Challenges of Managing Employment Relationship in COVID-19 Pandemic

This presentation discusses the challenges faced by organizations in managing the employment relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. It covers topics such as cost optimization, work from home policy, team conflicts, adequate safety at the workplace, and managing equality. The presentation also provides recommendations to deal with these challenges. The subject is BSC (Hons) Business Management, course code BMP6005 Work and the Employment Relationship.

BSC (Hons) Business Management
(Top-up)
BMP6005 Work and the Employment
Relationship

Assessment 2: Individual Presentation
Practical and legal challenges that organisations
experience in managing the employment
relationship
Name:
ID:

Contents
• Introduction
• Practical and Legal challenges in employment
relationship
• Recommendations to a set of employment relations issues
• Conclusion
• References

Introduction
Employee relation is defined as such efforts which are exerted by the organisation in order to maintain
positive relationship with employees so that appropriate surroundings can be given to employee. The
major role of employee relationship is related with gaining employee inclination and positivity towards
business processes so that organisational aims and objectives can be attained (Countouris, 2016).

Practical And Legal Challenges In Employment
Relationship
In the pandemic of COVID-19 the major issues faced by an organisation is related with managing
employee relations as due to global issues effects are seen over the workplace. There are various
challenges which are being faced by the organisation and these are related with managing employment
relations as without the employees no function can be executed within the organisation (DeCenzo,
Robbins and Verhulst, 2016). Some of the challenges are elaborated as under:

Continue…
Cost optimisation: The major challenge within the time of COVID was related with cost
optimisation as due to minimum sales and profits organisation had to cut down salaries of their
employee which created consequences in managing employee relations. Reduction is salary is the
major strategy adopted by the organisation and this is one of the proactive measures (Ferraro and
Marrone, 2016).

Continue…
Work from home policy: The implication of COVID has given various different measurements to
the world and the foremost is emerged culture of working from home. The organisation those are
providing work from home policies are facing issues in interacting with their employees as this is a
challenging task to manage such workforce out of office premises (Guest, 2017).

Continue…
Team conflicts: In every organisation, there are numerous teams by which whole the working is
being controlled. In every team authority for decision making is different and this may create team
conflicts. Due to team conflicts employee productivity can be decreased and this manner direct
negative impact can be seen over their efficiency (Kowalski and Loretto, 2017).

Continue…
Adequate safety at workplace: Post COVID the major focus of organisation is related with taking
preventive measures so that employee may work within positive and safe environment. This is the
situation when employee feel safe regarding their place of work so that to give their fuller
contribution in organisational success (Latorre and et. al., 2016).

Continue…
Managing equality: Managing equality is regarded as one of the major challenge within workforce
as this is related with changing perception of people which is a quite tough job. In order to manage
equality the organisation is required to adopt various laws and its enforcement within the workplace
(Rancan, 2017).

Recommendations To A Set Of Employment
Relations Issues
In order to manage the issue of cost optimization the organisation is required to develop skills and
capabilities of their employees so that they can work with optimised level and acquire business
success as well. Optimised staff is the key for managing the employees and their skills in such a way
that they can work in contingencies as well and render their fuller strength to the business (Sobral,
Chambel and Castanheira, 2019).

Continue…
For dealing with the challenge of work from home this is required to be assured by the organisation
that they provide ample amenities to their staff so that employee may feel happy to work within
work from home aspect. In order to develop such proceedings at home this is responsibility of the
organisation that to provide some stress relieving activities to their workforce so that employee may
develop their productivity and work life balance as well. Most employers are still uncertain whether
to continue remote work because the blockade restrictions have been lifted in their area, but the fact
is that remote work is a new common sense. For years to come, the business revolution will have a
major impact on organisations and workplaces (Strolka, 2019).

Continue…
Applying conflict management could also be the significant solution to challenges of workplace
management within employees. Conflicts play major role in demoralising an employee towards not
performing with apt efficiency and involvement. When facilitating a challenging discussion,
managers are required to avoid such aspect which they think only they know. It also allows the
understanding of another person to go beyond levels so that they cannot give leverage to
misunderstand within open communication (Valcour and Batt, 2018). This would be helping the
leader or the manager to leave arguments which makes no sense and helps employee to promote their
growth opportunities. Under this employee engagement could also be the significant step which can
be taken by employees and at the same time this would positively lead the organisation to settle
down their employees in appropriate manner

Continue…
For the purpose to deal with workplace equality organisation are required to work right from their
hiring process. Under this the business practices are required to be instigated within employees so
that they understand the value of equality within workplace. In the current time managing equality
and diversity at workplace is the essential measure which is demanded to be followed as this is
associated with global standards and would be helpful for the organisation to acquire success.
Communication is the key to success so with the help of developing strong and effective
communication this would be easier for the organisation to involve employees in decision making
and use their opinion within business prominent decisions (Caligiuri and et. al., 2020).

Continue…
• Two way communication is also a recommendation which can be adopted by Marks & Spencer so
that to manage their employees and this will help employees to share their thoughts and ideas
within the business so that aspects of innovation can be added to the business and new trends can
also be adopted (Clark, 2017).

Conclusion/Summary
Employee relations refer to an organisation's efforts to create and maintain a positive relationship
with its employees. By maintaining positive and constructive relationships with employees,
organisations hope to keep employees more loyal and engaged with their jobs. Typically, an
organisation's human resources department manages employee relations efforts; however, some
organisations may have a dedicated employee relationship manager role.

Reference List
• Asrar-ul-Haq, M. and Anwar, S., 2016. A systematic review of knowledge management and knowledge
sharing: Trends, issues, and challenges. Cogent Business & Management, 3(1), p.1127744.
• Audenaert, M., Vanderstraeten, A. and Buyens, D., 2017. When affective well-being is empowered: The joint
role of leader-member exchange and the employment relationship. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 28(15), pp.2208-2227.
• Caligiuri and et. al., 2020. International HRM insights for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications
for future research and practice. Journal of international business studies, 51, pp.697-713.
• Clark, K.R., 2017. Managing multiple generations in the workplace. Radiologic technology, 88(4), pp.379-
396.
• Collings, D.G., Wood, G.T. and Szamosi, L.T., 2018. Human resource management

Questions?

Thank You