Employee Relations Essay Example

aspects of the employment relationship, including union and non-union scenarios and relationships. The researcher concurs that employers now prioritize creating a conducive environment for high productivity, commitment, and satisfaction instead of maintaining an autocratic atmosphere where employees' voices go unheard.

Ensuring harmony and peace in the workplace is a difficult task due to differing ideas and perspectives between employees and employers. Employee relations and human resources play a vital role in addressing the needs of both parties at all levels.

The concept of "employee relations" is a component of industrial relations and entails overseeing personnel in a company, organization, or workplace. It broadens the scope of industrial relations by acknowledging that it encompasses both trade unions and employee management.

Heery & Noon (2001) Thus, based on this definition, it can be inferred that industrial relations present themselves with a human approach, emphasizing employee relations and portraying a wide-ranging focus. However, it is important to acknowledge that industrial relations also encompass trade unions and their perspectives on employee situations. Nevertheless, Heery & Noon argue that industrial relations are intrinsically connected to employee relations. In contemporary terms, industrial relations broadly encompass negotiations between management and workers regarding employment conditions.

Industrial relations refer to the interaction between management and a workforce that is either currently unionized or has the potential to unionize. In such scenarios, employees have the freedom to establish unions and participate in collective bargaining when they feel their employer is disregarding their work-related issues. This section of the review will use source 2, Critique's, which offers diverse viewpoints and opinions on Employee Relations.

The decrease in strikes and industrial action

does not diminish the significance for managers to recognize that employees may have different interests than their employer. It is still essential to effectively manage workplace conflict. Moreover, HR management philosophies might not fully comprehend the intricacies of managing people (Edwards 2003). Research suggests that "industrial relations" generally refers to the collective relationships between employers and employees.

Employers in modern workplaces have abandoned outdated terms used to describe employment relationships, except in certain industries where modifications have been made. This transition is evident in companies like Google or Facebook, which prioritize employee communication and interaction with various levels of management. The goal is to encourage the exchange of opinions, ideas, and concerns among employees. According to Scott et al. (1989), small businesses merge personal and industrial relations by emphasizing positive networks and emotional connections. They argue that this approach serves the intentions of business owners while concealing the true nature of the employment relationship. By employing this strategy, businesses can foster loyalty and commitment from some workers while indirectly exerting pressure on others.

Scott et al. (1989) argue that employee relations extend beyond large firms and do not solely depend on a detached and organized approach. Instead, they involve personal connections within the organization's less rigid hierarchy of authority and power, resembling friendships. Unlike in smaller companies, there is an intertwining of personal and employee relationships.

According to Guest (2001), Employee Relations involves the connection between employees and the organization as well as their interactions with each other. This includes various activities such as developing, implementing, administering, and analyzing the employer-employee relationship, continually evaluating it, managing employee performance, and resolving workplace disputes.

However, it does not cover areas related to union organizing, union elections, collective bargaining, and ongoing union-management relations, which are more commonly associated with industrial relations.

According to the Guest explanation, employee relations encompass various views and approaches. These include providing equal employment opportunities, ensuring fairness and consistency in how employees are treated, facilitating effective communication between management and employees, and documenting employment actions such as complaints or grievances. Recordkeeping, as required by law and practice, is also part of employee relations. Furthermore, employee relations consider the business's overall approach to fostering a positive, productive, and harmonious work environment that aligns with the organization's specific business model and corporate culture.

This section of the review focuses on the utilization of source 3, Academic websites. By consulting these academic websites, the researcher can access current definitions and theories regarding employee relations. According to the website www.transtutors.com, employee relations encompass all aspects of human resource management that involve interactions with employees, either directly or through collective agreements with recognized trade unions.

Employee relations involve managing the employment relationship, which includes setting terms and conditions of employment and resolving any issues. This definition shows that employee relations cover a broader range of aspects in the employment relationship than industrial relations. This contradicts Heery & Noon (2001) who referred to industrial relations as having a "human face".

This inherently deals with the interactions between management and trade unions. This broader definition acknowledges the shift from collectivism to individualism in how employers can engage with their employees.