Managing Employee Relations - Essay Example

Managing Employee Relations Introduction In this globalisation and technology driven era, business industries have been developing rapidly. With thegrowth in the commercial sector, there are several companies operating in dissimilar industries that desire to get exposure amid the global customers. Thus, to attain this objective, companies often seek for active participation from their stakeholders. Amongst these stakeholders, employees’ involvement and their wider participation is deemed to be quite effective. It will be vital to mention that Employee Involvement and Participation (EIP) are preferably considered an important part for building the corporate structure of an organisation. With regards to maintaining a working and mobile corporate structure, EIP has been playing an active influential role for the companies. In other words, the above discussed idea tends to maintain the working balance within different corporate organisations (Apostolou, 2000, pp. 21-23). Observably, EIP is held accountable for stabilising corporate order by providing effective guidelines and developing individuals’ behaviours. This particular approach has often been advantageous for organisations to attain their respective goals along with objectives by strengthening decision-making procedures and utilising the available resources effectively. The efforts of individual employees and inputs are highly regarded as important elements that help in attaining the fundamental objectives of the firms and enabling them to grow in an efficient manner. Additionally, EIP is not only an important part as per the industrial context, but also contributes in the development of the overall economy (Holden, n.d., pp. 560-563). With this concern in mind, the prime intent of this essay is to argue about the fact that EIP fundamentally intends to weaken the collective will of the workers by individualising their respective actions and also aligning them with the goals of the employers. Moreover, the essay also discusses the disadvantageous factors involved with the notion of EIP that might impose negative impacts over the working process of the employees as well as the performance of the organisations in order to argue the aforesaid fact (West Virginia Department of Health and Human Sources, 2014, pp. 1-2). Significance of the Statement It is strongly believed that with the rise in globalisation and internationalisation, the value of employment has raised gradually. Justifiably, the companies have started valuing the involvement of employees in their operational procedures, mostly related to decision-making. Specially mentioning, enormous growth of the companies through greater employee involvement is certainly raising the popularity of employee empowerment. It is in this context that EIP is mainly affected by the performance of the workers, employers and the industry, either in a direct or in an indirect manner or both (Fredman & Morris, 1989, pp. 231-232). The provided statement herewith tends to raise questions about the performances of the employees involved with any particular company. As per the given statement, the EIP approach is principally designed to decline the collective will of the workers by various ways. These ways might comprise individualising the respective actions performed by the employees and notify them regarding the goals of the employers. In this regard, the prime intention of the employers lay in improving the performance of the employees. Correspondingly, the human resource department of the companies is liable for EIP design, which one way or the other, tends to affect their entire performance, and thereafter, weakening their collective will (Fredman & Morris, 1989, pp. 233-235). Standpoint For and Against the Provided Statement Undoubtedly, employees have always been considered the strongest and valuable assets of a company. Simultaneously, the performance of the companies is indirectly and directly dependent upon the employees’ activities. Moreover, the success of the companies is also reliant on the above discussed aspect. It is often observed that involvement in the working field by the employees generate varied positive results along with opportunities. Besides, employee empowerment is also argued and praised to support companies to take informed decisions and likewise attain their desired targets. It is helpful in eliminating several confusions and obstacles that emerge while performing distinct operational functions. Alternatively, the companies highly appreciate employees’ empowerment for the purpose of obtaining greater productivity from them. It is with this concern that companies often introduce EIP for increasing employees’ productivity and also to ensure their individual growth within the company in an extensive manner that could further yield greater growth prospects. Contextually, organisational productivity is related to the EIP process both directly and indirectly. Additionally, wider involvement as well as participation by the employees also attracts other organisations towards advancing their respective performance. The participation and the involvement of employees herewith enhance the potential of the businesses to attract huge figure of customers. To enhance the overall work, several companies desire to retain potential employees by evaluating their work profile and the past records (Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, 2009, pp. 10-12). Companies or the contemporary managers have often been of the view that employees having significant potentialities will be rewarded based on their respective performances. At certain times, companies also reward employees for their active involvement and participation in any business or operational process. According to this situation, employees who actually bear high potentiality are likely to get attracted by the reward schemes provided to them by the employees. In this regard, the employees comparatively show stronger involvement and participation and thus open the way of opportunity to get rewarded by the employers of the companies. The involvement and the participation of the employees eventually create an image, which is helpful for the companies in recruiting potential and dedicated employees. It is quite evident that employees’ involvement and participation is indirectly related with the retention of the potential employees (Brione & Nicholson, 2012, pp. 51-53). It is noteworthy that employee involvement is regarded as a process, which helps the companies to improve their respective performances within any industry. Specially mentioning, effective communication, involvement and development are considered to be major key factors that influence the entire performance of the companies at large. Through employee involvement, the working culture of the companies can be altered in accordance with their respective organisational or operational structure (Apostolou, 2000, pp. 12-13). Alternatively, there are several other benefits of employee involvement and participation that directly or indirectly influences the performance of the companies. From a corporate perspective, the notion of EIP process provides certain benefits including increase in employee morale, reduction in the operating costs and also better utilisation of the accessible resources among others. Besides, EIP also plays the role as a crisis management aspect. Justifiably, EIP is also used as a tool of crisis management. During the period of employee recession, the involvement of the employees is highly appreciated (Brione & Nicholson, 2012, pp. 41-43). It has been earlier mentioned that EIP imposes direct impact on the performance of the employees. Justifiably, in this regard, approximately, thirty-seven percent of the companies recruit employees based on their respective performance. In order to compete with the prevalence of extreme business market competition, the companies emphasise appointing efficient workers. In this modern business world, the value of the efficient employees is assessed by their active involvement and participation in any business or operational procedure. In this regard, EIP has been evidently helpful in competing with other firms for achieving the predetermined organisational goals and objectives (Jones & Kato, 2005, pp. 31-32). Moreover, in relation to the above context, EIP is helpful in enhancing organisational effectiveness by providing an effective working environment. EIP approach also often involves the teamwork approach for developing the performance of the employees. In this regard, the companies desire that employees should work within a friendly and an appropriate working environment. It is thus that involvement and the participation of the employees are often regarded as the result of motivation, which certainly helps the employees to earn rewards based on their performances (Jones & Kato, 2005, pp. 40-42). Based on the different organisational policies, the firms of this modern day context promote the notion of EIP for enhancing employees’ skills. In other words, greater involvement as well as participation of the employees is regarded as one of the key tools of enhancing the performance and working skills of the employees at large. Apart from this, effective planning and implementation of EIP in the working system also help the employers to plan several strategies in designing an effective corporate structure. The performance of the employees is usually appraised by the companies as per the policies formulated under performance appraisal. It is thus that the HR department remains highly concentrated in raising the involvement and the participation level of the employees with a strong belief of maintaining coordination prevailing amid them. Arguably, employee involvement also encourages the performance appraisal system with the application of which, the companies measure the performance of the people and alongside, influence the employees to generate greater productivity and improve their skills on a continuous extent (Bach, 2012, pp. 25-27). Negative Impacts of EIP over the Employees’ Working Process EIP was introduced with the aim of establishing an effective working system. This concept is quite beneficial for the development process of the employees’ performance. Though EIP is recognised to be highly efficient in raising the employees’ concentration level, it imposes several negative impacts over the activities of the employees. Since the objective of EIP is to generate a positive working structure, it possesses a few limitations in creating a favourable working environment (Jones & Kato, 2005, pp. 24-26). The participation of higher level employees or the managers in a key decision-making procedure is deemed to be an important factor for ensuring a smoother working process of a company. It is to be affirmed that participation of the higher level of employees in the confidential meetings of the companies is duly considered as one of the most vital threats to their security system. Retention of productive and effective employees, as per their working profile, is considered as bit expensive in nature. This particular aspect certainly results in weakening the collective will of the workers in the form of the ways including individualising their respective actions and aligning with the organisational goals (Jones & Kato, 2005, pp. 31-32). The introduction of EIP approach requires considerable amount of time to be implemented within an organisation in an efficient manner. Few organisations consider that the idea behind the introduction of EIP approach needs an account of planning and proper execution. According to the researchers, improper execution of planning hampers employee performance, which results in weakening their collective will in the form of individualising their actions and their decisions as well (JCA (Occupational Psychologists) Limited, 2014, pp. 10-12; Jones & Kato, 2005, pp. 24-26). The participation of the employees in any business or operational procedure of an organisation aids in reaping several monetary benefits, imposing significant impact on the overall productivity level. The monetary benefits that are intended to be obtained from EIP generally provide temporary satisfaction to the employees alongside creating greediness amid them at large. This might result in weakening the collective will of the workers, influencing the employment relationship in varied situations, making it stronger and interdependent. There are certain organisations that do not provide such kind of monetary appreciation to their respective employees in every month. In this regard, lack of proper motivation of the involvement by the employees in their respective works emerges. This is also regarded as a factor, which certainly weakens the collective will of the workers by a certain degree (Zwick, 2004, pp. 30-31). Though the participation and the involvement of the employees in business or operational procedures of the organisations are deemed to generate varied positive results, these also create negative impacts upon their performance. There are a few employees who are often deemed unable to participate in any business or operational procedure. This will certainly make them demotivated, which becomes a vital cause of further weakening of their collective will towards the attainment of predetermined organisational targets. Contextually, the EIP system also creates biasness amid the employees and the employers, which contribute towards weakening the collective will of the workers (Holden, n.d., pp. 560-563). There also exist several other negative impacts that affect the working environment of the organisations by weakening the collective will of the workers through varied ways. Justifiably, there are several satiations wherein the workers of the companies are less informed regarding any information than the managers, which eventually results in disagreements and also disorders in the respective operational system (Zwick, 2004, pp. 15-17). Effectiveness of the Different Methods of Collective and Individual Worker Influence on the Employment Relationship To run a successful company, an effective and cooperative employment relationship between the employers or the officials in charge of HR department and the employees of the companies is noteworthy. Minimisation of the conflicts that arise due to miscommunication between the higher and the lower-level authority is also recognised as the best means of establishing an effective communication process (ECC News, 2014, pp. 51-52; Bach & Edwards, 2009, pp. 351-352). There are several strategies that are quite important to attain the desired organisational goals and greater success in the long term. The organisations could develop a relationship between the HR department and the employees by creating mutual understanding in order to promote EIP. In this regard, the main objective of the organisations lay in creating common interests within the organisations and their respective employees. There are four particular strategies based on which a judgment can be obtained about whether the approach of EIP strengthens or weakens the collective will of workers through varied ways (New York State Department of Health Bureau of Early Intervention, 2005, pp. 61-62; Batt & Applebaum, 1995, pp. 45-46). These strategies have been discussed in detail hereunder. Adversarial Strategy This strategy primarily focuses on ascertaining the objectives of the organisations by developing employees’ performances. In this context, the employees should act or behave in a more cooperative manner while performing their respective job roles (Ecosystem Investment Partners, 2010). This method certainly enhances the employment relationship prevailing between the employees and the employers. As per this method, the employers or the HR department remain engage in selecting the deserving employees for a particular job. This certainly assists in determining the effects of EIP on the collective will of the workers, which might get strengthened or weakened by various factors (Batt & Applebaum, 1995, pp. 15-16). Traditional Approaches The companies tend to establish a supportive daily working environment, which is pleasant for all the employees working in an organisation. The daily basis working process is highly efficient in maintaining a perfect workflow. It is to be stated that the employees who are working in a company follow the day-to-day working relationship, which has been formed as well as maintained by the higher-level management team (Batt & Applebaum, 1995, pp. 44-46). With the implementation of the traditional approach, the companies are able to establish professional working environment towards the attainment of predetermined business or operational targets (Summers & Hyman, 2005, pp. 88-90). Partnership Organisations also pay utmost attention towards the appointment of new employees. In this context, a company remains much concerned about the implementation of the organisational polices that are highly effective in developing the operational processes. As per this context, the companies tend to draw effective polices that are executed and followed in a proper way (Batt & Applebaum, 1995, pp. 45-46). As per the EIP concept, at certain times, the companies also provoke the employees to perform work based operational functions based on partnership process. This process is helpful in generating team efforts towards attaining the predefined organisational goals (Ben-Ner & Jones, 2001, pp. 21-23). Power Sharing Process The companies often remain much cautious about forming as well as maintaining efficient working environment within the operational domain. In order to maintain the smooth working process, the companies desire to involve their respective employees in daily working process. The involvement of the employees in the strategic decision-making procedure of the companies reduces the risk of generating conflicts and also enhances the unity prevailing between the employers and the employees (Burchill, 2014, pp. 35-37). By effectively implementing the power sharing process, the companies certainly create smooth relationship between the employers and the employees. It will be vital to mention in this regard that EIP helps the companies to attain the predefined goals on collective basis (Ridley-Duff & Ponton, 2012, pp. 25-27). Evidence also reveals that industrial relations impose little impact on weakening the collective will of workers through various ways including their alignment with the goals set by the employers and more importantly individualising their respective actions towards conducting any activity. It will be vital to mention in this similar context that the little impact of industrial relations on weakening the collective will of the workers is ascertained in the form of creating conflicts of interest at workplace and governing workplace relations in a negative manner among others. This is justified with reference to the fact that the different consequences, which may arise from broader participation as well as the participation of the employees in an organisation, eventually serve the aforesaid purpose. In this regard, such consequences are duly measured making extensive level of changes in the HR practices rather than making any sort of modification in operational systems and increasing level of collective bargaining at the enterprise level among others. In order to strengthen the collective will of the workers, utmost focus is paid over certain significant aspects. These aspects generally comprise promoting employees’ engagement in the procedure of effective change, encouraging superior customer orientation and ensuring that the workers’ skills are suitable to the service provisions acceptable to the worldwide business markets. Additionally, the concept of EIP is identified to be quite useful in case of maintaining the operational activity more elastic within the organisations. The above stated circumstances mainly included requirement to enhance productivity as well as quality, incessant innovation, forming superior flexibility and raising the capability towards responding to any adverse condition or scenario (Ridley-Duff & Ponton, 2012, pp. 24-26). Conclusion From the above analysis, it becomes apparent that the approach of EIP is essential to consider for the growth of a company. In this context, employers remain highly focused upon the participation and the involvements of its major portion of employees while performing different operational functions. With the rising pressure on the companies to maintain sustainability not only in its external operations but also in its internal organisational environment, a more serious need to align the vision and mission of the company with its prevailing work culture has become essential. The striving performance of organisations has therefore been much dependent on the way leaders are able to motivate and build a mutually beneficial relationship with their followers. This relationship is often noted as the employee-employer bonding. However, theorists of the contemporary management era have also been arguing on the inference of office politics wherein groupism, defiance against management and mal-intentions of employees that affect transparency within the organisation inhibiting managerial control that often results in conflicts amid the parties. It is owing to these aspects that an innovative strategic program was initiated in the form of EIP. As can be observed from the above discussion, the importance and the real worth of EIP is in building managerial control by discouraging the collective will of employees. There are certain situations based on which the impact of EIP on strengthening or weakening the collective will of the workers through various ways are determined. These factors mainly concern the positive along with negative impacts imposed by EIP on the overall performance level of the companies. Emphasising the positive impacts of EIP it can be affirmed that this system tends to develop the operational procedures by strengthening the decision-making mechanism, resulting in making greater improvements in the collective will of the workers. Conversely, EIP also raises confusions in the operational procedures that in turn affect the collective will of the workers to a considerable extent. References Apostolou, A., 2000. Employee Involvement. Technical University of Crete, pp.1-23. Brione, P. & Nicholson, C., 2012. Employee empowerment: towards greater workplace democracy. Employee Empowerment, pp.1-61. Ben-Ner, A. & Jones, D. C., 2001. 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