The gender pay gap in Revenue

This paper analyses gender and pay in Revenue, one of the largest public sector employers in the state, and identifies a mean gender pay gap of 16 per cent. Once the civil service grade, working patterns, the type of pay scale, the point on pay scale, and the level of non-basic pay are considered, the gender pay gap is eliminated. When decomposed using the Blinder-Oaxaca method, approximately three-quarters of the gender pay gap is due to grade differences, while approximately one-quarter is due to working patterns. None of the gap is explained by men earning a higher return for the same observed characteristics as women. In other words, unequal pay caused by direct gender discrimination does not play any role in the observed pay gap. Given that gender imbalance across grades is the dominant explanation for the pay gap, and may itself reflect indirect gender discrimination, the paper concludes with policy recommendations to support the advancement of female employees to higher grades and to monitor the equality outcomes from flexible work practices in the post-pandemic labour market.

FLEXIBLE WORK PRACTICES AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION IN MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN NIGERIA

Flexible work practices are very important to improve an employee retention in manufacturing companies in Nigeria. Therefore, the study examined the relationship between flexible work practices and employee retention in manufacturing companies in Nigeria. A cross-sectional research design was adopted in assessing the population of two hundred (200) employees of six (6) manufacturing companies in Nigeria. A sample size of 133 respondents was determined from this population through Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample table. Primary data were generated through self-administered questionnaire. The reliability of the instrument was achieved through Cronbach Alpha coefficient reliability test and all items scored above 0.70 indicating a reliable research instrument. The hypotheses were tested using Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Coefficient with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23.0. The findings show a positive and significant relationship between flexible work practices and employee retention in manufacturing companies in Nigeria. Thus, the study recommended that manufacturing companies in Nigeria should adopt flexible work practices in order to improve employee retention. Keywords: Flexible Work Practices, Employee Retention, Career Advancement Opportunities Job Autonomy, Promotional Opportunities, Employee Affective Commitment

Neurohospitalist Practice and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and Purpose: Neurohospitalists play an important role in, and have been variably affected by, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we survey neurohospitalists to characterize practice changes and the impact of the pandemic on their well-being. Methods: A 22-item survey was distributed to neurohospitalists through the Neurohospitalist Society and the American Academy of Neurology Neurohospitalist, Stroke & Vascular Neurology, and Critical Care & Emergency Neurology Sections. Results: After 2 weeks of collection, 123 responses were received, with 57% of respondents practicing in academic settings, 23% in private practice, and 7% in community hospitals. A minority of neurohospitalists (8%) were redeployed to care for COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 medicine patients. The most common neurologic diagnoses they reported in COVID-19 patients were delirium (85%), cerebrovascular events (75%), and seizure (35%); however, most neurohospitalists (59%) had evaluated fewer than 10 patients with COVID-19. Respondents observed that fewer patients with unrelated neurological diseases were admitted to the hospital compared to before the pandemic. Neurohospitalists experienced changes in administrative (27%), educational (15%), and research duties (11%), and had overall worse well-being and work-life balance (77%). Conclusions: The most common neurologic diagnoses seen in COVID-19 patients by neurohospitalists in this sample are delirium, cerebrovascular disease, and seizure. Though the majority of survey respondents reported not being primary frontline providers, they report key clinical and operational roles during the pandemic, and report worse well-being as compared to before the pandemic. Our data suggests that there are opportunities to improve neurohospitalists’ experience through flexible work practices and providing family care support.

Use of flexible work practices and employee outcomes: the role of work–life balance and employee age

Flexible work practices (FWPs) give employees some control over when and where they work. Using boundary theory and role balance theory, this study proposes and tests a mediation model focusing on how the relationships between FWPs usage and employee outcomes (i.e., wellbeing and turnover intention) are mediated by work−life balance (WLB). It also tests the moderating role of employee age on the relationship between WLB and employee outcomes using socioemotional selectivity theory. The model was tested using survey data from 293 employees of an Australian for-profit organization. The findings indicate that FWPs usage is positively associated with WLB, WLB is positively associated with wellbeing and negatively with turnover intentions, and WLB partially mediates the relationships between FWPs usage and employee outcomes. The results provide partial support that employee age moderates the relationship between WLB and turnover intentions. Theoretical, research and practical contributions are discussed.

Achieving Work-Life Balances through Flexible Work Practices

The paper aims to examine flexible work practices and employees' perception of work-life balance. The main purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between flexible work practice and work-life balance. The study is descriptive and co-relational. It is based on the perceptions of employees and includes the questionnaire to 160 employees of service-based organizations working on a different level at Kathmandu Valley. The sample consisted of managerial and nonmanagerial employees who were interested to participate in this study. It is found that employees feel that a flexible work schedule is the right kind of system for their kind of job and they prefer flexibility at work. Flexibility work practice was found to have a positive impact on the employees. It made them more responsible as they were able to manage time at work and fulfill the personal commitment. This paper is useful to academicians and organizations to understand the impact of FW practices on work performance. The findings in this study would help managers and organizations in Nepal to formulate flexible work schedules to improve the work-life balance of human resources working in the organization.

Human Resource Practices and Work-Family Conflict: the Role of Family and Work Status

According to role theory, employees experience conflict between their enacted roles in the work versus family domain, often resulting in negative individual and organizational outcomes. Flexible work practices such as flextime, in tandem with other HR practices such as higher pay levels or team-based work, have thus gained popularity for their positive impact on employees’ work-family conflict. Related individual variables such as age, gender or family status have also generated research interest owing to their anticipated effects on work-family conflict. However, extant studies have not tested the simultaneous effects of organizational and individual variables on the relationship between HR practices and employee work-family conflict. Using data from the UK Work-Life Balance Study 2011-12 funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, this study tests the effects of HR practices (compensation, team-based work, and flexible work practices) as well as individual variables (gender, family status and managerial status) on employees’ perceived work-family conflict. Results show that gender, family status and managerial status moderate the relationship between flextime and work-family conflict, shedding new light on the differential impact of flextime on different categories of employees – men versus women; married versus unmarried; and managerial versus non-managerial. Conceptual and practical implications are discussed.