Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining
Despite the existence of civil rights and regulations intended for employee protection against discrimination, employment discrimination still occurs. The discriminations are based on religion, sex, race, color, and origin. An action plan addressing improvements in discriminatory practices is necessary to foster the productivity of an employee and the general performance of the organization. Example of employee-centered plan recommendations on reducing the level of discrimination in an organization include;
- Providing equal opportunities to both males and females. Gender discrimination is one of the significant bases of discrimination in workplaces where job recruitment, training, payments, pensions, and promotions are gender-based. In facilitating the provision of equal opportunities, the bases for recruiting, fees, and promotion should be the knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by an employee. The action will help in requiring the best-qualified person in the right position and improve service quality.
- Minimizing cases of sexual harassment at workplaces. Sexual harassment could either be in female employees or male employees and calls an action plan for both sexes. in addressing this issue; the practical work plan is the organization,forming strict polies addressing sexual harassment and forming a committee responsible for its implementations. Having a task force of handling the discrimination will seriousness and responsible persons will cease the behavior. Also victims will be free to report as suitable actions will be taken.
- Encouraging unity among the employees. Union of the employees makes them view each other as colleague who share same objectives by working for same organization. Tactics for achieving the action plan is grouping the workers to teams, having team building activities like sports and group trips.
- Embracing open and simple channels of communication between the management and the workers. In implementing this action plan, the organization can use open ended offices as a show of transparency and involving employees in decision making processes. Also the management can often interact with the workers in their working area to encourage openness and feeling of equality.
- Security and safety of-employment =contract of the employees An employee with a secure contract is unlikely to face discrimination because the employment term is stable and faces no threat of being dropped out. To implement, the workers should all have signed contracts with the management.
- The management should ensure that the organization adheres to all state, federal and industry regulations. It aims to provide job security to an employee and improve discriminatory incidences in the workplace. The employee can work with a sober mind and enhance the organization’s performance due to high productivity staff.
- Having workplace health and safety programs with the needs of the employees. This action plan, not only addressees the improvement in discrimination practices but also create long term relation of organization and employee as well as it’s a motivator. Indirect benefits would be the healthy behavior of the employee despite much pressure from families and busy schedules.
In an employment contract, both the employer and employee have a goal to achieve. The organization aims to maximize profit and quality provision of services, such as in a healthcare organization, while the employee focuses on better payments, better working conditions, and job security. Also, an employee wishes to offer quality service hence sharing the same ambitions with the organization. To actualize, the goal, employee motivation, and safety are critical.
Employee safety can be maintained by having a legal employment contract that specifies the period of the agreement, payments, and other essential conditions in work. Protection encourages the employee to concentrate on service delivery and eventually produce excellent performance. The other aspect to increase employee performance is motivation. Motivation can be through different ways that give workers morale such as being transparent with employees, recognition, giving feedback, fostering employee growth, amazing incentives among others. The activities encourages the employee to feel worthy, appreciated leading to high productivity. Both policies for ensuring employee motivation to work or safety can be made in collective bargaining agreement where the respective stakeholder feel victimized.
It is a common practice for workers to disagree with the employers of sensitive employment terms and polices which threaten cause of strike. The employees forms a union and selects leaders to represent them in negotiation table with employers in the process of bargaining the labor issues. United workers are more effective negotiate in collectible bargaining whereby both parties workers and employers negotiate and reach a consensus on important employment terms and conditions. Some of key topics for bargaining are insurance, payment increases, promotions, benefits package and working conditions. However, the process can be used in forming policies and practices of the organization.
Collective bargaining process often begins with a disagreement between the parties. The first stage is preparation on both sides of employees and employer. The second stage is discussions where bargaining rules are set and both parties exchange proposals of how to solve the conflict making it third step. Forth step is bargaining where the stakeholder bargain the proposals developed from both parties in attempt to reach a consensus then finally final agreement. As the goal is reaching a sustainable solution, as the employees express their issues, the organization should also table the required policies.
The final agreement contains the policies and practiced that the two parties have all agreed upon. The process is essential since the agreed policies are at arm hand length and none of the parties feel oppressed. They became easily implemented and managed. Collective bargaining has a number of pros as studies show that collective bargain results to better working conditions, high payments and better benefit packages. It also reported that when workers’ demands are honored in collective bargaining, the industry stabilizes. Finally, collective bargaining improves dignity and mutual respect in work places in addition to avoiding strikes.
However, not all collective bargaining processes are successful this hindering organizational polies and practices development. Problem comes in place when the representatives has less negotiation skills, not forming bargaining rules, disagreements arises during negations, firm standings and more making the process unfruitful. Again, the organization can fail to implement the agreed contract forming more series conflict again.
Some of limitations of the collective barraging is that it takes a length processes before the two parties agree. Immediate problems may not be settled through the collective bargaining process due to late policies and conditions. Another possible limitation is that, the position accepted by the union may not match those of the employees. Thus, despite a signed agreement contract, the employees opposes and the disagreements will continue. Moreover, the union leaders may focus on self-interests and fail to represent the concerns of the workers who pay their dues by accepting corruption.
The actions centered for an employees can also be reformatted to generate action plan for external stakeholders such as union leaders and the community. The external stakeholder will then feel to be part of the organization through the inclusive action centered plan. It is possible that the staffs in an organization belonging to different unions, and therefore after formulation of employee centered polices and condition with certain union, the nonmembers should be included by reformatting the action plan. The tailored employee centered work plan for external stakeholders includes;
- Providing equal opportunities to both males and females. In work stations the stakeholders are sometimes promoted, offered special attention and work or listened based on gender. The proper action plan would be emphasizing on culture of equality and disciplinary actions to those involves in gender discriminations. The employers should be evaluated based on expertize but not gender.
- Minimizing sexual harassment in the work place. Happens when a person is intimidated of offended while in working environment sexually. It could be actions of another colleague or a top position official. Action plan to address the concern would be issuing polices and guidelines in the organization, that prohibit certain behaviors causing sexual harassment. Issues raised on sexual harassment should be seriously dealt with by investigating and taking necessary legal actions. Furthermore, training on sexual harassment is widely proposed by studies.
- Encouraging unity in the organization. By working together, people socialize, understand each other and love one another creating peaceful and harmony working conditions. Required strategies to maintain unity could be working in teams with a common goal, responding to group needs and promoting group activities within the organizations such as recreational activities. It creates cohesion and trust to various stakeholders.
- Expressing openness and clear channels of communications. The action plan on openness in to involve the relevant stakeholder in the significant decisions making process to express their views. Also, in respective committees, various stakeholder should have a representative to ensure transparency between the management and all stakeholders. Meeting should be held on regular bases to ensure each person is updated.
- Ensuring safety of contracts between the management and stakeholders. The action plan aims at reducing the risks of contract breaching as the both parties have signed a contract. It states obligations for each party improves trustworthy. All parties performs their responsibilities without contradictions.
- Laws and regulations should be observed as well as imposition of safety programs. The action plans could be implemented through following regulation and initiating safety and security measures in the organization like installation of security system.
In conclusion, labor unions play a major role in developing sustainable policies and improving working conditions for the employees. Labor unions have an upper hand when negotiating with the employers on employee needs compared to one employee. From the negation, polices and terms agreed are acceptable and of benefit to all the stakeholders. Agreement between the union and management are able to recommend action plans and strategic developments plans that reflect interests of all parties.