Employee Relations and Services - Example

Employee Relations and Services Employee Relations and Services Introduction The human resource department is very fundamental in the management of any organization. The human resource department provides any organization with effective structures and capacity to achieve the organizations’ needs by managing the available resources, employees, and enhancing compliance with the industry laws. Subject to the fact that organizations have hire employees from diverse backgrounds, the HR department acts as a mediating ground. As such, the HR department under the jurisdiction of a HR manager performs various functions. Small companies that may lack the capacity to hire HR professionals can outsource HR functions or join an organization for employers with an aim of enhancing efficiency and workforce management in the organization. Human resource managers have the capacity to carry out more than one HR functions in an organization. HR professionals develop the organization’s workforce by advertising job, interviewing candidates, and liaising with other managers to hire qualified candidates. The HR professional should also support workplace safety training according to OSHA regulations (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). Employee relations and services is another HR function that involves the strengthening of the employer-employee relationship. The HR manager has the mandate to address employee compensation and benefits by establishing compensation structures and evaluating competitive benefits. The HR manager also ensures that employees and the entire organization comply with labor and employment laws and other industry regulations. Ultimately, the HR department has a duty to support leadership training and professional development to recruits and promoted supervisors and managers. This paper discusses the employee relations and services HR function as it applies on Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd. Background of Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd Also known as, GASCO, Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd is a United Arab Emirates based organization in the oil/gas industry that is responsible for processing associate and non-associate gas from onshore oil production (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). The establishment and incorporation of GASCO in 1978 related to the vision of the late Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan who sought to utilize the Emirate’s significant gas resources (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). Various partners that include Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), TOTALFINA ELF, ATHEER, Shell Abu Dhabi, and PARTEX share the ownership of Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). GASCO is a modern, populous, and successful company in the gas and hydrocarbon industry across the globe (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). Indeed, the integration of ABU DHABI GAS COMPANY (ATHEER) in 2001enhnaced the company’s market position by making it one of the largest gas processing companies in the world and one of the biggest industrial projects in the UAE (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). GASCO seeks to meet the expectations of its various stakeholders that include shareholders, employees and community, regulatory bodies and non-governmental bodies by renewing the Joint Venture Agreement (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). The company has a capacity to produce 5,500 million standard cubic feet of feed gas per day and 285,000 barrels of condensate, 4,500 tons of sulphur, and 28,000 tons of NGL per day (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). Moreover, the company creates a highly competent workforce and establishes good relations with the local community through corporate social responsibility. With over 4,000 employees from around 60 different nationalities, the company accommodates different ideas form the diverse workforce that helps the company to foster continuous business success (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). Company managers inform and encourage the employees to adopt high performance standards. The company maximizes cost effective production while maintaining the high standards of industrial safety and protection of the environment (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). Employee Relations and Services Employee relations and services is one of the six basic human resource functions that all human resource professionals must understand and perform. Indeed, HR managers have a duty to protect all employees’ rights and benefits, ensure the security and training of employees, and establish a highly competent workforce for reference organizations (Mayhew, 2014). In HR management, employee relations refer to strengthening the employer-employee relationship by solving workplace conflicts, enhancing employee engagement, and measuring job satisfaction (Mayhew, 2014). Moreover, it involves interpreting labor union contract issues and labor laws, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, and developing management response to union organizing campaigns (Mayhew, 2014). The HR managers act as mediators in case of conflicts between employees and a manager or between employees in an organization (Mayhew, 2014). One or two HR professional can carry out the employee relations and services HR function in a unionized work environment. It is one of the fundamental HR functions performed by HR professionals in Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd. Importance of Employee Relations and Services HR Function All HR professionals must seek to establish effective and positive employee relations that define the HR programs and processes. Whether in a union or non-union setting, HR managers seek to establish a positive working environment for all employees (Mayhew, 2014). In achieving positive employee relations, HR managers must adopt effective plans and strategies to develop strong relationships with the employees. The significance of employee relations and services HR function emanates from the fact that positive employee relations derive a competitive advantage for the HR managers, employees, and the organization (Mayhew, 2014). The employees play the most dominant role in delivering the brand promise and they require a positive working environment to achieve this. The employee relations and services HR function equally plays a noble role in encouraging the employees to focus on the common goals and objectives of the organization with ease (Mayhew, 2014). This leads to increased productivity, lower turnover, stronger interrelationships, few conflicts, and improved feedback. Indeed, employee relations and services ensure that the organization derives motivation, involvement, and engagement of all employees that fosters productivity (Mayhew, 2014). The HR managers achieve this by fostering teamwork, partnership, and better working conditions. This function leads to job satisfaction since it helps to eliminate unfair employment practices, unsafe working conditions, and general dissatisfaction with working conditions that can affect motivation, engagement, and productivity of the employees. Consequently, job satisfaction derived from this function promotes employee retention since employees have no reason to quit employment. In case of major changes in an organization, this function encourages the employees to adopt the change with a promise that it will not jeopardize their working terms and conditions. Moreover, this HR function ensures the organization’s compliance with the employment and labor laws. Through this function, HR professionals help employees to establish collective bargaining agreements with trade unions thus improving their terms of service (Mayhew, 2014). Ultimately, this leads to employee retention, compliance, job satisfaction, better working conditions, improved productivity, and huge profits for the organization. UAE Labor Law (Law) and Related Articles The Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 Regulating Labor Relations as amended by Federal Laws number 24 of 1981, number 15 of 1985, and number 12 of 1986 governs all labor matters in the UAE (Majid, 2014). Although the UAE Labor Law applies to all organizations and employees in UAE, it has special labor related regulations applicable in some of the free zones in the UAE, such as the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Majid, 2014). Indeed, Article 3 of the UAE Labor Law states that the Law applies to all staff and employees working in the UAE, whether UAE nationals or expatriates (Majid, 2014). The Ministry enforces the Law while the federal and local courts of the UAE adjudicate the labor related litigation (Majid, 2014). According to the Law, organizations seeking to employ any expatriate employee in the UAE must make an application to the Ministry where the Ministry has to approve such application prior to the employee entering the UAE (Majid, 2014). Notably, the UAE Labor Law has 193 articles that address labor matters in the UAE (Majid, 2014). These articles address employment of juveniles, men, and women, contracts, records & remuneration, and working hours and leaves (Majid, 2014). They also address safety, protection, and their health and social care of employees, disciplinary rules, termination of employment contract and end of service remuneration, and indemnity for labor (Majid, 2014). The Law addresses accidents and occupational diseases, collective labor disputes, labor inspection, penalties, occupational disease, permanent disability, compensation assessment, and the terms and provisions governing the distribution of the death compensation among the family members of the deceased employee (Majid, 2014). Notably, Articles 6-18, 42-52, 59-64, 91-101, and 116-139 address the employee relations and services HR function. Australian Human Resources Institute The Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) is a national organization that represents human resource and people management professionals that has about 20,000 members from Australia and across the globe (Australian Human Resources Institute, 2014). Members own AHRI while the Board of Directors with a Council of State Presidents that includes an elected president representing each state and territory of Australia governs this international HR association (Australian Human Resources Institute, 2014). Notably, AHRI offers the members a chance to derive HR support, gain human resource and management skills, develop their careers in HR, and identify with the modern industry developments. This organization has great standards that relate to the employee relations and services HR function. For instance, AHRI trains and educates it members in HR, people management and business skills through excellent conferences, seminars, and networking opportunities all over Australia (Australian Human Resources Institute, 2014). This relates to employee relations and services since it involves the support for training and development of members of an organization. Moreover, AHRI seeks to achieve high performance standards of by accrediting HR qualifications at universities across Australia (Australian Human Resources Institute, 2014). To achieve this, the organization engages in various researches that deal with people management practices with an aim of enhancing competence in the workplace. With these efforts, AHRI helps the government to meet the employee relations and services HR function by developing a policy and legislation that addresses employees at the workplace. Moreover, in appreciating good work and motivating members to perform better, AHRI recognizes the HR experience of its members by offering various awards (Australian Human Resources Institute, 2014). This relates to the duty of HR professionals to develop a competent workforce and motivate that workforce to perform better. Indeed, AHRI commends excellence in HR practice across Australia and certifies HR experience, which plays a major role in encouraging HR professionals to perform all their functions in an effective manner (Australian Human Resources Institute, 2014). This proves the AHRI standards with respect to employee relations and services HR function. Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd and Employee Relations and Services HR Function The Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd manifests the performance of the employee relations and services HR function by the HR department. Indeed, GASCO abhors employee relations and services in its management and operations (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). The company adopts excellent management processes and practices to enhance process safety, sustainability, and excellence in the workforce(Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). The company fosters and invests in developing workforce to utilize their potential and motivate them to perform better and be good UAE citizens (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). GASCO does not compromise on integrity, reliability, and performance of employees, which enables the company to adapt to changing environment, increase productivity, and resolve conflicts within the organization (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). The HR department addresses employee relations and services by prioritizing their health and safety. Indeed, the company believes in preventing all injuries and adopts a safety program that drives its operations. GASCO abhors high ethical standards and regulatory compliance. This helps in establishing positive and strong relations between stakeholders in the organization. In addition, GASCO follows a disciplined approach in advocating for adherence to the ethical standards. This limits potential conflicts in the organization. In performing the employee relations and services function, the HR professionals at GASCO respects human rights, equality, and diversity in the organization (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). This helps in creating a comfortable and productive business environment. This defines job satisfaction, low employee turnover, motivation, increased involvement, and derived profits. Notably, the HR leaders at GASCO understand the expectations of the company and the need for maintaining high standards. As such, they perform their HR functions by seeking new opportunities, innovating, and establishing a positive working environment for employees and managers (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). The company values employees and considers them as part of the great big family that values teamwork, professionalism, innovation, and open communications (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). This fosters good relationships and professional performance by the employees. In this context, the company supports employee relations and services function by offering social, medical, and recreational benefits, which helps employees to maintain high quality lives (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). Just as this HR function defines, GASCO supports training, development and integration of UAE national staff at all levels in the organization (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). Through the training, new UAE national employees gain the required competency to work in organizations like GASCO. Indeed, the HR professionals use practical exercises, academic qualifications, and other technologies to ensure that the company recruits a talented and competent workforce. The recruited employees have the capacity to work in different areas within the company. Notably, Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd complies with the local and international laws. GASCO complies with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which sets and enforces protective workplace safety and health standards (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). The OSH Act mandates employers to provide a safe and healthful workplace (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). GASCO achieves this by operating their gas plants and distribution network in line with highest health, safety, and environmental standards ensuring asset integrity, reliability, and operational excellence (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). Moreover, the company trains its employees on workplace values that include ethics and commitment to health, safety, and environmental issues (Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd, 2012). This ensures compliance to all applicable OSHA standards and the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act, which requires employers to keep their workplace free of serious recognized hazards (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). As such, it is quite clear that GASCO supports the performance of the employee relations and services function and the compliance with the local and international laws. Conclusion I find that the HR department is very significant to the success of any organization. There are six basic functions that a HR professional should perform in an organization to enhance its effectiveness. Employee relations and services is one of the fundamental HR functions that HR professionals should perform. This HR function enhances compliance, job satisfaction, employee retention, training, development, high productivity, strong relationships, motivation, and increased involvement by employees. Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd is a dominant gas processing company in the world. The organization complies with the UAE Labor Law that supports employee relations and services function as defined in various articles of the Law. GASCO manifests the performance of the reference HR function by adopting strategies that support training, compliance, development, safety, health, human rights, ethics, and competency. GASCO complies with national and international laws like the OSHA regulations and UAE Labor Law. However, I recommend that GASCO adopt better HR strategies that will develop management response to union organizing campaigns and negotiate collective bargaining agreements for its employees. References Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd. (2012). GASCO. Retrieved from: http://www.gasco.ae/web/home/index.aspx Australian Human Resources Institute. (2014). WHO ARE WE? Retrieved from: https://www.ahri.com.au/about-us Majid, J. (2014). UAE Labor Law. Retrieved from: http://uaelaborlaw.com/ Mayhew, R. (2014). Six Main Functions of a Human Resource Department. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/six-main-functions-human-resource-department-60693.html U.S. Department of Labor. (2014). OSHA Law & Regulations. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/law-regs.html Read More