The protection of workers is one of the most important aspect of any given organization. As a result of this, unions are an indispensable part of any labor segment of a given country. Without a presentation of the interests of workers in an organization, lethal mistakes are likely to emerge as a result of the conflict of interest between employees and the organization. It is evident that in Ellard Williams, the company to be analyzed, there are several blunders in the organization as a result of human resource mismanagement.
Labor unions impact an organization positively as well as negatively. Positive impact include:
Likely employee satisfaction due the presence of an avenue through which they can present their grievances to their employer. Grievances that can be addressed in this setting include but are not limited to safe working environment, wages as well as other benefits such as offs (Hammer & Avgar, 2005). Effectively addressing the above does not only lead to employee’s satisfaction, but it also leads to motivation. As a result, the company in question is likely to realize more productiveness among its employees, a factor that can influence profits positively.
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Desirable pension plans as well as employee turnover is another importance of unionized labor force. Due to the power of collective bargain among union members, they can lobby for better pension plans that are favorable for the employees (Freeman & Medoff, 1979). Also, the likelihood of workers leaving their work is less when their employment is under the union umbrella. The above is because of the different requirements that the union requires its members to adhere to. Ellard Williams has not taken advantage of the above aspect that union employees offer. The human resource management should be shuffled to include members that take strategic management of an organization’s human resource as a core aspect of the prosperity of the organization. Performance appraisal, as well as employee compensation issues, should be solved in a bid to ensure all the employees feel that they are treated equally.
Although the advantages are luring, especially to an organization, there are several disadvantages connected to work unions. One of them, for example, is the need by the union for a given organization to employ a given number of union members, making it difficult for an organization to regulate the number of its employees. The union also has restrictions on the undertakings related to the organization firing employees (Botero et al, .2004). Bloated pension plans lobbied by unions can also work to the disadvantage of the organization in question.
Management relations are challenged by a few aspects that are eminent in today’s workforce. Labor relations have been diversified by several aspects such as the emergence of private contractors, job contractors as well as employment urgencies operating temporarily. In an organization that finds itself in one or more scenes mentioned above, management of its workforce becomes difficult as players such as private contractors in some cases do not even ensure a safe working environment for the workers under it. Conflict is hence a factor that is most eminent due to haphazard management among the different stakeholders that might play a part in managing employees at one stage or another of their work cycle in a given company.
Another main reason is the fact that most of the present day employees are not ignorant about their rights. In most organizations, hence, entertainment of ideologies that do not favor employees are unlikely to be a welcome idea. The workforce today knows where to get the information it requires and the place to report the injustices directed towards them. Managers who are not conscious of the above are likely to find themselves on the wrong side as workers’ rights in most countries today are understood and protected by different stakeholders.
There are different strategies that organizations can incorporate to ensure positive relations between them and unions.
First of all, continuous dialogue should be an element that is common between the two parties mentioned above. In this dialogues, both parties should formulate policies that favor both sides without disadvantaging employees. As a result, conflict of interest is likely to be solved through the above approach.
Secondly, an organization should ensure that its management has explicit understanding of the collective agreement. In having such an understanding, conflict between workers and the management as well as the union and the management are likely to be reduced as the management understands its position as well as its roles towards the union as well as its employees(Bowen & Ostroff, 2004). The management in question has failed in the above sector since the employees are highly dissatisfied. The above aspect could help them deeply understand their responsibilities and act in a manner that is likely to eliminate the losses that the company foresees in future.
Thirdly, an organization should try to do away with an adversarial as well as a reactive environment. Since the above are negative challenges that are mostly posed by the union towards the management of an organization, the organization should always try to reason with the union while being objective and showing the union the effect their stand has on an organization.
In conclusion, although unions and the management of an organization are a crucial part of an organization’s success, better relations between the above two stakeholders is a critical element, one that can either act to the benefit or the detriment of the employees of a given organization.
References
Botero, J. C., Djankov, S., Porta, R. L., Lopez-de-Silanes, F., & Shleifer, A. (2004). The regulation of labor. The Quarterly Journal of Economics , 119 (4), 1339-1382.
Bowen, D. E., & Ostroff, C. (2004). Understanding HRM–firm performance linkages: The role of the “strength” of the HRM system. Academy of management review , 29 (2), 203-221.
Freeman, R. B., & Medoff, J. L. (1979). The two faces of unionism.
Hammer, T. H., & Avgar, A. (2005). The impact of unions on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover. Journal of Labor Research , 26 (2), 241.
