MSc EMPLOYEE RELATIONS Dr. Joe McBride Dr. Arjan Keizer 06003512 [pic] I certify that this assignment is the result of my own work and does not exceed the word count noted. Number of words: 1500 (Excluding references, title page) Assess the advantages and problems facing an employer seeking to manage employee relations in a non-union environment. The issue of the ‘non-union’ firm has come to the forefront in Britain principally because it has been seen as an exemplar of one strand of the new industrial relations (Beardwell, 1993). During her reign in the 1980’s, Margaret Thatcher was a staunch opponent of Britain’s powerful trade union and her government brought about its downfall (BBC News, 2004). As the overall level …show more content…
For example, In IBM Corp. , the National Labor Relations Board ruled that non-union employers may lawfully refuse an employee 's request to have a co-worker present during an investigatory interview that the employee reasonably believes could lead to discipline (Lautz, 2004). This means that employers are free to conduct investigatory interviews with employees one-on-one in situation where disciplinary actions might be involved. Although, this is might not be in favour of the employee involved. In non-union firms, the employer can keep their company activities internal rather having an external arm which could cause division within the employment relationship. This supports the neo-unitarist approach which views trade unions as an unnecessary interference in management’s right to manage (Dundon and Rollinson, 2004 ) while neo-pluralist approaches incorporate more sophisticated HRM practices being developed rather than necessarily in place of, collective bargaining (Brunstein, 1995). In addition, management can focus better on the individual employees rather than making the employment relationship a case of “them” and “us”. Issues such as increments in benefits can progress faster within employees and their employers, which creates a sense of mutuality and security between both parties. The employer retains the decision-making power on employee relations; management are able to determine pay rates based on work performance or merit rather than being told that all
I attest that the work submitted for this assignment is entirely mine, that no another person has written or dictated this assignment in whole or part, and that all material relied on (if any) is fully and properly attributed and cited.
Expectations: Work must be typed, 12 point font, double-spaced. Label each section appropriately with each number. Please check your work for complete sentences and grammatical errors. The answer for each section should be about a half to full page.
Expectations: Work must be typed, 12 point font, double-spaced. Label each section appropriately with each number. Please check your work for complete sentences and grammatical errors. The answer for each section should be about a half to full page.
From early 2006, ‘WorkChoices’ legislation has claimed to invoke protection against unfair dismissal for employees and prioritized individual contracts to undercut award conditions. It also restricted union on accessing to workplaces and industrial action Overall, the main external challenges are caused by financialization which including restructured product and labour markets, antagonistic employers and legislation restriction. In addition, internal challenges contained declining in resources and memberships, which made unions realised that small unions could not survive in a neoliberal environment. Thus, a structural reform of merger wave would be embarked to respond a declining density, resulting in increased membership services and union power.
1. The work contained within this assignment is my own work, and is not directly taken from any other source.
Initially, the intent of labor unions was for employed workers to meet together and collectively agree on fundamental workplace objectives and goals. The rise of the union came about after the Civil War, in the United States- responding to the industrial economy boom. Following the war, labor unions finally reached public popularity within the 1930-1950’s, and then again began to slowly decrease, through the 1960’s and on to today’s times. Although, the popularity of labor unions has decreased, its importance remains to be evident with politics, journalism, auto, and the public education industries.
Being part of a union gives members the benefit of negotiating with their employer collectively, as part of a group; giving them more power than if they were to negotiate as individuals (Silverman, n.d.). Overall, unions demand fairness which can lead to the unions influencing and changing ‘managerial decision-making at the workplace level’ for decisions in which employees are affected (Verma 2005). Unions are also beneficial to have present in the workplace because their bargaining of better condition will often benefit non-members as the conditions negotiated with management are implemented across the organization with no regard to membership status. Management is also able to avoid union disagreement by benchmarking conditions to that of an already unionized workplace.
Employee Relations are influenced by a number of internal and external factors, all of which affect the strategic balance between labour and management. It is important that we are aware of the key factors influencing employee relations in order to strike a proper balance within the working environment.
Compare and contrast the role of the HR Business Partner with that of an external consultant. Evaluate effectiveness of a HRBP v an external consultant
Your assignment is to be not more than 8 pages double spaced using Time Roman 12 point font. It is to have an introduction and conclusion. You must include reference to the course readings or sources outside the course that you have consulted in preparation for this assignment. Be sure to properly cite your references and to provide a reference list following the conclusion to the essay. Make liberal use of section and sub-section headings in the structure of the
When we take a look into the organizational environment, two aspects come into play one being the union workplace and the other non-union workplace. Unionized workplace is that where the union negotiates with the employers for an agreement and makes a point that the agreement is followed out. In this agreement,the union talks about its wages, benefits and how their working environment will be. Whereas in a non- unionized workplace, the employer holds the right to make decision for the employees.This paper discusses the differences in the organizational environment of the unionized and non -unionized workplace.
Employment relation is one of the vital and critical parts of HRM. For making an effective and healthy relationship between employers and employees, it is important to understand the perception of employment relations along with its importance in an organisation (Wang & Chen, 2005). Thus, if an organisation fails to understand its significance of employment relations and unable to manager employer and employee relationship efficiently, this might lead to impact on the organisation power and will deter its strength and profitability. According to Singh (2011), employee relations is basically a study of regulations, agreements and rules through which employees are accomplished with collective and individual group, importance imposed to individual
The relationship between unions and organization is a touchy one. Dating back to the start of unionization in the 19th century, the two bodies have held opposing viewpoints. Unionization was formed from the opinion that organizations took advantage of workers and some form of a negotiating agreement was needed. There were documented events of workers working long taxing hours for insignificant pay; no healthcare coverage; dangerous working conditions; and gender and or racial discrimination. Companies believed that unionization caused less productivity which endangered profits. Companies also believed that unions interfere in daily processes, and limits the employer’s say over compensation and benefits. The
From this perspective, trade union is perceived not necessary and the role of it is creating conflict, and it is seen an unwelcome intrusion into the organization from outside competing with management for the loyalty of employees (Rose, 2004). Trade unions exist either as the result of wickedness or perverseness of individual employees, or because of a failure of management to anticipate and incorporate worker needs and concerns (Bray, Deery, Walsh and Waring, 2005).
My signature indicates that this document represents my own work. Excluding shared data, the information, thoughts and ideas are my own, except as indicated in the references. I have submitted an electronic copy through Balckboard to be scanned by TurnItIn.com. In addition, I have not given aid to another student on this assignment.