Strategic approaches to managing human relations within construction SMEs

Organisational success is dependent upon the effective management of people. At the heart of this process is an organisation’s HRM strategy, which should seek to align HRM practices with the wider organisational objectives. This paper investigates employee relations as one key area of Strategic Human resource management (SHRM) within construction SMEs. The aim of this part of the research is to examine the multi facetted nature of the SHRM function and particularly the perspectives of employee relations. These issues were explored via semi-structured interviews with the strategy makers and HR or middle mangers of construction SMEs. It provides an insight into the way in which employee relations are implemented as part of the SHRM function. A wide range of techniques were utilised within a small number of organisations, the larger organisations within the group exhibited highly structured objectives and procedures. It forms part of a wider study which aims to explore further the components and types of SHRM strategies used by construction SMEs in order to improve organisational performance. The ultimate outcome of the research is to develop a model of SME SHRM practice that helps firms to reconcile their HRM needs with the problematic operating context provided by the industry

The safety of early pharmacological venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients with traumatic intracranial haemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis

In patients with traumatic intracranial haemorrhage (tICH) there is significant risk of both venous thromboembolism (VTE) and haemorrhage progression. There is a paucity of literature to inform the timing of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis (PTP) initiation. This meta-analysis aims to summarise the current literature on the timing of PTP initiation in tICH. This meta-analysis followed the Methodological Expectations of Cochrane Intervention Reviews checklist and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Following the literature search, studies were matched against the criteria for inclusion. Data from included studies was pooled, analysed using random-effect analysis and presented as forest plots of risk ratios, except one result reported as difference of means. The ROBINS-I tool was used to assess the risk of bias in the studies. The GRADE approach was taken to assess the quality of included studies. Heterogeneity of studies was assessed using Tau∧2. Funnel plots were generated and used in conjunction with Harbord’s test and Rucker’s arcsine to assess for small-study effect including publication bias. A total of 9927 ICH patients who received PTP were included from 15 retrospective observational cohort studies, 4807 patients received early PTP, the remaining 5120 received late PTP. The definition of early was dependent on the study but no more than 72-hours after admission. The mean age of the included cohort was 45.3 (std dev ±9.5) years, and the proportion of males was 71%. Meta-analysis indicated that there was a significant difference between early and late groups for the rate of VTE (RR, 0.544; p = 0.000), pulmonary embolus (RR, 0.538; p = 0.004), deep vein thrombosis (RR, 0.484; p = 0.000) and the intensive care unit length of stay (difference of means, −2.021; 95% CI, −2.250, −1.792; p = 0.000; Tau∧2 = 0.000), favouring the early group. However, the meta-analysis showed no significant difference between the groups for the rate of mortality (RR, 1.008; p = 0.936), tICH progression (RR, 0.853; p = 0.157), and neurosurgical intervention (RR, 0.870; p = 0.480). These findings indicated that early PTP appears to be safe and effective in patients with tICH.</p

Employee perceptions of empowerment

Purpose – This study aims to examine how empowerment is perceived by individuals employed on construction projects. In contrast with previous research which has predominantly been conducted from a management perspective, this paper deals with employee perceptions of empowerment. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was adopted for this study employing in-depth interviews on four major construction projects. Findings – The findings from the study indicate that there can be a gap between the employee experience and the management rhetoric. Health and Safety issues were often cited by the employees as a major barrier to empowerment. The strict Health and Safety regulations under which construction employees operate limit their freedom to influence the work that they undertake. A further factor that was found to have a strong influence on the diffusion of empowerment was the role of the employees’ immediate supervisor. Research limitations/implications – The data are based on case studies that illuminate our understanding of empowerment in relation to construction projects. This area of research would benefit from alternative research approaches that could establish the generalizability of the findings reported. Originality/value – This article explores the notion that, as empowerment is a perception, management cannot easily regulate employees’ empowerment. This emphasises the importance of exploring employee perspectives when examining employee empowerment and its impact on workplace relations