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High‐Commitment Work Practices and Downsizing Harshness in Australian Workplaces
Author(s) -
IVERSON RODERICK D.,
ZATZICK CHRISTOPHER D.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
industrial relations: a journal of economy and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.61
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1468-232X
pISSN - 0019-8676
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-232x.2007.00477.x
Subject(s) - workforce , work (physics) , harshness , sample (material) , turnover , business , labour economics , demographic economics , work hours , public relations , economics , political science , management , working hours , economic growth , engineering , mechanical engineering , noise, vibration, and harshness , chemistry , physics , chromatography , quantum mechanics , vibration
This study examines the relationship between high‐commitment work practices (HCWP) and downsizing. The results based on a large, representative sample of Australian workplaces supported our predictions. Consistent with previous research, HCWP was positively related to workforce reduction. However, workplaces with more HCWP used less harsh strategies (e.g., more employee‐friendly approaches to downsizing) such as voluntary layoffs and early retirement than the harsher strategy of compulsory layoffs. The implications of these findings are discussed.