Employee Relations

Purpose of ER / Key Issues

Purpose of ER to reconcile the different
interests of the buyers (employers) and the
sellers (employees) of labour and in so doing
assist the organisation achieve its business
and /or social objectives. (Gennard & Judge
1995 pp 6-7)
Impossible to divorce the employment
relationship from the notion of power and
personal / political IR perspective
Nature of the relationship is inevitably
influenced by wider political / economic factors
2

Locus of Power - Employees

Move from Collective to Individual (PM/ IR

to HRM)

Trade unions strength

1980s onwards reducing influence

Post 1997 slight changes in balance

again

Locus of Power - Employers

Recent growth in managerial power
global decline in unionised manufacturing
industries
expansion of service sector employment (low
TU density)

changing demographics of work-force

adoption of flexible work patterns (HRM
methods)
Reduction in job security more temporary
work
4

Alan Fox (1966) Perspectives

Unitarist
Harmonised objectives
Conflict is irrational and destructive to be avoided

Pluralist
Groups with divergent interests
Conflict is natural and beneficial can be managed
through effective negotiation mechanisms

Marxist radical view

Inequality and class conflict ownership of the
means of production

See Rose (2004 pp26-29)

Unitary Perspective
Commonality
environment.

of

goals

in

the

work

Harmony of interest.
Single ultimate source of authority.
Absence of conflict.
Management
manage/control

legitimate

right

to

Pluralist Perspective
Many factional groups
leadership

- own agendas /

Inevitable conflict through diversity of interests

both rational and manageable.
No single authority source - even distribution
of power.
Management - holding organisation in balance
not
controlling.
Collective rights / representation legitimate
Bargaining - means of resolving conflict
7

Power and ER Perspectives

The locus of power is perceived differently in
unitary, pluralist and Marxist frameworks

right to manage
paternalism - autocracy - however new
development of Empowerment

Unitary

managements

power sharing through collective

mechanisms for rule making / negotiation /
consultation

Pluralist

Marxist / Radical argues from moral classless

standpoint
property
is
ownership by the work force

theft

collective

ER Policy choices
Participation :
One of four choices (see Farnham 1997)

employee has right to question and

influence organisation decision making
may involve representative workplace
democracy. (see Rose 2004 p385)

The other three choices are :

Worker subordination via managerial
prerogative
Union incorporation via collective
bargaining

Definitions
Employee involvement (UNITARIST)
is a range of processes designed to engage the
support, understanding and optimum contribution
of all employees in an organization and their
commitment to its objectives
Employee participation (PLURALIST)
is a process of employee involvement designed to
provide employees with the opportunity to
influence and where appropriate, take part in
decision making on matters which affect them
(Institute of Personnel Development)
10

Participation
Is mainly a pluralist / collective approach
A continuum from no involvement to
employee
control ( see Blyton & Turnbull
1998)
May Involve :

Collective bargaining
Employee share schemes
Works councils
Worker directors
JCCs

11

Example of Participation -The German Model

Workplace Co-determination :
Mitbestimmung - regarded as best practice
model
Employee-only council at workplace / company or
group level Betriebstrat ( no official Trade union
involvement)

12

Involvement
Involvement :
Is Individualistic / Unitarist

Aims :
Harness commitment to objectives
Maintenance of management control

Part of soft HRM / TQM approach

(Rose

2004)

Involves upwards and downwards

communications flow
13

Involvement
Downward communication flows
(top management down to line staff)

Written

information

(e.g.staff
newsletters notice- boards, staff handbooks,
house journals)

Team briefings / Cascade briefing

Staff forums
14

Involvement

Upward communication flows

General / attitude surveys of staff
Paid / Unpaid suggestion schemes
Appraisal schemes / upward appraisals
TQM tools - QCs

15

Empowerment
predominantly about encouraging front-line
staff to solve customer problems on the spot,
without constant recourse to management
approval
(Goldsmith et al,1997p 145)
management

strategies for sharing decisionmaking power

(Bowen and Lawler, 1992) [cited in Lashley, 1996:334]

16

Lashleys four dimensions

17

So haw are these three concepts

related ?
Participation pluralist about real power
sharing and at the extreme a say in the
decisions of the business
Involvement Unitarist focusing on
commitment to shared goals and maintaining
two way communication
Empowerment - as part of HRM approach
tends to be unitarist but if extended to giving
employees real power over a broader range of
issues could be pluralist (tends to be limited in
application / scope)
18

Employee Engagement:
Its the Little Things That
Matter The Most

Employee Engagement
What is Employee Engagement?
Lets start with what its not
Employee engagement does not
mean employee happiness or
satisfaction. Someone might be happy
at work, satisfied with their job and their
pay, but that doesnt necessarily mean
they are working productively on behalf
of the organization

Definition of Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the

emotional commitment the
employee has to the organization
and its goals.
This emotional commitment means
engaged employees actually care about
their work and their company
They work on behalf of the

Being An Engaged Employee

When employees carewhen they are
engagedthey use discretionary
effort

Give 110%
Go the extra mile
Take personal responsibility/accountability
Hold themselves to a higher standard
Take pride in the quality of their work
Feel that what they contribute matters to
the success of the organization

Why Does It Matter?

To win in the
marketplace you must
first win in the
workplace.

~ Former Campbells Soup CEO, Doug Conan

What Do Employees Want?

To know what is expected of them
The tools and equipment to be successful in their
job
The opportunity to do what they do best
Feedback, praise & recognition
To know that they are cared about
To know that they matter and make a difference
The opportunity to progress, learn new things
To be treated fairly
And

What Do Employees Want MOST?

THEY WANT TO TRUST YOU AND TO

BE TRUSTED!
Trust is a function of two things:
Character which includes integrity, motive,
and intent
Competence which includes capabilities,
skills, results, and track record

Trust
There is nothing that inspires a
person more than having trust
extended to them
He saw something in me that no one
else
saw
She believed in me when no one else
did
People are powerfully influenced by,
respond to, and reflect on that trust

Trust
By extending trust, you empower
people
You leverage your leadership
You create a high-trust culture that
brings out the best in people
You create high-level synergy
You maximize the potential of the
organization to accomplish its goals

Supervisors
Employees MOST often leave their
Supervisor, not the company
Train your Supervisors around the
expectations of how your employees should
be treated.
Just because you hire an experienced
supervisor, that does not mean that their
previous employer had the same expectations
as your company
No one is born knowing how to motivate or
engage people, its a learned skill.
Supervisors must model the behavior they
hope to see in others

Simple Strategy:
How to Get There
EACH PERSON EVERY DAY
YOU approach them - dont wait for
them to approach you
Walk to where they are to say Good
Morning to each person on your team
everyday

Its The Little Things

WORDS MATTER
Thank you for your hard work today
I noticed that you stayed behind to get that
project finished your dedication is not going
unnoticed
Im impressed!
I got some great feedback about you today
Im excited for you
Thats the outfit you had on the day we
interviewed you
I trust you to do it take the lead on this
Its your idea, so why dont you write up a
proposal of how you see it being implemented

Its The Little Things

ACTIONS MATTER
A sticky note at their desk saying
thanks for going above & beyond
A miniature candy bar on a keyboard
Empowering an employee in front of
others
A thank you or congratulatory email
with clip art
Spotlighting an employees specific
contributions
Thank you, congratulations card
I brought you in some brownies this
half does not have nuts, I know youre
allergic

Its The Little Things

COURTESY MATTERS
Regardless of Hierarchy - Dont Forget the
Courtesy

I havent forgotten about you

Ill be just a couple minutes late
Im sorry I kept you waiting
I know that youre very busy (your time is
valuable)
Thank you for allowing me to interrupt
I apologize for the delay in responding to this
email
Dont forget vegetarian, jain & gluten-free

Its The Little Things

PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAP WHEN
IT COMES TO EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT
On an employees first day, have a
Welcome to the Team sign or card
that your team has signed waiting
for them
When an employee goes on
vacation, have a Welcome Back
sign waiting for them when they
return
Remember birthdays and
employment anniversaries

Its The Little Things

SHOW THAT YOU CARE ABOUT THEM
AS A PERSON, NOT JUST AS AN
EMPLOYEE
Notice things & remember things
Share a bit of yourself open up so that
you can be relatable
Remember names of employees
children, spouses, partners,
grandchildren, pets
Ask about significant events (how did
your brothers wedding go this
weekend?)
Know their favorite coffee drink or candy
bar

How Do You
Measure Engagement?
Facial expressions
Laughter, conversation, coaching, helpful to
others
Volume and/or accuracy of work
Observation Employees watching the clock or
taking pride in getting the job done on time
The type of questions that are being asked:
Probing to learn more?
How does what they are doing fit into the big
picture?
Asking about next steps?
Showing proactive indicators?

Engagement Surveys
Gallup Q-12
A group of 12 strategic questions
that yield a variety of measurable
outcomes
Use consistently to accurately
measure increasing or decreasing
engagement
Well liked by Supervisors, easy to

Gallup Q12 Survey Questions Measure of Employee Engagement

The Meaning & Measure of the Questions
SUMMIT
Camp 3
Q. 11 & 12
Camp 2
Questions
7, 8, 9 & 10
Camp 1
Questions 3, 4, 5 & 6

Camp 3 is where an employee feels loyal, productive and fully engaged. They
are fully satisfied with their contributions to the team, may be ready to break out into
a more fulfilling role, take on new challenges and/or responsibilities. Secure in
their decision to stay, they are aligned with company goals and ready for success.
Camp 2 is where employees perspective widens- do I belong here? Do my co-

workers share my ethics & values? Am I part of a contributing team? Am I

challenged, acknowledged, rewarded? Am I making a difference?
Camp 1 is where employees start to feel settled- their basic needs are met.
Do I fit in? What do people around me think of my work? Am I dong a good
job or do I need help? Can I go to my supervisor for advice and coaching?

Base Camp
Questions 1 & 2

Employee is at the Base of the Mountain

Starting a New Job in a New Company
- orStarting a Different Job in the Same Company

Base Camp can be described as the base of the mountain. Where you are when
you start a new job or take on a new role within the same company. An
Employees focus at this point focus is on basic needs; What will I earn, when
do I have insurance, will I have an office What do I get?