Articulations of workplace precarity: Challenging the politics of segmentation in warehouse logistics

As critical nodes for global commodity flows, warehouses are an important example of segmented labour regimes which partition workers into groups with different conditions of security or its opposite, precarity. An emerging literature on warehouse work has tended to place segmentation in the context of managerial despotism based upon low wages, high labour turnover and job insecurity. However, the literature has, thus far, tended to pay comparatively less attention to workers’ collective resistance and its relationship to intra-labour divisions reproduced through segmentation. In refocusing attention to this problem, this article addresses the theoretical status of intra-labour groups, the nature of horizontal worker-to-worker relations, and their interaction with workers’ social identities and vertical capital–labour relations. It argues that the Gramscian concept of articulation provides the most promising frame for understanding these networked relations and for addressing how the politics of segmentation can be challenged by building common cause among divided workers.

US job market bifurcation will restrict the recovery

Significance The recovery of the US labour market still lags that of the economy overall, although it mirrors its bifurcation. While the COVID-19 recession has ended for high-wage workers, job losses persist for low-wage workers, who are concentrated in in-person services. Impacts Changing skills requirements to meet the needs of digitising businesses will amplify tech sector labour shortages. Firms will reduce the qualifications required of candidates to fill vacancies, putting productivity at risk. High labour turnover will mean higher hiring and training costs for companies and loss of institutional knowledge. Labour shortages will limit companies' power to obstruct unionisation.

Employees' preference for the on-site childcare service: a case study of three Sri Lankan apparel firms

PurposeChildcare is one of the main obstacles for women to enter the labour market as they are the primary caregivers for children. The struggle between childcare and women's employment has caused a high labour turnover in women-dominated industries. The aim of this study is to assess the employees’ willingness for an on-site childcare facilityDesign/methodology/approachThe primary goal of this study was to assess the employees' willingness for an on-site childcare facility using the contingent valuation method. For the analysis, 330 data were collected from all levels of the employees in three firms in the apparel industry using a survey-based questionnaire.FindingsThe results illustrate that the mean willingness to pay for the on-site childcare facility is substantially higher for the firm that already provide an on-site childcare facility than the other two firms that do not have childcare facilities. Among all employees who are surveyed, 86.36% of the employees favoured implementation of on-site childcare facilities. According to the survey findings, the newly hired employees have a higher preference for the childcare facility, however less likely to pay for the facility. The monthly income variable has a negative association with the probability of voting in favour of implementing on-site childcare facility. Moreover, the results indicate that the employees who have received the childcare facility have positive attitudes towards the on-site childcare facility.Originality/valueTo the authors' knowledge, prior case studies related to the evaluation of employee's preference for on-site childcare services have not been conducted in the context of industries in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the findings and implications were discussed while expanding the geographical scope of the past literature.

Is industrial relations reform the road to recovery in monopsonistic labour markets?

This article considers the national industrial relations policy aspects of the economic recovery agenda in Australia, in the context of the theory of monopsonistic competition, employment and productivity. This framework acknowledges the employer ability to exercise discretion in the setting of wages. The proposed reforms were unlikely to lead to any increase in economic growth through higher labour productivity or employment. Proposed agendas in enterprise bargaining, greenfields agreements and award simplification (as well as union regulation), would principally have reduced labour costs and incomes. In many circumstances, allowing employers to offer lower wages may lead to fewer filled jobs, higher labour turnover and absenteeism and lower employment. The incentive on employers to improve labour productivity may fall. Proposals to more energetically punish wage theft may have had the opposite effects, but these were abandoned by the government despite support from the other parties. In the end, the only part of the reform agenda to pass Parliament concerned changes to the definition and treatment of casual employees, but casual employment grew strongly before the Bill took effect, the crisis the Bill was meant to solve eased before the Bill was passed, and even if successful the changes would have done little to boost labour productivity. JEL Codes: D43, J31, J38

A framework for addressing construction labour turnover in New Zealand

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify critical factors that affect labour turnover in the New Zealand construction sector and develop a framework for addressing this issue.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method approach was adopted. A questionnaire survey combined with interviews was used to capture the personal experiences and views of 157 construction workers regarding labour turnover.FindingsThe statistical analysis revealed that level of pay, employment relationships, employee welfare, opportunities for career development, commuting distance to work and domestic relationships were the top five factors considered as primary determinants leading to the turnover decisions of most of those surveyed. Factor analysis further categorised the critical factors in three categories, namely, (1) nature of the job, (2) employee satisfaction and (3) employer commitment to staff retention and development.Practical implicationsWhile high labour turnover rates take a toll on many construction businesses, the findings from this research will hopefully provide guidance on areas of improvement to create a sustainable construction workforce at both organisational and sectoral levels.Originality/valueAlthough the study is New Zealand-focused, it increases understanding of the factors affecting labour turnover in the construction sector, and the framework developed will provide construction organisations with directions in workforce retention and development to reduce the effects of labour turnover on organisational performance.

Can workplace inducements influence labour turnover?

The study examines workplace inducements and labour turnover. Specifically, the study sought to establish the relationship between staff promotion, performance-based bonuses, employee discount, training, and labour turnover in the telecommunications industry in South-South, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design. Using a self-report questionnaire. Data was collected from five hundred and seventy-two (572) staff selected in four (4) telecommunications industry in South-South, Nigeria. The obtained data were statistically analysed using simple linear regression. Each hypothesis was tested at 0.05 per cent level of significance. The result obtained from the analysis revealed that staff promotion, performance-based bonuses, employee discount and training significantly affect labour turnover in the telecommunications industry in South-South, Nigeria. The study recommended among others that policy options that encourage improved incentives for employees in telecommunications Company.

Leadership Styles and Organisational Performance in Nigeria: Qualitative Perspective

Organizations in different sectors of the Nigerian economy continue to record high cases of misappropriation, embezzlement, immoral and unethical practices, gratifications, high labour turnover, inability to meet basic required obligations, and employees’ dissatisfaction, which have further resulted in poor performance. The theoretical paper dwelled on the concepts of leadership styles as opined by several scholars in the literature and used these as springboards to arrive at elaborate ones that encapsulated all and introduced a range of common and contemporary models and approaches, including an addition of a cutting-edge competitive list to help managers discover, devise and adjust their individual management practice and style for navigation towards a sustainable organizational performance.