Employee Relations: The UK versus Singapore Perspective

The strength of the relationships between the various employees at the workplace and the management to the extent that the various employees feel extremely comfortable working for the company is known as employee relations. The main objective of the provided essay is to examine and evaluate the employee relations strategies used in Singapore and the United Kingdom. Since these nations serve as the headquarters for numerous global corporations, it is their duty to make sure that they can successfully serve as good role models for the employers in other nations.  

Running head: ESSAY
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Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Essay Topic: Compare and contrast the UK and Singapore’s different approaches to employee
relations, and consider the arguments for and against each.
Introduction
Employee relations is defined as the strength of the relationship between the different
employees at the workplace and the management to the extent the different employees feel very
comfortable when working for the firm (Wilton 2016). The primary aim of the given essay is to
compare and contrast the employee relations approach in the countries of the United Kingdom
and Singapore. These countries are the headquarters of various multinational organisations and
therefore responsible for ensuring that they are successfully able to set the right kind of an
example for the employers of the different countries. The essay will follow a structured format
whereby the concept of Employee relations will be explained which will then be supported by
the respective approaches in the United Kingdom and Singapore. The arguments for and against
each country will be considered before a statement is made.
Discussion
Employee relations
The Human resource management function is considered to be an essential aspect of the
organisation and the different managers as present in the organisation are required to understand
that to ensure the long-term growth of the firm, they are required to be long-term sustainable
relations with the different employees (Wilton 2016). Employee relations is considered to be a
crucial part of the organization with respect to which it is essential for the firm to engage in
successful employee relations for the different employees and ensure that the communications
between the employees and the senior management, is taking place adequately and that the

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employee loyalty towards the organization is considerably high (Beardwell and Thompson
2017). Moreover, in case there takes place any issues then the Employee Relations designs
corrective actions, planning, disciplinary actions as well as procedures to deal with the same. In
this aspect, it can be stated that it needs to be the ulterior motive of the different employers and
managers to ensure that they can build consistent relationships with the various employees for
their good (Boon et al. 2018). The employee relations has a large number of benefits for the
welfare of the organization thereby assisting the managers by providing them with advice in
regard to the employment issues, it supports in consultation, increases the overall productivity of
the firm, facilitates dialogue with respect to the employee and employer issues and lastly,
Employee relations also helps to save the considerable costs as incurred by the firm at large
(Williams 2017).
Employee relations in Singapore
Singapore has proven itself as a significant country whereby various multinational firms
have their headquarters. In addition to this, there are numerous domestic businesses as well
which have been developed for the welfare of general society at large. About this, it can be stated
that there are a large number of employees as present in Singapore and concerning this, the
organisations as present in Singapore can be reported to have a slightly positive approach
towards the different aspects of employee relations (Brewster et al. 2016). The different
workforce challenges as present in Singapore are very similar to that of the other countries, and
hence, the different organisations in Singapore are required to ensure that they can hire people of
various capabilities and calibre so that they can assist in the promotion of the economy.
According to Bailey et al. (2018), one third of the employees as present in Singapore belongs to
the foreign talent and hence, due to international rules and litigations it becomes more critical for

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the firm to ensure that it is successfully able to engage in relations which will be fruitful for them
in the long run. The government of Singapore can be described to be quite considerate about the
state of the Human resource affairs, and it is for this reason, that they make considerable
investments for the firm at large. The government is highly concerned with the crucial skills
which the different employees possess.
Moreover, as agreed by Bratton and Gold (2017), the various organisations in Singapore,
often seek to ensure that they are successfully able to engage in successful employee relations
with the different employees by participating in the following practices:
Employee engagement: The different organizations as present in Singapore, ensure that
although the various structures of the organization are hierarchical in nature, the employees are
made to feel a part of the organization and are given autonomy in the sense that they are allowed
to communicate freely with the higher authorities and thereby ensure considerable success for
the overall welfare for the firm (Bingham 2016). For instance, the different employees are asked
for their views on the general product line of the firms (Von Bonsdorff et al. 2018).
Maintaining transparency: In addition to this, the different firms also try to support
transparency at the workplace which shall then ensure that the employees trust the operations of
the firm which then help in building long-term relationships. For instance, Brewster et al. (2016),
states that there are newsletters which are distributed regularly.
Lack of Favoritism: The managers as employed in the Singapore organisations also
ensure that they do not engage in any acts of favouritism which will then lead to a sense of
distrust among the employees along with a lack of morale (Brueller, Carmeli and Markman
2018). According to Tung (2016), this lack of morale will then have an overall impact on the

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organisation which needs to be avoided and the firm needs to ensure that by not engaging in any
Favoritism the firm can meet the overall goals of the firm. For instance, the supervisor favours a
junior employee who is a relative, may cause a rift among the members.
Laws and regulation: Singapore has a set of requirements for the overall welfare of the
economy. These regulations compile of various regulations like the Employment Act, and then
there exists various legislations like the Tripartite Standard on Flexible Work Arrangements, the
Tripartite Standard on Age-Friendly Workplace Practices, the Tripartite Standard on Contracting
with Self-Employed Persons and the Tripartite Standard on Grievance Handling (Marchington et
al. 2016).
Mechanisms to solve the procedures: In addition to this, Singapore has a set of
procedural devices which go a long way in helping the different managers and the employees to
solve the various conflicts and negotiations which take place to ensure that the different issues
are not allowed to escalate. For instance, disputes relating to salary is resolved concerning
negotiation (Meijerink et al. 2018).
Hence, it can be stated that the approach of Singapore towards employee relations is very
positive.
Employee relations in the UK
Collings, Wood and Szamosi (2018) state that since the beginning of the industrial
revolution, the United Kingdom has been a hub of employment and large multinational
organisations. In the United Kingdom, there has been a failure to adopt the right kind of
employment system as they rely more on digital forms than qualitative. The different firms in the
United Kingdom have a strategic approach to human resource management and do consider it to

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be an essential aspect concerning the growth of the company. According to Knies et al. (2017),
the culture in the UK is more inclined towards individualism and social responsibility. This
means that the different practices which take place are more inclined towards the performance of
the employees.
Moreover, in the same manner, the United Kingdom companies put more focus on the
employee feedback and performance techniques. Kaufman, Beaumont and Helfgott (2016) have
stated that this means that they run on a system which relies heavily believes that the relationship
which the employees share with their employers is based on their performance and their input in
the form of feedback which they provide to the firm. In addition to this, the firm`s in the United
Kingdom believe that they are required to ensure that they use the feedback system to keep the
different employees motivated and instigated them to become an excellent resource for the firm
(Williams 2014). The firms also believe that the various organisations need to have strong
employee relations with the firm and concerning this, they often engage in job enrichment, cross-
training and education and development with the employees which then builds the trust among
the different individuals in the firm (Guest 2017). According to Kaufman, Beaumont and
Helfgott (2016), the various firms in the United Kingdom believe that the beginning of the
recruitment process needs to be quite sorted which will then help a firm in deciding the future
course of action. Hence, this is the reason why the different companies in the United Kingdom
spend a fortune on the recruitment procedure so that they hire the best staff and face no problems
in the future. The various practices which were followed by multiple companies in the United
Kingdom are as follows.
They engage in employee motivation to ensure that they are successfully able to see to it
that the different tasks as involved in the firm are carried out easily (Marchington et al. 2016).

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Moreover, employee motivation is believed to increase productivity in the workplace which can
then help the firm in ensuring an overall success mechanism.
They provide training to the different employees: Instead of improving the different
employee relations, various training and education mechanisms are used by the senior
management of the firm which will then assist in ensuring that the employees feel valued and can
ace their career. Jaskova (2017) argues that this builds a positive image of the firm in the eyes of
the employees which thereby improves loyalty.
They engage in an overall feedback technique. By participating in a feedback mechanism,
the different members of the organisation can ensure that they allow the employees to perform
well and that helps them in functioning concerning the operations of the firm and this mechanism
assists the organisation in marching towards success.
According to Heery (2016), they also make use the monitory technique of bonuses.
General in the United Kingdom, the monetary methods of motivation is used whereby the
employees are provided with gifts which allow them to work harder. There are various laws as
well as the Welfare Reform Act 2012 which is primarily concerned with the building of the
employee relations of the firm the government in the United Kingdom is also quite particular
about it.
Discussion for and against the approach of each country
Hence, after the analysis and as stated by Von Bonsdorff et al. (2018), the employee
relations is taken to be a severe topic of concern for both the countries Singapore and the United
Kingdom as well. These countries are the international trade hubs, and due to this, they employ a
large number of people as well. Hence, to set an example, it is crucial that these companies

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perform considerably well and are easily able to treat their employees in a manner which
promotes growth and prosperity. According to Jaskova (2017), the fundamental essence of
employee relations is the same in both countries; however, Singapore, on the whole, follows a
somewhat active approach. They believe that the employees are considered to be a crucial part of
the organisation and concerning this, they are required to ensure that they take considerable
measures to make the employees feel valued. They have a pro approach which comprises of
negotiations as well as conflicts which then helps in easily limiting the issues and not allowing
any escalations which take place in the workplace. They value the different foreign employees
who work for the firm and take considerable measures to ensure that they are successfully able to
build a long-term relationship with the employees.
On the other hand, Williams (2017) states that the approach which the United Kingdom
follows concerning the employee relations is although considered to be reasonably accurate but
is considered to be quite not active. The different companies in the United Kingdom are
bureaucratic in no small extent, and this is what makes the situation a bit poor than Singapore.
According to Wilton (2016) although in favour of the United Kingdom it can be stated that the
approach of the Government towards the employees is quite active and tends to have a profound
impact on the companies but these laws are not this profound when considering the case of
Singapore. Both companies are required to undertake considerable measures to ensure success
(Chelladurai and Kerwin 2017).
Conclusion
Therefore, from the given analysis as done in the essay in regard to the approach towards
employee relations in the United Kingdom and in Singapore, it can be stated that both the
countries can be reported to have a positive attitude towards employee relations and have taken

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considerable steps to ensure that they can handle the different relations with the employees
soundly and that build a long-term relationship with them. The essay threw light on the concept
of employee relations which was then followed by the approach of the theory in Singapore and
UK. The last section of the essay examines the arguments for and against each country.

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References
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