Purpose This article is a short commentary on the nature of Fair Work and the part it can play in the struggle to improve workers' conditions. The discussion considers Wales as well as Scotland, and also references Fair Work Charters in England, in its exploration of the “fair work project”. Design/methodology/approach Data from a range of surveys is presented, to support the argument that much more needs to be done to achieve a fair bargain for all workers. Findings It also proposes that the fair work agenda needs to be more cognisant of divergent interests in capital-labour relations and to see fair work as a goal to be striven for rather than the willing gift of the good employer. In essence, it concludes that Fair Work statements can be useful if they are operationalised as stepping stones to clearly understood rights and expectations, linked to effective enforcement, as opposed to remaining a voluntary initiative mainly dependent on voluntary employer engagement. Originality/value This article is based on a review presented at a BUIRA workshop on Fair Work in Scotland, Glasgow 2025.
Purpose While talent management (TM) is widely considered a driver of competitive advantage, emphasis on tangible outcomes often ignores the unintended consequences for stakeholder relationships. Drawing on psychological contract (PC) theory, this article explores how TM practices are interpreted by different stakeholders, influencing psychological contracting and affecting employee relationships within the Jamaican business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. Design/methodology/approach The study utilises 24 in-depth stakeholder interviews across 10 BPO organisations to explore perceptions and experiences of actors both inside and outside of talent programmes. Data were analysed thematically to capture how TM practices are enacted and interpreted in context. Findings TM implementation significantly influences employees' PCs and associated workplace relationships. Findings demonstrate how subjective interpretations of TM philosophies, selection processes and communication practices influence employees' psychological, emotional and behavioural responses to both selection and non-selection. The study highlights how relational tensions emerge as PCs are recalibrated, and how line managers may be insufficiently equipped to manage these dynamics. Practical implications The findings assist talent leaders in recognising and responding to relational dynamics underpinning TM implementation. Building on the findings, we develop a “4-Cs” framework (clarity, consensus, consistency and connectedness) to provide practical guidance in mitigating negative and unintended impacts on PCs and employee relationships. Originality/value This research advances understanding of the unintended consequences of TM by providing nuanced qualitative evidence of how TM operates at a relational level. It demonstrates how TM practices function as signals that influence PCs, contributing to relationship challenges and requiring ongoing stakeholder negotiation and management.
Purpose This study examines why rich, personal and ephemeral social-media content can initially enhance but later undermine employment suitability during cybervetting. Design/methodology/approach Two complementary studies are employed. Study 1 uses a staggered event-study design with NLP-derived content indices to trace shifts in suitability after candidates adopt short-form personal video. Study 2 applies system-GMM to employer–month × job-family panels to test whether risk-centred evaluative attention reinforces itself over sequential hiring cycles. Findings Across studies, rich and personal posts produce an early positive effect on suitability evaluations, but this benefit reverses as evaluators transition from impression formation to risk screening. The inversion is stronger on platforms that enable efficient linguistic extraction and for ephemeral content. Structured social-media assessment policies significantly attenuate this reversal. Originality/value The study challenges the assumption that authenticity and media richness uniformly enhance candidate evaluations. It shows that cybervetting is a time-contingent interpretive process shaped by platform architecture and policy structure.
Purpose Despite decades of sophisticated motivational practices, organizational investment in engagement continues to yield fragile outcomes. This article argues that the difficulty lies not in motivational scarcity but in the growing unreadability of contemporary work environments, with consequences for sustainable work practices. Design/methodology/approach The analysis develops a conceptual and epistemic framework that shifts attention from activation-based models to the environmental conditions that enable employees to sustain meaningful and sustainable work. Findings Difficulties in sustaining engagement derive less from motivational deficits than from cumulative cognitive, normative, procedural and symbolic interference, conceptualized as organizational noise. These forms of interference disrupt attention, sensemaking, and professional judgement, making it increasingly difficult for employees to determine what is important, coherent, and meaningful in their work. Employees struggle less with effort itself than with interpreting their work within environments characterized by competing signals, priorities, and expectations. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual article, the analysis does not provide empirical validation of the proposed framework. Nevertheless, it introduces organizational noise and negative (non-additive) human sustainability as new lenses for understanding engagement. By reframing engagement as a function of clarity rather than stimulation, the article identifies environmental legibility as a neglected condition of sustainable work and opens avenues for future research on organizational noise, sensemaking, and human sustainability. Practical implications For employment relations and work design, the analysis suggests that sustainable engagement depends not only on organizational investment but also on the reduction of unnecessary background activity. Originality/value The article advances an ecological reorientation of engagement research by explaining how saturated work environments erode interpretability. It identifies an epistemic blind spot in motivational and critical accounts and opens new avenues for understanding sustainable work in an interference-rich era through a clarity-centred analytical lens.
Purpose This study examines how inclusive organizational climates foster disability employment and labor inclusion within tourism organizations by analyzing the relationships between emotional and cognitive development, organizational development, social impact and inclusive human resource practices in the Spanish tourism sector. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach was adopted. First, a qualitative phase involving focus groups with professionals from tourism, disability inclusion, occupational therapy and human resources was conducted to refine and validate the measurement instrument. Second, a quantitative survey was administered to 245 employees from 25 tourism organizations in Extremadura, Spain. The proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings The findings show that inclusive organizational climate positively influences emotional and cognitive development and organizational development. Organizational development subsequently strengthens social impact, while emotional and cognitive development, organizational development and social impact jointly reinforce inclusive human resource practices. The results highlight disability employment as an interconnected organizational process capable of generating employee, organizational and societal benefits simultaneously. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to tourism organizations located in one Spanish region, which may affect the transferability of findings to other institutional and cultural contexts. Nevertheless, the research contributes to hospitality and organizational inclusion literature by providing an integrated model linking employee, organizational and social dimensions of disability employment within tourism workplaces. Practical implications Tourism organizations can strengthen inclusive human resource practices by fostering inclusive organizational climates through leadership commitment, staff training, accessible organizational environments and participatory inclusion strategies aimed at reducing workplace barriers for employees with disabilities. Social implications The findings reinforce the role of tourism organizations in promoting social cohesion, workplace inclusion and the normalization of disability within service-intensive environments. Inclusive employment practices may contribute positively to reducing structural and attitudinal barriers affecting people with disabilities in the labor market. Originality/value This study provides an empirically validated model integrating emotional and cognitive development, organizational development, social impact and inclusive human resource practices within a single framework of disability employment in tourism. By combining qualitative instrument development with quantitative modeling in the Spanish tourism context, the study extends literature that has traditionally examined these dimensions separately.
PurposeOrganizations across various sectors are facing human capital issues (i.e. developing, attracting and retaining human capital) caused by a strained labour market. To tackle these challenges, a new phenomenon is emerging: employer networks. In these networks, independent organizations collaborate to address common human capital issues. A comprehensive review of the drivers, underlying collaboration mechanisms, and outcomes, however, is lacking. This scoping review addresses this gap, provides an overview of published papers on employer networks focussing on human capital issues, presents the relevant findings on drivers, mechanisms and outcomes, and formulates suggestions for future research. Design/methodology/approachThis review follows the Prisma guidelines for a systematic literature review. Consulting five databases, complemented by the forward-backwards snowballing method, resulted in 14 eligible empirical studies on employer networks with a specific focus on human capital. FindingsDifferent actors (e.g. public and private organizations, employees and job seekers) participate in employer networks. Contextual factors, such as a strained labour market and technological innovations, are drivers of employers' cooperation within a network. Various stakeholders assess the networking approach as positive if it supports the network's purpose. Employer networks foster the employability and mobility of both employees and job seekers. Reinforcing structural and interpersonal factors or mechanisms influences the collaboration process in employer networks. Originality/valueThis review provides insight into employer networks related to human capital topics. It presents an overview of important drivers, collaboration mechanisms and network outcomes and identifies topics for future research.
Purpose This study investigated the mediating relationship between service employees' insomnia, resilience, and job performance, as well as the moderating role of organizational health climate on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Three-wave data were collected from 318 South Korean employees in various service sectors. Findings As predicted, the insomnia experienced by service employees was negatively associated with their subsequent job performance, and resilience played a mediating role in this association. Furthermore, organizational health climate mitigated the negative relationship between insomnia and resilience and strengthened the positive relationship between resilience and job performance. Research limitations/implications This study examined only resilience and organizational health climate as the mediator and moderator, respectively. However, other psychological or contextual variables may also play a role in the relationship between insomnia and job performance. Given the emerging links between organizational health climate and health-oriented leadership, their combined roles warrant further investigation. Practical implications The findings highlight the role of organizational health climate in alleviating the negative relationship between insomnia and service performance. Organizations should implement practices that promote service employees' well-being, such as sleep hygiene, workload adjustments, flexible scheduling, and mindfulness training. Originality/value This study advances the literature on organizational health by identifying the association between insomnia and job performance and demonstrating the buffering role of organizational health climate through the lens of the conservation of resources theory.
Purpose This study examines how working conditions, specifically flextime, work autonomy and work intensity, are associated with perceived organizational support and well-being among European employees with chronic illness, and how job insecurity is associated with the link between perceived organizational support and well-being.Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources framework, the study uses data for 6,961 employees with chronic illness from the 2021 European Working Conditions Survey and applies partial least squares structural equation modeling to estimate direct and indirect statistical associations between the constructs.Findings Flextime and work autonomy are positively associated with well-being, whereas work intensity is negatively associated with well-being. Work autonomy is positively associated with perceived organizational support, while flextime and work intensity are negatively associated with perceived organizational support. Perceived organizational support shows positive indirect associations in the relationships between working conditions and well-being, and higher job insecurity is associated with a weaker positive association between perceived organizational support and well-being.Originality/value The study extends Job Demands-Resources theory to workers with chronic illness in Europe by jointly considering job resources, job demands and organizational resources, and by positioning job insecurity as a hindrance demand associated with the perceived organizational support-well-being link. It offers evidence, based on a large cross-national dataset, that working-time flexibility, autonomy, moderated intensity and credible support are associated with better well-being in this population, while also highlighting that these associations are sensitive to how flexibility is framed and to the broader context of employment security.
Purpose This paper examines how collective bargaining shapes distinct patterns of remote work regulation in France, tracing the formalization of telework arrangements before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach Mixed-method analysis combining systematic coding of 126 variables across 107 company-level agreements with qualitative case studies, informed by Reynaud's Theory of Social Regulation (TSR). Findings Three regulatory models emerge: restrictive (39%), integration (36.2%), and transformative (24.8%), each with internally consistent patterns of temporal allocation, eligibility, material support, and managerial philosophy. Post-pandemic, integration agreements rose from 17.6% to 45.1% while transformative agreements slightly declined, indicating that bargaining produced moderate expansion rather than fundamental restructuring. Eligibility criteria, not technological capacity, serve as the primary mechanism determining who gains access to remote work. Trust appears as a central but contested mechanism, invoked to justify both the loosening and tightening of arrangements. Research limitations/implications The French institutional context limits direct transferability. The regulatory dimensions identified, particularly eligibility restrictions and the role of trust, may nonetheless prove relevant in other employment systems where collective bargaining structures remote work. Practical implications The three-model typology may serve as a diagnostic tool: organizations could locate their positioning along the restrictive-integration-transformative spectrum and identify which provisions distinguish one model from another. Social implications Post-pandemic eligibility exclusions tripled for production workers despite proven feasibility, and housing requirements in transformative agreements may exclude lower-income workers, suggesting that remote work policies risk creating new workplace inequalities. Originality/value Offers a rare mixed-method analysis of company-level telework agreements, revealing regulatory configurations typically obscured in qualitative research. Extends TSR empirically to virtual work contexts, showing how spatial disruption reshapes the interaction between management-imposed and worker-developed rules.
Purpose As social media (SM) has evolved from an exclusive digital tool supporting selective talent agendas to an integrated practice embedded in broader human resource (HR) processes, its adoption in talent management (TM) and human resource management (HRM) has developed with both overlapping and diverging emphases. This critical review maps convergences and divergences between the two fields and identifies research gaps and future directions. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a systematic review of SM research in HRM and TM using the theory–context–characteristics–method (TCCM) framework and synthesized findings through cross-domain comparison along the TCCM dimensions. Findings The review reveals convergence in theoretical grounding, contextualization and methodological rigor, while highlighting differences in how SM is characterized and utilized. TM retains a strong focus on exclusivity, employer branding and talent attraction, often adopting a predominantly positive stance. In contrast, HRM research addresses broader and more inclusive organizational agendas, with ethical, privacy and fairness concerns more explicitly considered. Originality/value This critical review examines how HRM and TM have evolved in parallel yet distinct ways in their treatment of SM. By systematically comparing both streams, it clarifies areas of convergence and divergence and outlines how maintaining a productive tension between the two fields can foster cross-fertilization and support a more holistic understanding of SM in human capital management.
Purpose - We examine how green HRM reshapes the employment relationship during sustainability-oriented change, asking whether it produces mutual gains or work intensification for employees. Design/methodology/approach - Two-wave surveys from 306 employee-supervisor dyads across Thai firms were analysed with CFA, SEM and bootstrapping to test a dual-path model (resource gain via green self-efficacy; resource loss via role overload) and regulatory focus contingencies. Findings - Green HRM promotes green behaviour through self-efficacy yet constrains it through role overload. Prevention focus amplifies the overload pathway; promotion focus attenuates efficacy-based gains. The results reveal a double-edged pattern consistent with work-intensification concerns in green transitions. Research limitations/implications - Our two-wave, dyadic design mitigates same-source bias but remains observational, limiting causal inference and leaving the study exposed to omitted variables. Measures include perceptions of GHRM and behaviours; future work should add objective and behavioural indicators and archival KPI data. The Thai context aids focus yet constrains generalisability; cross-national comparisons and multi-level designs (team/union/establishment) are needed. Experiments or panel studies could trace resource spirals over time. Theoretically, integrating COR with an employment-relations lens foregrounds resource allocation and control; testing voice/consultation as moderators can clarify when green HRM yields mutual gains rather than work intensification. Practical implications - Treat GHRM as governance, not just motivation. Co-design environmental KPIs with employees (or unions) and run routine workload audits before rollout. Pair each new green target with time credits, micro-training, and enabling resources; publish target-time ledgers so added tasks are reconciled with hours. Embed SLA-bound issue-raising channels to surface overload early and trigger negotiated adjustments. Calibrate to regulatory orientations: give promotion-focused staff autonomy and stretch projects; provide prevention-focused staff with clearer sequencing, buffers, and guardrails. Shift appraisals from compliance-only to capability-and-voice models, rewarding peer-validated green improvements rather than surveillance metrics. Social implications - Sustainability transitions succeed when they are socially just. Positioning GHRM as governance highlights how green targets can redistribute effort and risk onto workers, with consequences for well-being, equity, and trust. Voice-centric arrangements - joint consultative forums, transparent workload audits, and accessible issue-raising channels - help prevent work intensification, reduce burnout, and support inclusive participation in environmental change. Fairly resourced green work can strengthen employee commitment, retention, and community legitimacy, whereas under-resourced mandates risk greenwashing and resistance. Our results inform the policy-industry dialogue on designing climate action that advances environmental goals and decent work. Originality/value - We reposition green HRM within employment relations, showing how sustainability practices can reallocate risks and demands to employees, with implications for voice, consultation and workload governance. The study contributes an ER-oriented account of green HRM's bright and dark sides in an Asia-Pacific emerging economy.
PurposeDrawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective, the study aims to move beyond context-dominant explanations by focusing on microfoundational mechanisms through which employees interpret and respond to dynamic work environments. In doing so, it seeks to clarify whether organizational learning culture is linked to employee resilience primarily through these behavioral and psychological capabilities, thereby offering a more nuanced understanding of how resilience is associated with contextual conditions at the employee level. Design/methodology/approachThe research utilizes survey data from 410 employees working in Egypt's dynamic and turbulent hospitality sector. FindingsThe findings show that organizational learning culture is positively associated with employee resilience, employee ambidexterity and employee self-efficacy. Employee ambidexterity and employee self-efficacy are positively associated with employee resilience and account for robust indirect associations. In contrast, the direct association between organizational learning culture and employee resilience is relatively modest, whereas its associations with ambidexterity and self-efficacy are substantially stronger. Overall, the results reveal a mechanism-dominant pattern in which organizational learning culture is linked to employee resilience primarily through employee ambidexterity and self-efficacy in managing challenges in dynamic work environments. Research limitations/implicationsThe study advances theory by re-specifying how organizational context relates to employee resilience. Rather than treating resilience as a direct outcome of contextual conditions, it positions it as an outcome linked to microfoundational mechanisms, thereby shifting emphasis from context-dominant to mechanism-oriented explanations. This contributes to the dynamic capabilities literature by clarifying how individual-level behavioral and psychological capabilities are implicated in translating contextual conditions into adaptive outcomes. It also contributes to resilience research by integrating ambidexterity and self-efficacy within a single explanatory framework, highlighting their complementary roles and addressing the fragmentation between behavioral and psychological perspectives on employee adaptation. Originality/valueThis study offers a novel perspective by introducing a mechanism-dominant view of employee resilience that challenges the prevailing emphasis on direct contextual effects. It is among the first to integrate employee ambidexterity and employee self-efficacy as complementary microfoundational mechanisms within a single framework linking organizational learning culture to resilience. By doing so, it moves beyond treating these constructs as independent predictors and instead highlights their joint role in shaping adaptive functioning. The study also brings the dynamic capabilities perspective into the employee resilience domain, offering a more fine-grained explanation of how organizational conditions are linked to employee-level outcomes.
PurposeThis study aims to systematically explore the role of social media in shaping Employer Branding (EB) by consolidating existing research. It investigates how social media platforms enhance EB, support talent acquisition, inform digital communication strategies, and interact with moderating or mediating factors influencing employer brand outcomes. Design/methodology/approachA Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology, guided by the PRISMA framework, was employed. A comprehensive search in the Scopus database yielded 72 articles, from which 59 peer-reviewed studies were selected based on rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria. These studies were thematically analyzed across four research questions. FindingsThe findings reveal that social media significantly enhances EB by signaling organizational values, leveraging employee-generated content (EGC), and facilitating targeted, platform-specific recruitment strategies. LinkedIn, Glassdoor and Instagram emerged as dominant platforms for employer brand positioning. Key communication strategies include authenticity, transparency, employee advocacy, and emotional resonance. The review also identifies critical mediating and moderating factors such as employer attractiveness, person-organization fit, employer reputation, social media use, and value congruence. Despite these advancements, the literature reflects theoretical fragmentation, the methodological dominance of cross-sectional surveys, and limited contextual and cultural variations exploration. Originality/valueThis review is a comprehensive EB and social media research synthesis. It contributes to theory by integrating diverse conceptual frameworks and identifies research gaps related to longitudinal analysis, geographic diversity, and digital innovation. It provides actionable insights for scholars and practitioners navigating the complexities of digital EB.
Purpose This study investigated whether bundles of human resource practices – ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO) – related differently to job satisfaction depending on employees' chronological age in the tourism and hospitality sector. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory and Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST), it examined how junior and senior employees perceived AMO bundles as workplace resources based on their age-related priorities. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted with 417 tourism employees in Gran Canaria (Spain). Data were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) multigroup analysis to assess differences in AMO bundle responses between junior and senior employees. Findings The findings revealed that, contrary to expectations, the ability bundle was more strongly associated with job satisfaction among senior employees, suggesting that skill-enhancing practices may serve as stabilizing resources for employees later in their working lives. The motivation bundle was positively linked to job satisfaction across age groups, with no significant moderating effect of age. In contrast, the opportunity bundle increased satisfaction among junior employees but exhibited a negative association among senior workers, who may perceive participatory demands as additional stressors in high-pressure service environments. Practical implications The study offers practical guidance for age-sensitive human resource design in high-turnover contexts and contributes to more inclusive and sustainable workforce management. Originality/value These findings refine the AMO framework by indicating that its effectiveness varies with employees' age, and that distinct human resource bundles are valued differently depending on workers' life stage and age-related priorities.
Purpose This study examines the mechanisms by which high-performance work systems (HPWSs) affect employees' entrepreneurial self-efficacy and orientation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While previous research has demonstrated a link between management practices and entrepreneurial behavior, the mediating processes remain underexplored, particularly in non-Western settings. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) framework, the study employs structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze data collected from 834 participants through time-lagged surveys. The model tests the direct and indirect effects of HPWSs on entrepreneurial self-efficacy and orientation, incorporating knowledge sharing and relational psychological contracts as mediators. Findings Results confirm that HPWSs are positively and significantly associated with entrepreneurial self-efficacy and orientation. Moreover, knowledge sharing and relational psychological contracts both positively and significantly mediate the relationship between HPWS and entrepreneurial self-efficacy, thereby clarifying the underlying mechanism by which management practices promote entrepreneurial outcomes. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by integrating the AMO framework with entrepreneurial behavior theory in the under-researched context of the UAE. It provides empirical evidence for the dual mediating roles of knowledge sharing and relational psychological contracts, elements rarely examined together in relation to HPWSs and entrepreneurial orientation.
Purpose Workers who provide on-demand physical services, work exclusively for platform companies, and can be categorized as low-wage service workers reflect a new approach to matching supply and demand for paid labor. Previous studies have associated them with precarious workers, whereas other research shows that even low-wage platform work can be high-quality for people who value autonomy. Therefore, the question arises: what makes individuals well-suited to platform work and thereby facilitates person–job fit (P–JF)? This study aims to answer this question by examining individuals' competencies and interests that match job requirements. Design/methodology/approach The authors surveyed 280 platform workers offering on-demand services (taxi drivers, food deliverers and couriers) working in Poland. Linear regression, ordinary least squares (OLS) and Cronbach's alpha were used in the statistical analyses. Findings The results indicate that interpersonal skills, adaptability and creative thinking have the greatest influence on demands-abilities fit. Social needs, access to high-quality tools and regular feedback have the strongest impact on needs-supplies fit. A respondent's age, gender and education level impact the relationship between interests and needs-supplies fit, while education level also influences the relationship between competencies and demands-abilities fit. Originality/value This study extends the P–JF theory in terms of platform work. Examining employee attributes that lead to P–JF increases the knowledge needed for effective staffing processes in platform work organizations. Given that P–JF results in better career adaptation, this study also provides employees with guidelines for their choices regarding undertaking platform work vs. other types of work.
Purpose This study examines how symbolic ableism - a subtle and modern form of prejudice towards people with disabilities - influences coworkers' evaluations of the normative appropriateness of workplace accommodation requests. It also explores whether the perception of socially responsible human resource management (perceived SRHRM) could be a moderating factor by cultivating inclusive workplace norms.Design/methodology/approach We collected data through a three-wave online survey with 498 full-time, non-disabled employees in Japan. Participants responded to a scenario involving a colleague with inflammatory bowel disease requesting accommodation. The study measured symbolic ableism, perceived SRHRM and normative appropriateness assessments (NAA) using validated multi-item scales.Findings The "Lack of Recognition of Current Condition (LRCC)" dimension of symbolic ableism significantly and negatively predicted NAA. This relationship was moderated by perceived SRHRM; high levels of perceived SRHRM weakened the negative impact. "Individualism" showed a positive association, suggesting that individualistic beliefs may not necessarily lead to rejecting accommodations.Originality/value This study extends research on disability inclusion by highlighting the importance of coworkers' beliefs, rather than solely focusing on employees with disabilities or the nature of accommodations. It identifies perceived SRHRM as a critical HR signal perception for muting the behavioural expression of prejudice in the workplace. By demonstrating that perceived SRHRM can mitigate prejudice-driven resistance without relying on direct anti-discrimination messaging, which may trigger backlash, it offers a psychologically informed and practically feasible pathway to promoting workplace inclusion.
Purpose Grand challenges like COVID-19 demand collaboration, but effective collaboration hinges on governance. Collaborative governance convenes diverse actors for consensus-driven decisions, a process complicated by inherent tensions, including power imbalances and competing interests. Recent scholarship proposes a collaborative practices framework for governance, yet its application in high-pressure workplaces remains unexplored. The article addresses this gap by employing the COVID-19 pandemic as a critical context for investigating how collaborative governance practices are implemented under high-pressure workplace conditions. Design/methodology/approach This research followed an exploratory qualitative case study design. Data were triangulated from primary and secondary sources. Primary data collection involved 8 semi-structured interviews, supplemented by secondary data from internal electronic documents and reputable news articles. An inductive content analysis was conducted, allowing subcategories of collaborative practices to emerge from the data. Findings This research yields four key findings that refine collaborative governance in high-pressure contexts. First, specific collaborative practices can attenuate workplace pressure during grand challenges. Second, formalizing agreement practices is a dynamic, legitimacy-seeking process, not static control. Third, arrangement practices operate through consensus and purpose-driven rewards. Fourth, the findings show that digital engagement practices can successfully replace physical presence to maintain collaboration. Together, these four findings advance a synergistic approach where formal, consensual, and digital collaborative practices interactively sustain collaboration. Originality/value Offering a distinct theoretical advance, this research reframes collaborative governance practices as a simultaneous and synergistic interaction. Rather than isolating individual practices, it reveals their dynamic interdependence in high-pressure workplaces. This interactive approach, where strength in one collaborative practice compensates for or amplifies another, offers a novel theoretical perspective.
Purpose Social recruiting has gained momentum with the surge in social media use, particularly as Gen Z enters the job market. Our study aims to examine how Instagram use among Gen Z job seekers impacts their intention to apply to the company utilizing Instagram for recruiting. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a mixed-method study to investigate the dual mechanisms underlying attraction to organizations (affective route) as well as job and organization information (cognitive route) through a survey and semi-structured interviews. Findings We found that Gen Z job seekers are attracted to the organizations they recognize through Instagram, which ultimately positively affects their intention to apply. Specifically, qualitative research confirmed that well-curated Instagram feeds have a positive impact on individual's attitude toward a company. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the understanding of Instagram as a recruitment tool by expanding the uses and gratifications theory to include its influence on decision-making processes and addressing gaps in research on Gen Z's perceptions of Instagram. However, this study is limited in that it focuses solely on Koreans, making it difficult to generalize the findings. Originality/value This study focused on how psychological attachment to Instagram influences Gen Z's employment intentions, while also utilizing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach to provide a more in-depth exploration of the antecedents of their employment intentions. Qualitative research enabled the identification of the underlying mechanism by demonstrating that only one of the two mediators exhibited a significant indirect effect.
Purpose This study examines the persistence of presenteeism (i.e. working while unwell) in UK higher education institutions (HEIs), focussing on how the post-pandemic expansion of flexible working arrangements (FWAs), particularly remote working, has reshaped this phenomenon into "virtual presenteeism." Drawing on the moral injury framework, the study investigates the relationship between FWAs and presenteeism among academics and non-academics in the UK HE sector, highlighting how institutional pressures and managerial practices shape sickness-attendance norms.Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through an online survey of 516 academic and non-academic staff at UK HEIs.Findings The analysis reveals the emergence of an online sickness-attendance norm among both academic and non-academic staff, with the latter experiencing it as a new, post-pandemic pressure. The data show that staff feel compelled to work remotely while unwell. Many respondents viewed these expectations as misaligned with the employer's duty of care and described experiences consistent with moral distress and perceived institutional betrayal. The study highlights the critical role of inadequate managerial support and cultural pressures in sustaining virtual presenteeism, which affects employee well-being.Originality/value The paper contributes to the literature by conceptualising virtual presenteeism through a moral injury lens, showing how FWAs can intensify harmful work norms, including sickness presenteeism. We treat moral injury as an explanatory lens for understanding how potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) might be perceived in HE (e.g. pressures to continue working while ill, inadequate cover or support). Therefore, we outline the need for targeted interventions, cultural change, and moral repair within HEIs to secure employee well-being and challenge unhealthy expectations surrounding sickness and work.
