Employee Relations

Question 1

Examples of business objectives matched with approached to employee relations

Answer 1

Profit and profitability implementation of TQM
Customer and staff satisfaction
Improving product quality
Acting ethically
Acting responsibility - employees have the right to request flexible working arrangements, particularly in need of family responsibilities

Question 2

Stakeholders in the employee relations

Answer 2

Internal environment; 
Employees 
Employers 
Operation environment; 
Employee associations 
Trade unions 
Macro environment;
Peak employer bodies (state and federal level) 
Peak Union bodies (state and federal level)

Question 3

Government five key roles in employee relations

Answer 3

Legislator
-laws Passed that provide legal framework for employee relations
Employer
-all public sector workers are employed by the government
Economic manager
-ensure the level wages does not put to much pressure on the economy
Administrator of The government policies
-The implementation of the legislation around employee relations
Australian representative internationally
-international labour organisation

Question 4

An award

Answer 4

Legally binding agreement that sets out minimum wages and conditions for a group of employees

Question 5

Centralised vs Decentralised

Answer 5

A centralised system of employees relations is one is which centralised tribunals decide the wages and employment conditions of all employee s
A decentralised system is one in which direct negotiations occurs between an individual employer and either individual empires groups of employees or the representatives of those employee s

Question 6

Conciliation

Answer 6

Occurs when a third party participates in the resolution of a dispute and attempts to help resolve the differences though discussion

Question 7

Arbitration

Answer 7

Occurs when a judge (such as a commissioner of the fair work commission) or a panel of judges hears both arguments in a dispute in a more formal court like setting and determine the outcome

Question 8

Employee relations

Answer 8

Refers to the total interaction that occurs between the employer and the representative and the employee and their representative in regard to the establishment of conditions of employment
Only when employee relations are aligned with business objectives and strategies can the business succeed

Question 9

DC & C similarities and differences

Answer 9

Similarities:
• Both deal with setting conditions of employment and resolving disputes
• both use awards as a way to set minimum conditions
• unions have a role in both
Differences:
• a decentralised approach used collective agreements and individual contracts, where’s a centralised approach uses industry wide awards
• a decentralised approach has strong links between pay and productivity
• the centralised approach used government tribunals to settle disputes where’s decentralised uses unions

Question 10

Industry wide awards

Answer 10

A set of minimum employment standards for employees working within the industry - no new ones created due to legislation, allowed for enterprise agreements to supersede it.

Question 11

Collective agreements (enterprise agreements)

Answer 11

A negotiated agreement between an employer and a union or group of employees
An expectation that parties negotiate in good faith

Question 12

Individual agreements (contracts)

Answer 12

Agreements between an employer and an individual employee

Unless earning greater than $133000 cannot exclude award conditions

Question 13

Negotiating employee agreements (DA)

Answer 13

Goal: achieve the best possible outcomes in terms of productivity and flexibility for both employer and employee.

• be aware of all legal requirements
• consult wide
• keep an open mind

Question 14

Role of a HR under DCA

Answer 14

Training other managers and supervisors
- it will be an operation managers and supervisors who will be responsible for day to day implementation of agreements
Implementing agreements
- need to handle changes to wages, hours of work, leave entitlements and flexibility arrangements
Dealing with disputes of conflict

Question 15

Management styles in employee relations

Answer 15

Either participate or consultative styles of management result in positive employee relations. These styles encourage employee involvement in decision making process allow negotiations to precede any final decision, build a harmonious positive working relations and help achieve business objectives.

Question 16

Management skills in employee relations

Answer 16

Communication - good communications help build trust, support positive negotiations and help with the timely resolution of dispute
Delegation - a willingness to entrust responsibility to employees help build a positive attitude towards the organisation.
Team work - establishing and supporting teams and responding productivity to team activity contributes to the level engagement of employees

Question 17

Benefit of effective employee relations

Answer 17

Success in international markets
Higher productivity
Lower staff turn over and absenteeism
Fewer work place accidents

Question 18

Conflict

Answer 18

Refers to disputes, disagreements or dissatisfaction between individuals and/or groups

Question 19

Industrial disputes

Answer 19

A withdrawal from work by a group of employees or refusal by an employer or number of employers to permit some or all of their members to work
Each withdrawn or refusal is make to enforce a demand, resist a demand it express a grievance

Question 20

Conflict in employee relations

Answer 20

Strike action - withdrawal of labour by employees for a period of time in pursuit of improvements in their employee conditions
Lockout - refusal by employers to allow employees to work, normally by closing the workplace for a period of time as a means of applying pressure to employees during a period of industrial conflict

Question 21

Other forms of industrial action include

Answer 21

Picket line - are protests that take place outside the workplace, generally associated with a strike
Work bans - a ban is a refusal to work overtime, handle a product, piece of equipment, process or even a refusal to work with particular individuals
Work to rule - in this action employees refuses to perform any duties that are additional to the work they may be normally required to perform

Question 22

Causes of conflict

Answer 22

Disputes relating to negotiations of agreements
- remuneration,employment hours, job security
Disputes relating to outside agreements
- OH&S, job security, policies, political or social protests

Question 23

Protected industrial action

Answer 23

Refers to action taken by either party to a dispute that has been approved by the fair work commission
- considered a legitimate tactic in pursuit of claims in a new enterprise agreement and will usually occur during the process of negotiating the new agreements.

Question 24

Unprotected industrial action

Answer 24

Refers to the action that has not been approved by the fair work commission
- considered unlawful, takes place before the expiry date of the previous agreement.

Question 25

Negotiation

Answer 25

Lest formal method, of a dispute of resolution. Involves direct discussions between the parties without the involvement of external third parties.

Question 26

Mediation

Answer 26

A more formal method to resolve a dispute, involves the third assistance of a third party which assists the parties in dispute to work towards their own agreement. They will not usually offer suggestions, or solutions preferring to allow the parties to develop the agreements in their own terms

Question 27

Grievance procedures

Answer 27

Are a formalised set of steps whereby the employee and employer can resolve matters relating to complains about wages, hours, working conditions or disciplinary actions.
Complaint being presented to supervisor, then to middle management, then to top management, then to conciliation and arbitration until the issues is resolved.

Question 28

Fair work commission

Answer 28

Being the national independent workplace relations tribunals they can help parties resolve work place disputes in a variety of ways, particularly thought conciliation, mediation and arbitration.

Question 29

Common law action

Answer 29

Legal action before the courts is open to any party involved in or affected by industrial action. Taking legal action would be considered the “last resort” when all other avenues have been exhausted.

Question 30

Enterprise bargaining

Answer 30

The process of directly negotiating wages and employement conditions between employer and employee at enterprise levels