Chapter 11: Employee participation

Question 1

Industrial relations

Answer 1

traditionally paid a lot of attention to the institutionalized parts of the
employment relationship, including the role of trade unions, collective bargaining agreements
(CBAs) and labour legislation.

Question 2

TUs

Answer 2

A form of institutionalized employee representation at organization, branch of
industry and national level mainly engaged in CBAs and relationship management with other social
partners (employers and the government).

Question 3

industrial democracy perspective

Answer 3

pays specific attention to and highlights the importance of the further emancipation of individual workers and their involvement in an organization

From this perspective employee participation is not necessarily a best practice in HRM, but an
employee right.

Question 4

who is more likely to expect and demand involvement

Answer 4

knowledge and core employees

Question 5

Marchington and Wilkinson ‘escalator of participation’ - 5

Answer 5

1. information sharing - the lowest, one way (top-down)
2. Communication - there is a room for interaction between employees and management
3. Consultation - 2-way direction, employees are asked about opinions
4. Codetermination - jointly make decisions
5. Control / self-control

Question 6

work council

Answer 6

A form of institutionalized employee representation within organizations (at
organization level) mainly engaged in (all) organizational issues that affect the employment
relationship within that specific organization.

Question 7

WC rights

Answer 7

• advise the org on issues that affect the employement relationship
• be informed about major org changes that affect the employement and the HRM of the org

Question 8

WC are often members of

Answer 8

TU

Question 9

Advantages of WC for employees

Answer 9

• WC represents the interests of employees

- WC are accepted as an intermediary between employer/employees; or positively effect the social atmosphere between them

Question 10

disadvantages of WCs for the employees

Answer 10

• employee motivation and enthusiasm for joining a WC is generally low
• WCs activities can be time-consuming
• poor representation can negatively affect the relationship between employee/employer
• top management can choose the search for legitimacy and approval for a major org change from either the WCs or TUs
• acts like internal stakeholder that is more easily manipulated than the external TUs, who have more resources and stronger position

Question 11

Advantages of WC for employer

Answer 11

• easier to communicate

- can be used as a messenger of org change to the workforce

Question 12

Disadvantages of WC for employer

Answer 12

• limit the room to manoeuvre

- internal weakness of WC

Question 13

TUs

Answer 13

A form of institutionalized employee representation at organization, branch of
industry and national level mainly engaged in CBAs and relationship management with other social
partners (employers and the government).

Question 14

degree of unionization

Answer 14

the percentage of all employees who are trade union

members.

Question 15

CBA coverage

Answer 15

the percentage of all workers that are covered by a CBA at company or
sector level, which is negotiated by trade unions and employers’ associations: the trade unions
negotiate CBAs for the majority of the workers while less than 25 per cent of them are a trade
union member. When the degree of unionization is low, trade unions negotiate CBAs for the
majority of the workers

Question 16

What is the difference between Anglo-Saxon contexts and European contexts

Answer 16

Anglo-Saxon - move in the direction of best-practice

European - highly institutionalized