Alternative Work Practices and Quit Rates: Methodological Issues and Empirical Evidence for Canada

Julio Rosa and Rene Morissette

Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series from Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies Branch

Abstract:

Using a nationally representative sample of establishments, we have examined whether selected alternative work practices (AWPs) tend to reduce quit rates. Overall, our analysis provides strong evidence of a negative association between these AWPs and quit rates among establishments of more than 10 employees operating in high-skill services. We also found some evidence of a negative association in low-skill services. However, the magnitude of this negative association was reduced substantially when we added an indicator of whether the workplace has a formal policy of information sharing. There was very little evidence of a negative association in manufacturing. While establishments with self-directed workgroups have lower quit rates than others, none of the bundles of work practices considered yielded a negative and statistically significant effect. We surmise that key AWPs might be more successful in reducing labour turnover in technologically complex environments than in low-skill ones.

Keywords: Hours of work and work arrangements; Inference and foundations; Labour; Labour mobility; turnover and work absences; Statistical methods; Workplace organization; innovation; performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003-03-17
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2003199e

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