Labor-Management

Education on
Employment Relations
BY: Joseph Gil E. Cabrera, RN
Senior Labor and Employment Officer
DOLE NCR -CAMANAVA

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

2024
The Human
Relations
Step
The Rule of Life: Things
Change

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR
Proof of Global Warming

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

The
world of work
has changed

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

 •Impact on labor relations
•Impact on workplace issues
•Consequential impact on competitiveness
Department of Labor & Employment - NCR
In a
changing workplace,
LR harmony &
industrial peace are
still the desirable end
goals
These can be best achieved by organizations
that are secure because

 They know the rules (the LR step)

 They deal with with fairness,

reasonableness, respect (the HR step)

 The are productive (the Productivity step)

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

The HR Step

Any employment relationship is a human

relationship first and foremost

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

What affects human
relations at the workplace?
 characteristics of the
individual: his interests,
traits, and needs;

 characteristics of the job:

the work responsibility
(position),

 characteristics of the
work environment: the
communication flow
and culture

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Session Objectives
 To identify the important elements of
human relations in the workplace

 To identify the common pitfalls in

human relations

 To identify practical steps in

managing human relations

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Outline

1. Understanding human needs

2. Understanding Filipino Values
3. Understanding organizational
communication

Key HR ELEMENTS
in the context of
harmonious workplace relations

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

I. Understanding
Human Needs
Why do we work?
 Under the theory of motivation, man
works because of his NEEDS

 When needs are met, employee

satisfaction increases

 When needs are not met,

employee dissatisfaction results

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

 Satisfaction results in

 Loyalty
 Retention
 Motivation
 Highly involved employees
(entrepreneurial spirit)
 High productivity

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

 Dissatisfaction results in

 Resignation
 Low morale
 Passive employees
 Wastage
 Low productivity
 Low efficiency

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

“Understanding human needs is half
the job of meeting them."

-Adlai Stevenson, 1900-1965

What are the practical steps?

 Identify the needs

 Identify the LR problems they bring

 Respond to the needs and address the

accompanying problem

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Movie break

“Modern Times”

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Types of Human Needs

3. Ego Needs

2. Social Needs

1. Basic Needs

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Basic needs

Human needs: As it relates to

workplace:

 Food  Wages & money

matters
 Clothing  Benefits affecting food,
 Shelter cloth and shelter
 Other Survival  Job Security
Needs  Health and Safety
Concern
 (to also cover family
needs)

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Social needs

Human needs to: As it relates to workplace:

 Work time talks

 Relate  Lunch and coffee breaks
 Interact  Support from co-
workers
 Interface  Office meetings
 Communicate  Office socials and
parties
 Affiliate/ Belong  Office sports and after
work activities

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Ego needs (off the job)

Human needs: As it relates to

workplace:
 Status
 Dominance  Savings
 Prestige  Properties/
investment
 Family vacation
 Travel

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Ego Needs (on-the-job)
Human needs: As it relates to
workplace:
 Achievement/ Status
 Mastery  Physical
 Company car
 Independence  Perks conveniences
 Dominance  Non-physical
 Prestige  High regard of others
 Managerial  Promotion
responsibility  Scholarship/ training
 Self-fulfillment opportunities
(personal growth)  Reward/ Recognition
 Status

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To meet Organization should
enhance
 Affinity Needs  Mutual pride and respect
 Self-actualization  Leadership skills of
needs management
 Trust
 Teamwork
 Training
 Employee’s natural
affinity for that type of
work

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Ground principles

Needs have a certain

“order”, starting Self-
with basic actualization

(survival) needs. Esteem

Only when the
lower order needs Belongingness
are satisfied are we
Safety
concerned with
higher order needs Biological/ Physical

Source: Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Need
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Ground principles

 All– management & workers alike – have

human needs

 Employees have basic human need and a

right to strive for self-actualisation, just as
much as the corporate directors and owners
do

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Company cannot satisfy ALL needs

 No hard and fast rule on how much

COMPANY must satisfy
 But company must REASONABLY
satisfy needs

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Common HR pitfalls
 No employee
relations program
1. Lack of concern  Below standard
for needs wages and benefits
 Unreasonable or
unfair company
rules
 Passing of
responsibility to
unions

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

2. Unfairness  Unfair or harsh
rules
 Inconsistent
application of
rules
 Favoritism
 Uneven
imposition of
penalties

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3. Denial of  Class
Recognition discrimination
 Looking “through”
employee
 Holding grudges
 Indifference
 Selective
recognition

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

When people
grow as people,
they
automatically
become more
effective and
valuable as
employees.
Department of Labor & Employment - NCR
 In fact virtually all
personal growth,
whether in a hobby, a
special talent or
interest, or a new
experience, produces
new skills, attributes,
behaviours and
wisdom that is
directly transferable
to any sort of job role.

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Some helpful structures

 Compliance with Labor Standards

 Family Welfare Program
 Continuing Staff Development
Program
 Labor-Management Councils
 Bipartism

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There is no shortcut.
There is no quick fix.
The law of harvest
prevails.

-Stephen Covey
(7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

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II. Understanding
Cultural
Behavior &
Traits
Groupism vs Individualism
PLUSES

 Philippine society is group-oriented

 The concern is to maintain harmonious relations
 Almost always, there is a group to lean on in time of
need
 Authority is associated with status & age

MINUSES
 Sometimes result to factionalism/ turfing
 To be too independent/ self-reliant is frowned upon

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Basic Structures

The Family
 Basic, nuclear (central), extended (kin)
 The family provides the context & meaning
to the one’s work

The Peer Group

 In school, at work, professional
organization, neighbor, kumpare/ kumare
 Where one derives psychological &
economic support outside the family

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

 Core Values

 Kapwa: The Other, Each

Other

Self-
actualization  Damdamin: Feelings
Esteem

Belongingness  Dangal : Dignity, Pride,

Safety Shame
Biological/ Physical

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1. Kapwa
 Pakikisama. Supervisor joins birthday or
social drinks, he is seen to recognize the
‘dignity of the employee and his buddies’

 Pakikitungo. Manager instructs worker

“paki-dala”, not “dalhin mo ito”

 Pakikiramay. Co-workers hold vigil during

wake of officemate’s family member

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2. Damdamin
 Hiya. Manager chastises worker in front of
office mates or puts staff on the spot
(pinahiya ako)

 Delicadeza.

 Awa. In times of crisis, worker is expected

to come and help of his own volition.

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

3. Dangal
 Galang. Employee does not rudely interrupt
the boss during a meeting to tell him he is
wrong.

 Utang na Loob. Worker will forever be

grateful to Manager who recommended that
the company pays the hospitalization
expenses of his sick child.

 Karangalan. Employee will not be bought for

monetary consideration

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

The Labor Relations
Implication of cultural
behavior?
Filipino worker, based on his traits and cultural
behavior is motivated when:

 The company has ‘family’ atmosphere

 The organization does not ignore emotional aspect of
worklife
 The supervisor is seen as supportive
 The reward and promotion system is cooperative and
fraternal
 There is open communication and genuine information

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Helpful structures:

 Family Welfare Program

 Regular employee-employer
dialogue/ open communication lines
(e.g., councils, committees)
 Continuing staff development for
supervisors

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

III. Understanding
Organizational
Communication
Among the elements mentioned, the most
dynamic yet constant and unmistakably at
the heart of the labor relations is
communication.

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The organization is a conversation.

Everything that management does is

communication.

Everything that employees say, and not say, is

communication.

No work gets done except through the power of

communication.

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How much attention are you paying to the
most powerful force in your organization?

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Communication Failures
 No communication plan
 Communication plan has no clear
purpose
 Communication plan is not
communicated, not implemented
 Secretive organization
(compartmentalized)
 Not knowing what to communicate

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Learning points
 People receive the same message but
interpret it in different ways

 To increase shared meaning

(understanding), communication must be 2-
way, clear, repetitive

 Sometimes the hindrance to effective

communication is ME (& my assumptions).

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

"He who asks
is a fool for five minutes,
but he who does not ask
is a fool for ever."
-Traditional Chinese proverb
To be an effective LR tool,
communication must be:

 Two-way
 Consciously adopted
 Involves ideas, information and recognition
 Aim is to improve employer-employee
relations
 Under environment
conducive to information
flow

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Helpful
communication structures

 one-on-one
 small group meetings

 formal office meetings

 informal setting within the office

 meetings outside of the office

 written or audio-visual modes

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Communication must be
carefully planned
For example, in
conducting meetings:

 When
 Where
 How many
 Materials
 Objective or Purpose is clearly defined
 Managers and supervisors should be trained to
handle meetings
 Need for control should be balanced with the need for
open discussion

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

“a bird in the hand is worth two in
the bush”

There is elegance in simplicity

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Communications must be
written, simple and
disseminated
 Creates a permanent record of
communicated information
 Powerful tool to dispel office rumors
 Powerful tool to impart management
position
 May come in the form of Bulletin boards
notices, handouts, regular newsletters,
bulletins, company policy, employee
handbook

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

‘Open Door’ Policy is
encouraged

 Welcoming visitors and communications

 Inviting people in and attending to their
needs
 Showing concern and interest when one’s
assistance is asked
 Opening channels of communication with
employees

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

6 Communication FAULTS
 F – AULTY transmission

 A –CTIVE grapevine

 U-NDESIRABLE shortcutting of channels

 L-ACK of commitment to 2-way communication

 T-OO many levels of organization

 S-UPERVISOR’S biases

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Organizational communication
is OK when people…
 Feel they can communicate frankly and openly
 Feel they’re listened to and treated as important
 Know whom to see about what and these
persons should be readily available
 Get fast and frank
answers
 Have full information
about key elements of
their organization

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Helpful Structures:
“Different Strokes.. For Different Chokes”
 PEACEFUL SPACE– (Shopfloor level)
informing/instructing/ learning, integrating,
inspiring, coaching, initiating comm circles

 BREWING CAULDRON—(complaint or
misunderstanding) grievance handling,
counseling,disciplining

 DISPUTES-- negotiating, conciliating/

mediating,

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Watch your thoughts; they
become words.

Watch your words; they become

actions

Watch your actions; they

become habits

Watch your habits; they become

character
Watch your character;
it becomes your
destiny

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

The HR Step
 In the changing workplace,
LR harmony & industrial peace are
still the desirable end goals

 This is achieved when organizational

members take practical steps that
show that they deal with each other
with respect, reasonableness and
fairness

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

The HR Step

 The HR step are practical day to day

measures that consider and foster the
three basic HR elements: employee
motivation, positive values and
meaningful communication.

Department of Labor & Employment - NCR

Thank you.

Source:
Labor Management Seminar by Siguion Reyna
Montecillo and Ongsiako
Labor Education for Foreign Employers by DOLE,
ILO & Ancilla Consulting
More Games Trainers’ Play by John Newstrom
Businessballs.com

Modern Times by Charlie Chaplin