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Employment Flexibility and Human Resource Management: The Case of Three American Electronics Plants

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  • John Francis Geary

    (Industrial Relations Research Unit, University of Warwick)

Abstract

This paper critically examines management's recruitment of temporary labour at three U.S. electronics firms operating in the Republic of Ireland. Recent discussions around the flexible firm and human resource management models would suggest that the recruitment of a secondary labour force is a strategic and advantageous practice. This paper is critical of these assumptions. It was found that management's reliance on temporary employees gave rise to a number of contradictions and tensions, and in the end was considered to be disadvantageous. This paper is also critical of the flexibility literature's neglect of employees' response to these initiatives. This paper corrects this shortcoming. The counterposing of `flexibility' and `rigidity' as opposites is also criticised.

Suggested Citation

  • John Francis Geary, 1992. "Employment Flexibility and Human Resource Management: The Case of Three American Electronics Plants," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 6(2), pages 251-270, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:6:y:1992:i:2:p:251-270
    DOI: 10.1177/095001709262005
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    Cited by:

    1. Santos, Miguel, 2010. "From Training to Labour Market. Holocletic Model," MPRA Paper 26617, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Elizabeth George & Prithviraj Chattopadhyay & Lida L. Zhang, 2012. "Helping Hand or Competition? The Moderating Influence of Perceived Upward Mobility on the Relationship Between Blended Workgroups and Employee Attitudes and Behaviors," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(2), pages 355-372, April.
    3. Elizabeth George, 2003. "External Solutions and Internal Problems: The Effects of Employment Externalization on Internal Workers' Attitudes," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(4), pages 386-402, August.
    4. George, Elizabeth. & Chattopadhyay, Prithviraj., 2015. "Non-standard work and workers : organizational implications," ILO Working Papers 994883083402676, International Labour Organization.
    5. Jos Gamble & Qihai Huang, 2009. "One Store, Two Employment Systems: Core, Periphery and Flexibility in China's Retail Sector," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 47(1), pages 1-26, March.

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