Does diversity matter? exploring workforce diversity,diversity management,and organizational performance in social enterprises

This study explores the dynamics of workforce diversity, diversity management, and organizational performance in social enterprises. Semi‐structured in‐depth interviews were conducted with 14 individuals working in the social enterprise sector in Los Angeles, California, including both top management and regular employees. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis rooted in grounded theory. Overall, high levels of diversity in gender, race/ethnicity, education, and sexual orientation were identified in social enterprises, while low levels of age and value diversity were found. Workforce diversity and diversity management were reported to be crucial factors that positively influence organizational performance. Although interviewees considered diversity management to play an important role in promoting organizational performance, they were less likely to implement diversity management themselves. By providing important insights into workforce diversity, diversity management, and organizational performance in social enterprises, this study contributes to an understanding of the dynamics and provides suggestions for sustainability in social enterprises.     

Speaking up and stepping back: Examining the link between employee voice and job neglect

How does an employee attempts (or lack thereof) to improve or change work related circumstances influence one's ability to do one's job? This longitudinal study sought to examine this question by testing the relationship between employee voice and two distinct forms of job neglect (active and passive neglect) among child welfare workers at baseline (time 1: n = 359) and six month follow-up (time 2: n = 187). Path analysis results revealed significant yet unexpected relationships between employee voice and the forms of job neglect. At time one, results showed that as employees voiced, they engaged in active neglect; yet this relationship shifted over time. In that, employees who exercised voice at time 1 were less likely to engage in active job neglect at time 2. With respect to passive neglect and voice, employees who indirectly limited their work effort at baseline were more likely to speak up at time 2. This study examines this unique finding and the role that both employee voice and job neglect play as workers attempt to manage dissatisfying work conditions or promote positive organizational change.     

Fight or Flight? Factors Influencing Child Welfare Workers' Propensity to Seek Positive Change or Disengage from Their Jobs

ABSTRACT

This cross-sectional study tests a theory-driven, conceptual model examining factors supporting or hindering child welfare workers' (n = 359) efforts to speak up (voice) or disengage psychologically (neglect) or physically (exit) from their jobs. Based on path analysis results, key findings indicate that workers who feel included in decision-making are more likely to exercise voice and less likely to engage in neglect. In contrast, workers who experienced supervisory and organizational support are less inclined to exit. The findings should be instructive to scholars and practitioners interested in capturing how employees' responses to stressful and complex work environments are expressed.     

Estimation of long-memory parameters for seasonal fractional ARIMA with stable innovations

We carry out finite sample size parameter estimation methods for long-memory parameters of the class of seasonal fractional ARIMA with stable innovations. In particular, we consider the semiparametric method studied in Reisen et al. (2006) [27] and two Whittle approaches: the classical Whittle method and a method based on a Markov Chains Monte Carlo (MCMC) procedure. The performance of the methods is discussed using a Monte Carlo simulation.     

Measuring labour absorption problems in developing countries: Limitations of the concept of unemployment

The “standard” unemployment rate is often criticized for omitting large numbers of people who are classified as employed or as not economically inactive, when in fact their situation amounts to unemployment. The author discusses the limitations of this standard definition for developing countries. After reviewing the methodological and statistical problems posed by the standard rate, he looks at the reality behind the words in contexts where the labour market is highly segmented. He shows that the standard unemployment rate underestimates excess labour supply and is a poor indicator of the Decent Work deficit, and considers its limitations in guiding economic policy.     

Support in the Workplace: Buffering the Deleterious Effects of Work–Family Conflict on Child Welfare Workers’ Well-Being and Job Burnout

ABSTRACT

We examined the impact of work–family conflict (WFC) on worker well-being and job burnout, as well as the role of social support in the workplace as a potential buffer against the influence of WFC. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses in a cross-sectional sample of 361 public child welfare workers indicate that WFC was related to reduced well-being and increased job burnout, whereas supervisory support moderated the relationship between WFC and well-being. Findings from this study hold implications to workforce management practices aimed at improving worker well-being in human service and child welfare organizations. Human resource management policies designed to manage worker schedules should aim to facilitate workers’ ability to meet work and family demands through programs such as flexible work schedules and telecommuting. Recommendations for future research on WFC and worker well-being are discussed.     

Outside of the corporate mainstream and excluded from the work community: A study of diversity,job satisfaction and well-being

Research over the past two decades indicates that exclusion from organizational information networks and from important decision-making processes is one of the most significant problems facing today's diverse workforce. Employees' sense of exclusion may play a critical role in explaining the connection between lack of opportunities experienced by employees who are different from the corporate 'main stream' and their job satisfaction and well-being. This study examines the relationship between diversity characteristics, sense of inclusion, fairness, stress and social support and the outcome variables of job satisfaction and well-being. A sample of 3400 employees of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in the high-tech industry in Southern California completed a self-report questionnaire. Findings support the hypotheses that women and members of racial/ethnic minorities are more likely to feel excluded, and that exclusion is linked to job dissatisfaction and lower sense of well-being. The study further explores the potential role of exclusion as a mediator variable. These findings have implications for future research on workforce diversity and for organizational diagnosis and interventions aimed at creating a more inclusive workplace culture. Investigácion durante los últimos veinte anos indica que exclusión de cadena información del organización y exclusión de decisións importantes es uno de los problemas mas significante en el diverso mundo de trabajo. El sentido de exclusión de los empleados puede estar criticó en la explicación del connexión entre la falta de opportunidades para los empleados que son differentes del corriente principal y su satisfacion con trabajo y su bienestar. Este investigación explora el relation entre característicos diversos, sentido de inclusión, justicia, esfuerzo, y assistencia social, y los variables resultados de satisfacion con trabajo y bienestar. Este prueba de 3400 empleados de ethnicidades y razas differentes de un industria tecnológico en el sur de California han completo un cuestionario de su mismo. Conclusiones dar soporte al hipótesis que es mas probable que mujeres y los minorías de raza y ethnicidad sientan exculido, y que exclusión tiene connexión con desagrado con el trabajo y mas pequeno sentido de bienestar. Este prueba averiguares el posición de exclusión como un variable mediador. Estos conclusions tienen implicaciónes para los investigaciónes en el futuro con diversidad en trabajadores y para diagnosis con los organizaciónes y intervenciónes que quieren crear una cultura mas inclusivo en el organización.     

Mesurer les difficultés d'absorption de la force de travail dans les pays en développement: les limites du concept de taux de chômage

Le concept de chômage «standard» est souvent critiqué parce qu'il omet de nombreuses personnes classées comme travaillant ou inactives, alors qu'elles sont de fait dans une situation équivalant au chômage. L'auteur examine les limites de ce concept dans les pays en développement. Il commence par les problèmes méthodologiques et statistiques associés à la définition type du taux de chômage, puis s'interroge sur sa signification lorsque l'emploi est très hétérogène. Il montre ensuite que ce taux tend à sous‐estimer l'excès d'offre de travail et qu'il est un mauvais indicateur du déficit de travail décent. Il conclut sur les limites de ce taux en tant que guide de la politique économique.     

Staffing Call Centers with Uncertain Arrival Rates and Co‐sourcing

In a call center, staffing decisions must be made before the call arrival rate is known with certainty. Once the arrival rate becomes known, the call center may be over‐staffed, in which case staff are being paid to be idle, or under‐staffed, in which case many callers hang‐up in the face of long wait times. Firms that have chosen to keep their call center operations in‐house can mitigate this problem by co‐sourcing; that is, by sometimes outsourcing calls. Then, the required staffing N depends on how the firm chooses which calls to outsource in real time, after the arrival rate realizes and the call center operates as a M/M/N + M queue with an outsourcing option. Our objective is to find a joint policy for staffing and call outsourcing that minimizes the long‐run average cost of this two‐stage stochastic program when there is a linear staffing cost per unit time and linear costs associated with abandonments and outsourcing. We propose a policy that uses a square‐root safety staffing rule, and outsources calls in accordance with a threshold rule that characterizes when the system is “too crowded.” Analytically, we establish that our proposed policy is asymptotically optimal, as the mean arrival rate becomes large, when the level of uncertainty in the arrival rate is of the same order as the inherent system fluctuations in the number of waiting customers for a known arrival rate. Through an extensive numerical study, we establish that our policy is extremely robust. In particular, our policy performs remarkably well over a wide range of parameters, and far beyond where it is proved to be asymptotically optimal.