EORs pre-issue significantly increases employees' involvement and positive communication behavior and decreases constraint levels and negative communication behaviors regarding an issue. Practical implications: Corporate communication and public relations practitioners should incorporate strategic internal communication strategies to preemptively manage internal issues and to avoid them from evolving into internal crises. Originality/value: This study is among the first to distinguish internal and external issues perceived by internal stakeholders and to examine their impacts on employees' issue-specific perceptions and communicative behaviors. This study also provides significant practical guidelines for corporate communication practitioners and leaders by explicating the strategic role of issue type and employee behaviors in issue management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between perceived subordinate performance and abusive supervision. From the perspective of moral exclusion theory, the authors examine cooperative goal interdependence and competitive goal interdependence as key boundary conditions to hypothesize and demonstrate the direct negative relationship between low-performing subordinates and abusive supervision. Within the moral exclusion framework, supervisors may strategically abuse low performers when cooperative goal interdependence is high, or competitive goal interdependence is low. Moreover, this study explores the impact of abusive supervision on subordinate’s objective performance.Design/methodology/approach This research employs two independent studies to examine the antecedents and consequences of abusive supervision based on respondents from a Fortune 500 company located in Anhui province of People’s Republic of China (PRC). Study 1 uses a time lagged, single source survey while Study 2 employs multi-source, multi-wave data. The results support the integrated model.Findings Across the two studies, the results showed that the direct negative relationship between perceived subordinate performance and abusive supervision was found to be stronger when cooperative goal interdependence was high and when competitive goal interdependence was low. Study 2 also revealed the negative impact of abusive supervision on subordinate’s objective performance and that the conditional indirect effect of subordinate’s perceived performance on objective performance via abusive supervision was contingent on the extent of cooperative and competitive goal interdependence.Originality/value The results clearly demonstrate that supervisors are likely to turn to abusive supervision in response to poor performing subordinates but that the tendency to use abuse as an instrumental strategy for improving subordinate performance is dependent on the nature of goal interdependence between the supervisor and subordinates’ goals. The research also shows that although supervisors may turn to abusive supervision under certain goal interdependence conditions, it is not an effective strategy for actually improving subordinate objective performance. In fact, it has the opposite effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to define the concept of guanxi deviant behaviour (GDB) initially on the basis of a theoretical study of guanxi, guanxi behaviour and workplace deviant behaviour and to analyse the influence of GDB and the relationship between GDB and counterproductive work behaviour.Design/methodology/approach This study collects interview data from 30 enterprise executives, summarises relevant literature from four major databases (two in English and two in Chinese) and applies a grounded theory methodology to refine and further define the core category of GDB, and the main category is interpreted and validated using triangulation.Findings The three dimensions of GDB are guanxi bribery behaviour, irregular connected transaction behaviour and guanxi allied behaviour. There are links amongst the three dimensions, no dimension has an independent existence and that is not the end of the GDB issue. Generally, the occurrence of a kind of GDB can be construed to be a preparation for the implementation of another kind, and the latter is the real purpose of the perpetrators.Social implications This paper is expected to attract the attention of managers and improve the ability of recognising, preventing and punishing GDB.Originality/value This study not only enriches organisational behaviour theory but also enhances the awareness of, and insights into, the negative effects of guanxi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to follow the call of researchers to take intrapersonal resources into account when trying to understand the influence of interpersonal resources by investigating the interplay of social support and self-efficacy in predicting job performance of people with disabilities. Design/methodology/approach -- Data were collected in an Israeli call center employing mostly people with disabilities. The independent and moderator variables were assessed by an employee survey. To avoid common source bias, job performance was rated by the supervisors four weeks after conducting the survey. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings -- The first main effect hypothesis, stating a positive relationship between social support and job performance was conditionally supported (p = 0.06). The relationship between self-efficacy and job performance did not gain support. In line with the extended support buffer hypothesis, the job performance of low self-efficacious employees increased with higher levels of social support. The interference hypothesis, postulating a negative effect of social support under the condition of high levels of self-efficacy, was not supported. Practical implications -- The results indicate that employees with disabilities differ in the level of social support they need in order to reach high levels of job performance. Instead of a one-size-fits-all-approach, organizations should take individual levels of self-efficacy into account and offer support accordingly in order to unleash the full working potential. Originality/value -- This is the first known empirical investigation examining the role of individual differences in the need of social support among employees with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to chronicle the study of deviant behavior aimed at the organization, or CWB-O, from the dawn of the Industrial Revolution to the present day. Design/methodology/approach – Counterproductive work behaviors that have been documented and studied since the Industrial Revolution were systematically reviewed and discussed. Findings – Over the past few centuries, employees have engaged in behaviors that harm their organizations; as organizations have become more complex, however, employees have found many more ways to engage in CWB-O. Further, recent advances in technology have made employee CWB-O much more ambiguous. Research limitations/implications – The study of CWB-Os will remain a rich area for researchers as the boundaries between work and personal life continue to blur, as employees develop new forms of CWB-O, and as employers increase their use of technology to detect employee deviance. Practical implications – As the penetration of technology into job roles grows and the use of personal mobile devices becomes institutionalized, managers now must decide how much company time they will tolerate their employees spending on personal issues while at work. Put another way, managers must cope with the reality that a certain amount of what was once considered deviant behavior in the workplace may now be a minimum expectation of employees. Originality/value – This paper builds a historical foundation of the present conceptualization of CWB-O, thereby providing scholars with a greater understanding of what past events drove the emergence of the types of CWB-O that are prevalent today and why some counterproductive behaviors may have become less prevalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper's aim is to examine workplace bullying – what it is and its causes, consequences – and to offer managers control systems on how to counter, reduce or eliminate it. The scale of bullying in the workplace is quite alarming – it is estimated that 1.7 million Americans and 11 percent of British workers have experienced bullying at work in the last six months. Until now the topic has many problems identified but limited solutions. This article attempts to close that gap.Design/methodology/approach – The two-part article begins with a review of definitions/descriptions of workplace bullying. Next, an exploratory look at the consequences of workplace bullying is presented and demonstrates its impact on victims and organizations. Moreover, a summary of potential sources will be exposed ranging from personality traits to organizational constructs. Finally, the article will approach three organizational strategies that have been proven to act as control systems towards workplace bullying.Findings – It is found that transformational and ethical leadership are both very effective tools for managers to counter workplace bullying and that the instauration of an ethical climate in the workplace appears to be the most effective in avoiding workplace bullying from forming.Research limitations/implications – The paper does not compare control systems against one another and does not explore the effectiveness of bullying predictors.Originality/value – The paper offers a comprehensive approach in understanding workplace bullying, its causes and its consequences. As well, it offers tools to managers on control systems designed to counter it. The topic is quite new in the literature and very relevant in terms of incidents that are repeated in the popular press but limited in terms of research articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; This study is based on the JD-R model and aims at understanding the role of work engagement (WE) as a mediator between job resources (i.e. perceived organizational support) and positive extra-role behaviors (i.e. organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB)), between job demands (i.e. interpersonal conflicts at work) and negative extra-role behaviors (i.e. counterproductive work behaviors (CWB)), and also between a personal resource (i.e. conscientiousness) and both types of extra-role behaviors. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; Data from three Romanian organizations (n=258) were collected in a cross-sectional study. Two main models (fully mediated and partially mediated) tested the role of WE as a mediator, using structural equation modelling. Findings |!|#8211; The results support the partially mediated model. All anticipated antecedents have a direct, and also an indirect relation with extra-role behaviors |!|#8211; via WE. In addition, the mediating effect was stronger for OCB than for CWB. Overall, the results show that job and personal characteristics differentially predict OCB and CWB, and that employees|!|#39; affective-motivational state explains, in part, these job and personal characteristics |!|#8211; extra-role behaviors associations. Originality/value |!|#8211; The paper advances the knowledge about the JD-R model and its relevance for OCB and CWB. In addition, understanding work engagement|!|#39;s potential to stimulate OCB and inhibit CWB can aid professionals to advance beneficial behavioral outcomes in organizations by promoting wellbeing at work, thereby supporting the employees|!|#39; healthy career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The chapter analyses potential interconnections between competing strands of worker misbehavior and mischief that result informs of active resistance for those workers employed in nonunion settings. Design/methodology/approach -- The analysis integrates extant literature and theory concerned with differences between resistance, mischief and misbehavior on the one hand, and patterns of nonunion and unorganized workplace relations on the other. Findings -- Using a revised conceptual framework that advances a deeper and more nuanced understanding of unorganized workplace resistance, mischief, and misbehavior, the chapter illustrates the role that institutional and structural regulation plays in delineating between formal (and often collective) indicators of conflict, and informal (sometimes individualized) instances of mischief and misbehavior. Research limitations/implications -- The chapter offers a potential schematic framework for future researchers seeking to explore the complex interactions between resistance and misbehavior in a global and increasingly nonunion context. Originality/value -- While researchers have observed the quantitative decline in unionized conflict and industrial action, this chapter argues for a more inclusive incorporation of employment relations institutions to understand the deeper qualitative affects on workforce misbehaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- To examine Gerald Mars' contribution to scholarly understanding of workplace crime by revisiting his seminal work, Cheats at Work, and to explore developments in the forms, patterns, and implications of cheating at work since its publication. Methodology/approach -- This chapter critically reviews Cheats at Work and explores the changing nature of fiddling over time using the analytical framework and four associated occupational categories of workplace crime identified by Mars. The review is based on three main sources." recent scholarly literature on misbehavior, deviance, and employee misconduct; cases from industrial law reports, newspapers, and social media; and the views of informants conveyed directly to the authors. Findings -- The analytical framework that Mars contributed remains useful even if the boundaries of the occupational categories of workplace crime are now more blurred, with some jobs and fiddles spanning categories. Although, technology has changed the nature of fiddling, new forms have emerged as old ones have disappeared. Social implications -- Three decades after publication of Mars's study, it is evident that fiddling remains a normal, albeit covert, activity in many jobs and occupations. His typology continues to be valuable for explaining patterns, forms, and implications of cheating at work. Originality/value of chapter -- Given the growing interest in the forms and implications of misbehavior and workplace resistance, this chapter provides an opportunity for reflection on the enduring salience of Cheats at Work, thirty years after its publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this chapter is to offer a general review of the field of organizational misbehavior and to pose the question." what has happened in this field in the last twenty years? Method -- The chapter uses the theoretical framework developed in the book Organizational Misbehavior (1999) as a template and considers a range of developments in organizations and their context together with the findings of much new research into organizational misbehavior. Findings -- Classic forms of misbehavior identified in earlier work (absenteeism, effort limitation, utilitarian sabotage, etc.) are not as significant as they once were because the conditions necessary for the co-production of these forms of misbehavior often no longer apply. It is also proposed, however, that the findings from a great deal of the more recent literature -- that there has been a proliferation in the range and types of organizational misbehavior and increase in its subtlety -- are not indicative of a decline in the impulse to misbehave nor of the significance of misbehavior more generally. On the contrary, what we see is indicative of a period of widespread behavioral innovation, in which new outlets for the impulse to misbehave are finding expression even against a background of a general shift in the balance of power in favor of the employer. In the longer term there is every reason to expect that new areas of significant contestation will re-emerge, and with this the crystallization of some new and distinctive forms of misbehavior. Social implications -- A clear implication of the analysis is that there is little reason for complacency on the part of managers and management academics that the problem of misbehavior has disappeared. Value of chapter -- Updating the findings in the book Organizational Misbehavior (1999) in light of a range of recent developments in organizations and their context, together with recent research into organizational misbehavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper seeks to analyse the various approaches being used by the public sector across the European Union to tackle undeclared work and to evaluate the direction of change. Design/methodology/approach - To do this, the National Action Plans for Employment 2001 and 2003 (NAPs) and the National Reform Programmes 2005-2008 (NRPs) are analysed, along with the data collected in international reviews conducted by the European Employment Observatory in Autumn 2004 and the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) in 2005 on undeclared work. Findings - In parallel with public sector management in other realms, where it is accepted that positive reinforcement of "good" behaviour is more effective at eliciting change than negative reinforcement of "bad" behaviour, the finding is that the public sector in EU member states is moving away from solely a repressive approach that seeks to detect and penalise offenders and towards an approach that also seeks to stimulate good behaviour by rewarding compliance. Until now, however, these positive reinforcement measures appear to remain firmly entrenched in a bureaucratic management approach that uses externally imposed direct control systems to generate reactive behaviours, rather than an internalised post-bureaucratic approach that seeks to generate constructive pro-activity and commitment to tax morality on the part of populations. Originality/value - This is one of the first attempts to evaluate how public sector management is tackling undeclared work in European member states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — This study seeks to synthesize theories from communication, psychology and criminology to examine the factors that influence the two most popular topics in industry — internet abuse and addiction at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach — The survey results of 351 responses were analyzed to test the proposed hypotheses and research model using structural equation modeling. Data were collected in Southern Science Park in Taiwan. Findings — It was found that personality factors such as locus of control and self-esteem significantly influence employees' internet addictions; and internet addiction significantly impacts employees' internet abuse at the workplace. Practical implications — Employers should pay special attention to employees' personalities because they play important roles in internet addiction and internet abuse. Also a good internet policy will be useful especially to a panoptic working environment, which is becoming popular. Originality/value — This study provides a comprehensive theoretical foundation to better understand the two controversial issues in industry. The empirical study validates the important theories of locus of control, self-esteem, use and gratification, control, and containment in workplace surveillance and deviant behavior research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose this paper is to expand upon existing knowledge of this important topic by providing an expanded inventory of the causes and consequences of having enemies at work. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative data were collected from 412 respondents using an internet-based questionnaire with respondents spanning a wide range of occupations, industries and nationalities. Using a structured methodology for handling a large data sample of qualitative responses, emergent thematic categories are identified and explained by means of verbatim text. Findings – It was found that several aspects of the work environment directly exacerbated or created negative relationships which, in turn, negatively impacted respondents' experiences of work. Findings illustrate some strongly held employee expectations of behaviour and felt-obligations defining both formal and informal organisational roles. Research limitations/implications – The findings discussed here emanate only from data emphasising negative relationships at work. A study into other relational factors may provide interesting and important points of comparison as well as serving to overcome the inevitable bias towards the negative within this inquiry. Practical implications – The conclusions present a number of important challenges to employers and managers for anticipating and dealing with negative co-worker relationships. Employees seek an equitable and reciprocal relationship with their organisations. An important lesson for management is that workers expect and depend upon their managers to provide support and assistance in overcoming negative workplace relationships. Originality/value – The data, discussions and conclusions are derived from specific questions which have not previously been expressed in the literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show how an effective library manager can handle the issues of employee theft of material, time, data and money. Design/methodology/approach - Reviews and summarizes some of the literature on the topic and recounts personal experiences. Findings - There are different types of theft: of physical materials, of non-financial data, of money, of time. Originality/value - Presents a useful set of general rules for success in the management of library theft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper aims to review research about four forms of deviant employee behavior: unexplained absenteeism/tardiness, employee theft, incivility, and violence. It is believed that, when an organization and its managers are perceived to be fair and supportive, employee deviant behavior will decrease. Design/methodology/approach -- Because the literature on employee deviant behavior is so vast, the typology of deviant behavior proposed by Robinson and Bennett to select and flame these four forms of deviance was used. Practical implications -- Employees can behave in a variety of ways that are harmful to the organization, such as stealing, sexual harassment, or purposefully taking long breaks. Sometimes this misbehavior happens despite the best efforts of managers to enforce organizational rules, but managers can do more to prevent such behavior than just rule enforcement. Originality/value -- This paper identifies new reasons for managers to behave in a fair and equitable way toward employees. The point is made that such behavior is in a manager's but self-interest because it reduces his/her subordinate's deviant behavior. Finally, specific and research-based recommendations for manager behavior are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The paper aims to expand and extend previous work on the role of employees who act in non-violent ways to achieve their personal ends through inducing fear in others in organizations. Design/methodology/approach - The literature surrounding internal terrorists is reviewed and preliminary survey results are presented to support the conclusions derived from that literature. Findings - A model is developed that more carefully identifies how the role of internal terrorists comes about and why they are more likely to engage in non-violent as opposed to violent behavior. Research limitations/implications - Research is needed to identify those aspects of organizations that seem to foster or ‘bring out’ violent and non-violent internal terrorists. Given the differences between internal terrorists and other terrorists, more careful study of those two groups is clearly needed. Since most terrorists express feelings of injustice, stronger links should be attempted between the research on organizational justice and internal terrorism. Just as employee theft has been linked to perceived injustice, so, too, internal terrorism may be linked to higher levels of such perceived injustice. Practical implications - Research is needed to indicate how terrorism evolves over time as well as what measures seem to be most effective in countering such developments within organizations. Of particular interest to practitioners would be determining the extent to which profit-seeking versus non-profit organizations accommodate internal terrorists and the extent to which gender matches between the internal terrorist and the target person are common. Originality/value - This paper fills a gap in the literature about the role of internal terrorists by delineating more fully the dysfunctional role those individuals play in organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The paper aims to study how shame, guilt and fear experienced by failing employees determine their explanation of the failure. Design/methodology/approach - Employees participated in two studies, one assessing actual personal examples of failures and another used imaginary vignettes. To manipulate the extent to which guilt or shame was the dominant emotion experienced by the failing employee, participants were asked to generate counterfactual thoughts typical of each of these feelings. Fear was manipulated by describing a threatening atmosphere in the organization. Measured was the likelihood that the employee took responsibility for what happened and provided a valid explanation. Likelihood of explaining the event by using excuses, justifications, concessions or denials was also measured. Findings - Findings indicate guilt was associated with explanations that help the organization learn from the failure and assist employees in restoring their relationships with the organization and co-workers. Heightened levels of fear, however, decreased this desirable effect of guilt. Shame had no unique contribution to an employee's choice of explanations. Research limitations/implications - The use of self-reports and vignettes limits the ecological validity of the present findings. Nevertheless, it provides preliminary evidence for the importance of the factors under study. Practical implications - These findings contribute to an understanding of the ways organizations can provide emotional settings conductive to constructive failure inquiries both for organizations and employees. Originality/value - The role emotions play in explanation of failures is an understudied issue both in social psychology and organizational research. The present study opens an avenue for more studies in this direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This study examines the moderating influence of the Big Five factors of agreeableness, extraversion, and emotional stability on the relationship between conflict and well-being. Design/methodology/approach - Two field studies were conducted in which respondents were asked to fill out questionnaires during work hours; the first study involved a health care organization, the second one a manufacturing organization. Findings - In performing sets of hierarchical regressions it was shown that conflict was negatively associated with well-being, especially when individuals were low in agreeableness, low in emotional stability or low in extraversion. Research limitations/implications - We proposed directional relations between conflict and individual well-being, however we cannot rule out the alternative in which reduced well-being leads to more conflict Future research using a cross-lagged design with longitudinal data is needed to establish causal relationships. Practical implication - The most straightforward implication for practice seems to be that conflict should become part of the checklist consultant's use when advising organisations with high rates of turnover, sick leave, and absenteeism. Originality/value - This study showed that conflict adversely affects well-being, especially for disagreeable, emotional unstable, or introverted individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human resource articles published in the top human resource management (HRM) journals from 1994 through 2001 are analyzed by topic research technique, level of analysis, and data source. The results are aggregated and summarized to address the current state of affairs in human resource management research Moreover, these data are used to examine what is not being addressed in the field at the current tine. Results point to a kick of focus on methods, diversity, and technology, and the decline of the once-popular absenteeism and turnover streams of research Also lacking is variance in research methodologies, with empirical analyses, specifically regression, being the most frequently employed methodology. The article concludes with suggestions for future HRM research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

lt is generally believed that workaholics tend to deny the existence of fatigue and push themselves beyond reason before physical complaints stop them working and lead them to seek help. However, while self-neglect is believed to be a hallmark of workaholism, empirical data are both scant and contradictory. This study explores whether workaholics experience poorer health status than other (non-workaholic) employees. Two groups of respondents (46 workaholics, 42 ,non-workaholes) completed the workaholism battety-revised and the rand SF-36 at two measurement points across six months. While workaholics reported slightly poorer soda! functioning, role functioning and more frequent pain, they reported similar vitality, general health and psychological health to non-workaholics. Importantly, differences between groups were small and foiled to reach statistical significance. Given the substantial body of data supporting the SF-36 and the present sir-month replication, it appears that workaholism may be less toxic to personal health and well-being than at first thought Implications for organisational and human resource management, including equal employment opportunities for workaholics, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term workaholic entered our vocabulary in 1971 with the publication of the book titled "Confessions of a Workaholic". He used himself and his observations to offer a "serious jest" about workaholism. Equating workaholism with alcoholism, the workaholic was portrayed as a tragic, unhappy individual estranged from family and friends and on a path leading to ill health. Interest in this subject as reflected in the popular media remains high. Many newspaper stories on workaholics contain a checklist of items, usually in a yes/no format, asking individuals to rate their own workaholic tendencies. If you scored above a particular number, you were a workaholic. Workaholism has been shown to have little relationship to more generic ethics or little relationship to other concepts suggested to be similar. Thus, workaholism likely will make an independent contribution to the satisfaction and well-being of organizational members. There are several reasons why people work hard and each reason may have both desirable and undesirable consequences to the individual, the organization or both. Work enjoyment was also generally positively related with psychological well-being while feeling driven to work was generally negatively related with psychological well-being.

Acquisitions often have a negative impact on employee behaviour resulting in counter productive practices, absenteeism, low morale and job dissatisfaction. It appears that an important factor affecting the successful outcome of acquisitions is top management's ability to gain employee trust. Explores a number of variables which bear an impact on managerial trustworthiness. Among them, frequent communication before and after acquisition, and the already existing quality of employee relations seem to play the most important role. Therefore, a carefully planned, employee-centered communication programme, together with a good level of employee relations, seem to form the basis for a successful outcome as far as employee relations in the face of acquisitions is concerned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations today are more susceptible to computer crime and employee fraud than ever before. This paper presents some statistics about the growth on fraud, factors which cause fraud in the workplace, how businesses can protect their assets, and common computer-based frauds, techniques, and controls. Managers of all types of organizations need to be knowledgeable about their internal control system, and make sure it has sufficient checks and balances to ward against employees committing fraudulent acts. No organization is immune today from both external and internal threats to the safety and security of their data and information. Therefore, it is imperative that managers understand the problems that fraud can cause and how they can protect the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on employee welfare within the context of the management of problem drinkers in Scotland during the 1980s. The term welfare work has been broadly defined by academics to encompass not only the early concern with workers' physical working conditions, but also the human relations school of thought. Contrary to the popular image of down and outs, most of those suffering from an alcohol problem remain in employment or at least do so until deterioration in health or behavior makes it impossible for employment to be continued. Despite questions as to whether alcoholism should be treated as a sickness, research has shown that dismissal of drink-problem employees is unlikely to be successfully contested either by unions or through tribunals. However, recognition that summary action may be detrimental to the interests of both employer and employee has led a number of organizations to adopt alcohol policies. These workplace-based alcohol policies identify, on the basis of impaired work performance, and refer, through the influence of disciplinary sanctions, problem drinkers for treatment. Close association with alcohol policies indicates that welfare orientation continues to persist within personnel.

This article examines the lack of alcohol policies in companies in Great Britain. The article argues that if management can dismiss individuals for alcohol offences with relative ease then this will militate against the adoption of an alcohol recovery policy. The IDS document on alcohol dismissals, which sets out some guidelines for management based on the leading industrial tribunal cases in the subject area, indicates the diversity of problems in the work place related to alcohol, problems of definition, appropriate responses and procedure.

While it is widely recognized that conflict at work takes various forms, there is much confusion and disagreement among theorists and practitioners as to what constitutes conflict -- discontent -- and what range of behavioural form it takes. As for behavioural expressions of conflict, only the most visible forms such as strikes, labour turnover and absenteeism have received attention. Other unconventional forms of behaviour such as sabotage, pilferage and disruptive practices have, by and large, been neglected. At present, a comprehensive classification which includes both conventional and unconventional expressions of discontent is difficult to find. Includes a direct response to this vacuum. Offers a behavioural framework which has the potential for not only including the actors involved, but also explaining the behavioural strategies open to people and the reasons for choosing a particular way of expressing their discontent. Concludes that a better understanding of workplace conflict and its effective management requires appreciating the range of behavioural expressions involved; creation of the work environment conducive to the conflict processing and conflict resolution; and understanding the significance of the potential of the people as choice makers, when choosing from among the options open to them for expressing discontent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1987 Confederation of British Industry study on non-attendance and sickness absence estimated that the cost of absence to British business was £5 billion. On any given day, it said, between three and seven per cent of a company's workforce will be absent. For every £1 the employee loses due to absence, the company loses £2. Even those companies which monitor their absence levels are generally unaware of the true magnitude of their absence problem in cash terms. Some authors, for example, Taylor [2], make reference to the fact that sick pay represents only a portion of the total costs of absence. He has suggested distinguishing between the direct costs of employee absence (those that immediately come to mind and which are relatively easy to quantify) and the indirect costs (which are less apparent, more difficult to put numbers on, but which are, nevertheless, as real). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviews several motion pictures on industrial management presented by Saul Gellerman to the Guild Sound and Vision in 1975. "Managing in a Crisis"; "Controlling Absenteeism"; "Working With Troubled Employees."

Discusses the problem of how to handle staff who are less productive than they should be. Suggests that they need understanding and empathy. They could be moved to different jobs, be given increasing targets and they should not be allowed to remain silent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information about documentary films and videos. "Gone Today. . . Here Tomorrow," informs that absenteeism on a casual basis is reckoned to cost the economy about 200 million working days a year, so it is not a problem to be ignored. "Leading to the Top," discusses the qualities required of a leader and actual footage shot during the successful ascent is interspersed with his comments and emphasizes that a successful leader must have a clear idea of his objective, must assess the qualities and personalities of his team, must allocate jobs taking these factors into account, and must ensure that all operate as a team. In the film "Telephone Behaviour-The Power and the Perils," John Cleese plays a dual role as a telephone user and as a presenter and adviser and is supported by a large cast. It makes many useful points - some pretty obvious but none the worse for being pointed out. "Out of Order," deals with safety in relation to maintenance. The dramatised story is based on fact that a safety-conscious management is having a safety film made on location at the works.

The article offers information on a new video called "PILOT Your Way Through People Problems," which is intended to encourage an organized management approach to personnel difficulties in Great Britain. It is being produced by the Alexander Hamilton Institute of America. The benefits of the said video include eliminating problem behavior, transforming good workers into better ones, improving overall productivity, eliminating wasted effort and saving money. The video shows typical office setting with several problem employees including chronically late secretaries, employee who gambles and alcoholic employees. Supervising staff are encouraged to view the video and to make comments on how to solve various problems.

Reviews the motion picture "Discipline a Matter of Judgment."