Legislating for best practice HRM: The New Zealand approach

Public Personnel Management

Volumn 36, Issue 3, 2007, Pages 183-196

  Edgar, Fiona ^a   Geare, Alan ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO   (New Zealand)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 35148875562     PISSN: 00910260     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/009102600703600301     Document Type: Article

References (42)

1. Boxall, P (1991), Would the good employer please step forward? A discussion of the good employer concept in the State Sector Act 1988. New Zealand Journal of Industrial Relations, 6(3): 211-231;
2. Stablein, R. & Geare, A. (1993), Human resource management in New Zealand: profession and practice, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 31(2): 26-38;
3. Walsh, E & Dickson, J. in J. Sayers & M. Tremaine (Editors), (1994), The vision and the reality: equal employment opportunities in the New Zealand Workplace, Dunmore Press, New Zealand.
4. Kelly, G. M. (1995), Structural change in New Zealand: some implications for the labor market regime. International Labor Review, 134(3); 333-360
5. Kelly, G. M. (1995), Structural change in New Zealand: some implications for the labor market regime. International Labor Review, 134(3): 333-360
6. Whilst the economy began being deregulated in the early 1980s, the labor market was not deregulated until the introduction of the Employment Contracts Act in 1991.
7. Kelly, G. M. (1995), Structural change in New Zealand: some implications for the labor market regime. International Labor Review, 134(3): 333-360, at 336
8. This continued with later employment relations legislation (the Employment Contracts Act 1991 and the current Employment Relations Act 2000) also applying to both sectors.
9. Boston, J. Martin, J. Pallot, J. & Walsh, P (1996), Public management: the New Zealand model. University Press, Oxford;
10. Hood, C. (1991), A public management for all seasons, Public Administration, 74: 9-32.
11. Ironside, M. & Seifert, R. (2002), Changes in the employment conditions and labor processes of selected public sector employees resulting from the implementation of neo-liberal reforms in the UK: A Model and an assessment of the evidence, Published Paper, Celebrating Excellence: The Proceedings of the 16th AIRAANZ Conference, 1:263-272.
12. A high level of variation between estimates of government employment as a percentage of total employment has been found. Whitehouse, G. (1992), Legislation and Labor market gender inequality: an analysis of OECD countries. Work, Employment and Society, 6(1): 65-86
13. found the range varied from 6.3 percent (Japan, 1974) to 33.1 percent (Sweden, 1985). More recently the WERS reported that the United Kingdom public sector comprised around 32% of the total workforce in, Cully, M. Woodland, S. O'Reilly, A. & Dix, G. (1999), Britain at work: as depicted by the 1998 workplace employee relations survey. Routledge, London.
14. Brosnan, P. & Rea, D. (1991), An adequate minimum code: a basis for freedom, justice and efficiency in the labor market. New Zealand Journal of Industrial Relations, 16(2): 143-158 at 148, refer to this intervention as a form of "state sponsored employment protection".
15. This approach is used in the United States; United Kingdom; France; Austria; Norway; Sweden; Denmark; Belgium; the Netherlands; the Federal Republic of Germany; Ireland; and Australia as shown in Marston, M. W. (1990), The use of contract compliance as a legal technique in attaining policy objectives, PhD Thesis, 41-2615, B6c, Sheffield.
16. Konrrad, A. M. & Linnehan, F. (1995), Formalized HRM structures: coordinating equal employment opportunity or concealing organizational practices? Academy of Management Journal, 38(3): 787-821;
17. Marston, M. W. (1990), The use of contract compliance as a legal technique in attaining policy objectives, PhD Thesis, 41-2615, B6c, Sheffield.
18. Marston, M. W. (1990), The use of contract compliance as a legal technique in attaining policy objectives, PhD Thesis, 41-2615, B6c, Sheffield. At pp: 1
19. Marston, M. W. (1990), The use of contract compliance as a legal technique in attaining policy objectives, PhD Thesis, 41-2615, B6c, Sheffield. At pp: 45.
20. The United Kingdom has also used this approach. Their good employer concept influenced HRM policy on matters such as pay and conditions of employment. The United Kingdom has, however, abandoned the good employer model in favor of 'contract compliance' as explained in Fredman, S. & Morris, G. (1989), The state as employer: setting a new example. Personnel Management, 21(8): 25-29.
21. Fredman & Morris, are critical of this move, stating, "... the abandonment of the traditional good employer model is highly regrettable". This criticism may be warranted given that contract compliance has been found to have achieved a minimal amount of success in changing employer attitudes and producing desirable employment practice shown in Marston, M. W. (1990), The use of contract compliance as a legal technique in attaining policy objectives, PhD Thesis, 41-2615, B6c, Sheffield.
22. POL/GEM/X-2: January 1990-December 1992
23. POL/GEM/X - 1: January 1988-December 1989, at pp: 5
24. POL/GEM/X - 1: January 1988-December 1989 at pp: 8
25. POL/GEM/X - 1: January 1988-December 1989
26. POL/GEM/X - 1: January 1988-December 1989, at pp: 8
27. POL/GEM/X - 1: January 1988-December 1989, at pp: 8
28. POL/GEM/X- 1: January 1988-December 1989, at pp: 9
29. Ng, C. Macaulay, W. Ng, P. Y. & Tse, S. K. C. (1998), Supposed beneficiaries' opinions of antidiscrimination legislation in Hong Kong-women's and the physically handicapped's viewpoints, Equal Opportunities International, 17(6): 13-24.
30. Braithwaite, V (1993), The Australian government's affirmative action legislation: achieving social change through human resource management. Law & Policy, 15(4): 327-354.
31. Kellough, J. E. (2000), The Americans with Disabilities Act: a note on personnel policy impacts in state government. Public Personnel Management, 29(2): 211-224.
32. Examples: Does your workplace have a health and safety committee; Do you allocate a percentage of your budget to training and development; Do you actively recruit employees from diverse groups; Are all vacant positions advertised internally and externally.
33. Wood, S. & DeMennzes, L. (1998), High Commitment Management in the UK: evidence from the workplace industrial relations, and employers' manpower and skills practices, Human Relations, 51(4):485-515;
34. Johnson, E. K. (2000), The practice of human resource management in New Zealand: strategic and best practice. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 38(2): 69-83.
35. Gibb, S. (2001), The state of human resource management: evidence from employees' views of HRM systems and staff. Employee Relations, 23(4): 318-336.
36. Guest, D. E. (1999), Human resource management-the worker's verdict. Human Resource Management Journal. 9(3): 5-25.
37. Kane, B. Crawford, J. & Grant, D. (1999), Barriers to effective HRM. International Journal of Manpower, 20(8): 494-515.
38. De Vaus, D. A. (1995), Surveys in social research. (4th Ed) Australia, Allen & Unwin.
39. Cully, M. Woodland, S. O'Reilly, A. & Dix, G. (1999), Britain at work: as depicted by the 1998 workplace employee relations survey. London, Routledge.
40. Bishop, P. C. & Augustus, J. J. Jr. (1993), Implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990: assessing the variables of success. Public Administration Review, 53(2): 121-128.
41. Braithwaite, V. (1993), The Australian Government's Affirmative Action Legislation: achieving social change through human resource management. Law & Policy, 15(4): 327-354.
42. Johnson, E. K. (2000), The practice of human resource management in New Zealand: strategic and best practice. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 38(2): 69-83.