Employee and Labor Relations - Essay Example

? Employee and Labor Relations Employee and Labor Relations Introduction In every organization, there are offices for the employee and labor organization; these offices deal with the matter that directly links the employees and the employer. Within the office, there is the implementation of the employment policies and ensures that the grievances of the employees are met in conformity with the provision of the company or the organization. In every company, workers right has to be considered and by extension, there is the workers union that is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the employers gives workers remuneration the commensurate their work and that their working condition is safe in terms of health and danger. In this respect, the management and the organization have never been in one side of the page on issues related to the employees. Role of Management in an Organization One of the lifelines of an organization is the management, like in the production; the management is the equivalent of the entrepreneur who organizes all factors of production in a way that they can achieve their targets. The management in the organization will ensure that the factors of production are at their best in pursuit of the company’s or organization core objectives. In this sense, they will ensure that the human resource, the physical, and financial resources are synchronized for the realization of a common goal (Pawel, 2009). The management in an organization thus has the task of balancing and co-coordinating between the authority and the responsibilities. It will therefore be appreciated that the management has to organize these for the realization of the results. In an organization then, the management has the duty of organizing with the aim of achieving the following; Identification of activities; all the activities taking place in an organization has to be identified by the management before they are carried out. These activities include; inventory controls, accounts preparation, quality control, keeping of records, and making of sales. The management also plays a role in the departmentation in the organization. Departmentation is the act of sub dividing the whole operation concern into independent units that are able to function with some degrees of autonomy (Pawel, 2009). The management also does classification of authorities where authorities are delegated in a hierarchical order. This has to be done by with a lot of precision to enable the organization to operate with absolute efficiency in realizing its goals and objectives. Overlapping authorities in this case is likely to bring a lot of confusion in the daily running of the organization affairs. Lastly, there has to be also high level of coordination controls ensured by the management, in as much as these units are independent with delegated authority, they have to coordinate and work in tandem so that objectives are realized smoothly. Role of the Union in an Organization Unions are synonymous to fighting for the right of workers who are employed in the various organizations. They push for the workers fair consideration on a myriad of issues ranging from remuneration, safety in the work place, and the working hours as well as deduction of the workers monthly pay. In this reference, unions can therefore be described as a conduit through which negotiations are reached between the employers and the employees (Davidson, 1999). Both the employer and the employee have divergent perception on employment and have always been antagonistic in more than one way and the only body that has been playing a role in the division is the unions. The union addresses the workers grievances through collective bargaining with the organization so that the wishes of the workers can be realized. Workers as have been indicated previously face a plethora of challenges in the work environment, this can be traced from the period of industrial revolution when the workers got abused since there was overwhelming demand for workers and in return, they had to work for long hours with little pay. The working condition was also deplorable with children below the age of 14 involved in the rigor of industrial work. Their was rampant abuse of the workers right and this led to the establishment of the union of workers to be their representatives, the union act as the mouthpiece for the workers by relying their grievances to the concerned body so that they can be addressed. For instance, in the contemporary society, employees might be giving a package that is not commensurate to economic realities facing the employees (Davidson, 1999). In such a case, the employees have do demand for a pay rise through their respective unions. The unions are also playing the critical role of controlling the labor flow in the market so that at no time will the supply of the labor be more than the demand. When a situation of that nature arises, there is likely to be depreciation on the wages that are given to the workers owing to the excess supply of the workers to the employer. Under this role, the unions have been accused of not being sensitive to the plight of workers by hoarding them when there are opportunities for them. In the agitation for the pay rises, the unions have been accused of putting the employers in jeopardy given that they are in a competitive landscape where prices of the products plays a significant role in the organization’s sales (Lewin, 2011). The employers posit that the cost of labor is factored in the production cost and the ultimate burden is shifted to the final consumers. This is likely to increase the cost of the their products and is likely to disadvantage them in the market. The role of the union in an organization has thus been controversial with the employers while to the employees it has been the only salvage to displeasure. This is largely drawn from the fact that the two parties perceive have contrary perception and expectation of one another in the work place. Strategies of the Organization to Maintain Working Relation with the Union Organizations have realized that the unions of the workers in an important body to just wish a way, it represents the interest of the workers and whenever they utter a word, the employees will heed to the last person. As such, they can hinder the progress of the organization in realizing their goals. For instance, when the union of the workers calls for a strike over disagreement with the organization, they stand to loose a great deal. In this regard, organizations have developed strategies to help them court the unions prior so that they can solve their grievances in a modest and in a manner that does not harm either side. Organizations these days request the union to table with them the demand of the workers so that they can plan and strategize for the demands over a period to avoid possible unrest (Lewin, 2011). Some organizations have developed the act of involving the unions in making policies related to the employees so that they become part of the policy makers in the organization. When this happens, the unions become like part of the company in terms of the management and it becomes difficult to incite the employees over dissatisfactory policies because they part of the management. This strategy has worked well with some of the organization by avoiding problems with the unions in future. By involving the union in the management of the organization, the workers feel that they are part of the team and become hesitant to put organization in jeopardy (Lewin, 2011). Strategies of the Union to Maintain Working relation with the management The union on the other side has also tried to maintain a rosy relationship with the management so that push and shove is reduced in the two organizations that are synonymous with antagonism. The unions have designed a strategy in which they help the management in understanding their predicament by helping them conceptualize the issues surrounding their grievances. The union has also tried to understand the predicament of the employers and have agreed that their demands can be reached over time. The establishment of a cordial relationship with the management has always lead to a more a stable association between the two bodies that are perceived to be antagonist has also helped in reaching a good understanding between them. The strategies of the union have made remarkable success in bridging the gap between the employer and the employees because of a better bargaining power (Lewin, 2011). In conclusion, there are several challenges facing employees in work environment that the employer need to appreciate. On the other hand, the employer is also faced with many challenges that should as well be appreciated by the employees. The union bodies needs not to be fire breathing, as they are traditionally been known, they need to be extremely rational in their decision so that they do not compromise on the operation of the employer by calling for strikes or go slow. With a more understanding between the two parties, workers can be rest assured that their grievances would be expeditiously reached. References Davidson, A. (1999). State individual employment rights laws labor relations, employee leave, employee rights. Chicago: CCH Inc.. Lewin, D. (2011). Advances in industrial and labor relations. Bingley, U.K.: Emerald. Pawel, M. (2009). The union of their dreams: power, hope, and struggle in Cesar Chavez's farm worker movement. New York: Bloomsbury Press. Read More