Employee Relations Analysis and Conflict Resolution in NHS: Report

This report delves into the intricacies of employee relations within the National Health Service (NHS), examining the interplay between employees, employers, trade unions, and governmental bodies. The analysis explores the influence of unitary and pluralistic frameworks on workplace dynamics, highlighting the roles of trade unions in mediating conflicts and advocating for employee rights. The report addresses conflict resolution strategies, specifically within the context of negotiations between NHS management, the British Medical Association (BMA), and government entities concerning junior doctor contracts. It outlines the steps involved in identifying, analyzing, and resolving workplace disputes, emphasizing the importance of clear communication, fair treatment, and the implementation of human rights policies to foster a positive and productive work environment. The report also discusses the roles of various stakeholders in employee relations and the impact of training and development on the employee-employer relationship.

EMPLOYEE
RELATIONS
1

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
1.1.................................................................................................................................................3
1.2.................................................................................................................................................4
1.3.................................................................................................................................................5
TASK 2 & 3.....................................................................................................................................6
2.1.................................................................................................................................................6
2.2.................................................................................................................................................7
2.3.................................................................................................................................................8
3.1.................................................................................................................................................9
3.2...............................................................................................................................................11
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................12
Covered in PPT..........................................................................................................................12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13
2

INTRODUCTION
The concept of employee relation is associated with the relationship that is present among
the employees and employers who are performing in the business. However, in the present
scenario the aspect of employee relation is being replaced with industrial relation. Therefore, it is
generally recognized as the association among an employer and collective workforce that is
performing in order to achieve business targets (Al-Waqfi and Forstenlechner, 2010). Further
suitable communication assist organization in development of sound relations among
management as well as workers. In the present study employee relations has been discussed in
context of NHS. The company offers free of cost medical services to the citizens as well as legal
immigrants of UK. The major aim of the investigation is to gain insight to the employee
relations, conflicts among the employers as well as trade unions for resolving the issues by
negotiations and collective bargaining procedures. This tends to influence the relationship of
human resource management (HRM) with their appointed set of personnel's.
TASK 1
1.1
Both unitary and pluralistic frame of references has a greater impact on the employee-
employer relationship in the organization. This is mainly in context to outline the similar
association of almost all sort of organizations with these frames of references that further depicts
their work affiliations. Herein, the unitary frame of reference is generally seen in those work set
ups who showcases an integrated concept of business operations (Bach and Kessler, 2011). It is
where their appointed staff members tends to share common interests to collectively achieve
their framed goals and objectives. With such conceptual state of operations, there exists only a
single leader who has a single focus on fortifying everyone's work interest to operate for a
common organizational goal. Unitary framework of reference is thus based upon a common
perspective where despite of having assorted roles and responsibilities with distinct job positions,
they all should share common goals and objectives.
The pluralistic frame of reference is with a contrary perspective in which the
organizations are considered to be composed of different sub-groups with distinct potency in
each. It is where each of those group have their separate targets with a compelling nature of all.
3

Trade union bodies are an associated body of this framework with an emphasized and influential
nature of correspondence. This is basically to deal with any conflicted situation with a
collaborative sense of work where in case of a proper management of these bodies, this
intervention can lead to some major positive changes.
Establishments with a similar association of it who implicates a pluralistic framework of
work and in context to which, this involves a prior association of trade union members to deal
with the employers in order to support any liable demand of their employees. It is however with
no such enforceable context of work in which any rigorous principles are forcefully implemented
upon the employees to work in accordance to it (Carson and et. al., 2010). But this enhances the
carried relationship among the employees and employers where they are equally treated in a
manner that resolves any existed issue as well. This is basically with a major consideration of
retaining the efficient staff members where they are provided an equal chance of presenting their
own views and demands in front of their employers. It is however with some applied rules and
regulations where the trade union bodies represents the employees and propose their applicable
needs to the employers to frame a favorable decision at the end.
1.2
Trade unions members are those who are generally associated in distinct set of groups
with some common objectives of accomplishment. They largely tend to affect the stipulated
relationship among the employees and employers where they play a leading role of mediator in
it. They are hereby required to make a collective negotiation on the demanded outlook of the
employees by presenting their issues in front of the employers (Darlington, 2015). They often
arranges strike in case there is no considerable mean of wages that do not meet the expectation
level of the employees. It is with another non-compliance measure of extended working hours.
These impotent measures can largely affect the working of any such organization where the
secondary level employees are operating in an efficient manner with a competing and productive
nature of work. In context to which, the top level associates of that enterprise should hereby take
care of such contending work groups where they are working in support of one another with
some common goals and interests.
However, in case of change in trade unionism, the employee relations can be largely
affected in both optimistic and pessimistic manner. An optimistic impact is the modified work
4

policies of the entities where they can hereby operate with changed strategies of work betterment
of their future considerations. This will also help them to correspond with the altering state of
market with changed implications of trade unionism. A counter impact can be foreseen as any
forceful fulfillment of demands by the employee representatives. It is where the trade union
bodies will make persuasive acts to satisfy any obstinate demands of the employees that do not
correspond to the common interest of both the parties. This is also in case of their genuine
damned where a disputed situation may turn down the entire situation by atrociously affecting
their work culture. It is specially in case of those individuals who do not tend to understand
distinct trait of rationalizing things and thinks in a particular manner by easily getting influenced
and change their behavioral patterns.
Firms on following the approach of pluralistic framework should reflect a collaborative
sense of work, where both their parties should tend to reflect a similar acquisition of goals and
targets (Kruse, Freeman and Blasi, 2010). For which, both their trade union bodies and
employers should respect one others distinction set of perception and attempt to take a favorable
decision at the end that fulfills their common set of interests.
1.3
The leading players in employee relation administration of ventures are the employees,
employers, trade union members and governmental bodies of their functional marketplace. The
employers are hereby accountable to determine the work culture of the enterprise along with the
work principles that are required to be followed by the appointed set of employees. This tends to
move from top to bottom level by ultimately supporting the base of the organization. They
together tends to assist the best acquisition of resources for operating the business and analyzing
their valuable abilities by together confiding them to render best services all across the
establishment (Psychogios, 2010). The employees are hereby required to make a sustainable
interaction with their respective set of employers in order to carry out a standardized set of work.
It is with a prior intervention of trade union members where they tend to build a powerful
relationship with them and thereby plays an important role of mediators. The regimental bodies
are yet another significant members of all sort of organizations where they tend to develop the
skills of their workers in accordance to the set patterns of work that flows on either direction. It
however depends on their applied set of organizational structure and culture where governmental
5

plays an important role in arranging timely sessions of training and development (T&D).
Training greatly affects the relationship among the employees and employers where the
employees are tried to molded to correspond with the changing set of market. It is basically done
at their initial stage of joining where they start learning about the set culture of the establishment.
It is with another prime duty of the employers to keep their workers in a driven state of mind that
necessitates to reward them by duly recognizing their potency. This is with a fundamental sense
of encouraging them by offering promotions, etc. An organization is always estimated to grow in
case their employees are treated well and in equivalence to their clients and users. As a result to
which, they start making more work efforts to satisfy the customers by accurately gratifying their
exact needs and demands. Apart from this, the employers of an enterprise are together
accountable for following the set norms and standards of their respective legislative bodies.
However, in contradiction to which, strict actions can be taken against them where they miscarry
the stipulated rules of their governmental bodies.
TASK 2 & 3
2.1
Conflicts depicts a natural existence that is mostly in an uninformed state that occurs due
to varied reasons that reflects discreet set of views from diversified people in the enterprise. It is
often referred to be a disputed matter or misinterpretation among two or people who are often
working in a similar set of group. The conferred case script has stated about the negotiations that
is taking place between the employers of NHS, British Medical Association (BMA) and the
affiliated governmental bodies over the contracts of new junior doctor's (Schoemmel and S.
Jønsson, 2014). It is where the members of BMA have favored to opt for a strike for continual
dissonance with their government. However, NHS with a distinct formulation is referring to their
own policies and procedures to resolve the workplace conflicts. It is a step wise formulation with
some requisite steps to discover the main reason of the conflicted situation, finding out ways to
resolve it by together applying the ascertained idea. Below are the referred stages- Justification of the dispute: It is a foremost consideration of NHS to determine the
factual causes of conflict. In context to which, the disputed concern is hereby due to a
significant necessity of training and education to the junior doctors that is not being
given on regular basis. Additionally, the junior doctors are also dealing with an
6

unhealthy state of their workplace where distinct background of employees are also not
supported. Beside this, they are also complaining about non compliance means of
promotions that are not being encouraged on timely basis with no respectable means of
wages to the employees. Moreover, they are also being harassed by the topmost
employers with a bossy and arrogant nature of treatment, etc. However, these conditions
are required to be handled in a cautious manner where such deficit management can also
lead to an atrocious state of calamity. A prior identification of all these issues is a leading
concern of the managerial bodies as its continuation can further augment the problematic
state of work. Methods to resolve the battle: Managing workforce in NHS is a vital consideration in
order to resolve the above ascertained problem. It is basically in order to resolve the
conflicted situations with a proper placement of employees where they will be treated in
an equalized manner. This is in support of non discriminating measures to eliminate any
biased case of harassment with equal payment of wages to the workers on due period of
time with safe and secured conditions of work (Armstrong, Brown and Reilly, 2011).
These implementations are evident to maintain a friendly work environment with well
recognized people who are continually rewarded and encouraged on regular interval of
time. This will also assure the growth of the enterprise.
 Enforcement of idea: It is a final stage with a prime accountability of the HR
personnel's to frame some considerable human right policies by conveying the same to
all the appointed set of employers in NHS. These policies will be applied at all
organizational level where their associated people from top to bottom are required to
follow the same. It also requires a strong communication system where the appointed set
of employees and employers can directly interact with one another under a maintained
decorum.
This is to fundamentally maintain a disciplined attribute of work in NHS, where they
pursue strict procedures by adhering to all their framed norms and work standards that is
irrespective of their distinct job profiles. It is basically done to maintain a sustainable decorum of
work that gives a prior sense of operating in a healthy work culture.
7

2.2
The battle that has been presented here is specifically among the trade union bodies and
professionals of BMA and NHS. It is basically in connection to determine about the junior
doctors who were not provided befitting and suitable conditions of work that postulated them to
stop their work. Furthermore, the public doctors were given limitless right of speaking that
resulted reflected yet another reason of conflict among them. Employee relationship is defined to
be a leading clause of consideration in each and every organization (Burke, Martin and Cooper,
2011). By which they can obtain prior access to the rights and benefits that should be rendered to
the employees as a vital part of their occupation. The key dimension of employee relations in a
conflicted situation of work is to assess the factual degree of employee relations in an
establishment. This is basically to evaluate the leading contributions of employee relation in
gaining emerald success by timely accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives. A
fine maintenance of employee relations is therefore referred to be a prompt necessity in order to
configure the extent to which the organizational people are occupied in their workplace. Such
abundant properties will also support NHS in evaluating the existent work conditions by take
accordant steps to resolve any debatable situation at the workplace (D'Cruz and Noronha, 2010).
However, it also requires well planned strategies and action plans that are formed well in
advance for avoiding any such arguable situation at the workplace. Employee relations also has a
greater importance in change management system of NHS by contributing in their developmental
strategies to implement any preferred changes to efficiently handle any revealed problems at the
workplace. Administration aids in subsiding the disagreements among the employees and
employers where NHS is considered to provide below defined facilities-
 Let the groups discuss upon the inconsistent state of affairs and depict the factual
occurrence.
 It is yet another step in which they hereby tend to give it a reality check so as to underlay
the factual measures of work which they could have forgotten due to a changed
behavioral facet.
 This is the eventual step in which they are hereby required to determine the encouraging
constituents of both the parties to reach a common goal that will satisfy their interest
level.
8

2.3
The impelling nature of procedures to resolve a disputed situation depends upon the tactic
of framing and embedding the policies in the realistic system of work. For which, the
establishments are hereby required to focus upon some concentrated factors like the total time
exhausted in resolving the matter of concern. It is by together referring to the carried expenditure
of the enterprise in solving the existed state of conflict by together configuring the efficiency of
the applied processes in solving the same. In context to which, NHS uses below defined methods
to resolve such controversial situation- Negotiation: It is the foremost step that is usually applied by NHS as a one way solvency
approach to resolute the existed issue at the workplace. This includes a back and forth
method of interaction among the employees and employers to come to an ultimate
solution. This also involves to frame a common conclusion that will favor the anticipation
both the parties (Heilman and Wallen, 2010). Into which, the involved participants either
tend to refer to one's own interest or can agree to the preferred clauses of another party as
well that could reflect their distinct needs and demands. It however leads to frame a
contract among them that is often informal and unstructured in nature with two additive
benefits of being quick and affordable.
 Arbitration: It is yet another significant tactic of resolving the workplace issues with a
third party intervention. This includes an impartial person called arbitrator who is
required to carry an impartial outlook while making apt decisions after listening to the
interest of both the parties. It is also a less formal procedure that is organized but quick
and inexpensive in nature.
3.1
Negotiation and collective bargaining methods are the two interlinked terms where they
tend to support one another. Collective bargaining is however a vital procedure of discussion that
includes the sub groups of trade union members along with their representatives to discuss upon
the conflicted subject matter as a mean of negotiating wit the employers. This showcases a
collective agreement among them into which, there exists some common subject matters like the
terms and conditions of employment along with the elementary rights and fortunate measures for
the employees are being discussed (Osman, Ho and Carmen Galang, 2011). In context to the
9

present scenario of NHS, the trade union members who are representing themselves as employee
representatives have taken a liable stand to discourse upon the medical amenities of the workers.
This is a crucial agenda in which, the employees are demanding a decent training session to
interpret the health and safety measures that has been arranged for them at the workplace. This is
basically to settle sown any exigent situation at the workplace that can be resolved by
themselves. In addition to which, they are also demanding for a likely scale of remuneration for
themselves that is also supposed to be a liable petition by them. As a result to which, the trade
union members are hereby required to represent these petitions of their employees wherein this
will include some below configured stages of negotiation- Planning: It is the foremost stage in which, both the trade union members and the
employers will hereby conduct liable research work to prepare for the case. It is basically
to gather appropriate information on which, the negotiation and collective bargaining
session will be based upon. Beginning: It is another stage in which, either of the parties will present the proposal to
acquire the response of another side (Saunders and et. al., 2010). This session continues
until both the parties are done with their presentations with an ultimate attainment of
their set interests and demands. Commercialism: It is where either of the party will present a proposal as per their level
of interest for reaching to a mutual agreement among them that will tend to fulfill the
interest of both the parties and is supportable for each one of them.
 Harmony: It is the eventual stage in which the anticipations of both the sides will be
clear in this part with a final agreement by considering the mutual interest of both
(Employee relations: an overview, 2016).
This is mainly in context to the negotiation that takes place between the trade union
members where their outcomes are generally contrary from other sort of negotiations. BMA do
not tend to deal with their workers in NHS and as a result to which, they do not remunerate the
trade unions as well. They hereby tend to set their own rules and regulations of work and
negotiate upon the same. In this way, both the groups jointly deals to satisfy one others needs
and demands where politics is also a part of collective bargaining (Singh, 2011). There exists a
negotiator who represents the trade union and put forward all the requisitions of their respective
10

groups. Negotiation is thus an essential part of collective bargaining procedure that help to settle
down the industrial disputes by diminishing the exemption of administration. It is basically to
halt any unethical measures by them where they inappropriately utilize their powers. This in turn
helps to accelerate the work performances of the employees where they consequently submit
much productive work.
3.2
Negotiation strategies have some considerable impact upon the organizations that is
referred to be a beneficiary tact for both the enterprises. This strategy has some prior benefit of
conversation and accord instead of confrontation and battle among the negotiators. Into which,
both the parties hereby come to a consonant outcome that supports the demanded outlook of
both. It is thus referred to be a considerable policy as compared to another process of arbitration
in which, there exists a prior intervention of a third party individual who makes the final decision
after listening to the demands of both the parties (Employee Relations, 2016). This is the present
case scenario with either a winning or loosing situation to resolve the conflict among BMS and
NHS. Thence, in negotiation, the parties are required to mutually discuss the issue with one
another by interpreting one others needs and demands. It is however initiated via a dialogue
session even if there is a known discord among the participant bodies with a collective set of
bargaining among them. This reflects a collaborative sense of decision making among the
participatory bodies where the rules are decided by both involved parties where the rule making
power is being shared among them.
This is mainly between the employers and union bodies where they mutually conclude
the authority of determining the power of decision making. There exists several strategies of
negotiation where opting a specific strategy depends on the prerequisite situation of the disputed
matter. The general strategy of negotiation is defined to be an utmost important consent for
resolving the exploded situation of the workplace in NHS where the employees are required to
be encouraged and feel recognized to work in a directional manner (Employee Relations, 2016).
An intervened approach of collective bargaining is yet another impelling measure that will tend
to establish trust among the workers with a mutual sense of understanding each other needs and
demands. It is where a collective agreement among the trade union members and employers will
together assist the upper official bodies of NHS to less often involve the union groups. This will
11

amend the industrial affinity as a whole. However, in opposition to which, this will stress the
employers where every time they will be required to deal with new trade union members and
settle the occurred disputes.
TASK 4
Covered in PPT
CONCLUSION
The above study has clarified the concept of employee relations in NHS by interpreting
the significance of managing the workforce in a proper manner. It is basically to offer a
favorable work environment to all the employees by taking care of their considerable needs and
demands. Beside this, this report has also depicted the influential domain of trade union
members where there decisions makes a direct impact on the business operations of NHS. On
whose basis, efficient strategies are being linked with a significant development of employee
relations. The undertaken case script in the current report has explicated the disputes among the
trade union members of doctors from BMA and NHS. Into which, the report has together
elaborated the factual clauses of conflicts among them with likely processes of resolving them
and their effect on the referred situations of negotiation and collective bargaining.
12