Role of Labor Education in Empowering Employees and Democratizing Workplace - Assignment Example

Human Resource Management of the of the Table of Contents Introduction 3 2.Role of labor education in empowering employees and democratizing workplace 3 3.Importance of EDS in empowering employees and democratizing workplace 4 4.Conclusion 5 References 7 1. Introduction It is indeed true that labor education and introduction of extensive employee development schemes (EDS) plays a significant role in the empowerment of employees as well as the democratization of workplace. Employee empowerment and workplace democracy are two fields of modern human resource management which have garnered considerable amount of attention from academic scholars all over the world. Research scholars have pointed out that employee empowerment and workplace democracy are two critical determinants of positive organizational change and organizational success (Honold, 1997). Employee empowerment refers to the flexibility that is offered to employees whereby they are able to contribute towards the organizational decision making process. They have the authority to make a decision at their own discretion without having to consult the senior officials or the organizational management. One of the major reasons behind organizations emphasizing so much on employee empowerment is to convey that their inputs are being valued within the company. This is one way adopted by organizational managers to acknowledge the employees’ contribution. Employee empowerment is extremely important for companies all over the world as it enhances the engagement level of employees and makes them more committed towards their work (Menon, 2001). In a similar manner, workplace democratization is another crucial aspect of an organization’s internal environment. Workplace democracy provides employees with the right to state their own opinion. An open opinionated work environment enables employees to convey their needs and requirements directly to the superiors. It allows employees with the opportunity to vote form their own union and elect a favorable representation. Democratization of workplace enables managers to establish a rigid framework of communication whereby both employees and managers can negotiate with each other on favorable terms (Gómez & Rosen, 2001). It is extremely important for the managers to impart necessary education to the labors as well as introduce necessary employee development schemes in order to ensure proper empowerment of employees and democratization of workplace. The importance of the above mentioned factors are discussed over the course of this study. 2. Role of labor education in empowering employees and democratizing workplace In this intensely competitive business environment it is extremely important for organizations to make sure that the entire organizational workforce is in complete harmony. There has to be a proper coordination among each and every individual member. In addition to that, managers have to ensure the fact that the goals set by the organizations as well as the ones set by the employees are in complete alignment with each other. Moreover, managers also have to monitor that the chances of conflict of interest are kept at minimum. For all that to happen effectively, it is enormously imperative for an organization to impart quality education to the labor force (Werner & DeSimone, 2011). The labor force has to be adequately educated in order for them to be able to learn and understand their rights, jurisdictions and authority within the workforce as well as the importance of exercising the same. Proper labor education enables employees to learn about cohesive team work and the importance of identifying each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It allows them to know the significance of having their own opinion regarding a particular aspect and conveying the same in front of managers with respect (Birdi, Allan & Warr, 1997). A majority of organizations all over the world have a trade union at place. This unification provides the necessary empowerment to the employees to negotiate their needs and requirements with the top tier management. Appropriate labor education allows employees to learn about the importance of being a part of trade unions and the underlying principles behind the formation of a trade union. They are also able to learn about the integrity with which a trade union member should work collectively with other members in order to attain the goal set by the organization, meanwhile attaining his/her personal goal. This is the kind of workplace democracy that is established by the labor education. It allows labors to cast their own vote to elect a trade union representative as well as enables them to understand the value of this opinion that they provide every time there is an election (Hanushek, Woessmann & Zhang, 2011). Labor education also serves as guidance tools for employees so that they do not misuse or abuse the authority that they have been provided with. Given the fact that labors work in a multi cultural environment, a probability of cultural conflict always exists. This is where the significance of imparting necessary labor education lies. It teaches labors to understand and respect a different culture and resolve any issues of cultural conflict (Kwon, 2011). In a fiercely competitive advancement companies sometimes do have to be aggressive in terms of their strategy but they have to make sure that no labor is influenced by this aggression which might compel them to indulge in wrongful or unethical practices. This is precisely the reason why labor education is extremely important (Lashley, 1999). It helps the workforce to learn about the importance of abiding by the ethical code of conduct. This in turn enables them to work with integrity and discipline. As a consequence, managers are able to facilitate employee empowerment as well as democratize the work place. 3. Importance of EDS in empowering employees and democratizing workplace Employee development schemes are extremely vital for companies now more than ever before. This is a particular aspect that is of huge relevance to the human resource department of an organization. Now that quite a lot of organizations are being witnessed downsizing their employees due to lack of skills and expertise, employee development schemes can prove to be instrumental in bringing about organizational change by imparting the necessary skills and expertise on to the employees. This will not only lead to employee empowerment but will also establish democracy within the workplace (Lee, n.d.). Introduction of employee development skills allows employees to attain all round development whereby employees can become more receptive and flexible in their approach towards their work. Consequently their engagement level towards the work and the company as a whole is enhanced. Introduction of employee development skills enable managers to make their employees malleable to different circumstances and tasks. The skills and empowerment that employees may require in the contemporary business environment may not always be related to their job (Edwards, Raggatt & Small, 2013). Networking, communication, collaborative work and confidence are some of the necessary skills that need to be possessed by employees in order to enhance their empowerment as well as establish a democratic workplace. These are necessities that are not always addressed by training specific to job (Klasen & Clutterbuck, 2012). This is where the importance of an employee development scheme can be understood. An extensive employee development scheme involves training employees under different circumstances that enables them to be adept in making quick decisions which at times can prove to be very handy. Such development schemes provide them with a robust framework whereby they can communicate effectively with their peers as well as their superiors. This fact itself justifies that employee development schemes allow for employee empowerment and workplace democracy (Panagiotakopoulos, 2011). These schemes are often introduced by organizations in their quest convey the employees about their importance and contribution to the organization. Employees are enrolled in such schemes as a gesture of recognition for the work that they have done for their manger and for the company as a whole. This is one way adopted by managers in order to enhance the satisfaction level of their employee which in turn allows them to enhance employee empowerment (Lee, n.d.). Employee development schemes enable employees to learn extensively about the ways to work along with a team and the importance of collaborative work. It teaches them how to approach a particular assignment in a disciplined and organized manner and work collectively in order to conclude the assignment within stipulated time frame. In that way they are able to have a holistic view of the way information propagates between each and every individual members of the assignment which in turn teaches them the importance of having shared beliefs and opinions (Ainley & Rainbird, 2014). 4. Conclusion As mentioned above employee empowerment and workplace democracy are two of the most communally discussed aspects of human resource in the contemporary world. As such the researcher also endeavored to study the importance of labor education and employee development schemes in enhancing employee empowerment as well as democratizing workplace. The study revealed that labor education and employee development schemes do have a significant contribution in employee empowerment and workplace democracy. While labor education enables employees to learn about their rights, jurisdiction and authority and the importance of exercising them at workplace, employee development schemes serve as a guidance framework whereby employees are able to gain skills and expertise required in majority of the organization. Labor education and employee development schemes allows employees to learn how to work in a team, express their opinions with freewill, respect each other’s culture, adapt to different circumstances, gain all round development, conduct ethical business and so on and so forth. All of the above mentioned effects of labor education and employee development schemes are signs of employee empowerment and workplace democracy. References Ainley, P. & Rainbird, H. (2014). Apprenticeship: Towards a new paradigm of learning. London: Routledge. Birdi, K., Allan, C. & Warr, P. (1997). Correlates and perceived outcomes of 4 types of employee development activity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(6), 845. Edwards, R., Raggatt, P. & Small, N. (2013). The learning society: challenges and trends. London: Routledge. Gómez, C. & Rosen, B. (2001). The leader-member exchange as a link between managerial trust and employee empowerment. Group & Organization Management, 26(1), 53-69. Hanushek, E. A., Woessmann, L. & Zhang, L. (2011). General education, vocational education, and labor-market outcomes over the life-cycle. Retrieved from http://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/58710/1/689824106.pdf Honold, L. (1997). A review of the literature on employee empowerment.Empowerment in organizations, 5(4), 202-212. Klasen, N. & Clutterbuck, D. (2012). Implementing mentoring schemes. London: Routledge. Kwon, Y. (2011). The development history of labor education in South Korea from a sociopolitical and economic perspective. International Journal of Educational Development, 31(5), 524-531. Lashley, C. (1999). Employee empowerment in services: a framework for analysis. Personnel Review, 28(3), 169-191. Lee, C. (no date). Learning from employee development schemes. Retrieved from http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pdflibrary/empdevs.pdf Menon, S. (2001). Employee empowerment: An integrative psychological approach. Applied Psychology, 50(1), 153-180. Panagiotakopoulos, A. (2011). Barriers to employee training and learning in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Development and Learning in Organizations, 25(3), 15-18. Werner, J. & DeSimone, R. (2011). Human resource development. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Read More