Improving Employer-Employee Relations Flashcards
What are the main roles of a trade union
- Protect and improve the real incomes of their members.
- Provide or improve job security.
- Protect workers against unfair dismissal and lobby for better working conditions.
- Offer a range of work related services.
Reasons for declining union membership
- Decline in employment in manufacturing.
- Increased employment in the service sector.
- Significant growth in flexible working.
- Growth in the number of small firms which tend not to recognise trade unions.
Main methods of industrial action
- Work to rule- Employees follow the strict conditions of their employment contract.
- Overtime ban- Employees can refuse to work overtime.
- Go slow- Employees work at the slowest or least productive pace that is allowable under their employment contracts.
- Strike.
Damages to the business of using industrial actions
- Loss of sales and profits from the lost output.
- Damage to customer satisfaction.
- Damage to relationship with staff.
Damages to the employees of using industrial actions
- Loss of pay.
- Potential loss of jobs.
Avoiding industrial disputes
- Regular consultations with a trade union.
- A staff forum or joint working group to pass on information.
- An employee consultative body to discuss major issues as they arise.
Typical agenda for a works council
- Business objectives and performance.
- Workforce planning issues.
- Employee welfare issues.
Works councils- Mediation
Involves an independent, impartial person helping two or more individuals or groups reach a solution that’s acceptable to everyone.
Works councils- Conciliation
Used when an employee is making a specific complaint against their employer to an employment tribunal.
Works councils- Arbitration
Involves an impartial outsider being asked to make a decision on a dispute.
Influences on the extent and methods of employee representation in decision making
- The leadership and management style used in the business.
- The overall or corporate objectives of the business.
- The history and ownership of the business.
- The nature of the work and employees hired.
- Employment legislation.
The theory of communication
- The sender is the company who commences the process of communication.
- The message is the information that the business wishes to send to its audience.
- The medium is the way in which the message is communicated.
- The audience is the target group at who the communication is aimed (customers/employees).
- Feedback is the response to to communication, which can confirm it has been received or raise a query about its content.
Factors that make up effective employer-employee communication
- Appreciating the nature of effective communication.
- Using the appropriate style of management.
- Adapting the organisational structure to encourage effective communication.
ACAS- Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration service
- ACAS is an independent and impartial organisation established to prevent and resolve industrial disputes.
The benefits of good relations to employers
- Helping to develop a strong employer brand.
- Promoting employee engagement.
- Improving the business’s corporate image.
- Strengthening competitiveness.
The benefits of good relations to employees
- Financial benefits.
- Job security.
- The possibility of greater participation in decision making.
