Analyzing Workplace Conflict: BSBWRK511 Industrial Relations Report

This report analyzes a case study involving an employee, Bruce, facing family issues that impact his ability to work overtime, leading to potential conflict with his manager, David, and the plant manager, Gary. The report explores the nature of employee/industrial relations conflicts, emphasizing the importance of communication and mutual understanding. It advises David on containing the conflict through direct communication with Bruce and informing Gary about the situation, highlighting Bruce's loyalty and work ethic. The report emphasizes the role of mechanisms, policies, and tools, such as the Fair Work Act, related to overtime and fair working conditions, and their importance in resolving disputes. It discusses the need for consultation with experienced individuals and the use of resources like the Timber industry award to understand legal requirements and best practices. The report concludes by emphasizing the role of communication, appropriate policies and tools in conflict resolution and improving employee relations.

BSBWRK11:
Assessment 2
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Possible employee/industrial relations conflicts..........................................................................3
Advice to David of case study to contain possible conflict.........................................................3
Mechanisms, policies and tools for helping Bruce......................................................................4
Importance of using Mechanisms, policies and tools related to overtime and fair working.......4
Requirement of consulting with about Bruce and completion of task.........................................5
Ways of making sure that senior manager is aware about complete situation............................5
Roles to assist in resolutions of conflicts.....................................................................................6
Sources of advice and ways of arranging them...........................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
Labor relation or industrial relation conflict refers clash of interest which lead or result
dispute between workers and employers at workplace and it mainly occurs due to lack of
communication and mutual understanding (Elgoibar, Munduate and Euwema, 2016). This
present study is going to show importance of communication as how it can allow both employers
and employee in solving conflict of interest and also improving relationship with each other.
Further, it will discus effectiveness of policies and mechanisms related to fair working act and
overtime which help employer in taking best decision.
MAIN BODY
Possible employee/industrial relations conflicts
In the context of Bruce case study who is an employee at STAR industries and is a good
worker. He has a few problems at home as his wife has been diagnosed with cancer and now he
requires to be at home for taking care of his 2 children. Up until he has worked overtime
regularly but now due to his family condition he cannot work overtime. After few days, this
company got a project and due to lack of staff for overtime and only 1 week prior notice David,
manager of Bruce find difficulty in completion of project. On this Plant manager, Gary asked
David in angrily that why did he not get completed project done and he also asked for roaster of
overtime in which he found that Bruce did not work overtime at all as he was not aware of his
situation (Festus Femi and et.al., 2019). Gary told David to call Bruce and get him work done or
overtime. So, in this case one of the main employee relation conflict is between Bruce and David
and Gary as well. Bruce cannot work overtime due to his work condition and he is a good, loyal
employee and till now he worked overtime regularly and Gary or David cannot ask him to work
overtime forcefully so, this is the main employee relation conflict between Bruce and his
manager which can create several other problems like staff retention rate and others.
Advice to David of case study to contain possible conflict
In the case of Bruce and David it is identified that Bruce cannot work overtime due to his
family problem as he requires taking care of his 2 children in afternoon and morning because his
wife has been diagnosed with cancer. Bruce supervisor, David know his loyalty and also have
knowledge that there is something wrong with Bruce but do not have complete knowledge about
it. But as per the warning of Plant manager Garry Denver, David is required to solve this
problem. So, in this context it can be suggested to David that either he can communicate with
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Bruce as if he can work overtime or not and if there is no scope of overtime then he needs to talk
and communicate to Garry directly.
By sending an E-mail to Garry, David can make aware to him about situation of Bruce
and it is also important for him to make Garry aware that Bruce is a loyal and hardworking
worker and he used to work overtime regularly. Communication is one of the main key of
solving conflict because Garry do not have knowledge about situation (Njoku, 2017). In addition,
it can also be suggested that David can ask his rest of employees about overtime and putting
extra efforts for completing order of building special window in a new hotel. By doing so, David
can solve conflict of interest and solve this problem in an effective manner.
Mechanisms, policies and tools for helping Bruce
There are some policies and mechanisms related to overtime and working hours of
workers at workplace which can help out to both workers and employers in making effective
working environment and solving conflict of interest. As per the fair working, overtime and
labour standard act, an employer can ask their employees for overtime or above 40 hours in a
week. Rather, compulsory working hour, working overtime is voluntary and its all up to them If
there is a policy of overtime then it is important for employer to communicate all rules and
regulations to employee and get approval (https://smallbusiness.chron.com/rules-against-
overworked-employees-25301.html). As per the labour standard and fair working act, employer
cannot bind employee to work overtime if employee has some problems. He can make him agree
by mutual; understanding only.
In Australia, working beyond 38 hours in a week is considered overtime. As per the Fair
work Act policy of Australia, it limits maximum hours of work to 38 hours a week and also
workers have right under this to refuse or deny to work unreasonable additional hours. Employee
have rights to say no to overtime if they have valid and genuine reason (Forsyth and et.al., 2017).
Importance of using Mechanisms, policies and tools related to overtime and fair working
Policies, mechanisms and tools play an important role as it consists of all rules and
regulations which allow both employees and employers at workplace to get work done in an
effective manner and also improve relation.
As per the fair work and labour standard act it is identified that employees can deny of
working overtime if they have valid reason of it. So, by making use of policies, David can solve
conflict of interest and can make aware to Garry about condition of Bruce.
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In addition, mechanisms and practices also plays an important role in solving conflicts at
workplace. In the context of Bruce, it can be said that by making use of mechanism related to fair
working and overtime, David can ask Bruce about overtime and if he denies to work overtime
then he can inform to Garry, NSW Plant manager about it with valid reason and with mutual
understanding, he can solve this problem (https://www.mondaq.com/australia/employee-rights-
labour-relations/824816/overtime-vs-reasonable-additional-hours-in-australia).
Federal laws or tools also help employer in improving relations and solving workplace
conflict in an effective manner. According to this, employer require communicating all rules
regarding fair working and overtime as if they will be paid extra for that or not and it is illegal
for company to not to pay extra for overtime. It is found that Bruce earned extra by working
overtime but now due to his family problem he cannot get this opportunity so, by making tools
and policies, David, senior manager of Bruce can mail and communicate to Garry about his
situation.
Requirement of consulting with about Bruce and completion of task
It is important for David to get consultation and suggestions from experienced individual
about situation of Bruce related to overtime. So, in this regard it can be said that by taking help
and hiring experienced person who has knowledge regarding fair working and also has won
Timber industry Award. Timber industry award has all information regarding pay, working time,
overtime, approval of employees and situations in which employees can deny and all. By taking
suggestion and help of Timber industry award, David can know all detailed information
regarding fair working and if it is legal to force employee about overtime or not. By knowing all
these he can solve conflict and can also make aware to Garry about situation and all rules of
overtime (Singer, 2018). For successful completion of project he can also ask to rest of employee
and by making use of communication skill he can also make agreed to all employee for overtime
and can submit project on the time.
Ways of making sure that senior manager is aware about complete situation
In the case of Bruce it is identified that David does not have complete information about
problem and situation of Bruce, but he has doubt as there is something wrong with Bruce. Due to
lack of information he cannot even convince and let Garry, Plant manager know about this
situation and it can create several other problems for both David and Bruce.
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So, in this context it can be said that communication is must and either via E-mail to
Bruce he can ask him about his problem and can convey the same to Garry or by conducting
meeting he can communicate with his directly (Nelson, 2017). Choosing mode of
communication is the key of success and with it senior manager is made aware and also kept
informed of this situation. It can solve problem of miscommunication and can help Bruce in his
situation and also let Plant manager know about it.
Roles to assist in resolutions of conflicts
Resolution of conflict at workplace is important as it improves relationship and also help
in making effective working environment. There are some ways of solving conflict include:
Communication: It is one of the best way of solving problems. Communication with workers
who have problem allow employer in knowing the actual reason of the problem and it also
removes miscommunication. So, by making appropriate use of mode of communication,
conflicts at workplace can be solved out.
Policies: After knowing the main cause of the problem, employer can take help of policies
regarding problem as it is a legal and the best way of dealing with conflicts. It consists of all
rules and regulations and by making workers aware about all rules, employer can solve
problems.
Open door policy: It is also is the best way in which employees are allowed to talk to employer
or manager anytime and whenever they want. It makes employees feel comfortable, and they can
get immediate solution of problems which eliminate conflict of interest (Morris, 2017).
Sources of advice and ways of arranging them
There are several ways of solving conflicts at workplace by getting advice from
experience people. Fair work commission is one of the best sources, people who have worked
with this can help David in getting appropriate suggestions regarding dispute solution, industrial
awards, minimum wage fixation and others. It is authorized by Fair work act 2009 so as per the
rules it can suggest David regarding this situation and help him out in taking better decision.
By taking suggestions regrading policies, employer can implement them at workplace
and communicate all rules and regulations with employees. By taking suggestions and hiring a
calming and skilled agent, David can make aware to all employees about fair working, overtime
and other elements which can help them out in solving problems and conflict resolution.
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CONCLUSION
From the above study it has been summarized that communication played a vital role in
solving any type of problem and workplace conflict because several problems and conflicts arise
due to miscommunication. Further, this study has shown importance of using appropriate
policies and tools related to fair working as well as overtime which also allow employees to
solve conflict and also improving relation of workers with manager.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Elgoibar, P., Munduate, L. and Euwema, M., 2016. Building trust and constructive conflict
management in organizations. In Building Trust and Constructive Conflict Management
in Organizations (pp. 1-13). Springer, Cham.
Festus Femi, A.S.A.M.U. and et.al., 2019. Industrial Conflict and Collective Bargaining:
Evidence From North Central Region of Nigeria. International Journal of Mechanical
Engineering and Technology. 10(3).
Forsyth, A. and et.al., 2017. Establishing the Right to Bargain Collectively in Australia and the
UK: Are Majority Support Determinations under Australia’s Fair Work Act a More
Effective Form of Union Recognition?. Industrial Law Journal. 46(3). pp.335-365.
Morris, L.J., 2017. Mandatory Counseling: Why the Timor-Leste v. Australia Conciliation Court
Case Matters for Maritime Dispute Resolution. Pell Center for International Relations
and Public Policy, Salve Regina University.
Nelson, W.E., 2017. Dispute and Conflict Resolution in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, 1725-
1825. UNC Press Books.
Njoku, I.A., 2017. The role of communication in conflict resolution. International Journal of
Communication: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication Studies. 5(1).
Singer, L., 2018. Settling disputes: Conflict resolution in business, families, and the legal system.
Routledge.
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