Discuss the following:
In the past several years unions have gone down dramatically. From 1945-1960 unions covered more than 30% of the workforce however, in 2011 and 2012 unions in the Untied States have gone down. Union memberships represent only 11.8% of the wage and salary workers in 2011 and 11.3% in 2012. The actual number of members has declined in most years. (Mathis, 2013.p.16-2)
Q: What could an Human Resources Representative say to managers to encourage their employees not to unionize.
Communication is the first attempt that managers can make when trying to appease their employees. Having an open door policy and letting ones employees know what is going on within the organization is good for any company. In 2014 I worked for a company called Kool Smiles. Kool Smiles had a terrible year and the company had to implement a wage freeze nation wide. Our manager held our usual morning huddle before starting our work for the day. Our manager informed the staff that the company was going through hard time and there would be no merit increases for that year. Even though this upset many of the employees it helped us to know that the company was not trying to cover anything up. The company was being open and honest about what was going on. Some employees did leave the company however, some stayed. At this point in time many of the employees know that the U.S. economy was not in a very good spot.
Individuals value their jobs for more reasons than compensation. As an employee there are many reasons one might stay with a company. One might experiences things such as; Feeling valued, having friendships, flexibility, as well as learning and development. (Walsh, 2010.p.8)
Managers must make an effort to show how much they value their employees. As a Human Resources representative I would sit down with the managers of the warehouse and discuss inexpensive ways we could show the employees appreciation and recognition. Proverbs 3:27 says, " Do not withhold good from those to who it is due, when it is in your power to do it."
Managers can also use their employees to their benefit. Being one-step ahead is critical in any industry. Weather it is through costs savings or new ideas some companies can use their employees as assets. If the managers of the firm were open and honest with their employees about what was going on within the warehouse the employees may have some feedback as to why those contracts were lost. The employees might have ideas of how to streamline shipments around the warehouse, and potentially reach out to old clients.
A Human Resources representative should always be aware of policy's.
A HR representative should always be aware of scenarios before they even happen. Companies can put safe guards into place before hiring their employees. " Virtually all labor contracts include management right, which are rights reserved so that the employer can manage, direct, and control its business."
(Mathis, 2013.0.16-6a) Generally it would be in the best interest of the company not to unionize due to the company being pressured to pay higher wages and more benefits.
References
Mathis. R. L. (2013) Human Resources Management: (14th ed). Boston Massachusetts: Cengage learning.
Walsh. Kate. (2010) Key Issues In Strategic Human Resources: Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration. Retrieved on 10/14/16 from: https://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1244&context=articles
Stopping the Rumors of a Union
Hearing rumors that employees may or may not be trying to form a union can create a sense of panic and discomfort within an organization. As a human resource manager, there are a few things that can be done to advise supervisors on how to handle a situation like this. The reason rumors are forming is the fact that the company will not be able to provide cost of living adjustment (COLA) or merit raises due to the fact that the company lost a good portion of revenue from losing large contracts from the downfall of the economy. Guidelines have to be carefully initiated to deal with this due to the fact that strictly going against unionization is discriminatory, so supervisors must deal with this with the utmost concern.
Multiple guidelines can be suggested to have supervisors conduct optimal meetings to try and stop the unionization of employees. The first thing that has to be known is the fact that a union and the forming of a union is severely protected by law these days and can easily be considered discriminatory if a supervisors shuts down the forming of the union. SO with this in mind, supervisors have to work with the disgruntle employees. First, is to meet with employees in their environment, go to their desks to talk about the situation instead of making a big deal of the situation by bringing employees into the office. Once in a cool and collected place, supervisors should point out all the problems with unions in a peaceful manner, i.e. dues, voting, lack of financial/beneficial packages, possibilities of strikes without pay, etc. Although unions cannot simply be stopped if employees vote for it to be formed; however, by using tactics such as putting a “bad taste” in the mouths of those trying to form unions by discretely talking them down is one of the best ways to prevent it. The idea of a non-unionized company should sound better to employee.
Other than trying to add a few more incentives there is only so much a supervisor can do to legally prevent the union from forming. According to thehrspecialist, “Employers cannot discriminate in any way, promise or grant financial benefits to employees, make threats of laying off the employee, interrogate, and many other actions” (para 8). As a human resource manager instructing the supervisors what to do, it just has to be reinforced in their minds that they have to proceed with caution and not find themselves in fault with any of these acts listed.
As a Christian in the work force, it has to be known that God is in control. If the company one is working for happens to lose some revenue, the best thing to do is pray, rather than over react and start to form a union against the company. Proverbs 12:11 speaks truth here in this situation stating, “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense” (ESV). And after reading this the idea of forming a union as an employee would be the fantasy. There is not reason to go against God’s plans or the company to do your own thing that seems better, but really will provide empty results. John MacArthur backs this up by comparing those fantasies to simply producing the same results of being lazy. As an employer, this would be another idea to plant in the minds of employees as they try and set up the union.
References
Holy Bible, ESV MacArthur, J. (2005). The MacArthur Bible commentary: Unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Unions in the spotlight: What employers can and can't do. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.thehrspecialist.com/36119/Unions_in_the_spotlight_What_employers_can_and_can_t_do.hr?cat=tools