Essay on Shared Interests: Industrial Relations and Workplace Change

This essay examines the critical issue of industrial relations and workplace change, focusing on the implications of management ignoring the voice of its employees. The central argument posits that both employers and employees share common interests in fostering a work environment where employee concerns are addressed. The essay explores how disregarding employee voice can lead to negative outcomes such as reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, higher turnover rates, and damage to the organization's reputation. It highlights that a conducive work environment where employees feel valued and their contributions are recognized is essential for both customer acquisition and employer branding. The essay references academic research to support the claim that a lack of employee voice can negatively impact both individual employees and the organization as a whole, emphasizing the importance of open communication and employee engagement for the overall success and well-being of the workplace. Ultimately, it concludes that the interests of employers and employees are aligned when management actively listens to and addresses employee concerns.

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INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND WORKPLACE CHANGE
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Effective resolution of workplace issue pitting the management and the employees is an
essential aspect for the creation and maintenance of healthy work relationships. The
management, therefore, needs to prioritize issues raised by employees. Giving employees a voice
makes them productive, happy and keeps them engaged. Both the employees and employer have
shared interests when the management ignores employee's voice.
Both the employer and the organization seek for best possible working conditions in their
organizations. While a conducive working environment enables employees to thrive in their
various assignments, it also enables the employer to reap maximum benefits from their
workforce. In a situation where the management ignores the voice of the employees, the
workforce can become less motivated and hence more likely to become more detached from their
jobs. A detachment of employees from their jobs makes them less productive which denies the
employer an opportunity to benefit fully from the output of their employees (Ashford, Sutcliffe
and Christianson,2009). Subsequently, it can also hurt the realization of personal and collective
goals. This, therefore, means that both the employee and employer have shared interests in
ignored employee voice.
Customer acquisition and employer branding are some of the most critical detriments’ of
organizational success. Generally, employees desire to work in environments where they feel
that their efforts are valued and appreciated. Ignoring their voice can, therefore, be quite
frustrating. For employees, the acquisition of new customers and retention of existing customers
is also a win for them. It means that they can get better perks for their contribution to their
organization. On the same note, employers always focus on attracting and retaining more
customers in a bid to maintain the financial health of their organization. If the voice of the
workforce is ignored, employees are more likely to use other channels such as public channels to

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voice their concerns. This can harm the reputation and ability of an organization to attract and
retain customers. Such an outcome can hurt both the aspirations of the employer and the
workforce. They, therefore, have shared interests.
Possibly it gets to a point where employees are fed up with their organization to the point
of deciding to leave their organization. High employee turnover does affect not only the
employer but also the remaining employees. Additionally, by not giving employees a voice, their
commitment to their organization is affected. This is reflected in increasing rates of absenteeism,
withdrawal and high employee turnover (Bashshur and Oc, 2015). Sometimes employees may
not be willing to leave their present employer, but due to the prevailing circumstances, they are
left with no option. They have shared interest because ignoring an employee’s voice makes it
hard for them to carry out their duties as required. High turnover, on the other hand, can have a
huge impact on the overall productivity and reputation of an organization. The employer would
do anything within their means to maintain their workforce performing optimally.
Skill loss is one of the areas that employers work hard to avoid, not only is skill loss an
expensive affair for an organization, sometimes getting suitable replacements can be a nightmare
for organizations. When employees are empowered to air out their concerns, possible grievances
are resolved before getting out of hand. In the event where they lack a voice, their psychological
well being and job satisfaction rates are affected (Farndale, Van Ruiten, Kelliher and Hope‐
Hailey, 2011). .For the employer, loss of important skills can hurt both the reputation and well
being of an organization.
In conclusion, the outcome of denying employees a voice does not only affect individual
employees but also their employers. Some of the possible consequences of denying employees a
voice include loss of important skills in an organization, increased absenteeism, low

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productivity, and poor job satisfaction. In the same way that these aspects affect employees, so
do they affect employers.
References

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Ashford, S.J., Sutcliffe, K.M. and Christianson, M.K., 2009. Speaking up and speaking out: The
leadership dynamics of voice in organizations. Voice and silence in organizations, pp.175-202.
Farndale, E., Van Ruiten, J., Kelliher, C. and Hope‐Hailey, V., 2011. The influence of perceived
employee voice on organizational commitment: An exchange perspective. Human Resource
Management, 50(1), pp.113-129.
Bashshur, M.R. and Oc, B., 2015. When voice matters: A multilevel review of the impact of
voice in organizations. Journal of Management, 41(5), pp.1530-1554.