Changes in HRM and job satisfaction, 1998–2004: evidence from the Workplace Employment Relations Survey

Andrew Brown, Andy Charlwood, Christopher Forde, David Spencer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between human resource management practices and job satisfaction, drawing on data from the 1998 and 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Surveys. The paper finds significant increases in satisfaction with the sense of achievement from work between 1998 and 2004; a number of other measures of job quality are found to have increased over this period as well. It also finds a decline in the incidence of many formal human resource management practices. The paper reports a weak association between formal human resource management practices and satisfaction with sense of achievement. Improvements in perceptions of job security, the climate of employment relations and managerial responsiveness are the most important factors in explaining the rise in satisfaction with sense of achievement between 1998 and 2004. We infer that the rise in satisfaction with sense of achievement is due in large part to the existence of falling unemployment during the period under study, which has driven employers to make improvements in the quality of work.
Original languageEnglish
Article number3
Pages (from-to)237-256
Number of pages20
JournalHuman Resource Management Journal
Volume18
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2008

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