Employee Relations: Conflict Resolution and Negotiation

This report delves into the intricacies of employee relations within the context of the National Health Service (NHS) and the British Medical Association (BMA). It examines various frames of reference for handling employee relationships, emphasizing the significance of the unitary and pluralistic frames. The report analyzes the impact of changes in trade unionism on employee relations, highlighting the roles of key players such as employers, employees, and trade unions. It explores conflict resolution procedures within the NHS, including data collection, analysis, and the implementation of effective strategies. The report further discusses key elements of employee relations in conflict scenarios, such as ideological frameworks, consultation, and negotiation. It also assesses the effectiveness of processes in resolving ambivalence and the role of negotiation in collective bargaining. Finally, the report investigates the impact of the EU on industrial democracy in the UK and various methods of gaining employee involvement in decision-making, along with the impact of human resource management approaches on employee relations. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and implications for improving employee relations within the NHS and similar organizations.

EMPLOYEE
RELATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Various frames of reference for handling employee relationship....................................1
1.2 Impact of changes occurred in trade unionism on employee relations............................2
1.3 Roles of key players in employment relations.................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Procedure followed by NHS to deal with different conflicts...........................................4
2.2 Key elements of employee relation for certain conflict scenarios...................................5
2.3 Effectiveness of processes followed in resolving ambivalence.......................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
3.1 Role of negotiation in collective bargaining....................................................................6
3.2 Impact of negotiation strategy for given situation ...........................................................7
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................8
4.1 Impact of EU on industrial democracy in UK..................................................................8
4.2 Several methods of gaining employee involvement in decision making procedures.......9
4.3 Impact of human resource management approach on employee relation .....................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11
Books and journals...............................................................................................................11
Online...................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Employee relations refer to connections shared between staff members of the particular
company. People can work more effectively only when they feel comfortable to perform in
specific environment. The firms have to provide healthy surroundings to employees so that they
can gain better efficiency of outcomes on regular basis(Seitel, 2017). Maintaining employee
relations is necessary task to reduce turnover of workers as well as improve productivity or
profitability of organisation. This report is based on British Medical Association which is a
registered trade union for doctors in United Kingdom. This organisation does not regulate or
certify doctors but fulfil responsibility of General Medical Council and headquartered in BMA
House, Tavistock Square, London. This assignment will also discuss about NHS having target to
become authoritative voice of workforce leaders, negotiating fairly to get best deal for patients
and experts in HR. This report will consider features or procedures to improve employee
relationship and solve conflict situations. Also, the impact of EU on industrial democracy in UK
and methods to involve staff members in decision making as well as impact of human resource
will be mentioned.
TASK 1
1.1 Various frames of reference for handling employee relationship
It seems to be important to maintain and improve employee relationships because it
impacts on regular outcome of firm. All kinds of activities or processes are interdependent on
each other to gain better outputs for which mutual understanding and coordination is must
between staff members. People can work more effectively or efficiently by coordinating with
peers or superiors to generate better productivity. Many kind of frame of references are able to
provide support for NHS firm in handling employee relations which are as follows:
 Unitary frame of reference: - This technique is helpful in directing staff members to
perform with coordination for attaining purposes or objectives. The workers of an
organisation have to share their efficiencies or abilities to gain desired target
achievements(Hou and Reber, 2011). Equal contribution of their efforts is interrelated to
one another so that it is mandatory to work with mutual understanding by calculating
their individual skills for attaining specific goal. NHS can apply this frame of reference to

enhance the productivity as well as profitability of firm by generating coordination factor.
This will facilitate to gain mission or vision more effectively and create better services
for people. NHS can implement this strategy to its firm for providing better HR services
as well as ensuring more appropriate treatment or facilities to patients provided by
medical associations.
 Pluralistic frame of reference: - This method involves two forms or sub-groups in
company where the interest and objectives are different from each other. These forms can
be considered as management or trade organisations present in enterprise. NHS
organisation follows trade union of British Medical Association which have significant
role by creating link between management and employees of firm. This facilitates to
make sure that the medical corporations are providing satisfactory facilities for their well-
being(Doherty and Norton, 2013). The trade associations connected with organisation
have task to render feedback about facilities or services to people.
1.2 Impact of changes occurred in trade unionism on employee relations
There are certain trade unions in organisation which can be defined as representative of
staff members to resolve the grievances by implementing changes to make better strategies to
improve employee relations. These are generated to make sure and conserve rights of workers as
well as their performance in particular organisation. They have authority to set several bargains
with management in respect to necessity of trade association people in company for various kind
of projects or tasks to be completed. All this criteria describes the presence of trade unions in
firms as well as their different strategies to make sure for preserving rights and measure working
of staff members may considered into legal aspects of company. NHS is connected with British
medical trade association to take care of employee's needs as well as outcomes generating from
their performance. They have to make deal of that period of time when the firm requires team
member of trade union to fulfil specific prospects of various projects or targets to be fulfilled.
Some of external factors get affected by changes are given below:
 Political and legal factor: - There are various legal or political authorities are situated in
that area where location of firm exists(Winkelmann-Gleed, 2011). The organisations have
to follow the legal policies to run its business properly and they need to make their
strategies or rules updated as per laws of political or legal authorities. NHS has to make

sure about its rules and regulation which need to be prepared according to laws of legal
teams.
 Technological factor: - The firms have to apply new or innovative technologies to make
the performance of employees more effective or efficient. This can be done through
implementing changes or modifications in respect of technologies or software which
needs specific learning activities for workers(Jønsson and Jeppe Jeppesen, 2012). This
plays an important role to gain desired or beneficial aspects of applying various
modifications in an enterprise.
1.3 Roles of key players in employment relations
There are several types of key elements which plays an essential role to maintain as well
as improve the relationships of staff members in particular organisation. NHS need to consider
certain prospects of firm to focus on them for creating better relation and mutual understanding
to gain better performance or regular outcomes of an enterprise. Some of essential components
are as follows:
 Employer: - This element plays a necessary role in NHS to enhance coordination
between staff members. The employer can provide better importunities to candidates to
enhance their skills or abilities to make their career more successful by attaining growth.
This will create satisfactory connection of employees with their superior which results in
performing tasks more efficiently.
 Employee: - The firm can run its business properly by generating effective coordination
and mutual understanding among its workers. It is an important factor of having positive
interrelation between colleagues of an organisation because compilation of their strengths
should be contributed for achieving desired targets or objectives of firm.
 Trade Unions: - These are basic authorities who have a task to take care of rights of
employees and their regular productivity of performances(Timming, 2011). The British
Medical Association trade union is linked with NHS firm to fulfil all kinds of prospects
to facilities delivered to patients regarding their treatments.
 Employer associations: - The firm has to establish the better connectivity of employer to
the manufacturers, retailers, labours and other employees. This will facilitate to build
loyal or comfort factor to fulfil various aspects of organisational goals. The connection to

various associated people like suppliers of raw material should be prepared healthy to
facilitate proper supply of intangible or tangible things used in manufacturing.
 Government: - The legal authorities put efforts to make several laws for conserving
employee rights of people within organisation while they are working. NHS has to follow
such laws or rules to take care of needs or problems faced by their staff members in an
enterprise.
TASK 2
2.1 Procedure followed by NHS to deal with different conflicts
There are many problems which can observed between employees of organisation such as
conflicts with colleagues or reporting manager. These problems or issues have to be sort out fir
attaining regular outcomes of individuals in organisation more effectively(Strohmeier and Kabst,
2014). Sometimes, small issues may acquire large scale loss for the company. To reduce this
kind of losses, the NHS enterprise has to identify and analyse various issues to solve them
efficiently so that they are able to better facilities to patients. Several steps should be conducted
by NHS to solve issues are given below:
 Understanding problems: - It is more important for enterprises to identify the arising
conflicts or problems before applying any type of technique. It is well known that
problems can be solved more effectively or efficiently when information of causes will
be available. Employers have to make sure to sort out all kind of threats or conflicts
raised in specific organisation for facilitating profits or benefits.
 Data collection: - The employers need to collect all relevant data to which can be
utilised for identification of arising issues and its causes. This will helps in preparing
appropriate plan to sort out conflict so that working of employees can render better
outcomes regularly. As a result, the goals or objectives of company can be completed
properly to achieve success.
 Analysis of information: - The collected data, records and information should be
studied or analysed more effectively so that it may concluded to correct result in respect
of problems or conflicts raises in organisation(Townsend and Loudoun, 2015).
Employers have to observe all kind of related knowledge to know about cause or
reasons of conflict.

 Prepare imperative steps: - After collecting and analysing the relevant data, it is
essential to make effective plan to solve the conflicts or issues of staff members in
company. This executive procedure should be effective enough so that it will not affect
negatively to profits of firm.
 Implementation of changes: - At last, the organisations have to apply the prepared plan
to solve all aspects of conflicts between workers by evaluating them more successfully.
2.2 Key elements of employee relation for certain conflict scenarios
There are different ways to solve several kind of conflicts in company which have certain
components to be considered. The relation in industry or between various firms plays significant
role for effective performance in organisation to attain desired goals or targets(Schlosser and
Zolin, 2012). So, the fact is that, if an enterprise want growth then it is necessary improvement
on regular basis for harmonise environment of working. The NHS company and British Medical
Association of junior doctors can apply various features in relation to sort out conflicts are given
below:
 Ideological framework: - This term refers to set of rules which incorporate the working
of specific firm. The NHS organisation is all about national health and safety which put
its efforts for working in improving medical prospects to improve welfare of people. It is
connected with British medical association and they have to follow rules by them to
provide appropriate facilities to patients because they have sensitive fields of profession.
 Conflicts and cooperation: - The conflicts of contract may results in dissatisfaction in
front of junior doctors. When employees need several changes or modifications in
organisation for which they generate conflicts then authorities have to take action. If the
needs are appropriate then firm will introduce few changes in techniques of organisation.
 Consultation: - The rules are provided by British medical association to complete
desires. They have remove their current contract with NHS if it is unable to fulfil the
demands and hence that should reformulated.
 Negotiation: - This factor can be referred as to negotiate some aspects after taking
feedbacks from patients about its effectiveness or efficiencies. If it is not much useful
then it will be ignored and apply another able factor.

2.3 Effectiveness of processes followed in resolving ambivalence
If any type of issues or conflicts will raised between two parties then it became beneficial
so that problems can be sort out by avoiding any wrong way or force. Every firm have to make
sure that conflicts must be solved as per proper policies or rules in systematic manner. This
prospect is based on that reason in which, possibility to affects large number of people or results
negatively may arises due to using wrong way of problem solving. But this aspect of large scale
loss can be reduces or avoided, if both parties have mutual understanding between them and put
efforts to attain this cooperation.
NHS has the British Medical Association to take care of facilities which are provided to
patients for their well-being. It is needed to plan and then implement appropriate as well as
desired laws or rules which are beneficial. The organisations have to ask for suggestions or
feedbacks from junior doctors and patients in respect to render beneficial facilities or
services(Tlaiss, 2013). They have to plan legal and proper procedure to attain effective working
for rendering better treatments to patients for their well-being. The BMA need to put enough
level of efforts to stop strikes of employees. Because it affects working of organisation as well as
patients may feel problems at large scale to get their proper treatment as it results to take risk
with health of people.
TASK 3
3.1 Role of negotiation in collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process in which workers’ unions are provided some rights and
legislations for employees of company to secure entitles of a worker and this can be built by
making an agreement. In summary, it is a provision of controlling labour laws. Bargaining
process is a guideline over which employee's re-presenter and employer agrees on same terms
and conditions. It is a guideline of functionality that must be followed by organisation and its
manpower both. In these kind of agreements, representative of workers and leader of
corporations discuss about some terms and rules over technologies. Human resource manager of
company determines the policies and regulations by taking care of all employment laws as well
as organisation benefits. Main purpose of making these guidelines is that, these are a format of
proper functionality and also helps in resolving issues and problems. With help of this, employer

can create a conflict free environment at workplace. There are some responsibilities that
collective bargaining comprises into it and these are detailed below:
Negotiation Assist in Developing the Effectiveness of Collective Bargaining Procedures
Main objective of preparing this agreement is to avoid all issues and conflicts which may raised
in corporation because these clashes among employees and employers affect growth of
association negatively(Nazir and et. al., 2016). With assistance of negotiation, association will be
able in diminish all issues at workplace by utilizing all appropriate tools and techniques. This
guideline of negotiation is also deals with poor selection of employee and development of good
working environment.
Negotiation Assist Organisation in Regard of Meeting Effective Results
With context of guideline, employee's reporting manager consults all issues related to workers
with team leader of corporation and then later on, presenter also discusses them with staff
members. This negotiation is also helpful in finding the best possible solution of a problem by
installing an adequate communication system at workplace. With assistance of this, human
resource manager can formulate strategies and plans by making conversations with top
management. It can aid organization to higher growth.
3.2 Impact of negotiation strategy for given situation
Process of negotiation starts when enterprise recruits a new personnel after confirming
him corporation make aware them about policies and procedures in which they operates their
business operations. Workers are getting paid on the basis of their performance and demands that
are fulfilling by association. Main mottos of creating these processes are to maximise profit by
reducing cost. Human resource department of corporation possess those workers whom can be
paid less wages and salaries with high skills. Whatever HR functions are set lower payments to
their employees but they ensure that workers must be satisfied with salaries. NHS focuses on
providing wide range of objectives and goals so that they could get attention of manpower
regarding their task instead of salary and status.
Maintain secrecy: - Bargaining procedure has wide contribution in corporation's efficient
working. This negotiation strategies also maintains secrecy by keeping all facts and figures

confidential by framing policies related to it. Bond of employers and employees can be
maintained by providing them willingness of working, desired wages, proper working hours etc.
Company keep confidential all information from extrinsic atmosphere.
Avoid conflicts of the trade union: - Bargaining tactics are to be made to avoid problems related
to trade unions, other issues of corporation. Also reduces chances of conflicts arise among
employees and employers(Bown-Wilson and Parry, 2013).
Improve quality work: - Bargaining strategies ensures that employees must secure their rights
and role that are associated with their objectives so that they could work in efficient manner.
This kind of behaviour improvises working quality of human resource at workplace.
TASK 4
4.1 Impact of EU on industrial democracy in UK
EU stands for European Union which can be defined as political and economic union of
28 member states that located basically in Europe. It has developed an internal single market
with standardised system of laws or rules. Its policies have vision of completing free movement
of people, services, goods and capital. It also deals to enact legislation in justice and home
affairs, fisheries, agriculture and regional development and maintain common policies or trade.
Some of the factors impacts on industrial democracy on United Kingdom are given below:
 Industrial democracy:- This term refers to that employees are need to be included as
partners of specific company and try to conduct various kind of procedures to enhance
their skills and abilities. This will facilitates growth in personal as well as professional
career to attain more profits(Rodriguez, Scurry and Stewart, 2017). The staff members
become able to make proper and appropriate decision as per requirement in an enterprise.
 Co determination practice: - This is kind of model which is commonly adopted in
practices within Germany. It involves the work council and structure which may contain
two stages such as supervisory and administrative. This will facilitate the employees to
enjoy through participating in affairs of management of company. The interest of staff
members as well as employers is preserved.
 European work councils: - It can be defined as such factors that represent workers of an
enterprise situated in Europe. These elements can utilise to tale support with management

of organisation due to decision making in business more effectively. For example, the
Treaty on European union have several objectives like establishing monetary and
economic union, enhancing improvement of effectiveness in institutes, focussing on
security policy and so on. This technique is generated by European Union.
 Information and consultation directive: - This may refers to put efforts to consultation
and information rights of workers who were working in an organisation which operating
in EU. This considers procedures of appointment, structure of employment, economic
conditions.
4.2 Several methods of gaining employee involvement in decision making procedures
Employee involvement is important because it can provide number of alternative choices
having better impacts as well as they will feel valuable in company. NHS has involve their junior
doctors and many other employees to make decision relevant to their field of expertise or
designation. Then it will become mandatory to include them so that they feel satisfactory and it
may reduce employee turnover in organisation(Raj Adhikari and et. al., 2011). The organisation
can save their cost of recruitment and selection as they can retain their workers.
 Employee participation: - This term described as to involve the worker in various
meetings or conferences which is conducted to complete projects. It will facilitate to
make every aspects clear in front of staff members and they are able to learn about
objectives of such programmes.
 Representative participation:- The organisation have to provide opportunities to
employees for sharing their ideas and thoughts to collect large number of better
alternative choices to be implemented for achieving more outputs. This will render
benefits to workers as well as enterprise.
 Survey of attitude:- This term may referred as an effective method which can be used in
involvement technique where workers are able to give their views due to job evaluation
procedure and working calculation tools job determination.
 Quality circle: - This can be considered for management which may get thought in
respect of problems from the very beginning to end. All kind of negative aspects can be
restricted in involvement of few people who have better information(Curran and
Quinn,2012).

All of the above factors are helpful in gaining employee involvement for some of desirable
meetings or conferences by which they will feel more valuable and firm can attain better choices
through the ideas of workers. This technique becomes useful to reduce employee turnover and
save cost of recruitment.
4.3 Impact of human resource management approach on employee relation
Human resource termed as manpower of organisation which may be considered as
backbone of any company because all types of profits or benefits can be gained by their efforts
only. The management of human resource is an important task to allocate the raw material or
machinery to work and provide them specific quantity of creating outcomes in particular period
of time. So, it will consider as in relation of workers which focussed on responsibility,
communication, involvement, quality, flexibility and so on(Ogunsina, 2017). This will facilitate
to generate environment of harmony and unity in company. The information about developments
of business conditions, trainings and development necessity, change in work process, new
approaches to perform tasks etc. can be taken from human resource management of specific
enterprise.
The employees of an organisation can put their efforts to make their relations better for
working more effectively through understanding the impact of performance with mutual
coordination. Moreover, the staff members have to know the meaning of working with mutual
cooperation will impacts on productivity as well as profitability. They have to maintain their
coordination so that they can perform properly to create desired outcomes regularly. The workers
can provide their ideas of more efficiently performing and share it with peers or colleagues to
improve outputs of daily basis.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussed report, it is concluded that employee relations should be
maintained so that working in organisation can be done through mutual understanding. The firms
have to put efforts for generating cooperation between employees as it is necessary to compile
strengths of them to achieve particular vision. This can be possible only when the staff members
can work through coordination amongst them. Impact of European Union on industrial
democracy has been also discussed in the assignment.