MGM309 Employee Relations

Ajaya Mishra

What is Employee Relations?

Employee relations refers to the interrelationships, both formal and informal between managers and those whom they manage.

How are we managed? how we would like to be managed? how and why conflicts arise? and how these can be resolved at work? These are the basic concern of employee relations.

Traditional and newer concerns

Traditional focus on actors like managers, employees, government, unions. Until recently looked at person, unions, manufacturing, manual work. Today, increasing interest in new actors customers, families, other interest groups - and in service sector, women and complexity of employment arrangements. Widening focus has broadened scope of employee relations concerns

The Employment Relationship

It follows that the employment relationship is a central feature of work but it is dynamic.

It is also complex has many dimensions and levels economic, legal, social, psychological and political
Shaped by historical experiences Employment relationship now seen as core to the study of employee relations Many employment relationships, many employee relations

Traditional Concerns of IR
Theoretical origins of industrial relations/employee relations focused on order and stability within a developed system

Influence of US writers, particularly Dunlop (1958)

Such a system in Britain and other western economies based on collective bargaining seen as democratic and most effective form of regulation Copied by many other countries Outputs of the system earnings, productivity and minimising of conflict

Industrial Relations

IR is concerned with the systems, rules and procedures used by unions and employers to determine the reward for effort and other conditions of employment, to protect the interests of the employed and their employers and to regulate the way in which employers treat their employees.
K. Aswathappa

Coverage of IR
Collective bargaining Role of management, unions, government Machinery for resolution of industrial disputes Individual grievances and disciplinary policies and practices. Labor legislation Industrial relations training.

IR to ER
Employee relations is more comprehensive and includes all aspects of HRM where employees are dealt with collectively. It covers
Participative management Employee welfare Employee development Employee remuneration, safety, welfare, etc.

Changing Focus Managerial agenda

Today management-employee relations in Britain more about involvement, engagement, participation and partnership rather than collective bargaining and conflict resolution Employee involvement and high performance work systems, employee engagement. The role of management choice in shaping employee relations and employee relations strategy

And Now.
Increased concern with both individual and collective aspects of employment Re-focusing on how the employment relationship is regulated.

Theoretically, this marks a return to a focus on power and authority relations in employment

Main Parties Engaged in ER

Individual Employees Managers

Trade Union Representative

Employer Employee Relations

Employers Association Representative

Government

Courts and tribunes

Different Perspectives of Employee Relations

Managers perspective
Creating and maintaining employee motivation

Obtaining commitment from the workforce

Establishing mutually beneficial channels of communication Achieving high level of efficiency

 Negotiating terms and conditions of employment Sharing decision making with employees
Engaging in power struggle with trade unions

Trade unions perspective

Collective bargaining about terms and conditions of employment Representing individuals in conflict with management

Improving abilities of employees to influence events in the workplace Regulating relations with trade unions.

Individual employees perspective

Improve their conditions of employment Voice and grievances

Exchange views and ideas of management

Share in decision making

Third Parties' perspective

Creating and maintaining harmony at work Creating a framework of rules for fair conduct in relationships Establishing a peace making arrangements

Achieving a prosperous society with justice

Thank You