Issues of Employee Representation
Employee voice is a growing issue that is shaping the way employee issues are managed at the organizational level. Issues of employee representation have been revolving around the impact of unionized and non-unionized employee settings. Management considers the impact that employee’s voices have on decision making within the organization (Rose, 2008). Since every manager must consider employee voice in decision making, all managers must consider employee related issues since they have collective voices that can exert pressure on any organization and management system (Hashim, Ahmad, & Zakaria, 2016). The field of employee industrial relations has been changing slowly from negotiations at industry level to enterprises and individual levels. This is a new shift in employee relations that may change the role of employee unions in bargaining for employee related issues. United Arab Emirates is one of the countries that has witnessed a shift in such industrial trends that has seen an increased negotiation at an enterprise and individual level within the organization. The Federal government of United Arab Emirates has further expressed its preference for individual collective bargaining to improve productivity. The present legislative structure is United Arab Emirates allows management to exclude unions in workplace agreements with employees.
Management seeks to ensure that performance is improved and ensuring that organizational objectives are met. This has led to the replacement of the traditional industrial relations model with new management strategies that represent the significant changes that have been witnessed in the organizational context. The rise in non-unionized employee relations has led to the need for managers to determine new strategies that can be used for managing such employees (Badigannavar & Kelly, 2005). This has been necessitated by an increasing decline in union membership in many industries around the world. This has led to increased attention on non-unionized employee relation issues that are taking management by storm. This essay analyses management styles for unionized and non-unionized employee contexts.
Unionized employee systems sometimes call for management styles with autocracy to control the employees. Since the industrial revolution, unions have been rising fast with increased powers that are enshrined in human rights. Autocratic leadership style, the person in charge has total authority and control over decision making. The autocratic leadership style is best used in situations where control is necessary, often where there is little margin for error (Badigannavar & Kelly, 2005). It has been known to be very paternalistic, and in highly-professional, independent minded teams, it can lead to resentment and strained morale. Here the immediate needs of the organization are preferred rather than the issues that affect the whole system. This allows managers to be in charge and ensure that the needs of the organization are met by aligning employees to the needs of the organization.
Non-unionized employee systems entail work arrangements where employees are not members of any union whether industrial or enterprise based. Barry & Wilkinson (2011) argue that the role of the union is to bargain for the for the employment contract that is mostly termed as a collective bargaining agreement which fronts the needs of the employees. On the other hand, unionized employee systems entail a situation where employees are members of a recognized organization or employee association that serves as a bargaining tool for the needs of such employees (Blanchflower, 2007). The union plays different roles like being a mediator between the employee and the organization. The presence of unions within the workforce has been a historical human resource concept that has been used to improve employee needs. Managers are faced with different management situations when dealing employee situations.
Employee Voice
Managers have posed several challenges that come from managing unionized employees. These employees offer several challenges to the workplace since they believe that the union can represent and bargain for them if they have issues with their employer. Such employees may be stubborn to the extent that they believe that they cannot be touched and may fail to do asks that are not in their job description (Brown, 2010). This becomes a bigger problem if managers and supervisors fail to know their rights or lack appropriate skills that can be used to manage and control these employees. However, unions do not only exist to pose a threat to the organization but rather believe that if managers can handle employee issues well, then there can be little or no issues at all that relate to employee management. This calls for the need for managers to exercise better roles in management to draw a line between employees and management and at the same time ensure that a proper connection exists between the employee and management.
Traditional management styles work better in unionized employee settings where there is a difference between management and employees. Since employees are represented by unions that bargain for them, then a highly hierarchical structure works well. This system has strict rules that ensure employee efficiency is achieved in the organization. Management has no room to interact with employees on issues affecting the organization but rather decisions are made above and forwarded for implementation by employees. (James, Edward, & Gilbert, 2003) If there any issues that are raised by the decisions made by the organization, then employees can seek solace from the union which can bargain for their rights within the organization. One way that managers can achieve easy management of employees is to apply to management rights in the workplace. This s based on the clause that the employer the right to run the workplace and ensuring that the conditions set in the employment contract are met. This means that the manager has the right to set basic rules that need to be followed by all employees based on what the employee signed during recruitment. For example setting starting times among others. These rights are privileges that the manager will have over unionized employees and ensure that basic rules are followed within the organization.
Managers need to understand their rights and the powers that they have within the context of unionized and non-unionized employees. This ensures that the manager is not pushed by the union over some issues that may not exist in the rights that they have. On the other hand, the unions have their rights within work environments that they can use to push for certain interests that they believe favor their members (Gallo, 2016). Every manager must understand their rights and union rights to ensure that they can easily bargain when any problem arises within the organization. Managers need to understand the labor law in United Arab Emirates as contained in DIFC Employment Law No 4 of 2005 which regulates all employees in the country. The manager has more powers while employee’s powers reduce as the hierarchy goes down to the lowest employee. This allows the manager to have greater powers that can be used to manage employees since unions present threats to the organization.
Management Styles for Unionized Employees
Management rights are used to protect employers and guide them in handling employee issues. Every manner needs to understand and apply their management rights from the time they get in contact with employees. If application of the rights is delayed, then the employees may feel that the manager is introducing new elements that never existed in the contract (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2011). These rights allow employees to learn their roles within the organization and the relationship that exists between them and managers. Managers who apply management rights ensure that they get respect and recognition from their fellow employees and can control the workplace. Strong management rights protect the organization and the manager against unionized employee system since it controls them when they push for changes in the organization. Most unionized employees thrive on the privileges and powers that their unions have thinking that they are untouchable (Heery, 2009). Managers who understand this situation are in a better position of ensuring that employees meet their needs and the needs of the organization. Employees who do not meet the needs of the organization are coerced while those who fail to meet all the needs can either be punished or fired depending on the rules that have been set. This management style ensures that rules are strict to the extent that the employees cannot fail to meet their needs.
The right to bargaining between the employer and the union is a condition that exists in unionized employee systems. Bargaining is a mutual agreement that is reached between the employer and the union for employee rights and benefits. This means that the two parties need to meet and confer in different areas like wages, working hours, employment conditions and negotiations on any issues that may arise during the working relationship between the employer and the employee (Brown, 2010). Managers need to understand what they want from employees since this forms the basis for any bargaining agreement that can be reached. Unions will always want whatever they discuss with management to be recorded down to ensure that they form the rules of engagement. There is need to research best practices and language in other contracts so you better understand all your options before you agree to anything. You may want to consider putting language in your union contract that creates a process to update contract rules and policies if there are changes that would be warranted.
Managers in unionized settings need to understand how to bargain for employee issues. When negotiating for bargaining agreements of employees managers can pursue residual theory or the trusteeship theory depending on the situation that the manager is in. Residual rights allow management to retain their management rights during the bargaining agreement. This givens management unilateral rights to control the conditions of workers within the union (Schuster & Kesler, 2003). The trusteeship approach on the other hand the trusteeship approach will allow the union to have more bargaining power in the contract that employees get involved in. this allows the employer to retain management rights to ensure that they are not fully subjected to bargaining agreements in the negotiations. The manager needs to understand the theory that can be applied in every management decision to ensure that they are protecting their rights and limit the effects of unions within the organization.
Management Styles for Non-Unionized Employees
To manage employees in a unionized system, managers need to understand how to handle collective bargaining agreements at the workplace. These are terms and conditions of employment for employees that are represented by a union. Such employees do not bargain for their rights and privileges but rather allow the union to bargaining for them (Dundon, Curran, Ryan, & Maloney, 2006). This is protected in the international human rights where employees have the right to join unions or form associations that seek to champion their rights at the workplace. The basic rule of an unionized system to achieve increased efficiency and ensure that costs are reduced within the organization. Blyton & Turnbull (2004) suggests that eemployees in unionized systems do not have personal aspects but rather collective aspects that need to be met at the organizational level. Therefore, managers have to focus on collective issues that revolve around the employee.
Non-unionized employee contexts have situations where employees do not have unions that represent them. Since 2004, there has been a decline in the number of employees who are registered in unions. This led to increased power of the employer which allowed them to bargain easily with employees at enterprise and individual level. This type of workplace presents the best opportunity for the manager to develop strategies that can yield the best out of employees. Communication can be used as a major management strategy where employees can be brought closer to management. Since the modern management styles have line managers in the hierarchy system of management, it means that most employees do not reach top level managers regardless of the structure (Miller, 2009). This means that communication can be used by the manager as a tool for solving employee issues. This can be through regular meetings where employees share issues that affect them and raise grievances to management for solution. Direct communication and information sharing within the organization allows employees to understand their responsibilities and at the same time share issues that affect their work with management.
Communication is a participatory style of management that allows every individual within the organization to participate. Since there are no unions that represent employees. Kapoor (2001) adds that participatory approaches ensure that employees take part in decision making. This management style empowers employees to participate in the management processes of the organization. This is the best alternative to traditional management structures that require decisions to be made at higher levels and then passed down to subordinates. Since the employees lack unions that can voice their concerns, participatory approach allows employees to voice their concerns and ensure that the organization considers their views (Guyot, 2011). This is a more effective management framework that improves productivity by putting employee issues at the forefront by promoting sustainable management practices and increasing social acceptability of management decisions.
The welfare approach of sophisticated paternalistic management style can be used in managing employees in a non-unionized system. The role of unions is to meet the welfare needs of the employees by bargaining for them. This means that employees only join unions to enjoy the interests of collective bargaining and to seek protection against their employers. Managers who use this style focus on meeting the needs of their employees by providing adequate benefits that meet all the welfare needs of the employee. This management strategy ensures that employees’ job security is taken care of and makes them more loyal to the organization. From the psychological contract point of view, employees enter into a contract with the organization where they offer labor services to the organization and the organization meets their economic and material needs (Beardwell & Claydon, 2007). Therefore, if the organization can pay its employees well, then employees do not need to join unions or raise issues against the organization. Sophisticated paternalistic management style offers different benefits to employees that vary from monetary to extended services like healthcare to make employees more comfortable within the organization. Gennard & Judge (2002) suggests that employers have expectations from their employees once their needs have been met. This forms a mutual relationship that ensure that the employee performs the required roles within the organization.
Challenges of Managing Unionized Employees
Standard modern management styles have shifted from focusing on the organization to human relations. These theorists emphasize the need to improve employee conditions rather than achieving the efficiency of the system. This is the belief that employee are the system and thus efficiency cannot be achieved if the needs of the employees are met (Bryson, Forth, & Kirby, 2005). A systems approach of looking at the organization highlights the broad view of the organization as having different parts that need to be met to improve performance. Each part of the organization plays a role that leads to the overall running of the organization. This means that managers should focus on meeting the needs of employees so that employees can meet the needs of the organization (James, Edward, & Gilbert, 2003). From Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, employees have needs that have to be met for them to function well within the organization. These needs directly relate to the organization since the organization requires employees to meet its operations. Managers in such organizations make decisions that are based on balancing the needs of employees and those of the organization. According to Gennard & Judge (2002), employees have interests that are beyond reward packages that form different expectations that employees have on the organization. This are needs that the organization can provide to motivate employees and reduce tensions that exist between them.
Democratic leadership styles have also been descried to work well in employee situations where unions do not exist. In the scenario employees are allowed considerable autonomy in the routine work that they engage in. this style ensures that employees take part ion decision making througha voting system that goes with the views of the majority (Blyton & Turnbull, 2004). This strategy shifted the focus of the orga nization from organizational efficiency to employee self-management to allow decision making at the employee level. Managers take less responsibility in such situations to ensure that decisions are made at the lower level. This is a shift from the traditional hierarchical structure where employees make their won decision through a majority view. The opinions of the majority take precedence and the minority can only have their say.
Sophisticated human resource management is a new evolution that has both personnel and human resource management elements. This evolution is due to the new rise in management that seeks effective human resource management through an upgraded approach that focusses on labor (Rose, 2008). This allows following the roots of different management styles to develop the most preferable outcome that focusses on cost reduction and increasing high employee commitment. Today, there is a thin line between unionized and non-unionized employees due to the evolution of human resource management (Dundon & Rollinson, 2004). Organizations have taken the human relations approach as a way of meeting employee needs as opposed to the classical way of managing the organization. This has led to increased harmony between the organization and employees as a way of ensuring that the organization meets the needs of the employees. This has led decreasing dominance of unions at the organizational level.
Traditional Management Styles in Unionized Employee Settings
The organization is an open system that operates and interacts with the external and internal environment. This means that inputs from the environment determine the outputs that will be achieved. Managers need to develop strategies that can reenergize the system (Schuster & Kesler, 2003). Unions exist to meet the needs of employees within the organization rather than frustrating the efforts of management. Organizations that have put better management strategies have not felt the wrath or effect that unions have since they strive to satisfy their employees. From the human relations point of view, manages need to put strategies in place that can accommodate the needs of the organization. However, the increasing number of employees who are not in unions and falling dominance of unions within the workplace is an indicator that organizations can achieve a state where employee needs can be met without necessarily going through the union.
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