Workplace Conflict & Resolution Strategies

This assignment delves into the topic of workplace conflict and examines different strategies for its resolution. Students are tasked with analyzing various perspectives on conflict management, including social exchange theories and the impact of precarious employment on health and safety. The assignment also considers the role of power, institutions, and multinational corporations in shaping employment practices. Students will research and synthesize information from academic sources to develop a comprehensive understanding of workplace conflict and its resolution.

Employees Relations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Unitary and pluralistic frames of references....................................................................1
1.2 Analysis of changes in trade unionism that affect employees relation............................2
1.3 Role of the main players in employee’s relations............................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Procedure for dealing with different conflicts situation...................................................4
2.2 Features of employee relations in collective dispute situation.........................................5
2.3 Effectiveness of procedure that are used for dealing issues.............................................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
3.1 Role of negotiation in collective bargaining....................................................................7
3.2 Impact of negotiation strategy..........................................................................................8
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................9
4.1 Influence of the EU on industrial democracy in the UK..................................................9
4.2 Comparing method to gain employee participation in decision making process...........10
4.3 Impact of HRM on employee relations..........................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Employee relation refers to the relationship between employees and employers.
Management should try to maintain better relation with their workers so that they can contribute
in the success of company and can become committed towards their jobs as well as for
organisation. In other terms, it can be say that employee relation means mutual understanding
between supervisor and its subordinates. Government has made many legislations that help in
controlling and maintaining mutual understanding between the manager and subordinates. It is
an important aspect to maintain better coordination between the activities of members of
company because it assists in achieving competitive advantages over its competitors (Ayyagari,
Grover and Purvis, 2011). This project is based on THE NURSERY "BABY BEAR” which is
operating their business in England and are providing toys and bear for children. This report will
state about unitary and pluralistic frames of references, the way changes in trade unionism have
affected employee relation and role of main players in maintaining better relations. Along with
that, it will describe the procedure and its effectiveness for dealing with different conflict
situations along with importance of negotiation in collective bargaining. Further, the impact of
negotiation strategy in conflicting situation will also be analysed.
TASK 1
1.1 Unitary and pluralistic frames of references
For understanding the importance of employee’s relation, The Nursery Baby Bear can
use two techniques which are unitary and pluralistic framed of references. However, these
concepts are totally dependent on different views and thoughts but provide support in
maintaining healthy relations at the workplace. These theories have main objective, that is, to
manage the workforce in an effective and efficient manner so that they can carry out business
operations in a reliable and accurate manner. These concepts are as follows-
Unitary frame of references- As per this concept, all important decisions will be taken
by the managerial personnel. He will have authority and responsibilities and would also be liable
for any wrong decision. In this, individuals will be treated as a group having same interest,
values, objectives and goals. If any conflict arises between the manager and labour and can be
avoided by the management (Baccaro and Howell, 2011). From an employee's point of view, this
models includes the following things-
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 Manpower of company should have skills and knowledge so that they can carry out
business activities effectually.
 In the organisation, brain storming session should be conducted so that management can
identify the solution of specific problems.
Pluralistic frames of references- It includes large number of people such as trade union,
management, sub groups, etc. who have different objectives and interest. This concept is very
helpful in reducing conflicts at workplace and also clears all misunderstandings between the
managers and employees that help company in achieving desired results (Bach and Bordogna,
2011). In this, co-operative negotiation plays an important role. This approach is used in the
following case-
 When manpower selects their group leader and expect that he will only take decision
regarding their welfare.
 In this, trade union plays an important role because it takes decision in favour of
employees that enhances the motivation level of workers.
The Nursery Baby Bear has hired a consultancy firm that aids in dealing with employee’s
needs and expectations. But, this company has refused to form any trade union as they follow a
pluralistic approach. It has strong internal HRM policies by which grievances of labour can be
resolved easily and effectively.
1.2 Analysis of changes in trade unionism that affect employees relation
Trade union includes group of people whose main motive is to protect the rights and
authority of manpower and provide safety to the workers while performing their duties. In the
current scenario, this association is formed in every company and plays an important role in
preventing any unethical activities that are conducting in an enterprise (Batt and Colvin, 2011). It
plays the following roles:
 It establishes a clear mechanism that assists in improving the working system of
company.
 It redresses grievances of employees that help them in working as per the specified
standards.
Now a days, legislation related to trade union is changing continuously that influences the
employee’s relation. There are certain changes in trade union that influence employees relation
which are given as below-
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 Technological- In the present scenario, changes in technology are going on continuously
that lead to reduce the use of labour which indirectly affects the job of people. In this
situation, The Nursery Baby Bear is encouraged to amend the existing policies related to
retrenchment of employees. In this situation, trade union will provide safety to the
workers so that they will not be terminated from their job (Daymon and Holloway, 2010).
 Political and legal- These are the major influential factors that directly affect the
employee’s relation. Top management should maintain various rules and regulations that
will assist in reducing the conflicts or misunderstanding between employees and
employers.
Earlier, trade union only works for protecting the rights of employees but now a days, it
also focuses on abolishing child labour from workplace. It also does other activities by which
environment of society can be developed. In addition to this, trade unions are responsible for
conducting training and development session which help in grooming personality of employees
so that they can work as per the specified standards and can contribute in the success of
company.
1.3 Role of the main players in employee’s relations
Employee’s relation means better coordination between employers and employees that is
very important for The Nursery Baby Bear for achieving specified target. There are various
parties who play an important role in maintaining better relationship at workplace which are
given as below-
 Role of employers and employees- There is contractual relationship between
management and subordinates. The main role of a worker is to show commitment, loyalty
and work as per specified guidelines. He should follow all rules and regulations of
company like they should not use any abusive language at workplace and must perform at
their best level. If labours follow it then it will assist in maintaining healthy relation with
employers (DiStaso, McCorkindale and Wright, 2011). On the other hand, employer has
liabilities to provide healthy or friendly working environment so that workforce will feel
secured. Also, they are responsible for following all legal laws such as Equity Pay Act. In
order to achieve their target, management should take corrective actions by which
employees will get motivation and can work according to the standards. All these
conditions will help in maintaining healthy relations among employees and employers.
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 Trade union- It is formed for protecting the rights of workers which is done by
following ways-
◦ Collective bargaining- Traditionally, employer has the right to set terms and
conditions of work and pay but in the present scenario, employees can express their
views with the help of trade union (Edmans, 2011).
◦ Unfair practices- Trade association evaluates the unfair activities of employer so that
it can protect employees from the same.
 Government- Government plays an important role in industrial relation. It has made
many legal laws which have main motto to protect the rights of employees as well as of
employers. If at workplace, there arises any conflicts between management and unions
then in this situation, they generally depend on the government so that it can resolve
critical situation in an effective manner.
TASK 2
2.1 Procedure for dealing with different conflicts situation
In an organisation, there are many types of conflicts that affects the business operation in
negative manner. There are several types of approaches by which The Nursery Baby Bear
company can dissolve critical situation in an effective and efficient manner. Firstly, management
can remove this condition by doing direct conversation with other disputed parties. If with the
help of this mechanism, dispute does not sought out then it can take help of third parties which
will be an independent person. In this company, collective dispute arises because of improper
allocation of resources.
Conflicts can be arise among employees, between supervisor and subordinates or
manpower and external stakeholders such as customers, suppliers etc. Management of conflicts
is not an easy task, for dissolving these issues, organisation should have competency and ability
so that it can maintain positive working environment (Edwards, 2011). The Nursery Baby bear
company follows the following procedure for dealing with this problems-
 Firstly, management should understand the main reason of conflicts so that it can take
corrective action accordingly.
 After identifying the causes, it should match individual objectives with organisational
target that will increase coordination among the member of the company.
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 It should decide the way by which disputes can be dissolved which can be done by proper
listening, communication etc. The best way of solving this problems is to conduct
brainstorming by which company can know about the solution of that specific issue
(Ferner, Edwards and Tempel, 2012).
 After completion of discussion, enterprise should select the best way that should be
decided mutually by both aggrieved parties. Management should select that way which
will provide benefit to both aggrieved parties.
 At last, selected way should be written down on contract paper.
Above mentioned procedure is very helpful in resolving collective dispute in an effective
and efficient manner and also increase the capability of the company.
2.2 Features of employee relations in collective dispute situation
Collective dispute can be arise when firm is not allocating available resources in proper
and accurate manner to various departments. This dispute affects the working environment of the
Nurser Baby Bear company in negative manner and will also decrease the sales and profit of the
enterprise. There are many features of conflict situation which are given as below-
 Dissatisfaction- When employees of company will be dissatisfied from their job then it
will create high dissatisfaction level. Workforce will not get satisfaction when top
management will not delegate authority and responsibilities properly. This condition will
influence the employees relation in negative manner. For removing this critical situation,
top authority should use proper communication channel by which workers can express
their views, thoughts and feelings.
 Unfair treatment- When superior of the company is doing discrimination among
employees on the basis of designation, religion, caste etc. then it will create disputes
among parties.
 Poor communication- When supervisor will not communicate with their subordinate
then it will create gap of understanding between employer and employees. It is the
biggest cause of dispute (Guest, 2011).
 No proper relationship between male and female workforce- This collective dispute
condition directly affects the relation of male and female member of the company. In
given situation, they avoids each other and do not want to work in a team which may
result that firm will not be able to achieve the desired result or target.
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 Training- If proper training is not given to the man power then it will also craete critical
situation for the company. So for ignoring this condition, company should provide proper
training to its employees so that they can work accordingly and can contribute in the
success of the organisation (Kalleberg, 2013).
 Grievances- If problems of employees will not be dissolved as soon as possible then it
will create negative situation in the company. If working environment will not be good
then workforce will be demotivated and will not work as per decided standards.
2.3 Effectiveness of procedure that are used for dealing issues
Top authority of The Nursery Baby Bear has liabilities to deal with this critical situation
so that firm can carry out their business activities smoothly and effectively. However, for
handling this negative situation, superiors can take the help of dispute handling procedure which
will provide a place for discussion between aggrieved parties (Sadikoglu and Zehir, 2010).
Formal procedure will be more effective when there is any sensitive case. For example-
When any dispute is increasing the cost of organisation then in this situation, firm can use this
procedure.
For successful implementation of selected way for resolving issues, company should
adopt proper communication channel so that every member can understand his/her roles and
responsibilities.
There are many approaches that can be used by The Nursery Baby Bear for dealing with
critical situation which are given as below-
 Arbitration- In this, a third party is selected who will listen to aggrieved parties and will
take decision that will help in solving the negative situation. It provides a place where
both parties can communicate with each other and get agree to a solution.
 Conflict management- It is a process by which cognitive barriers can be removed easily.
The management concentrates on structure, process or both. It adopts that procedure by
which these issues can be resolved easily and effectively (Turkyilmaz and et. al., 2011).
 Provide freedom- At the time of discussion, supervisor should give right to its
subordinates to speak up so that they can express their views, thoughts, etc. and can ask
anything easily.
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 Informal procedure can also be effective for dealing with any critical situation because
through this process, management can interact with their colleagues easily which will
assist in knowing about the real problem (Underhill and Quinlan, 2011).
This process is very helpful in dealing with critical issues such as collective dispute
situation that is occurred due to misunderstanding between management and employees and by
adopting the above mentioned approaches, company can operate their business in an effective
and efficient manner.
TASK 3
3.1 Role of negotiation in collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process by which employer and trade union negotiate with each
other related to salary, working environment and other terms and conditions of employment. It
has main objective to handle critical situation which affects the company in a negative manner.
Negotiation includes the set of activities in which involved parties try to convince each
other and reach to a solution that provides support in reducing disputes from the work place. It
plays an important role in collective bargaining in the following manner- Increased quality of work- In Nursery Baby Bear company, employees represent their
issues or problems in front of employer with the help of trade union that negotiates with
the top management of company and reaches to the best possible solution which assists in
reducing disputes at the workplace. If issues of workers will be resolved as soon as
possible then they will give their best for the completion of project.
 Improved effectiveness- With the help of collective bargaining, employer discusses about
the issues that are being faced by its subordinates and after the same, management can
reach to a solution with the help of employees. It motivates the workers for doing work in
an effective and efficient manner that help company in attaining the desired results or
outcomes (Van De Voorde, Paauwe and Van Veldhoven, 2012).
 Negotiation process is a support system because in this, both employer and employee
interacts with each other. They discuss about the working practices or other terms and
conditions related to the job and reach out to the best possible result that assists in
increasing the efficiency of workforce (Walby, 2013).
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 Better communication- With the help of collective bargaining process, management can
easily communicate with their subordinates and can also implement new changes in the
entire system effectively and efficiently.
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that collective bargaining process plays
an important role in the success of company because it is helpful in motivating employees that
makes them work as per specified standards which drive firm on the way of success.
3.2 Impact of negotiation strategy
Negotiation strategy is a pre-planned approach which provides support in getting the
specified results. This tactic assists in dealing with the critical situation like collective dispute
that are occurred inside the company. This strategy may have positive as well as negative effects
on that parties involved in conflict situation. This scheme affects business operations in the
following manner-
 It is helpful in satisfying needs of employees and find out the best solution for specific
problems of manpower.
 It controls the conflicts effectively and efficiently that assist in carrying out business
operations smoothly.
 Nursing Baby Bear's negotiation strategy provides support in maintaining proper
coordination among various activities of members of company that contribute in the
success of firm.
 With the help of this tactic, organisation can find out the best possible solution which
improves the performance of employees and also, creates a better working environment.
For getting the desired results, The Nursing Baby Bear can adopt following strategies-
 Competing strategies- In current scenario, there are high competition in the market and
so, in this situation, company should adopt competing strategies by which it can attain
competitive advantages over its competitors. With the help of this tactic, organisation can
analyse its rivals' strengths, policies, etc. by which enterprise can adjust itself
accordingly.
 Accommodative strategies- This tactic can be used by Nursing Baby Bear when any
problem is directly affecting the performance of company to a large extent. This
framework is very helpful at the time when firm is facing any financial crisis. It provides
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many offers or incentives to the employees so that they will remain in company for a long
period of time and can carry out business activities effectually.
 Avoiding strategies- When employers and employees both want to avoid any critical
situation then in this case, they use this approach (Wilkinson and Fay, 2011).
TASK 4
4.1 Influence of the EU on industrial democracy in the UK
Industrial democracy concept represents the ideology of employers and employees of
Nursing Baby Bear Company. In this situation, management and workers both have right to take
decision and acquiring some authority for regulating the business activities so that operations of
company can be carried out in a smooth manner.
Mostly, European companies are following industrial democracy rather than employees
relationship. But, EU is providing support in increasing this situation [democracy] in the entire
European countries.
Mostly, European companies are near about to reach to the perfect democracy situation as
well as industrial relation. After introducing this system, workforce of these countries is assumed
to be an important stakeholder of the organization. So, from the above discussion, it can be
concluded that European Union is enhancing the involvement of employees. Mostly, they can
take part in all the activities of firm (Employee Relations, 2016).
Every country has different cultures that directly influence the industrial democracy of
UK. European Union has passed many laws and legislation that affects the business operations of
Nursery Baby Bear Company. For example- according to this system, every employee should be
involved in important decision making process because it will motivate the manpower to work
well. If this structure will be applied by company then surely, it will increase the quality of work
done by employees.
Due to influence of EU, there can be seen a new concept in organisation which is partner
based relationship that motivates the manpower to raise their voice in terms of decision making,
sharing authority and responsibilities.
4.2 Comparing method to gain employee participation in decision making process
Employee participation is an important element for company because it assists in
achieving the desired results within specific period of time. There are many methods which can
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be used by Nursing Baby Bear for gaining more involvement of manpower which are given as
below-
 Consultation method- With the help of this technique, organisation can develop various
types of strategies which will help in creating a better working environment. As per this
concept, employees can participate in important decision making process and can give
their opinions or thoughts. It is just considered as an informal process of employee’s
participation.
In this concept, employees also take part in important decision making process If that
idea is best for the welfare of the company then top management will implement that opinion in
that particular area of the firm.
 Suggestion scheme- This concept is used when organisation wants to get new ideas from
the workers for improving their working environment. With the help of this framework,
enterprise tries to set new standards and procedures by which project can be completed in
effectually within specific period of time (Steps to Conflict Resolution in the Workplace,
2017).
These above mentioned methods provide many benefits to company such as with the help
of this, organisation can get new or innovative ideas from the employees that will help in
attaining competitive advantages over its rivals. It also increases the effectiveness and efficiency
of company which highly contributes in its success.
4.3 Impact of HRM on employee relations
Human resource management is important because it assists in achieving specified target.
Today, companies all around the world are focusing on manpower to boost their own efficiency
and productivity. Nursery 'Baby Bear' has identified various factors which put negative as well as
positive impact on its employees. This is the reason; company is focusing on developing a strong
and influential human resource department (DiStaso, McCorkindale and Wright, 2011). HR
manager in company will assist other departments in developing a healthy and potent
relationship.
In the current era, companies need to identify all issues which have direct or indirect
impact on employee and management relationship to ensure proper implementation of rules and
regulations as well as strategies which will enhance their performance and productivity. The HR
department has high level of impact on employee’s relations:
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 Maintains motivation levels: HR department ensures that its rules and regulations are at
par with the employee requirements so that their motivation level will be maintained. It
also provides them different types of growth opportunities which keep them interested in
the job.
 Ensures high level of productivity: When employees are motivated, they tend to
perform well for the organisation. The managers are also motivated by HR manager to
collaborate with employees and set goals accordingly (Parzefall and Salin, 2010).
 Reduces Communication Gap: There is no gap in between the line managers and
employees as HR managers help in creating channels which keep communication flow
smooth and effective.
 Removes confusion regarding hierarchy and strategy: The HR manager uses different
methods to enlighten employees about possible changes which will be taking place in
company.
 Lowers employee turnover: Employees are able to register their grievance and it is
sorted out by the HR department which reduces their overall turnover from company.
Reduction in number of employees leaving company boost their motivation level and
productivity as well (Batt and Colvin, 2011).
 Improves employee satisfaction: Employees are satisfied when all their requirements
are met in a proper manner. When their grievance and other issues are sorted out within
specified time, they feel motivated and show better performance.
HRM helps the organisation in keeping all its employees motivated and provide direction
to them. It tries to remove any confusion that exist in their mind and ensure that all their issues
are sorted within a stipulated time period. Today, it is important to have proper HRM department
which provides support to all other departments by managing human resources effectually.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from the above report that to maintain healthy employee’s relation is
very important for a company. If supervisor will have healthy or better relation with their
subordinates then they will drive company in the right direction. Maintaining positive relations
have many benefits such as low cost to company, increasing efficiency and effectiveness of the
entire firm, project can be completed within specific period of time, etc. by which enterprise will
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be able to achieve its desired results or outcomes. From the above report, it can be concluded that
there are many approaches by which firm can handle any critical situation like unitary as well as
pluralistic approach. It has been assessed that there are many parties who assist in maintaining
better relation and coordination among the members of company such as employers, employees
and government who play an important role in maintaining a proper environment at workplace.
Also, it can be said that in global environment, trade union also plays an important role because
it protects the rights of workers as well as concentrate on abolishing child labour from the
workplace. Along with that, company follows a procedure by which it can handle conflicts
effectually.
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REFERENCES
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Wilkinson, A., and Fay, C., 2011. New times for employee voice?. Human Resource
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Online
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6 Steps to Conflict Resolution in the Workplace. 2017. [Online]. Available through:
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workplace/>. [Accessed on 4th July 2017
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