Employee Relations 25/08/14

Question 1

What is Employee Relations?

Answer 1

Interaction between employers and employees in the establishment of wages and conditions of employment

Question 2

Benefits of employee relations?

Answer 2

Improved organisational performance

Strategies to retain, reward and motivate employees

Question 3

What is a Stakeholder?

Answer 3

Any individual or group who has a vested interest in the activities of the organisation
eg. Employers, employees, unions, employer associations, governments (incl. Fair Work Australia)

Question 4

What is a Centralised system of Employee Relations?

Answer 4

The Government and Fair Work Australia control the process of wage determination with the implementation of Awards.

Question 5

What is an Award?

Answer 5

A legally binding agreement that sets out minimum wages and conditions for a group of employees

Question 6

What are the advantages of a centralised system?

Answer 6

Provide equality for workers
Government has greater control
Provides stability and predictability for organisations
Industrial disputes can be reduced

Question 7

What are the disadvantages of a centralised system?

Answer 7

Less flexibility
Lack of involvement of employers to provide improvements
Large Union involvement who can mount expensive legal cases

Question 8

What is the role of FWA in the Centralised system?

Answer 8

Approve agreements
Resolve disputes
Set the minimum wage
Ensure compliance of businesses
Take legal action

Question 9

What is a decentralised system of Employee Relations?

Answer 9

Employees are able to negotiate agreements with employers in individual workplaces

Question 10

What are the advantages of a Decentralised System

Answer 10

Enables flexibility to introduce conditions that suit the individual workplace
Greater communication between employer and employee
Employees can be rewarded with improved productivity

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of a Decentralised System?

Answer 11

Greater inequality as unskilled workers have less bargaining power
Government has less control over wages and economy
May increase conflict due to greater employer powers

Question 12

What is a Modern Award?

Answer 12

Characteristic
Modern Award

• ER System
• Centralised

Who creates them?
Government (FWA) with Union

Role of Union
Recommendation to FWA

Applies to
Specific industry

Question 13

What is a Collective agreement?

Answer 13

Characteristic
Collective Agreement

ER System
Decentralised

Who creates them?
Employer and Union

Role of Union
Represent Employees

Applies to
Specific industry

Question 14

What is Individual Agreement

Answer 14

Characteristic
Individual Agreement

ER System
Decentralised

Who Creates them?
Employer and employee

Role of Union
None

Applies to
Individual Employee

Question 15

What are National Employment Standards?

Answer 15

Provide a safety net of basic employment conditions for all Australian Employees

Question 16

What does the NES cover?

Answer 16

Maximum weekly hours
Leave entitlements (annual, holiday, personal)
Flexible work arrangements
Notice of termination and redundancy pay

Question 17

What is the role of a HR manage in a Decentralised system?

Answer 17

Provide training to staff and managers
Assist in resolving disputes
Negotiation of agreements with employers and unions
Implementation of Agreements

Question 18

What are the effective management styles used in ER?

Answer 18

Consultative - where the manager consults employees before making decisions them self
Participative - Where the manager unites with staff to make decisions together

Question 19

What are the effective management skills used in ER?

Answer 19

Negotiation - ability to resolve disputes through discussion and compromise
Communication - listening, asking questions, providing information
Problem solving - looking for effective ways to find a workable solution
Emotional Intelligence - ability to manage the emotions of self and other involved in negotiations

Question 20

Why are effective managements styles and skills important to ER?

Answer 20

Fewer industrial Disputes
Improve organisation productivity
Increase employee motivation
Decrease workplace accidents
Lower staff turnover

Question 21

What is conflict?

Answer 21

Involves disputes, disagreements and dissatisfaction between individuals and/or groups

Question 22

Why does conflict arise in ER?

Answer 22

Management policy
Wage demands
Working Condition
Job Security

Question 23

What is Industrial Action?

Answer 23

Steps by the employer or employee to enforce demands or to press the addressing of complaints

Question 24

Employee Industrial Action

Answer 24

Strike - refusal to work
Picket Line - stop entry of non-union labour, goods and services to workplace
Work bans - refusal to perform tasks that would normally be part of their everyday work life

Question 25

Employer Industrial Action

Answer 25

Lockout - Shout out employees from the workplace

Question 26

What is Protected and Unprotected industrial Action?

Answer 26

Protected - Deemed to be acceptable and approved by Fair Work Australia

Unprotected - deemed to be unacceptable and not approved by Fair work Australia

Question 27

How can ER disputes be resolved?

Answer 27

Negotiation - discussion between parties without involvement of an external third party
Mediation - involvement of an external third party to assist in the resolution of conflict
Conciliation - a third party (FWA) participates in the resolution of a dispute and attempts to help resolve the differences
Arbitration - occurs when a ‘Judge’ (from FWA) hears both arguments in a dispute and determines the outcome