A Study of the Effects of Employee Engagement on Job Satisfaction:Mediating Effect of Labor Relations Climate

With the rapid advancement of new technologies and the transformation of the economic model on a global scale,enterprises are facing unprecedented changes in the external environment and more diversified demands from employees.Therefore,it is essential for enterprises to bolster employee engagement by enhancing employees’job satisfaction,building a stable and harmonious internal climate,and adapting to the dynamic,complex external environment.This study analyzes the positive effects of employee engagement on job satisfaction,explores the mediating effect of labor relations climate in the relationship between the two,and proposes corresponding practical countermeasures and suggestions.

The Collective Transformation of Labor Relations and Improvement of the Government's Labor Policy

China is currently undergoing a transition from individual to collective labor relations. The enactment of the Labor Contract Law marks the initial completion of adjustments to individual labor relations in terms of legal construction, as well as the starting point for the adjustment of collective labor relations. The construction and regulation of individual labor relations is not sufficient to resolve the conflict between labor and capital or to maintain industrial peace. In the shift toward collective labor relations there are two complementary forces and paths： the government-led top-down construction process, and the workers＇ spontaneous bottom-up mobilization. The shift from disputes over rights to disputes over interests is an important characteristic of the transition toward collective labor relations. Chinese labor policy urgently needs to be reconstructed and refined. Its content should include the guiding role of labor relations theory and choice of adjustment models, sound collective labor law, recognition of the collective rights of workers, handling of the relationship of labor＇s two forces, etc.

The Changing Mode of Legal Regulation of Labor Relations in China

At present, Chinese labor relations operate under a unitary model of legal regulation in which labor law is applied to workers ＂as a whole, with everyone treated equally.＂ This causes a number of problems. In reality, due to constantly changing modes of employment and the flexibility of workers＇ ＂affiliation,＂ forms of employment are highly diverse. In addition to regular employees, there are also ＂quasi-employees＂ （employee-like persons） whose affiliation is quite weak, and other special employees. This necessitates the updating of the legislative thinking behind labor laws, While holding fast to the assumption that workers are a vulnerable group, we should review the differences between different types of employee and draw up the corresponding regulations on the basis of specific situations. Where legislative technique is concerned, we should do away with the traditional one-size- fits-all legislative model in favor of a dedicated model that targets particular types of subject and particular circumstances. We should abandon the traditional old-fashioned model in which ＂all labor law provisions apply＂ or ＂no labor law provisions apply＂ and categorize employees in such a way as to provide special rules for quasi-employees, special employees and employees of special employers. The legal regulation of labor relations should be based on categorization and differential treatment.

The Internal Labor Market and the Transformation of Labor Relations in China:Based on Survey Data and Fieldwork on Migrant Workers in the Pearl River Delta

Our survey data on migrant workers in the Pearl River Delta region from 2006 to 2010 and recent fieldwork show that the enactment of the Labor Contract Law encouraged both the signing of labor contracts and the long-term nature of these contracts, making enterprises more willing to increase investment in human capital, increase employee insurance and welfare and give more attention to human-centered management, leading eventually to the establishment of an internal labor market that incorporates migrant workers. This is accompanied by progress in human resources management techniques and strategies in SMEs and private enterprise. Although the Labor Contract Law to some extent intensified the tendency for migrant workers to undertake collective protection of their rights, the establishment of an internal labor market could also ease the tension between labor and capital and lead to employees becoming more rational and prudent in safeguarding their rights, thereby providing a basis for a transition from confrontation to win-win cooperation between labor and capital. The Labor Contract Law has accelerated and strengthened the trend of individualized development in China’s labor relations. The protection of labor rights through the two channels of the 'rigid' legal system and 'flexible' internal management can help reduce the risk of large-scale collective labor disputes and establish a relatively harmonious institutionalized labor relationship.

Research on Chinese Labor Relations in Economic Transformation

The economic transformation in China has caused significant changes to labor relations. It has made the labor relations more complex and labor conflicts apparent and frequent. However the coordination mechanism has not been developed correspondingly. Based on the empirical research upon current domestic and overseas labor relations, it is concluded that the supply of labor force exceeding the demand of it is the fundamental reasons for explaining labor conflicts in the economic transformation in China. It also suggested that the coordination mechanism of labor conflicts has mechanical dysfunction and the structure of harmonic labor relations would take a long time.

Determination of Relationships and Al ocation of Responsibilities——Taking the Adjudication of Household Service Contract Disputes as an Example

The combination of the realistic demand of urban families to raise children and provide for the aged and the employment demand of rural migrant workers will inevitably lead to the continuous growth of the market demand for household care services.The determination of the tripartite legal relationship between household workers,household service agencies,and families(individuals)is an important issue for the normative development of the household service industry.In specific judicial practice,local courts perform differently in the determination of the relationship between“household workers and household service agencies.”The application of law in relevant cases also often swings between the civil law and the labor law.The Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China(hereinafter“the Civil Code”)does not retain the concept of“employment relationship”used in the original Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Personal Injury Compensation Cases.Then,what is the relationship between household workers,household service agencies,and families(individuals)after the Civil Code came into force?This article shows the judicial dilemma currently faced by the household workers in the protection of labor rights and interests through an empirical analysis of the victim liability disputes of household workers and puts forward countermeasures and suggestions for improving the occupational injury protection mechanism of household workers in China through a comparative study of the occupational injury risk sharing mechanism of household workers and an analysis of the local exploration of the occupational injury protection system of flexible employees in China.

Psychological Contract within Labor Relation and Its Management Strategy

The paper argues that labor contracts between employees and organization includes two facets, i.e. economic contracts and psychological contracts, and along with enterprise competition becoming fierce increasingly and labor force becoming diversified all the more, the psychological contracts have crucial effects on employees＇ attitudes, behaviors and performances. We also argue that, under the challenging organization context, if managers want to make strategic partnership with employees, they must link employees with hearts, pay attention to the management of psychological contracts before, during and after signing labor contracts, and keep dynamic equilibrium of psychological contracts.