Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/23321
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dc.contributor.authorHadjisolomou, Anastasiosen_UK
dc.date.accessioned2016-06-15T23:46:34Z-
dc.date.available2016-06-15T23:46:34Z-
dc.date.issued2015en_UK
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/23321-
dc.description.abstractPurpose –  The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of line managers in managing attendance at work in the lean regime of grocery retailing. The increasing competitiveness within the sector, coupled with the sophisticated control systems in place put pressure on managers to keep labour costs low. Attendance, therefore, becomes a critical factor, particularly as staffing levels become leaner. Taking this into account, it is necessary to understand the parameters of the line managers’ role in managing attendance, especially within the lean food retail market and the antagonistic terrain of the supermarket shop floor. The paper discusses the impact of lean retailing on line managers’ authority and provides a fresh sociological analysis regarding their role in managing attendance, offering insights into managerial practices on the UK supermarket shop floor. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on qualitative research evidence from two case study grocery retail organizations in the UK. It reports on 44 semi-structured interviews and provides a multi-level analysis aiming to understand the different perspectives on the problem examined.  Findings – The paper reveals the existence of a centralized absence management policy and highlights the greater involvement of line managers in this procedure. Line managers though were subjected to forces of bureaucratic control, intensification and degradation of their work. Despite having an active role within the attendance management process and high responsibility for the implementation of rules and procedures handed down by head office, they had limited authority over the process. Line managers perceived the latter as routine and a box-ticking exercise and had developed coping tactics to deal with the control from above.  Originality/value – This paper provides practical and theoretical considerations over the role of line management in the labour process, investigating their role in managing attendance at work within the lean terrain of food retailing. This research contributes to the ongoing academic discussions related to the devolvement of HR responsibilities to the line, highlighting the great involvement of line managers in the absence policy. It also provides a sociological perspective over line managers’ authority and discretion in managing attendance, revealing that they were subjected to direct and bureaucratic control within their role in attendance management. However, the research reveals that line managers were not passive in the face of direct control from above and had developed tactics to cope with the monotony and the repetition of this process, attempting to somehow escape the top-down control they were subjected to.en_UK
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherEmeralden_UK
dc.relationHadjisolomou A (2015) Managing attendance at work: the role of line managers in the UK grocery retail sector. Employee Relations, 37 (4), pp. 442-458. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-06-2014-0058en_UK
dc.rightsThe publisher does not allow this work to be made publicly available in this Repository. Please use the Request a Copy feature at the foot of the Repository record to request a copy directly from the author. You can only request a copy if you wish to use this work for your own research or private study.en_UK
dc.rights.urihttp://www.rioxx.net/licenses/under-embargo-all-rights-reserveden_UK
dc.subjectLine managersen_UK
dc.subjectAbsenceen_UK
dc.subjectAttendance at worken_UK
dc.subjectFood retailen_UK
dc.titleManaging attendance at work: the role of line managers in the UK grocery retail sectoren_UK
dc.typeJournal Articleen_UK
dc.rights.embargodate3000-12-01en_UK
dc.rights.embargoreason[ER-06-2014-0058 (1).pdf] The publisher does not allow this work to be made publicly available in this Repository therefore there is an embargo on the full text of the work.en_UK
dc.identifier.doi10.1108/ER-06-2014-0058en_UK
dc.citation.jtitleEmployee Relationsen_UK
dc.citation.issn0142-5455en_UK
dc.citation.volume37en_UK
dc.citation.issue4en_UK
dc.citation.spage442en_UK
dc.citation.epage458en_UK
dc.citation.publicationstatusPublisheden_UK
dc.citation.peerreviewedRefereeden_UK
dc.type.statusVoR - Version of Recorden_UK
dc.author.emailanastasios.hadjisolomou@stir.ac.uken_UK
dc.contributor.affiliationManagement, Work and Organisationen_UK
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000356437700004en_UK
dc.identifier.scopusid2-s2.0-84929714099en_UK
dc.identifier.wtid567751en_UK
dc.date.accepted2015-01-09en_UK
dcterms.dateAccepted2015-01-09en_UK
dc.date.filedepositdate2016-06-15en_UK
rioxxterms.apcnot requireden_UK
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Reviewen_UK
rioxxterms.versionVoRen_UK
local.rioxx.authorHadjisolomou, Anastasios|en_UK
local.rioxx.projectInternal Project|University of Stirling|https://isni.org/isni/0000000122484331en_UK
local.rioxx.freetoreaddate3000-12-01en_UK
local.rioxx.licencehttp://www.rioxx.net/licenses/under-embargo-all-rights-reserved||en_UK
local.rioxx.filenameER-06-2014-0058 (1).pdfen_UK
local.rioxx.filecount1en_UK
local.rioxx.source0142-5455en_UK
Appears in Collections:Management, Work and Organisation Journal Articles

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