MGT 431 Week 2 DQ 2 Latest

In another study, steelworkers in HPWOs who say they are able to use skills and knowledge, perceive positive employee relations, and balance work and family life are very satisfied. Predictors of satisfaction include perceptions of pay fairness, being a women, being a high school graduate, job autonomy, use of skills, employee relations, work/family balance, and low job stress. 75 Workplace Restructuring A great deal of workplace restructuring has taken place over the past 20 years. Much of this has increased the intensity of work and reduced the number of employees in production jobs. At the same time, the number of layers of management has been reduced. One study found that workplace restructuring and employer performance outcomes were more successful when the organizational structure and operation of the local union were stronger as reflected by horizontal and vertical communication network ties and internal political vitality. 76 Companies that implemented HPWOs during the early 1990s had higher layoff rates and no net compensation gain for employees during the decade. Layoffs were negatively related to sales gains, exports, skill levels, employee age, and proportion of female employees, and they were posi- tively related to the proportion of blue-collar workers and the introduction of HPWO practices. Wage gains for core employees were associated with sales gains and were negatively related to employee age and proportion 74 C. Ichniowski, K. Shaw, and G. Prennushi, “The Effects of Human Resource Management Practices on Productivity: A Study of Steel Finishing Lines,” American Economic Review, 87 (1997), pp. 291–313. 75 P. Berg, “The Effects of High Performance Work Practices on Job Satisfaction in the United States Steel Industry,” Relations Industrielles, 54 (1999), pp. 111–135. 76 A. C. Frost, “Explaining Variation in Workplace Restructuring: The Role of Local Union Capabilities,” Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 53 (2000), pp. 559–578. 456 Labor Relations. of female employees. Teams, quality circles, and total quality manage- ment (TQM) were positively associated with layoffs, while teams were negatively associated with wage gains. Clearly, HPWO practices have not increased job security or pay except in situations where the organization’s revenues were growing. 77 This evidence suggests that unions are unlikely to gain from cooperating in implementing HPWO practices. The study found that union status had no effect on layoff or wage gain outcomes among the employers studied. MGT 431 Week 2 DQ 2 Latest