Amanda Pyman | Deakin University (original) (raw)

Papers by Amanda Pyman

This article uses a union power framework to explore the strategies and outcomes of the retail un... more This article uses a union power framework to explore the strategies and outcomes of the retail unions in Australia and New Zealand. The findings illustrate that New Zealand’s FIRST Union and its campaigning, ‘struggle-based’ approach results in poorer outcomes than the patient and persistent collective action frame of Australia’s SDA.

In 2000, the Howard Liberal-National Coalition Government enacted the Privacy Amendment (Private ... more In 2000, the Howard Liberal-National Coalition Government enacted the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act. This Act exempted employee records from privacy protection, and was justified by the Government on the ground that employee records protection was better addressed under workplace relations legislation. In February 2004, after much criticism of the exemption, the Government initiated a review of employee records privacy;

International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 2006

The mostly private sector literature on call centre work suggests two distinct images: electronic... more The mostly private sector literature on call centre work suggests two distinct images: electronic sweatshops and customer focus . In the public sector, call centres have become widespread as governments import private sector management practices. Under the rubric of New Public Management (NPM) contestability, and client focus require call centres and other public services to compare or at least benchmark against the private sector. However, the limited literature on public sector call centres highlights distinctive features of the sector along with the pervasiveness of private sector operational and managerial practices. This paper explores the cultural tensions between traditional public sector work organisation and the marketisation of public services through case studies of call centres in two large Australian government agencies. This discussion is organised around the themes of the characteristics and tensions of the call centres, the organisation of work, and the management of the employment relationship.

Journal of Industrial Relations, 2009

... Contact address: Amanda Pyman, Kent Business School, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK, CT2 ... more ... Contact address: Amanda Pyman, Kent Business School, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK, CT2 7PE. ... identified models of individual joining behaviour are the instrumental model, the utility model and the ideological model (Charlwood, 2002; Wheeler and McClendon, 1991). ...

Journal of Industrial Relations, 2011

... Amanda Pyman Monash University, Australia ... According to Mitchell and Fetter (2003: 293, 29... more ... Amanda Pyman Monash University, Australia ... According to Mitchell and Fetter (2003: 293, 295), 'HRM views the individual relation between employer and employee as pivotal in the formation of work practices that engender enterprise success'. ...

Journal of Industrial Relations, 2005

A lcohol and illicit substance abuse in the workplace is an important human resource and industri... more A lcohol and illicit substance abuse in the workplace is an important human resource and industrial relations issue. Although more sophisticated measures have been developed to test and monitor drug use in the workplace, and despite tacit union support on occupational health and safety grounds, the implementation of drug testing procedures remains contentious. This paper examines the arguments for and against drug testing in the workplace using an Australian case study where drug testing resulted in industrial disputation that led to legal intervention and remedy. * Monash University.

Industrial Relations Journal, 2006

The incidence and effectiveness of different forms of employee voice were compared across three m... more The incidence and effectiveness of different forms of employee voice were compared across three measures: perceived managerial responsiveness to employee needs, job control and influence over job rewards. Multiple regression analyses revealed that voice was perceived as most effective when an amalgam of different forms was present. The effective coexistence of different forms of voice challenges the notion that nonunion voice acts as a substitute for union representation.

Human Resource Management Journal, 2012

This study examines the relationship between employee voice arrangements and employees' trust in ... more This study examines the relationship between employee voice arrangements and employees' trust in management using data from the 2007 Australian Worker Representation and Participation Survey of 1,022 employees. Drawing on social exchange theory and employee relations literature, we test hypotheses concerning the relationships between direct and union voice arrangements, perceived managerial opposition to unions and employees' trust in management. Consistent with our predictions, after controlling for a range of personal, job and workplace characteristics, regression analyses indicated that direct voice arrangements were positively related to employees' trust in management. Union voice arrangements and perceived managerial opposition to unions were negatively related to trust in management.

Human Resource Management, 2011

ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between employee voice and job satisfaction using d... more ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between employee voice and job satisfaction using data from the 2007 Australian Workplace Representation Survey (AWRPS) of 1,022 employees. Drawing on human resource management and industrial relations literature, we test hypotheses concerning the relationship between direct and union voice arrangements and job satisfaction. This relationship represents a gap in the literature, which is important from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Controlling for a range of personal, job, and workplace characteristics, regression analyses suggest that although evidence of voice complementarity exists, direct voice appears to be the central voice arrangement underpinning employees' job satisfaction. The article concludes by highlighting the study's implications for management practice and identifies avenues for further research. copyright 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Human Resource Management is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Economic and Industrial Democracy, 2009

The Australian industrial relations landscape has changed significantly. An increasingly hostile ... more The Australian industrial relations landscape has changed significantly. An increasingly hostile political environment and the emergence of human resource management (HRM) have seen the role of union voice decline significantly. Drawing on responses from the 2004 Australian Worker Representation and Participation Survey (AWRPS), this article examines the incidence and predictors of joint consultation, and employees' perceptions of the effectiveness of joint consultation. The study finds that joint consultation is a popular feature of the workplace. Joint consultation was highest in unionized workplaces, and the presence of a union and favourable management attitudes to unions are statistically significant predictors of joint consultative committees (JCC). Employees also report JCCs to be highly effective. The article concludes that joint consultation, as an alternative mechanism in Australian workplaces, is viewed as an effective form of voice.

Economic and Industrial Democracy, 2008

This paper analyses free-riding on Australian unions. It draws on the Australian Worker Represent... more This paper analyses free-riding on Australian unions. It draws on the Australian Worker Representation and Participation Survey 2004. We find high levels of free-riding in Australian workplaces and the motives of non-members to be mixed. Of the 39.2% of workers eligible to join a union who are not members, 51.7% may be characterised as deliberately free-riding to some extent. Similar proportions of non-members may be classified as 'passive beneficiaries' of unions. The reasons given by union members for joining support the private incentive good, and, to a lesser extent the social customs motives for joining. 'Technical free-riders' are disproportionately younger, less well-paid, in part-time employment, and have shorter tenure. We estimate the independent effects of potential explanatory variables using logistic regression. Of the personal characteristics only organisational tenure retained significance. Lower reported workplace union density and lower value placed on union workplace presence were positively related to freeriding; employee needs, employee political ideology and management attitude to unions were not. We compare these findings to those of a similar study for the UK and New Zealand, and conclude with a discussion of the problems for union organising and renewal posed by our findings.

Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, 2011

This article examines how employee voice arrangements and managerial attitudes to unions shape em... more This article examines how employee voice arrangements and managerial attitudes to unions shape employees' perceptions of the industrial relations climate, using data from the 2007 Australian Worker Representation and Participation Survey (AWRPS) of 1,022 employees. Controlling for a range of personal, job and workplace characteristics, regression analyses demonstrate that employees' perceptions of the industrial relations climate are more likely to be favourable if they have access to direct-only voice arrangements. Where management is perceived by employees to oppose unions (in unionized workplaces), the industrial relations climate is more likely to be reported as poor. These findings have theoretical implications, and significant practical implications for employers, employees, unions and the government.

Much has been written about varieties of collaboration and the interplay between conflict and col... more Much has been written about varieties of collaboration and the interplay between conflict and collaboration in industrial relations. This paper explores the preconditions, processes and outcomes associated with the collaborative strategies of an Australian retail trade union: the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association. The data were collected from an extensive series of interviews with officials and organisers within the union across all Australian states. We find that despite taking a servicing approach, and indeed never aggressively organising members, the union has managed to achieve a range of outcomes that exceed retail employment conditions in other countries. We argue that this is partly a result of the Australian legislative framework,
which is inherently pluralist and supportive of collective bargaining. This environment, whereby unions are not forced to fight to represent members, can be conducive to
collaborative employment relations, particularly in industries where the parties do not adopt an adversarialist stance.