Part‐time employment and communication satisfaction in an Australian retail organisation

Abstract

This study uses an empirical case study to examine the relationship between flexible work arrangements (whether employees work on a full-time or part-time basis) and one aspect of employee relations, namely communication satisfaction. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from employees in a major Australian retail organisation, resulting in 127 useable responses. The survey included the communication satisfaction questionnaire. Overall, respondents' ratings of communication satisfaction indicated that at best they were only slightly satisfied. Part-time employees were significantly more dissatisfied than full-time employees on four dimensions of communication satisfaction. The study provides evidence that part-time employees are outside mainstream communication in the stores examined. The implications of the results for employee relations are discussed. Future research directions are identified. T h e rese a rch reg is te r fo r th is jo u rn a l is a v a ila b le a t http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregisters T h e cu rren t iss u e a n d fu ll tex t a rch iv e o f th is jo u rn a l is a v a ila b le a t http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm Employee Relations 24,2 224 (Kay and Christophel, 1995). Therefore, communication skill development could lead to improvements in employee motivation. Training programs to develop communication skills among all employees should be aligned with the company's strategic vision of providing``excellence in customer service''. The link established between employee communication competence and sales performance (Boorom et al., 1998) suggests that improving employee communication satisfaction may have a flow-on effect for communication with customers. Therefore, well-designed communication training programs should assist in improving customer service. The reported lack of personal feedback suggests that performance management systems should be reviewed. HRM practices should assist supervisors to communicate clear, specific expectations and to give informal, positive and negative feedback frequently. According to White (1996), part-time employees are often excluded from performance management systems and development schemes, which reinforces the perception that part-time employees are not expected to make a long-term commitment. The Employment in Britain survey (White, 1996) found that only 33 per cent of parttime compared to 52 per cent of full-time managers had undergone performance appraisals. Therefore, action should be taken to ensure that part-time employees are included in performance appraisals. The recruitment of tertiary students for part-time positions will continue but HR managers need to develop career paths to attract and retain the staff who are likely to make a long-term, valuable contribution. Such programs would assist in preventing a turnover culture from becoming entrenched (Iverson and Deery, 1997). The results have important implications for managing change as communication appears central to predicting outcomes of planned change efforts (...

Job motivation and satisfaction: Unpacking the key factors for charity shop managers

“…Table 3 lists a series of factors connected to communication within the organisation and overall organisational climate. What is immediately clear from Table 3 is that managers are more likely to be satisfied with working relationships with those they work closest with than those who are more distant (this mirrors the findings of Gray and Laidlaw, 2002). Nearly a quarter of managers were dissatisfied with their relationships with head office staff.…”

“…Gray and Laidlaw (2002) explored communication satisfaction amongst part-time workers in an Australian retail organisation. While their primary focus was on the differences in communication satisfaction between part-time and full-time workers they emphasised the importance of communication particularly in relation to implementing workplace change (we discuss this elsewhere in the charity retail context, see Parsons and Broadbridge (2004)).…”

“…While their primary focus was on the differences in communication satisfaction between part-time and full-time workers they emphasised the importance of communication particularly in relation to implementing workplace change (we discuss this elsewhere in the charity retail context, see Parsons and Broadbridge (2004)). Gray and Laidlaw (2002) explored communication within the organisation through a number of channels including vertical and horizontal communication. They also examined personal feedback and wider perceptions of overall communication within the organisation (for example concerning notification about changes, policies and goals).…”

The Impact of Communication on Workers’ Performance in Selected Organisations in Lagos State, Nigeria

“…Effective communication between leaders and employees is critically important for the potential success of a company. Leaders need to enact strategies to improve communication that could lead to positive work consequences (Gray and Laidlaw, 2002). Improvements in supervisor-subordinate communication will assist organizations toward the goal of managing diversity by promoting equality and integration in the workplace.…”

Employee relations role in Lithuanian companies organizational culture formation

“…They pronounced, information that is transmitted through a formal system is either insufficient or ambiguous and informal system usually compensates these weaknesses (Kandlousi, Ali, Abdollahi, 2010). However, when employees are not obtaining sufficient information through the formal channels -when employees feel threatened, insecure, under stress, and whenever a pending change exists, and ultimately, when communication from the management is limited, -then they rely on informal channels (Gray, Laidlaw, 2002). …”