Work and the Employment Relationship

This report explores the value and importance of employee relations, fundamentals of employment law, types of rights and duties of employers and employees, and the impact of positive and negative employee relations on conflict avoidance and resolution. It focuses on the case of Marks and Spencer, a global retailer, and provides insights into the roles and responsibilities of major stakeholders in influencing employment relationships.

Work and the
Employment
Relationship

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Part1........................................................................................................................................3
Part 2.......................................................................................................................................4
Part 3.......................................................................................................................................6
Part 4.......................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCE.................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Employee relations are described as the relationship between workers and their employers in
a firm. This partnership is concerned with the physical, mental, contractual, and realistic
contributions made by the company to sustain a good relationship with the workers, which helps
build the employees' commitment to the organisation. A positive working relationship among
employees contributes to the organization's overall well-being and success. The human resources
department of a company is responsible for monitoring the relationship between both manager or
supervisor and the staff. Marks and Spencer is taken as base company. Marks and Spencer is a
global retailer that deals in clothing, home goods, and food. This company was founded in 1884
by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer and has its headquarters in London, UK. They serve
customers all over the world and have over 900 outlets in the UK. In this report, it covers the
employment relationship and the roles and responsibilities of major stakeholders in influencing
the employment relationships.
Part1
Value and importance of employee relations
The aim of the employee relations approach is to improve relationships with other
workers in the company. In context to Marks and Spencer, the importance of employee relations
is mentioned below:
Growth and development: In the case of M&S, the relationship between the company
and its workforce has an effect on the economy's growth. It is necessary for a business to
establish its relationship with its staff because it contributes to increased production and
productivity. The healthy relationship within them enables the project's completion without
requiring much commitment and also assures the production continuity.
Loyalty of employees: The culture within an organisation has a strong effect on
employee satisfaction (Park and Kim, 2020). Employees are seen as the valuable assets of an
organization commodity, and the company makes an effort to establish positive relationships
with them. The chosen company motivates and engages its workers so that they can do well and
remain committed to the organisation.
Employee retention: The chosen organisation encourages their workers to have a
constructive attitude toward them. Many staff does not have strong relationships with their

coworkers, which lead to workplace losses, which has an effect on the company's success. Marks
and Spencer makes an effort to build friendly relationships so that they do not have to hire new
candidates and spend time on recruitment (Abantao, 2017).
Employee engagement: Employee relations are vital because they allow for direct
conversation between all workers, which aids in the resolution of problems and the exchange of
ideas (Waghorn, King and Lockett, 2020). The improvement of employee-employer
relationships aids in the organization's success monitoring scheme, which aids workers in
receiving recognition.
Fundamentals of employment law
Employment laws are a system of laws that govern all of the privileges of workers in a
company. These regulations must be followed to manage the relationships between workers and
employers. In context to Marks and Spencer, the employment laws are mentioned below:
Section 230 of the Employment Rights Act 1996: The objective of this regulation is to
provide workers with basic job security. This act involves a range of laws, such as the wage law.
This law means that employers should be paid a living wage (Karabchuk and Soboleva, 2020).
And if the workers are unable to find jobs, the employer is required to pay their salaries.
Employees are entitled to paid holiday leave under this act start on their first day of work. The
company also offers days off for employees to meet personal interests such as patriotic
responsibility, practice, and so on. Companies often use dismissal and redundancy to provide
workers with equal pay in the event of an illegal discharge from employment.
Data Protection Act, 2018: The Data Protection Act of 2018 says that no information
about the company's employees can be disclosed with anyone. Employee data should be kept,
honest, and protected, and they really shouldn't be passed to others. This legislation overrides the
Data Protection Act of 1998.
Employee relationships should be kept by inspiring them to work, which results in
employee satisfaction. It also facilitates in rising employee satisfaction and success by making
them feel confident about their place in the company. This not only gives workers more benefits,
but it also helps to keep employees committed to the company.
Part 2
Types of rights, duties and obligations an employer and employee

In context to M&S, the types of rights and duties that an employer and employee have are
mentioned below:
Safe workplace environment: Employers, in the context of Marks and Spencer, have
such a duty to provide workers with a healthy workplace environment where they commit to a
specific level of security and health (Lövgren, Markström and Sauer, 2017). They are also in
charge of training new employees whose duties include the use of machinery, toxic chemicals, or
other potential workplace hazards. Personal safety equipment, such as goggles, helmets, gloves,
and harnesses, is also available. Individuals in the business should safeguard themselves by
adopting all safety protocols.
Fair labour policies: In Marks and Spencer, the duties and obligations of employers and
workers are clearly established standard acts to ensure employees are paid a decent salary for a
realistic workload. When an employer misclassifies workers and refuses to pay extra, the
employer must pay penalties. Moreover, workers are responsible for reporting their operating
hours to a timecard, where they are forced into making effective use of their 40 hours per week
to concentrate on their employment responsibilities.
Advice relating to rights, duties and obligations of the employment relationship
Rights of employer: Employers must ensure that their workers are aware of the threat
faced by people, structures, atmosphere, or processes. They would also be instructed and
educated on potentially harmful dimensions of the market.
Duties of employer: The employer of M&S is responsible for delivering a basic wage to
their workers as well as maternity pay, which assists the organisation with making a payment if
the employer is sick (Pulignano and Hendrickx, 2019). This enables the employees believe that
they are important to the organisation which contributes to the creation of a positive relationship
with them. The employer is also responsible to protect working atmosphere for all staff.
Rights of employee: Under the Equality Act of 2010, all workers of the chosen company
have the right not to be discriminated against on the grounds of colour, sex, gender, and other
factors. They are also excluded from serving on Sundays and have the right to a fair payment in
the company. They have the right to paid and unpaid leave, such as paternal holidays, maternal
leaves, and emergency leaves.
Duties of employee: These are associated responsibilities, such as the expectation to act
safely and on time. Staffs are supposed to receive the terms and conditions of their jobs, which

define their position, primary duties, who they must report to, and several other details (Bennett,
Saundry and Fisher, 2020).
Obligations in the employment relationship
Employees are forced to follow their contractual obligation for all details mentioned in
the agreement. In the context to the selected organisation, the employee would have to provide
loyal service to the corporation and follow by all of the terms of their contract. They are also
responsible for keeping the organization's work confidentiality. They should also maintain a
well-balanced relationship between employees, as this can assist in increasing success as well as
building confidence and loyalty in the employer (Frey, 2017). In terms of this, the employer
ensures that a healthy workplace atmosphere is provided and also that the positive relationship is
maintained with its workers.
Psychological contract and support for employee work life balance
The relation between the employer and the employee is referred to as the psychological
contract. This contract reflects the obligations, benefits, rights, and several other things that are
given to workers in exchange for the employer's commitment to the company. Marks and
Spencer's psychological contract is highly flexible and impossible to evaluate, such as
benchmarking wages and pay against industry costs, duties with credentials, and many other
items. This contract covers all of the workers' responsibilities and obligations that are beneficial
to them (Hsu, 2020) .This contributes to the maintenance of a positive relationship between the
employers and the employees.
Mechanisms for managing the employment relationship
Managing the employment relationship is essential for an organization, and it can be
managed by using organisational skills in the workplace, which facilitates in the maintenance of
the employee relationship. In the context of the chosen enterprise, the company should
communicate with their workers in an effective method, resulting in the development of a
positive relationship that can lead to improved employee success.
Part 3
Stakeholder analysis
Stakeholders are internal and external entities that can have an effect on the
organization's success both direct and indirect ways. Stakeholder engagement is described as the
mechanism by which an organisation interacts with its stakeholders in order to better understand

them and the plans that impact the goals (Adewumi and Ogunnubi, 2019). It assists the company
in obtaining a social licence to work and extend, as well as improving the interaction between
members and the organisation. Along with this, it gives the organisation a positive image and
recognition. It also aids in the improvement of their communication and long-term goals. Internal
stakeholders are those that are interested in management who also own stakes in the company.
They are also recognised as key stakeholders and they are informed of many of the organization's
internal matters, and they involve staff, administrators, and owners. External stakeholders are
persons that are involved in the organization's success but are not personally affected by it.
Customers, vendors, and others are examples of secondary stakeholders because they are not
aware of the internal problems that have arisen in the company.
Stakeholder analysis
LEVEL OF INTEREST
Low High
Low
POWER
High
Keep satisfied
Directors
HR
Customers
Contracts
Manage closely
Decision making entities
Monitor
Vendors
Keep informed
Media
Promotions
Advertisements
Stakeholder engagement and contribution
In context to Marks and Spencer, stakeholder engagement has contribution in maintaining
a positive relationship with the employees which are mentioned below:
Effective Decision Making: In the context of Marks and Spencer, stakeholder engagement
assists the business to make an accurate decision for its staff that is valuable to the company.
This also enables the organisation to make an even more intelligent decision. Employee

relationships can be strong and sustained because they have a direct impact on employee success
as well as profitability.
Loyalty: Stakeholders are seen as important to the organisation, which aids in the
development of trust. It is particularly helpful when an organisation is in difficulty and
establishing faith can be a time consuming. This further ensures that all members of the company
have their own place within the organisation. The owner makes sure that the relationships
between workers are well balanced and they are the business's assets that operate all functions.
Accountability: In the context of the business organization, communicating with partners
contributes in improving accountability both within the enterprise and with external stakeholders.
Openness in an organisation is essential for accomplishing objectives and goals. Managers assist
in making the best decisions for the company by serving as a connection between owners and the
board of directors. The objective of Marks and Spencer is to provide products and services that
satisfy consumers. The relationship between workers and consumers may have an effect on
customer service (Woolham and et. al., 2019). A positive interaction has an effect on employee
success, as can be seen when serving goods to consumers.
Part 4
Impact of both positive and negative employee relations
In context to M&S, the employee relation has both positive and negative impact in the
workplace which is mentioned below:
Positive impact:
Improves trust and confidence: Marks and Spencer employers have a strong bond with
their employees, which contributes in the development of trust and faith in the workplace.
Relationships with employees plant the seed of trust and faith in the workplace, which assists in
growing the company's success.
The level of trust and faith is often affected by the manner in which managers engage with their
workers. The level of trust and confidence is often affected by the manner in which workers
engage with their workers in order to maintain good organisational communication which is
essential.
Chances of conflicts are low: Conflicts at work are the most frequent, and they have a
negative effect on the success of their companies. In the case of the chosen business, these

disputes are caused by disputes that occur between the manager and the employee. This
imbalance can be covered by creating relationships among workers which enables employers to
make decisions that are fair, minimizing the risk of tension within the organisation.
Negative impact:
Lack of interest: Lack of interest and concentration leads to mistakes and delays in the
tasks assigned to Marks and Spencer employees. This has a negative effect on the propagation of
negativity surrounding them and therefore weakens the organization's culture. Conflicts with
workers often contribute to a lack of interest in work, and in order to inspire workers, the
company should maintain good relations with all of its employees (Haines III, Doray-Demers
and Martin, 2018).
Tension among employees: Employees in the organisation should have strong
relationships and it will help them share their thoughts and have ways to prove their talent and
innovation. In the case of Marks and Spencer, workers will lose their productivity if there is
friction among them, which has a negative impact on profits.
Positive and negative employee relationships affecting conflict avoidance and resolution
Employee relationships are seen as important components of each and every company. A
great relationship will improve the firm's productivity in all ways, while a poor relationship
causes multiple disadvantages in the company. Where there is a strong relationship with the
superiors, staff seem to work more for the corporation, which contributes to increased profits.
This motivates workers, who are given more chances to expand within the organisation,
increasing the firm’s profitability. In terms of results, they will improve and become more secure
in their job work, which will have a positive effect. Employee relations have a negative effect on
the organization's results. Employees are much more likely to leave an enterprise if their
relationships with their coworkers are poor. Which often provides a negative environment for
workers who can leave the company without providing a fair response.
Stakeholder perspectives and interests in the broader business environment
Making strategic policies and practices based on a knowledge of the relationships
between the company and its stakeholders as well as the stakeholders' attributes such as
demands, wishes, participation opportunities, and much more is essential for any manager
(Ando, 2021). They continue to focus on both internal and external stakeholders in employment

relationships. Employees that are internal shareholders have a positive relationship with the
organisation as a result of multiple approaches that are applied on them, such as the business
motivating them and working to ensure that any actions that are made have their involvement. As
a result, they think that they are vital for the organisation. So they feel more valued and believe
they have made a significant contribution to the organisation.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion it can be concluded that, employee relations in an organisation
are important for growing the company's growth and profitability. It also benefits workers within
the company, which has a significant effect on the firm's productivity. The employee relations
are valuable of an organisation. It also includes employment law of rights, duties and obligations
of employer and employees and stakeholder analysis. Stakeholders have the potential to
influence decisions, assist in taking steps. They also track outsourcing operations and opt on
strategic action that threatens the company's long-term goals. They will find potential
opportunities for market expansion and sales growth as well as put in new marketing concepts.

REFERENCE
Book & journals
Abantao, B. J. V., 2017, November. Employment Attitude and Work Engagement of Hotel
Industry Training for Work Scholarship Program Beneficiaries of TESDA.
In Ascendens Asia Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Conference Proceedings (Vol.
1, No. 2).
Adewumi, S. A. and Ogunnubi, O., 2019. Assessing the Patterns and Challenges of Employment
Casualisation Practices in the Beverage Sector in Lagos, Nigeria. African Journal of
Business & Economic Research, 14(1).
Ando, J., 2021. Wives’ gender identity, work hours, employment status, and life satisfaction:
evidence from Japan. International Journal of Economic Policy Studies, 15(1), pp.103-
124.
Bennett, T., Saundry, R. and Fisher, V., 2020. Managing Employment Relations. Kogan Page
Publishers.
Frey, D. F., 2017. Economic growth, full employment and decent work: The means and ends in
SDG 8. The International Journal of Human Rights, 21(8), pp.1164-1184.
Haines III, V. Y., Doray-Demers, P. and Martin, V., 2018. Good, bad, and not so sad part-time
employment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 104, pp.128-140.
Hsu, Y. H., 2020. Beyond convergence: regulating domestic employment in Singapore, Hong
Kong, and Taiwan. Journal of Asian Public Policy, pp.1-14.
Karabchuk, T. and Soboleva, N., 2020. Temporary Employment, Informal Work and Subjective
Well-Being Across Europe: Does Labor Legislation Matter?. Journal of Happiness
Studies, 21(5), pp.1879-1901.
Lövgren, V., Markström, U. and Sauer, L., 2017. Towards employment: What research says
about support-to-work in relation to psychiatric and intellectual disabilities. Journal of
social work in disability & rehabilitation, 16(1), pp.14-37.
Park, J. and Kim, Y., 2020. Factors Related to Physical and Mental Health in Workers With
Different Categories of Employment. Journal of occupational and environmental
medicine, 62(7), pp.511-518.
Pulignano, V. and Hendrickx, F. eds., 2019. Employment Relations in the 21st Century:
Challenges for Theory and Research in a Changing World of Work. Kluwer Law
International BV.
Waghorn, G., King, J. and Lockett, H., 2020. Practices of Higher Performing Employment
Specialists When Helping Job-seekers with Psychiatric Disabilities to Obtain
Competitive Employment. Journal of Rehabilitation, 86(2).
Woolham and et. al., 2019. The employment conditions of social care personal assistants in
England. The Journal of Adult Protection.