The emerging regime of civil regulation in work and employment relations

Abstract

This article examines the role of civil society organizations in generating civil regulation; that is, non-statutory norms, codes and standards of good practice that are intended to govern human resource management. It uses case study evidence of four charitable organizations in the United Kingdom to explore why they engage in civil regulation, the methods they use to secure business compliance and the forms of regulation they generate. There is an expanding literature on civil regulation, much of which focuses on the creation of voluntary codes that govern international business activity. Regulation of this type is often designated 'private regulation' and is understood as a functional alternative to regulation by the state. This article presents an opposing view, that civil regulation often develops within the nation-state and that it is not a form of private regulation but is bound up inextricably with the juridification of the employment relationship.

Fusion or replacement? Labour and the ‘new’ social movements

“…it is a central tactic of many non-labour organizations. It is often associated with atte pts at i il egulatio ; that is the de elop e t of u ilate al sta da ds o o s of good p a ti e CSOs that they seek to have adopted by employers (Williams et al, 2011). (Lopes and Hall, 2015).…”

“…While campaigning organizations may seek recognition and respect for their constituents, action of this kind rarely defines their behaviour and is typically coupled with a desire to secure tangible, material gains on behalf of those they represent. This blending of the material and the postmaterial can be seen in the actions of LGBT organizations, which seek to promote a safe and welcoming work environment while also helping lesbian and gay people find work, gain access to training and secure promotion (Williams et al, 2011). In the USA, perhaps the main concrete achievement of LGBT activism within the sphere of work has been winning same-sex partner benefits across much of corporate America, an enhancement of the compensation package for LGBT employees (Briscoe and Safford, 2008).…”

“…A major preoccupation of these organizations has been work–life integration and the ability of carers to combine their caring responsibilities with paid employment. Reflecting this concern, they have lobbied government for stronger legal entitlements to flexible working and have advised employers on the introduction of family-friendly practices (Williams et al, 2011). On occasion, carers’ organizations have joined with the union movement to campaign for higher pay and improved conditions for workers in the care industry in order to improve quality of service.…”

Regulation of work and employment: advances, tensions and future directions in research in international and comparative HRM

“…More recently, some research (e.g. the IJHRM special issue on The state, public policy and the renewal of HRM edited by Häberli, Jansen, & Monteiro, 2012;Kretsos & Martínez Lucio, 2013;Ollier-Malaterre, McNamara, Matz-Costa, PittCatsouphes, & Valcour, 2013;Williams, Heery, & Abbott, 2011) has engaged with this complexity, raising the importance of exploring the role of regulation at different levels: from attention to domestic labour markets, such as the context of devolved regimes, to the organisational level through attention to the renewal of HRM. These discussions highlight the importance of understanding not only the transformations in dynamics and processes of work and employment, but also the nature of and the role played by social actors, and ultimately the implications of these changes on the way work settings operate and are regulated.…”

Trade unions and the real Living Wage: survey evidence from the UK

“…A notable development in industrial relations in recent years has been the growth of civil regulation: the formation of norms, standards and codes of practice by civil society organisations (CSOs) that they seek to have adopted by employers (Williams et al ., ). An important question that is raised by this development concerns the relationship between civil regulation and more established methods of regulating employment through trade unionism and collective bargaining.…”