Employee relations and change management

Employee relations strategy

Employee relations strategies define the intensions of the organization about what needs to be done and what needs to be changed in the ways in which the organization manages its relationship with employees and their trade unions.

Concerns of employee relations strategy

Employee relations strategy will be concerned with how to: Build stable and cooperative relationships with employees that minimize conflict Achieve commitment through employee involvement and communications processes Develop mutuality

Approaches to employee relations

Adversarial Traditional Partnership Power sharing

The HRM approach to employee relations

A drive for commitment An emphasis on mutuality The organization of complementary forms of communication A shift from collective bargaining to individual contracts The use of employee involvement techniques such as quality circles or improvement groups

Continuous pressure on quality total quality management Increased flexibility in working arrangements, including multi-skilling, to provide for the more effective use of human resources, sometimes accompanied by an agreement to provide secure employment for the 'core' workers Emphasis on teamwork Harmonization of terms and conditions for all employees

Formulating strategies
Partnership agreements Key values: 1. Mutual trust and respect 2. A joint vision for the future and the means to achieve it 3. Continuous exchange of information 4. Recognition of the central role of collective bargaining 5. Devolved decision-making

Changing the focus in employee relations

Creating a more flexible workforce A core-periphery strategy Single-status agreements Creating a unitary workforce Forging a more co-operative relationship with trade unions: partnership agreement Flexibility of working hours Single-union agreements Employers not recognizing trade unions

Managing change through employee involvement

Downward communication Problem-solving involvement and upward communication Consultation Involvement through structural changes at job and work organization levels Financial involvement Managerial style and leadership