Information but not consultation: Exploring employee involvement in SMEs
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Publication date
2007Keyword
Employee involvementSMEs
Small and medium sized enterprises
European Employee Information and Consultation Directive
Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations (ICE)
Information and consultation
Employee voice
Rights
© 2007 Taylor & Francis (Routledge). Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.Peer-Reviewed
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Most research on Employee Involvement (EI) has focused on large or 'mainstream' organizations. By adopting those schemes which 'appear' to work well in larger organizations, then smaller firms assume there will be enhanced employee commitment beyond formal contractual requirements. The main question in this paper is whether EI schemes designed by management will suffice under the 2004 Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations. It focuses on SMEs which tend to favour informal and direct EI, and it remains unclear how these methods will be played out under the new regulatory environment. Evidence from four case studies is presented here and it suggests that the ICE Regulations impose new challenges for smaller firms given their tendency to provide information rather than consult with employees. It also appears organizational factors, workplace relations history and the way processes are implemented at enterprise level may be far more important than size itself.Citation
Wilkinson, A., Dundon, T. and Grugulis, C.I. (2007). Information but not consultation: exploring employee involvement in SMEs. International Journal of Human Resource Management Vol.18, No. 7 pp. 1279-1297Link to publisher’s version
https://doi.org/10.1080/09585190701393798Type
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