Managing Employee Relationships in Woolworths: Communication Issues during Remote Working

This report discusses the communication issues faced by employees during remote working in Woolworths, and how it affects the contemporary workplace. It also describes the impact on employees, management, internal policies and procedures, and how external HRM issues and legal considerations affect the issue. The report includes a script dialogue of a meeting held to discuss the issue.

Managing Employee
Relationships

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
Main Body ......................................................................................................................................4
Introduce issue by providing some background information.................................................4
Explain why issue is putting pressure on contemporary workplaces. Include how this manifest
in a change in employment relations......................................................................................5
Describe how the issue affects: employees, management, internal policies and procedures.6
Explain how the issue may be affected by external HRM issues and policy and legal
considerations.........................................................................................................................7
Introduce the context of the meeting......................................................................................7
Script Dialogue................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................9
REFERENCE.................................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Employee relation is defined as the relationship between employees and employer in an
organisation. It is the process that manages relationship between business with its co-workers
(Bailey, Mankin, and Garavan, 2018). Organisation put various efforts for creating and
maintaining positive relationship with its employees. Through maintaining positive and
constructive employee relation, organisation able to keep employee loyal and engaged in work.
In this report chosen organisation is Woolworths that is an Australian chain of supermarket and
grocery stores owned by the Woolworths Group. Respective organisation is founded in 1924 and
its headquarter situated in New South Wales, Australia. Woolworths specialised in groceries,
health and beauty as well as household products and various other. This report covers issue such
as communication problem during remote working in organisation and how this issue put
pressure on contemporary workplace. Furthermore, impact of communication issue on employee,
management and internal business policies. Along with that introduction regarding the context of
meeting and script dialogue between employee and employer are explained.
Main Body
Introduce issue by providing some background information
Workplace conflicts is defined as the sharp disagreement or opposite of interest and
ideas. As employees has right to be treated fairly and feel safe in the workplace. There are
various issues are faced by the employees in workplace that affect their overall performance and
efficiency. Communication problem during remote working also impacts performance and
functionality of employees. It can be easy for employees to misunderstand or misinterpret others
as well as this misunderstanding led to argument or tension in personal and professional
relationship. As there is no proper communication structure for remote workers in Woolworths
for communicating plans, policies and strategies to employees that create conflicts and these
conflicts can make the communication more challenging. There are number of factors that
creates communication challenge between two or more parties. Employees belong from different
backgrounds, lifestyle and have different communication so they find it difficult to understand
and interprets others and coordinate with them that creates communication issue in organisation.
Respective organisation does not conduct any type of meeting and do not have proper structure

of communication for remote workers who are performing form their homes that affect reduce
employees morale because management do not convey any information to employees (Brewster,
Mayrhofer, and Farndale, 2018). It creates problem for employees because they do not aware
about organisational policies, their job responsibilities that create confusion and directly impact
their working performance.
Explain why issue is putting pressure on contemporary workplaces. Include how this manifest in
a change in employment relations
As employee of Woolworths facing the communication problem during remote working
as per not having proper communication structure. Management of organisation do not
communicate with employees in terms of their roles, responsibilities and business policies that
affect their motivation level as well as impacts performance level of remote working employees.
Ineffective communication with employees who works from their home directly and indirectly
affect the organisational structure, cost, leadership and productivity. Due to improper
communication, employees are not involve in business operations that creates pressure on
contemporary workplace. Some impacts on contemporary workplace are mentioned below:
 Inefficient communication structure, improper delegation of roles and responsibility
among employees and unorganized flow of information during remote working creates
the environment of ambiguity, doubt and uncertainty. It enhances confusion among
employees that make them flustered and they leave the organisation.
 Lack of effective communication at workplace creates ineffective relationship between
employees and organisation's client that limits business abilities to build loyal customer.
 The issue related to communication creates the rigid environment for employees that
affect their performance because they do not know about their roles and responsibility.
 Due to inefficient communication regarding remote working organisation do not allocate
its resources in proper manner that directly impact productivity of overall business. The
communication issue also enhances workplace gossip that creates toxic work
environment due to declining the trust and morale of employees.
Ineffective communication during remote working impacts the employee relation because
it become frustrating for employees and enhance distrust and confusion. If management of
organisation do not communicate with employees then it creates conflicts among them as well as
restrict employees as well to provide innovative ideas that help business to perform efficiently.

Ineffective communication enhance misunderstanding between management and employees who
are working from home so they feel defeated (Halpin, and Smith, 2017). The issue of improper
communication in remote working impacts the employee relation with management that directly
impact their performance and functionality level. It creates pressure on contemporary workplace
and affect organisational productivity and profitability level.
Describe how the issue affects: employees, management, internal policies and procedures
The issue of ineffective communication affects the employees, management and internal
policies as well as procedure of Woolworths. These impacts are mentioned below:
Impact on employees: The issue related to communication problem during remote
working affect employee's performance and efficiency. It enhances workplace tension, resulting
the potential conflicts are raised between employees. If management of organisation do not
communicate major business policies and employee's roles and responsibility that lead
employees towards taking wrong assumptions and do not perform their task with efficiency.
Impact on management: Due to lack of effective communication during remote working
in organisation, management unable to take decisions properly. As management department of
organisation is responsible for taking decision and managing whole work with the objective of
attaining the determined goals and responsibilities (Williams, 2020). Due to improper
communication, management do not able to allocate resources, roles and responsibility at all
hierarchical department of organisation. Managers do not communicate to employees frequently
and do not measure their work because they perform their operations from home.
Impact on internal policies and procedure: Woolworths faces the problem regarding
communication in remote working that directly impact on business internal policies and
procedure. In the process of policy formulation, it is required to collect information from all
department and for their implementation these policies are communicate to employees (Kelvin-
Iloafu, 2018). Due to improper communication management department of organisation not able
to convey the core concept of policies that affect the overall efficiency and effectiveness of
policies.
Explain how the issue may be affected by external HRM issues and policy and legal
considerations
Woolworths organisation faces the issue related to communication that affect overall
business performance and employee engagement. The issues of communication also getting

affected by the different external HRM issues and legal considerations. There are various HRM
issues are faced by the organisation such as engaging the work force, managing relationship,
telnet retention and legal considerations such as employee labour rights, confidentiality and
others (Kim, and Bae, 2017). Along with that there are various HRM policies such as
transformation and promotion policy, training and development policies, working condition and
welfare policies. All these factors collectively impact the issues that are faced by the
organisation. If organisation follow all legal consideration and implement effective HRM
policies that it enables business to maintain effective communication at all hierarchical
department of organisation that enhance employee engagement and satisfaction level (Wilkinson,
and Dundon, 2021) Woolworths analyses all these factors then takes effective actions to develop
effective communication structure that convey related information to employees in efficient
manner so they perform their operations with effectiveness. There are various external HRM
issues such as political and legal, professional association, technological and economic factors
that impacts the communication of business in remote working. It is important for organisation to
consider these issues and their impact on business communication.
TASK 2
Introduce the context of the meeting
Woolworths organisation faces the issue related to communication during the remote
working. So, organisation decides to conduct official meeting to discuss the communication issue
as it impacts organisational as well as employee’s performance and efficiency. The main purpose
of this meeting is to find out the root cause of this problem and find out appropriate solution that
enable business to attain determined operations in best possible manner (Townsend, McDonald,
and Cathcart, 2017). In this meeting various members are included such as director, manager,
general manager of all departments, team leaders and employees. The ultimate objective of this
meeting is to maintain effective communication structure for remote working that improve
employee’s engagement and satisfaction from organisation and improve their retention rate. All
these department heads and employees communicate with each other to understand the issue and
take suitable actions to resolve this issue. There is three to four employees are present in
meeting for the purpose of representing their views, opinions and perspectives (Warner, and Zhu,
2018). Management department heads asked questions to employees regarding the problems that

are faced by them during remote working and employees also clearly state the problem as well as
provide solutions to resolving the issue. It enables them to perform their defined operations with
efficiency and effectiveness.
Script Dialogue
Script Dialogue
Employee: “Good Morning, Sir.”
Manager: “Good Morning, have a seat!”
Employee: “Thank You, Sir!”
Manager: “Shall we start meeting?”
Employee: “Most Likely, Sir!”
Manager: “Alright. So, according to you, how is your working experience in organisation?”
Employee: “Sir, working with this organisation is very fruitful for me because it enhances my
skill, capabilities and improves overall experience. I have learnt various things that help me to
attain personal and professional objectives with great efficiency.”
Manager: “What is the issue that is faced by employees?”
Employee: “There is communication issue that is faced by us during the remote working that
impact our performance and functionality in negative manner. There is no proper communication
structure to convey the roles and responsibility and working procedure properly during remote
working. Due to the lack of proper command and instructions form the team leader, we are not
able to perform defined work with efficiency and effectiveness.”
Manager: “How this issue impacts the performance level?”
Employee: “Communication in remote working is the biggest issue that are faced by us that
affect our performance in negative manner. We do not get work related information and
necessary data on time that enable us to perform determined task with efficient manner. Along
with that, security, lack of face-to-face connection and collaboration that reduce productivity
level. In remote working, we do not have liberty to communicate to managers so, we have to
follow long chain to communicate.”
Manager: “What are the possible solution to resolve this issue according to your perspective?”
Employee: “As per my opinion, it is important for implemented effective communication tool
during remote working that enable us to gain important information and strategies. It is necessary
to implement two-way communication in which management can convey strategies to employees
and we can also provide feedback to management related to working performance and issues that

are faced by us during remote working. ”
Manager: “Do you think structured verbal communication should be used in the organisation? If
so, Why?”
Employee: “According to me structured verbal communication is best technique which can be
used by organisation to communicate with different employees. Structured communication
enables employees to perform defined operations with efficiency because they have clear
directions related to their roles and responsibilities.”
Manager: “How the implementation of structured and clear communication impact your
working performance?”
Employees: “Yes, proper implementation of communication improves our working performance
because management communicates all roles and responsibilities properly that enables us to
perform defined operations in proper manner even in remote working. We keep in touch with
management and communicate problems as well as issues directly. Management also solve
employees complaints that maintains effective relationship between employees and managent. ”
Manager: “Do you like to communicate using information and technology or traditional
methods?”
Employee: “I prefer to choose information and technology based communication as it is most
appropriate method to develop a focused approach.”
Manager: “All these suggestions are good. Along with the, we can also conduct one-to-one or
group meeting for communicating roles and responsibility that helps you to perform determined
operations with efficiency and effectiveness.”
Manager: “Alright, you may leave. Thank you so much!”
Employee: “Thank you for your time. I’m hoping to hear from you soon!”
CONCLUSION
As per above report, it can be concluded that employee relation helps business to improve
performance level and retain skilled, experienced and talented employees for longer period of
time. Business faces various employee issues that impacts overall organisational performance.
Organisation conduct proper meeting and conferences for resolving the issue that lead business
in the direction to attain goals and objectives with efficiency.

REFERENCE
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