| Summary: | In the past much work has been done on HRM. A large portion of this work is dedicated to HRM ‘content’, whereas aspects related to ‘processes’ and ‘perceptions’ are often overlooked. To gain a holistic picture of HRM, this study brings together these three areas and investigates HRM from multiple perspectives. Under the spectrum of HRM as ‘content’, focus fall on exploring the different operating HR policies and practices and how these are horizontally integrated or vertically aligned. Under the spectrum of HRM as ‘process’ and ‘perceptions’, the aim is to explore the policy intentions of senior HR managers, their implementations by line managers and how they are perceived by non-managerial employees. This endeavor has been achieved in Cyprus – banking sector. By employing a contextualised case study approach, by triangulating results through questionnaires and interviews and by merging together various sources of information and different levels of participants (both within and beyond the bank), it was feasible to explore below the surface. This study adopts a pluralistic approach to HRM research, presents the ‘multi-vocality’ regarding several HR aspects and portrays the different and contrasting views of those affected by the operation of HRM.A number of main themes are central to this study. In particular, attention is drawn to: The main HRM policies and practices in the specific context The importance of influential forces shaping the operation of HRM The gaps between the intentions of senior managers and how policies are implemented by line managers The role of line managers and the barriers for effective delivery of HRM The way that employees experience and perceive HRM The reasons why employees have mostly negative perceptionsEmpirically testing theoretical propositions and models existing in HRM literature, a number of key findings have emerged. Concerning the content of HRM, in the particular settings, findings show that there are some ‘Core Plus Context’ specific HR practices. The presence of these practices (and the absence of some others) is influenced by various forces such as cultural/country features; legislation; sectoral / organisational characteristics and the nature of workforce employed by the bank. Concerning HRM as processes and perceptions, the findings unveil many factors contributing to the ‘gaps’ and ‘blockages’ that exist between intended-implemented and perceived HRM.In essence, results support one of the most critical concerns in HRM literature; the ‘rhetoric versus reality’ argument. This study confirms that it is one thing to know what the intended policies and strategic goals are (i.e. the content), another to explore how these are enacted (i.e. the process) and quite another to discover how employees at the ‘receiving-end’ experience and perceive these in their daily work (i.e. the perceptions).
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