Employee Relations: Evaluating the impacts and changes - Essay Example

?EMPLOYEE RELATIONS: EVAUATING THE IMPACTS AND CHANGES On a fine sunny Monday morning, you take a cab enjoying the coffee on the way to your office, but as soon as you enter the office and see the boss screaming in the face of your co workers, your heart starts to pound and you might as well drop the coffee ruining that wonderful velvet carpeting that you once suggested to your boss. Does it ring a bell? May be or maybe not. Without vexing the situation further we rather clarify that the above situation points at a reality which almost every employed person has confronted. Hence, in every society people who are employed and those who run an organization try their best to maintain such an atmosphere which would not affect the quality or quantity of the work which is being carried out and processed. Hence, everyone wants an ideal working environment, in which people are at peace and agreement with each other’s ideas. Garbarino (2009: pp.93) has stated that “Job satisfaction and stability can be enhanced by creating a working atmosphere where workers do not feel cut off from their personal lives all day”. You would not really want to see people pulling hair and legs of each other just because there is a conflict of idea, now would you? Hence to elaborate this briefly, evaluated and discussed below is a brief analysis of the employer and employee relationship and the changes that have taken place with the passage of time. When asked, any one would characterize an ideal working atmosphere as an environment in which a person can perform and function as a supplying and providing member. An environment which would be capable of whetting and honing the skills of a person would be considered as an ideal environment. Why would we think so? The answer is such a facilitating thought would pop up in anyone’s mind because of the fact that an atmosphere which sharpens the skills of a worker aid and assists in not only that particular person’s career growth but also the organization’s aims are sharpened and nurtured. But the fact that if a person’s skills do not match the associated job type than this ideal environment is of no use let it be idyllic or non idyllic. Therefore, the most important question that is asked while an applicant is being interviewed inquires about a person’s ideal working environment, what sort of a boss is considered to be idyllic for a person and what job seems as a model to that applicant. This is done in order to verify what the future of the relationship between the employer and the employee holds. To further elaborate this point Beshara (2008: pp. 102) has verified that such questions shall be answered with “Well I’ve had the good fortune of being able to work in all kinds of different environments.” But this is just the beginning of the entire elaboration. The main point of evaluation lays in the stage where people have been employed and where employers start assessments. Hence, when this stage begins the term ‘employ relations’ is introduced, but there is a complex belief that no matter how many definitions of employee relations are provided , it still remains undefined. Why so? This is because of the fact that a large number of changes in the nature of this term have been seen in the organizations all around the world. Being specific this change has been enormously noticed in the UK. It is believed that where ever an exchange of work and assessment takes place employee relationships come forth. Therefore, to understand the dynamic relationship of the employee many steps are being taken in the UK. The major measures which are being taken to understand this relationship include efforts like interviewing the HR management and the ER management authorities and understanding the various stress levels that affect the working atmosphere. For the achievement of finest performance in any organization it is necessary for us to understand what the importance of management and employee needs is. But what affects these needs and how does it help in fulfilling them, as Gennard and Judge (1997: pp.40) have verified that “The management of people is one of the most challenging areas of business management and most organizations would argue that it is taken very seriously.” The factors which determine employee relationship includes the following: Trust and confidence: Through which any sorts of conflict between both the employee and the employer can easily be eliminated and they can continue to have a strong understanding relationship Well-built and self-assured leadership: Through which an employer can put through his orders and requests in a way that would not disturb a friendly work environment and the employee would cooperate comfortably. Excellent interpersonal relations of the entire workforce: These skills create that specified ideal environment which everybody dreams of, where workers process and operate through mutual understanding and cooperation. Concurrences and arrangements that are pragmatic: Tasks when assigned nee dot be of such a nature that they can be easily performed and provided. Hence, the provisions of such tasks that are unpractical can put both the worker and the organization at risk. Workforce unity: Through the above mentioned options a unity can be achieved by the entire workforce and the organization. A large number of changes in the relationships of the employee of various organization of the UK have been noticed. In the last thirty years or so it has been estimated that the labor souk of the United Kingdom has performed quite well. The United Kingdom’s labor market has performed quite well. If compared to other countries it can be seen that the processing and working which is being carried out in the organizations of the United Kingdom is far better than the organizations of many other countries. This success in the labor market was due to the strategies which were fruitfully created and implied regarding this marketplace as they resulted in an increase in the rate of employment of this country. To evaluate this point Rubery (1998: pp.85) mentioned that “Majority of regions also showed increases in employment rates for 1983-92 with only two out of eleven showing decreases.” Blyton and Turnbull believe (1994a: pp.172) “Specific agreements on technological change and job enlargement involving not only craft and production workers but also non-manual staff” have been signed to avert more and more workers towards their organizations. It has also been seen that due to such change the rate of unemployed people fell around one million in number. A large number of positive as well as negative changes have been seen in various organizations of the UK in accordance to the employee relations. In the past thirty years the entire general view of the organizations in the UK has changed, as they felt that an ability of dealing with employees on both individual and representable level should have been established. What actually has been managed over the past thirty years does not include a brief emphasis on matters like wages distribution rather processes like recruitment, maintenance and pensioning of workers have been worked up on. Barry and Wilkinson (2011: pp.229) stated that such progresses “encourage greater employee involvement as a way of tapping into ideas for quality and improvement, resulting in improved organizational effectiveness.” “A notable feature too is the way the process of transformation has been inextricably linked with major changes in work organization and the structure and process of collective relations between management and trade unions.” said Blyton and Turnbull (1994b: pp.218) Various aspects of organization of UK have caused these changes. These aspects of an organization include politics, social contexts, economic and technological development. But the most important question that now arises is that how have these institutions affected the employee relations over the past few years. In my perspective just like water is evaporated by the Sun rays similar is the effect of these hovering aspects on the employee relations. Politics is a part of every organization, as it is impossible for any agency to exist without have some legislative and executive authority and working. This political working can either have positive or negative impacts on the organization and the employee relations. Basically these impacts are caused by labor relations and working policies that are created by organizations. For example in an organization where the element of nepotism can be tracked employees can be expected to be related, the regulation of that workforce ought to be slipshod, promotions are provided through prejudice and a definite amount of deception in monetary dealings is perceived, but Wong (1979: pp.204) believes that this due to the fact that “for each category of workers there may not be enough work of their specialization to maintain reasonable differentials of income between various categories.” The economy of the UK is believed to be responsible for a large number of changes in its organizations. Economy and the money circulation of an organization castes great affects on the employee relations. Because the employee keep working for an organization because of the money that they are receiving, similarly the employers of the organizations are easily paying them wages because they are satisfied with the work as it helps in the success of strategic movements. For example of the employers are unable to pay wages that are inflation proof the workers will be swindled and discontented. Some workers might leave the organization for a better wages which would result in a loss of the organization. But Nell (1984: pp.125) believes that such organizations “can take a temporary advantage by hiring more labor at the reduced wage rate.” The social and technological context of the impacts casted on the employee relations can be briefly discussed as this context is the briefest and is considered to be the most important factor effecting any organization. It is believed that technology is directly related to broader organizational goals and objectives. This is due to the fact that the employee perceptions of working, their attitudes towards tasking and record keeping through latest technologies can result in lower costs and efforts. When workers will have better working mediums and facilities the organization can easily gain the plus point of providing its employees job satisfaction. This will increase commitment, the ability to accept changes will be increase and this will intern result in a well established society where people will be employed and would strive towards an enlightened future. Employers and the management authorities have been greatly affected by the above provided aspects and changes. Due to which they have now developed better and transparent formulas of creating work policies, technological improvements and equal wage provision. Such changes have also caste a vast effect on the policy making of the state. This has happened in the past which resulted in the formulations and creation of various trade agreements asked for by organizations to expand themselves in reference to globalization. As a result of which now employees are well aware of their duties and responsibilities along with their rights. On an overall basis it can be seen that amongst all of these actors the most important impact can be seen on the entire state of the United Kingdom. The management authorities have now become well aware of what is better for the future of the state and have started increasing their agreement signings and concord acceptations with other states for business and trade. Hence, it can be conclude that the above provided changes in the organizational sector have pointed towards the strategic choice of the organizations of the UK. As Friend and Jessop (1969: pp.97) believe that strategy making is “a process of decision making under uncertainty, in that choices are repeatedly made between alternative courses of action.” Hence, it has been verified that in the past few years the employee relations have developed in such a way that the organizations have now started understanding various processes of indulging in activities which would benefit both the employer and the employee. References: Barry, M. and Wilkinson, A., 2011. Research Handbook of Comparative Employment Relations. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Beshara, T., 2008. Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You the Job. New York: AMACOM. Blyton, P. and Turnbull, P.J, 1994a. The Dynamics of Employee Relations (Management, Work and Organizations). Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Blyton, P. and Turnbull, P.J, 1994b. The Dynamics of Employee Relations (Management, Work and Organizations). 3rd Ed. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Friend, J.K. and Jessop, W.N, 1969. Local Government and Strategic Choice: An Operational Research Approach to the Processes of Public Planning. London: Tavistock. Garbarino, J., 2009. Children and Families in the Social Environment. New York: Walter De Gruyter. Gennard, J. and Judge, G., 1997. Employee Relations. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Nell, E.J, 1984. Free Market Conservatism: A Critique Of Theory And Practice. London: George Allen and Unwin. Rubery, J., 1998. Women and European employment. London: Routledge. Wong, J. ed., 1979. Group Farming in Asia: Experience and Potentials. Singapore: Singapore University Press. Read More