February 16, 2012
- March 1 - Final Call for Papers for the 2012 Canadian Industrial Relations Association (CIRA) Conference
- Public Daycare Workers Strike in Quebec
- The Drummond Report
- Old Age In-Security - Hot Topic in Canada
- Retirement in the U.S. - Are Americans Prepared?
- Not All Canadian Employers Embracing Diversity
- Toronto’s Working Poor
- Education Gaps and Income Gaps
- Save the World, by Working a Lot less
- Prisoners Finding Work In Prison, And On The Outside
- Major Work Stoppages in 2011 (U.S.)
- Working in Nonprofit from 2000 to 2010 (U.S.)
- Congratulations On Your Promotion ….. John Smith
- Book of the Week
March 1 - Final Call for Papers for the 2012 Canadian Industrial Relations Association (CIRA) Conference
‘Sound Management and Solidarity Should Never be in Recession’
Amid the Occupy Wall Street protests, the European debt crises, reshaping of the political landscape in the Arab world, and lingering threats of global recession, critical discourse about the state of work and employment relations is top of mind. Whether you are a seasoned manager, a battle hardened labour leader, a curious academic, or anything in between; we invite you to join us in Calgary for an upbeat, forward thinking conference about work. CIRA is a meeting place for people with different perspectives and a fascination for the workplace. We come together to share our work and learn from each other. We are interested in management and policy decisions that impact labour and about issues that challenge workers and their unions. Please visit http://www.cira-acri.ca/docs/2012AllenPonak_e.pdf for more details, or visit the CIRA-ACRI website: http://www.cira-acri.ca.
Students are welcome to submit papers to the Allen Ponak Best Student Paper Competition. Accepted papers will be showcased in a special session of the conference. See http://www.cira-acri.ca/docs/2012AllenPonak_e.pdf for details.
The goal of the CIRA-ACRI conference is to bring together scholars, students, policy-makers and practitioners from across the globe on issues of contemporary significance for work and employment.
For more information contact Dr. Kelly Williams-Whitt: ciraacri.conference@gmail.com
Public Daycare Workers Strike in Quebec
After two years without a contract, 8500 employees, working in more than 100 of the publicly funded early childhood centres (CPEs) in Quebec, have been staging an ongoing, rotating work stoppage. While the Quebec government’s offer of a 6% increase over five years has been accepted, CPE workers, who are represented by the Confederation des syndicats nationaux (CSN), are not happy with the government’s plan to standardize vacation time across all of the CPEs to 5 weeks a year. Until now, vacation time was an issue dealt with by CPEs at a local level, with workers given between 7-8 weeks’ vacation annually. Strikes are expected again next Monday and Tuesday.
The Gazette February 11, 2012: “One-day workers' walkout closes 360 daycare centres: 20,000 families affected by strike”, compiled by Anne Sutherland
CBC News, Feb. 6, 2012: “Quebec daycare workers stage 1-day strike”
Confederation des Syndicats Nationaux: CSN’s website
The Early Years Study 3 documents the social, economic and scientific rationale for increased investments in early childhood education in Canada. It also introduces the Early Childhood Education Index to monitor the funding, policy, access and quality of early education programming.
Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, 2011: “Early Years Study 3”, by Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain, J. Fraser Mustard, and Kerry McCuaig. Download the entire report (PDF,128 pages) or individual chapters, here. Wages, and required professional standards for each province are covered in Chapter 5.
Finally, after months of anticipation, the Drummond report has been released. The Report is the culmination of a year-long review of program spending in Ontario. The Report identifies areas where the government can take “tough measures” in order to balance provincial books. But the waiting is not over yet; whether or not the 362 measures outlined in the Report are implemented has yet to be decided.
Ontario Ministry of Finance, Feb. 15, 2012: “Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services”, links to the report’s different section or find links to download the summary and full report in PDF
Ontario Ministry of Finance, Feb. 15, 2012: “Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services: Public services for Ontarians: A path to sustainability and excellence”, the full report (PDF, 543 pages)
CBC Metro Morning, February 16, 2012: Reaction To Report: Matt Galloway spoke with Jim Stanford, economist with the Canadian Auto Workers union, and also a volunteer research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives . Podcast (6:24 minutes)
CBC Metro Morning, February 16, 2012: Aggressive Action: Matt Galloway spoke about The Drummond Report with former TD Bank chief economist, Don Drummond. Podcast (10:21 minutes)
The Globe and Mail, Feb. 16, 2012: “Solid, technocratic advice in Don Drummond’s report,” editorial
CBC, Feb. 16, 2012: “Northern pundits weigh in on Drummond report: ‘Nothing new’ when it comes to ideas to save money in Ontario’s health, education sectors”, CBC News. Includes video of the Feb. 15 press conference (26:34 minutes)
The Toronto Star, Feb. 15, 2012: “Drummond report: Don Drummond recommends a radical overhaul to get Ontario back to balanced budgets”, Opinion
National Post, Feb. 15, 2012: “Drummond Report: ‘Tough medicine’ for Ontario could be model for fiscal reform across Canada”, by Linda Nguyen
TVO, The Agenda, Feb. 3, 2012: “Waiting for Drummond: The Play”, a short video (4:20 min.) based on Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot
Old Age In-Security - Hot Topic in Canada
Kevin Page, the independent Parliamentary Budget Officer, has warned that “by 2030, the size of the economy is going to be more than double, and budgetary revenues will double. You cannot argue the government has a fiscal sustainability problem.” But Page now says, "we no longer need to address the consequences of an aging population. Now we can afford to fund OAS for the next two generations – at least. Now we can afford to cut bigger cheques for our elders."
The Globe and Mail, February 14, 2012: “Rosy OAS forecast rests on shaky ground”, by Neil Reynolds
The Toronto Star, February 10, 2012: “OAS not in crisis, no need to soak the seniors plan”, by David Olive
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, February 8, 2012: Alternative Federal Budget 2012: “Old Age Security: Can We Afford It?”, by Monica Townso. Summary.Full Report (PDF, 4 pages)
McMaster University, SEDAP Research Paper No. 285, July 2011: “Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population”, by Robert Brown
Retirement in the U.S. - Are Americans Prepared?
“In October 2011, Aon Hewitt surveyed more than 500 U.S. employers, representing over 12 million employees, to determine their current and future retirement benefits strategy. The survey explored their focus and expected actions regarding the design, management and delivery of their retirement programs—including defined contribution (DC), defined benefit (DB) and retiree medical plans as they related to active, salaried U.S. employees. The results show that employers are continuing to assess the most effective way to deliver retirement benefits to their employees and keep up with the evolving retirement landscape.” Link provided by IWS Documented News Service.
Survey highlights.
Full report.(PDF, 50 pages)
This article is the first in a three-part series based on the 2011 Towers Watson Retirement Attitudes Survey highlighting American workers' attitudes toward their household finances and retirement readiness. The second article will examine how the financial crisis has changed the trade-offs employees are willing to make to reduce their retirement and health care risks. The last article will look at the impact of retirement programs on attracting and retaining employees.
Towers Watson, January 2012: “Retirement Planning in a Post-Crisis Economy”, by Steve Nyce. Summary. Full article (PDF, 11 pages)
SSRN, Social Security Bulletin, February 6, 2012: “This is Not Your Parents’ Retirement: Comparing Retirement Income Across Generations” by Barbara A. Butrica, Karen E. Smith and Howard Iams “ (PDF, 58 pages)
Not All Canadian Employers Embracing Diversity
Despite their good intentions, Canadian employers have been slow to embrace diversity. A new study of Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs) found that fewer than half (49 per cent) work in companies that have policies welcoming new Canadians. The 5th annual research study of IEPs and local employers was commissioned by the Progress Career Planning Institute (PCPI).
Canadian HR Reporter, February 13, 2012: “One-half of employers don’t have policies welcoming new Canadians: Survey IEPs, employers disagree on effectiveness of diversity programs”
The Globe and Mail, February 10, 2012: “Immigrants looking for a better welcome in Canadian workplaces”, by Wallace Immen
Diversity Plans, Strategies & Best Practices
Conference Board of Canada, February 2012: The Power of Diversity (Recorded webinar, 60 minutes). (Available to the University of Toronto community, via your Conference Board of Canada e-library account)
The Globe and Mail, February 15, 2012: “Transcript: Workplace diversity: Think functionality”. Interview by Karl Moore, Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, with Katherine Klein, senior professor at the Wharton School. Video of the interview (3:00 minutes).
National Post, February 3, 2012: “Giving's a hit With CIBC Employees”
National Post, February 3, 2012: “Commitment to diversity”
RBC Diversity Blueprint: Priorities and objectives 2009-2011 (PDF, 11 pages)
City of London, Canada: Workplace Diversity Statement and Plan. PDF (25 pages)
Australian Government, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Workplace Diversity Strategy
2011 – 2014 (PDF, 25 pages)
CareerBuilder, 2011: Diversity in the Workplace, a CareerBuilder Study. Snapshot of Diversity in the Workplace. (U.S.)
Toronto’s Working Poor
In the Toronto area, an increasing number of people are employed but living in poverty. “They are, on average, just about as educated as other workers, but they make less money. They are a little younger than the average Canadian worker and more of them are single. They tend to be renters, rather than homeowners. An overwhelming number are immigrants.” The Metcalf Foundation’s study uses data from the Census of Canada and statistical tools to identify who the working poor are, and where they live. Demographic trends for this group are examined, “and illustrate their gradual geographical shift toward the eastern part of the city and into the suburbs and surrounding cities of the Toronto Region.”
Metcalf Foundation, 2012: “The “Working Poor” in the Toronto Region: Who they are, where they live, and how trends are changing”, by John Stapleton; Brian Murphy, Yue Xing. Summary Report (PDF, 28 pages) Full Report (PDF, 52 pages)
CBC Metro Morning’s Matt Galloway talks with Rene Adams, a Toronto Community Housing resident and a community advocacy worker, and Lydia, a Scarborough Village resident and community worker.
CBC, Metro Morning, February 14, 2012: Working Poor. Podcast (9:10 minutes)
The Globe and Mail, February 10, 2012: “Interactive Map: Explore the data behind Toronto's working poor”, by Anna Mehler Paperny
The Globe and Mail, February 11, 2012: “The poor in Toronto: They’re working but not getting any richer”, by Anna Mehler Paperny
Education Gaps and Income Gaps
“As the income gap between high- and low-income families has widened, has the achievement gap between children in high- and low-income families also widened?” “We have moved from a society in the 1950s and 1960s, in which race was more consequential than family income, to one today in which family income appears more determinative of educational success than race,” said Sean F. Reardon, a Stanford University sociologist.
Stanford University, Center For Education Policy Analysis, 2011: The Widening Academic Achievement Gap between the Rich and the Poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations. Sean F. Reardon. (PDF, 50 pages). Book Chapter.
NBER Working Paper No. 17633, December 2011: “Gains and Gaps: Changing Inequality in U.S. College Entry and Completion”, by Martha J. Bailey and Susan M. Dynarski. Free download for NBER subscribers (including U. of Toronto and many other universities) and journalists. $5 charge for PDF if you do not qualify for a free download.
New York Times, February 9, 2012: “Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say”, by Sabrina Tavernise
The Globe and Mail, February 9, 2012: “Editorial: Aboriginal education gaps can no longer be tolerated”
Institute for Women's Policy Research, February, 2012: “Low Literacy Means Lower Earnings, Especially for Women”, by Jennifer Herard, Kevin Miller, Ph.D., Jane M. Henrici, Ph.D., Barbara Gault, Ph.D. Full Text (PDF, 3 pages)
Save the World, by Working a Lot less
“A ‘normal’ working week of 21 hours could help to address a range of urgent, interlinked problems: overwork, unemployment, over-consumption, high carbon emissions, low well-being, entrenched inequalities, and the lack of time to live sustainably, to care for each other, and simply to enjoy life.”
New Economics Foundation (NEF), February 13, 2010: 21 hours: Why a shorter working week can help us all to flourish in the 21st century
The Guardian, February 17, 2010: “21 hours: a new working week? Keynes's vision of a short week looks far off. But more satisfying, sustainable lives are possible if we rethink norms of consumption”, by Anna Coote
The Globe and Mail, February 10, 2012: “Save the world with a 3-day work week”, by Harvey Schachter
OECD, StatExtracts, February 16, 2012: Average annual hours actually worked per worker
OECD, Society at a Glance, 2011: Who’s busiest: working hours and household chores across OECD
Prisoners Finding Work In Prison, And On The Outside
CEO is a comprehensive employment program for former prisoners — a population confronting many obstacles to finding and maintaining work. CEO provides temporary, paid jobs and other services in an effort to improve participants’ labor market prospects and reduce the odds that they will return to prison. The study uses a rigorous random assignment design: it compares outcomes for individuals assigned to the program group, who were given access to CEO’s jobs and other services, with the outcomes for those assigned to the control group, who were offered basic job search assistance at CEO along with other services in the community.
MDRC, January 2012: More Than a Job: Final Results from the Evaluation of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Transitional Jobs Program. Report Overview. Executive Summary.(PDF, 22 pages) Full Report (PDF, 129 pages)
Bloomberg BusinessWeek, February 13, 2012: "For low pay and a chance, NY inmates get to work", by Michael Virtanen
NPR, February 3, 2012: Prison Meal Deal: Where The Staff Serves Lunch ... And Time”, by Shannon Mullen
LA Times, September 11, 2011: “San Francisco: Delancey Street Restaurant offers second chances: The food and the bay views are exceptional at Delancey Street Restaurant, but what's most extraordinary are the people who run it: recovering addicts and ex-convicts”, by Alison DaRosa
Center for Civic Innovation at the Manhattan Institute, May 2009: “Preparing Prisoners for Employment: The Power of Small Rewards”, by Anne Morrison Piehl, Rutgers University and National Bureau of Economic Research. (PDF, 17 pages)
Major Work Stoppages in 2011 (U.S.)
In 2011, there were 19 major strikes and lockouts involving 1,000 or more workers and lasting at least one shift, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported. The 19 major work stoppages in 2011 idled 113,000 workers for 1.02 million lost workdays, a large increase compared to 2010 with 11 major work stoppage idling 45,000 workers for 302,000 lost workdays. In 2009, there were record lows of 5 major work stoppages idling 13,000 workers for 124,000 lost workdays.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, February 11, 2012: Major Work Stoppages in 2011 (PDF, 6 pages)
Working in Nonprofit from 2000 to 2010 (U.S.)
This report presents previously unavailable data on year-to-year changes in employment in private, nonprofit establishments in the United States from January 2000 through June 2010, with a special focus on how nonprofit employment fared during the 2007-2009 recession.
Center for Civil Society Studies (Johns Hopkins University), February 15, 2012: Holding the Fort: Nonprofit Employment during a Decade of Turmoil. Full Report (PDF, 18 pages)
Congratulations On Your Promotion ….. John Smith
The Telegraph, February 9, 2012: “Having an easy-to-say name 'will help you get promoted': People with simple names enjoy quicker career advancement because hard-to-pronounce names inspire negative reactions from superiors, a study has found”, by Andrew Hough
Book of the Week
The Routledge Companion to Organizational Change, edited by David M. Boje, Bernard Burnes and John Hassard. New York : Routledge, 2011. 609 p. ISBN 9780415556453 (hardcover)
Organizations change. They grow, they adapt, they evolve. The effects of organizational change are important, varied and complex and analyzing and understanding them is vital for students, academics and researchers in all business schools.
The Routledge Companion to Organizational Change offers a comprehensive and authoritative overview of the field. The volume brings together the very best contributors not only from the field of organizational change, but also from adjacent fields, such as strategy and leadership. These contributors offer fresh and challenging insights to the mainstream themes of this discipline.
Surveying the state of the discipline and introducing new, cutting-edge themes, this book is a valuable reference source for students and academics in this area.
About the Authors:
David M. Boje is Bill Daniels ethics fellow, and Professor in the Management Department at New Mexico State University, USA. He is also President of Standing Conference for Management & Organization Inquiry. His main research is the interplay of storytelling, strategy and complexity.
Bernard Burnes is Professor of Organizational Change in the Manchester Business School at the University of Manchester, UK. His teaching and research cover organizational change in its broadest sense. This includes the history, development and current state of organizational change, organizational and inter-organizational behaviour, leadership, strategy and culture.
John Hassard is Professor of Organizational Analysis at Manchester Business School, UK and Fellow in Management Learning at the Judge Business School, Cambridge, UK. Previously he taught at the London Business School and universities of Cardiff and Keele. His research interests lie in organizational sociology, management history and change management.
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