Employee Relations

Question 1

What are employee relations ?

Answer 1

Employee Relations are the formal relationship between employees and employers which may involve each of their representatives getting together to discuss any difficulties, problems, situations

Question 2

What are methods of ensuring good employee relations ?

Answer 2

-Work Councils
-Worker’s Directors
-Job Enlargement
-Quality Circles
-Consultative Commitees

Question 3

What are the main groups involved in maintaining good employee relations ?

Answer 3

Trade Unions and ACAS

Question 4

What is Job Enlargement ?

Answer 4

-Method of ensuring good employee relations.

-Management increases the number of tasks a worker will perform, making their jobs less repetitive and boring, resulting in empowerment.

Question 5

What are Worker’s Directors ?

Answer 5

-Method of ensuring good employee relations.

-Workers are elected by co-workers to sit on the BOD to contribute to discussions. They have no voting powers but communicate the views of workers to the directors

Question 6

What are work councils ?

Answer 6

-Method of ensuring good employee relations.

-A group of representatives from the workforce who have the legal right to access information from management and joint decision-making powers on most matters relating to employees.

-Strengthens relationships as its makes staff feel valued by their managers.

Question 7

What are trade unions ?

Answer 7

Organisations which represent employees in pay negotiations, conditions of service, dismissal, redundancy and other work related matters.​

-Undertake collective bargaining on behalf of employees. ​
-Have greater negotiation power than individuals. ​
-Offer employers advice in work-related matters. ​
-Involvement with Industrial Tribunal – represent the members of staff.

Question 8

What is collective bargaining ?

Answer 8

This is when the TU, representing all employees in that union, will negotiate with the employer to improve pay, conditions, etc. Its about reaching a compromise between 2 parties.​

Question 9

What are the benefits of collective bargaining ?

Answer 9

-Agreements reached can be on a national level. ​

-Reduces the number of individual meetings required to resolve an issue. ​

-Without collective bargaining the employees could be taken for granted and deliberately left out of discussions, consultations or told very little by the organisation. ​

-Negotiators are experienced.

Question 10

What is ACAS?

Answer 10

Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, If both parties agree to go to ACAS, they must accept the ruling.​

Their role is to
-Give advice to employers, employees and TUs​
-Conciliate – act as a referee and as an impartial party to help TU/employers understand each others position and come to an agreement, intervenes in disputes.
-Arbitrates, assesses a problem and makes a final decision in the dispute

This avoids a dispute going to court which would be costly, time consuming and stressful for both parties​

Question 11

What are the benefits of positive employee relations ?

Answer 11

-Employees will have their chance to discuss changes or grievances so they will feel happier and more secure in the workplace ​

-Employees will become flexible with suggestions from management making it easier to introduce change within the organisation ​

-Disputes will be less likely to arise as employees will have been consulted ​

-The workforce will be committed, helping to ensure the business meets its objectives ​

-The organisation will gain a good image for treating its employees correctly/maintaining good employee relations, attracting new employees easily.

Question 12

What are the effects of negative employee relations ?

Answer 12

-Reduced morale which will lead to poorer quality of work​

-Employees will quit their job, leading to a high staff turnover which will increase recruitment and selection costs​

-ndustrial action e.g. a strike which will lead to reduced productivity​

-Could create a poor image for the business which could put customers off and therefore reducing sales​

-Less co-operation of staff during periods of change could make it harder to introduce new policies or procedures​

Question 13

What are Quality Circles ?

Answer 13

-Method of ensuring good employee relations.

-Small groups of workers, of different levels (managers, assembly line, engineers ect), meet together to discuss and solve problems in production - everyone’s opinion is respected and valued.

Question 14

What are Consultative Committees ?

Answer 14

-Method of ensuring good employee relations.

-Similar to work councils, set up to discuss issues that will affect the business, made up of employees and managers but may also include stakeholders.

Question 15

What are examples of company policies ?

Answer 15

-Grievance and Discipline Procedures
-Redundancy
-Dismissal

Question 16

What is a Grievance procedure ?

Answer 16

-The processes that an employee should go through if are unhappy with something in workplace, to make a complaint.

Question 17

What is a discipline procedure ?

Answer 17

-Used if employees is not following the rules of conduct required.
-Cover absenteeism, conduct, behaviour and performance.
-Sanctions that are used are: Verbal warning, formal written warning, final written warning, suspension, demotion, dismissal.

Question 18

What is a redundancy ?

Answer 18

-Job performed is no longer required so are let go, given a redundancy payment and notice period so can search for new job, are a last resort to save money as lead to bad reputation.

Question 19

What is a dismissal ?

Answer 19

Employee’s contract is terminated, usually last stage of disciplinary procedure, employee not following company policy or procedure, should only happen once all formed discipline procedure have been completed.