Employee Relations: Key Players and Negotiation Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive overview of employee relations within organizations. It begins by explaining the unitary and pluralistic frames of employee relations, highlighting their impact and characteristics. The report then explores the role of trade unionism and key players in shaping employee relations, emphasizing the importance of effective communication and conflict resolution procedures. Furthermore, it delves into negotiation strategies in collective bargaining, analyzing their impact on employee relations. The report also examines the influence of industrial democracy, employee participation, and HR approaches on fostering positive employee relations, ultimately aiming to provide insights into creating a harmonious and productive work environment. The report covers conflict situations, negotiation strategies, and the impact of industrial democracy within the workplace.

Employee relation

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
PART 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Explanation regarding Pluralistic and unitary frame............................................................1
1.2 Impact of trade unionism on employee relations..................................................................2
1.3 Role played by Key players for development of employee relations...................................3
PART 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Procedure to be followed in order to deal with conflicting situations..................................4
2.2 Important characteristics of employee relation in case of conflicts......................................5
2.3 Evaluation of effectiveness of process involved in various situations..................................6
PART 3............................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Role that is played by negotiation in collective bargaining..................................................7
3.2 various negotiation strategies and their impact.....................................................................7
PART 4............................................................................................................................................8
4.1 Impact on industrial democracy due to EU...........................................................................8
4.2 Manner in which employee participation and involvement can be gained...........................9
4.3 Impact on employee relation due to HR approaches..........................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
RFERENCES ................................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
In an organisation there are various persons who are working and it is very necessary that
they maintain good relation. So employee relation is the relationship that exist between employee
and employer, labour and workmen who are working at same place (Bach and Kessler, 2011).
All of them work in one direction that is towards achievement of objectives specified by
organisation. For this purpose various laws are made that are to be followed by all. All the
operation in business are performed by workers so it is very essential that they shall be
maintained in proper manner. For this it is required that all the facilities shall be provided to
them and also positive environment should be developed in company so that they can carry out
work in most effective and efficient way. In this report various aspects in relation to it will be
discussed that includes pluralistic and unitary factors that are involved and also features which
are used to resolve the conflicts that arise. Also the manner in which employee relations can be
improved and the effect of various approaches on it will be explained below.
PART 1
1.1 Explanation regarding Pluralistic and unitary frame.
All the employees that are present in an organisation have different manner of thinking
and this is due to environment and background from which they belong and in which they are
currently working (Morris, 2012). There are various characteristics which are related to
employee relations and they have been categorised in two parts which are unitary and pluralistic
frames. The relations can be maintained in effective manner with the use of these approaches in
which different perceptions are specified in respect of it. The main objective for which they are
considered is to provide such framework that helps in carrying out all the operations of business
in most appropriate manner. So for proper understanding both of them are explained below in
detail:
 Unitary perspectives: In any business there are various objectives that are to be attained
and by using this company can maintain harmony and incorporate other features so that
all staff members and managers can perform actions towards one goal. In this an
assumption is made that all of them have same interest and work with same targets as by
that company will be able to achieve the goals in long term. In company there are many
grievances and conflicts which arise and as per this concept it is not good as the plan will
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not be successful due to it. By this goodwill and productivity of business is affected in
direct manner. According to this method proper focus shall be given on development of
coordination among all the employees and workers as then they are motivated to carry
out operations in best possible manner (Clarke, 2011). The risk that is associated with
disputes is reduced by the use of it as then all work in same direction so conflicts will not
arise. In order to develop morale of employees it is needed that new concepts and ideas
shall be initiated and due to this reason trade unions are not involved in decision making
process. They lack new ideas so are excluded from process.
 Pluralistic perspective: This concept says that in the business, competitive and strong
trade unions and management is involved. They all possess their own aims and objectives
and also loyalties which are legitimate. There are various aspects in respect of which
disagreement and other issues are faced and some of them involve profit sharing, other
matters which are of concern for managers and employees. So by the use of it all of the
issues can be dealt in appropriate manner and will increase the benefits for company.
 Marxist perspectives: The conflict view in respect of society is covered under this
approach. According to this modern society has been classified into two main categories
which are as follows:
I. First is the private enterprises which includes meaning of production aspect. For example
plant, land and many others.
II. Other is working class in which labourers are hired and paid fixed amount and for this
they are required to make sales to capitalists.
1.2 Impact of trade unionism on employee relations.
In trade unionism there are various changes which takes place and this has a direct impact
on relations among employees that is maintained. All the workers have their families and they
have some amount of interest and they are known as trade unions. They fight for their rights so
that benefit can be received by them (Van Buren III and Greenwood, 2011). The main motive for
which unions are established is to increase and protect their values some of them includes
working hours, wages and other incentives which are provided to them. With the help of this it is
also possible to overcome all other grievances that are face at workplaces. In the beginning of
18th century this process gain popularity and became more effective and this was done as with the
change in time employees and workers felt the need that there shall be someone who can
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represent them. So trade unions come into existence and then they convey all issues of
employees to responsible authorities so that they can be resolved. Further in 1824, certain Acts
were passed according to which all the unions are required to get themselves registered. The
workers believed that they can get the benefits from it and so they connected themselves with
these. As all of this was legal so decisions were taken in this regard to resolve all problems that
are faced by employees. Under this various rules and regulations have been formulated by
government which were in overall interest of workers (Demirbas and Yukhanaev, 2011).
Sometimes situations arise due to which lot of difficulties are faced by business in terms of
finance and in order to overcome that wages of workers are reduced. Here trade union showed
their power and opposed this decision as they believed that its not fault of employees so they are
not liable to bear any losses. By reduction of salary company tries to increase their earnings but
with the support of trade union all workers refused to work and so whole matter was taken to
court. This lead to adverse impact on employee relation and strike continued. But after some
time management realised the importance of labour and due to this human resource department
was established who was responsible to consider all matters which are faced by employees and
unions. After hearing them they convey all the findings to top management who then takes
necessary actions.
1.3 Role played by Key players for development of employee relations.
Effective relations are required to be maintained among all employees and members but
this is not an easy task and can never be performed by single person. So to deal with this groups
are to be made which will take action in this respect. Under this it is needed that all of them are
to deliver the services of super quality in which all the resources of company are to be managed
and by that strong relations are maintained. Some of people who are involved under this are as
followed:
 Employees: All of them are to perform the actions in accordance with the instructions
which are provided by employers (Day, 2011). In this attention shall be given to the fact
that no wastage is to be made of the resources and other assets of company. The
responsibility is more on employees as they are the one which are to provide various
services and by that only success of organisation can be determined. So it is their right to
demand such environment in which they can conduct the work in proper manner and with
more efficiency.
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 Employers: They are the ones who posses high quality knowledge and skills and plays a
very important role in all businesses by which all goals and targets are achieved. They are
responsible to take decision in respect of salary and so shall ensure that good amount is
paid to employees (Zide, Elman and Shahani-Denning, 2014). Sometime it happens that
the amount that is given is not equal and some of the employees who are not capable are
also paid at high rate. Due to this chances of conflicts among all arise which has an
adverse impact on business. So harmonious relation shall be build among them and for
that proper allocation of funds and resources shall be made by them.
 Trade unions: They consist of group of people who are responsible to bring in light all
the issue which are faced by employees in company. There are many grievances that they
bear such as related to salary, office timings and others and so are brought in notice of top
management so that it can take corrective actions for them.
 Government: Employee benefits is the aspect which is looked by legal bodies as they are
responsible in respect of it. This is required as if they do good for employees then they
will feel motivated and can work with full efficiency by taking into consideration all the
laws. Some of the important rules which are made includes labour protections and wage
related rules that are to be complied by all organisations.
 Employer association: Under this a group is established which is required to work for
the benefit of company. Here it is needed that that such policies and strategies shall be
formulated by which employees will perform all operations in better manner and this
leads to increase in overall profitability of business.
PART 2
2.1 Procedure to be followed in order to deal with conflicting situations.
In the organisation, there exist various such situations which are conflicting and it is
required that they shall be dealt in appropriate manner. For this a procedure is to be followed and
that shall be complied by all. The main process that can be undertaken to deal with such cases is
as follows:
In respect of individual employees:
All the employees face some or the other problem and it is required that they shall contact
management directly. For this it shall be noted that effective communication system shall be
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developed so that all the issues and problems which are there can be analysed and then proper
decisions can be taken in respect of them (Borg and Söderlund, 2013). Negotiation plans are set
up with employees and this is done with mutual consent of all. By the help if this most accurate
decisions can be taken and that too in short period of time.
As thought process of every individual is different so there is high risk that conflicts may
arise among them in company. For this it is needed that a discussion shall be carried out in which
all can talk about the problems which they are facing. The same has been done in case of 4com
by which all the causes due to which this happens are identified and then steps are taken to solve
them. In this various strategies are also used so that the impact of these matters is not borne by
other parties that are related with business in any manner.
In respect of group of people:
In any company, all employees want that they shall be provided with proper facilities and
if this is not done than they will take some actions such as strikes due to which further conflicts
will take place. Many situations arise in respect of employee relations and it is needed that
appropriate steps shall be taken for it. So to deal with them representatives are chosen for all
groups who will be telling management about the problems. There are many rule which are made
and provides guidelines with the help of which all the issues can be resolved. A single problem
can be discussed by all parties together and for this collective bargaining can be undertaken.
Even after this is the problem is not solved then it will further be taken to court which can give
its decision.
2.2 Important characteristics of employee relation in case of conflicts.
In business many conflicting situations arise and one among them is related to collective
dispute. By this negative environment is created in an organisation and by this direct impact can
be seen on profitability of company as it will be declining. The problems which are related to ER
can be resolved by adopting correct methods and some of them which can be used by 4com are
as follows:
 Cooperation: This is the main aspect that shall be maintained as there are some or the
other demand which is made by all and it is not possible to fulfil all. For this it shall be
ensured that they understand each other and by that facilities will be provided to them
accordingly and as per their mutual consent. Such steps are undertaken by which both
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business and employees will be benefited (Larson, 2017). In order to improve the skills
and capabilities of employees, training is provided by 4com to its staff.
 Consideration of ideological models: Due to the difference in thinking of all there are
chances that disputes may arise. This is because all take decisions in different manner and
by that this situation arise. It can be said as employer will think that more payment is
being made to those who does not deserve whereas employees feel that proper payment is
not made by company as per the skills and knowledge. So when a direct meeting will be
done all these issues can be resolved.
 Consultation: In this it shall be ensured that management and employer shall have
proper understanding about the issues faced and what are the facts which employees want
to tell. If proper atmosphere is provided then workers can also work with stress free
mind. There will be strong relation that is developed between employee and employer
and this is done by physiological activities.
 Negotiation: Under this all the parties will keep their offers in respect of a particular
situation at same point. In this all the issues will be taken into consideration so that
proper conclusion can be drawn by committee. By considering all these agreement will
be made that is to be followed by all.
2.3 Evaluation of effectiveness of process involved in various situations.
There are various inconsistent situation in which there are corporate disputes that arise
and so effectiveness shall be measured. Help is required to be taken from the dispute
management process so that all the problems can be resolved. In this all the explanations are
made between the management and employees which are within the company. All the reasons
that are related to various aspects which have been discussed are to be analysed. If all the
employees are provided with proper motivation then disputes will be resolved in best possible
manner. Out of the total loss some of the portion can be compensated. By this total burden of
finance on organisation will be increasing. In order to meet the needs, support is also obtained
from public which proves to be of great help. There are many reasons because of which issues
are not getting solved and the main among them is BMA (Bedo, Demirbag and Wood, 2011).
There was nothing wrong that is done by 4com ad so due to all this it has to bear the loss which
will create a negative impact on it. When the voting was carried out at the discussion negative
vote was given by BMA against the provided agreement. There would have been more effective
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results if the votes have been casted in favour of agreement. By this there were huge losses in
respect of compensation which is to be paid. Then the case was taken to court where decision
was provided. In all these condition best manner in which they can be dealt is by group
discussion.
PART 3
3.1 Role that is played by negotiation in collective bargaining.
In case of conflicts, many processes can be undertaken but the most effective one is
negotiation. Under this all the appropriate strategies are used so that the misunderstandings
which are created among employee and employer can be removed (Michielsens, Bingham and
Clarke, 2013). In order to develop an environment which is free from any disputes and conflicts,
this is the method which can be used and so it is considered as its main motive. As by the help of
this doubts of both parties are solved so it plays a very important role and has a broad concept.
The main resaon because of which conflicts arise is the difference in view point and opinion of
all who are from various cultures ans backgrounds. Under the process of negotiation a discussion
is carried out in presence of third party between those who are involved in this conflict. The
whole process is divided in three levels which are to be carried out and they involve following:
 power: Under this various important strategies are implemented by the help of which
impact can be seen among the relation of all and this is considered as long term scheme.
 Rights: Here it is specified that negotiation is the legal manner in which actions can be
taken and this involves consumption of large amount of time and huge funds.
 Interest: In this step it is mentioned that in order to carry out negotiation it is very
important that both the parties shall be ready for the mutual collaboration and for that all
the issues shall be cleared out.
So all of the above mentioned steps shall be undertaken in order to solve all the issues
and also the reasons behind them are identified so that they can be known and will be avoided in
coming period.
3.2 various negotiation strategies and their impact.
In the given case the most important tool which is used to deal with the conflicts is
negotiation and it will have great impact on all the situations. There are many strategies that are
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formulated and shall be considered under this so that all the confusion can be eliminated and they
are:
 Yielding: This is considered as variable pricing strategy in which results depend on the
behaviour of other persons who are involved in it in respect of specified issue, topic
(Gkorezis, Gkorezis and Kastritsi, 2017). The parties who affect the contractor in making
settlement for dispute give some reaction and this scheme is dependent on it.
 Competing: The main objective is to attain more cost in relation to other one and for this
both are to compete with one another. Under this negotiation is considered to be zero sum
game and so it is treated as most aggressive system. In order to achieve the targets it is
required that employees shall be motivated to have competition and this is achieved with
the help of present method.
 Compromising: There are some reasons because of which compromise is required to be
made by parties that are involved ans same is considered under this scheme. This is
needed as all the operations and productivity of business is affected by all conflicts.
When full satisfaction is not received by both partied due to the decision then it is known
as compromise.
 Problem solver: This considers the same situation which arise in case of competing and
compromise and in this other party that is involved shall be respected.
By the help of all these strategies which are carried out various confusions will be
removed and so all the barriers which are faced can be avoided.
PART 4
4.1 Impact on industrial democracy due to EU.
Industrial democracy is the arrangement which is made in systematic manner in which
labour relations are included and under this various decisions are made so that responsibilities
can be shared in company (Marginson, 2015). In this all the frameworks are operated on direct
basis and the people involved in this are state or private employees. All the staff members will be
getting advantage because of the democratic practices and in this all will be involved in decision
making. Power will be shared among them and all the responsibilities will also be allocated on
equal basis. Due to this all the problems will be eliminated.
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It can be noted that all the industrial relations are not followed by EU by the help of
which business relationships are developed (Clarke, 2015). There are various new technologies
which have been brought by time and will have impact on EU and for that activities are brought
back in company. All the employees will be associating them selves in the democratic practices
by which company will be able to solve all the problems in more effective manner. By this all
the employees will be showing full confidence and so they will take part in all the activities
which are involved in company.
With the help of new ideas it will be possible for all employees and EU to take such
decisions which are best and also control will be established in appropriate manner. They will
have right to get involved in all the aspects which are present in business. In the EU countries
this is considered as great factor by which success will be attained by whole sector who are
involved in introduction of such services by which good relations is established among all the
staff members and management. By the equal distribution of all the opportunities and right all
the chances of conflicts will be reduced and this helps the organisation in achieving objectives
and goals. This helps in various other manner which are:
 Economy of nation is promoted.
 Unemployment is increased
 by this living standard of people gets affected.
 All the rules and regulations are also affected due to this.
4.2 Manner in which employee participation and involvement can be gained.
It is very important that all the employees shall be given the right to get involved in
decision-making process and also they shall participate in all activities as by this only all the goal
of business can be accomplished (Smith, Stokes and Wilson, 2014). By the involvement of
employees in all this trust will be developed which is very essential. Some of the methods which
can be used for this purpose are survey, behaviour, strategy recommendation and many others.
In addition to this there are many other tools which can be taken into consideration so
that trust of higher authorities can be gained and by that performance will be improved. Some of
the methods that can be used in this process are as follows:
 The main is to conduct the survey of behaviour by which attitude of employees will be
evaluated on the basis of which judgements can be made (Employee Relations, 2017).
Also the payment that is to be made will also be decided which affects their performance.
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