CONFLICTS OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
During tough economic times, labor management conflicts occur over such matters as wages and benefits, layoffs, safety, work hours and unionization. Personnel with conflict management skills are in short supply, in part because of increasing globalization of the industrial work force and the rise in conflicts between workers and management. Small companies in particular, with their limited HR departments, often find it difficult to manage employee concerns. Employment relations are helps to minimizes conflict between employer and employee to achieve commitment and mutuality in the organization (Rose, 2008).
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| Figure 1;The relationship between industrial relations co-operation/conflict and outcomes for employees and trade unions (Source;Bacon and Blyton :Co-operation and conflict in industrial relations) |
Why Conflicts ?
The main causes of employer/employee conflict relate to wages and benefits, layoffs, work hours, safety standards and family and medical leave.
- Wages and Benefits - Compensation and fringe benefits have historically been a key driver of conflict in industrial settings, especially as companies seek to make necessary cost reductions in periods of low demand for products or services. During down economies, companies often cut back on the frequency and size of pay raises and on contributions to employee health insurance and retirement plans.
- Cost-Cutting Layoffs - When companies decide to cut costs, work force reductions are frequently considered or carried out.
- Inconsistent Safety Standards - If the organization can't make sure the safety and the ergonomically fit work environment ,this will lead to a conflict
- Expanded Work Hours - Conflicts can arise when personnel are asked to work extra hours-sometimes “off the clock” and through their scheduled breaks-to fill in for absent co-workers or meet the demands of busy shifts.
- Family and Medical Leave - Conflicts also center on time-off policies for family-related medical situations, such as maternity leaves.Most of the time smaller companies decide whether to grant paid or unpaid time off when employees have family emergencies.
How to overcome conflicts?
- Stop Workplace Bullying - Use surveys and questionnaires to build a better workplace and detect potential issues before it's too late. Also can take bullying reports seriously and conduct further investigations if necessary.
- Address Employees' Pay Raise Requests - Company can have a performance-monitoring system in place. This allows them to regularly assess employees' performance and reward their accomplishments. If you're on a tight budget, consider offering other perks, such as a promotion or more flexible working hours.
- Understand and Manage Workplace Conflicts - Best way to solve this is to stay calm and listen to both sides since your employees have different personalities and needs.
- Have Clear Policies in Place - These may include a Code of Conduct, leave policies, bullying and discrimination policies, drug and alcohol policies, privacy policies, email policies and more.Also can establish standard procedures for giving out bonuses and pay raises.
Conclution
Also conflicts among employees and between employees and management are inevitable consequences of industrial relations in any organization. However, the various strategies identified will go along way to improve labor management relations and also ensure employee retention in organizations. To achieve an optimal level of growth in organizations, there is need to put in place annual performance review in respect of working relationship between employees in organizations and provide reward for employees who proved to be good in the discharge of their saddled responsibility without delay
References
- Bacon, N. & Blyton, P. (1999) .Co-operation and conflict in industrial relations: what are the implications for employees and trade unions?, The Intemational Journal of Human Resource Management, 10(4).
- Isa, A.A. (2015) .Conflicts in Organizations: Causes and Consequences, Journal of Educational Policy and Entrepreneurial Research (JEPER).
- Hirsh, L. (2019) .What Are the Causes of Conflict in Industrial Relations?.
Clearly explain the causes of conflicts and how to overcome the same.having proper employee relations help organization to minimize conflicts.Good job Isuru ...
ReplyDeleteYes Nethra.Human is the most complex factor for an organization and hence the employee relationship should be address carefully.
DeleteCauses of conflicts and how to overcome the conflicts, Nice article.
ReplyDeletethanks Namil
DeleteConflicts between employees and employers is a common issue in the corporate sector where it should be handled carefully. This article explains how to use the best practice to do it. It is all about how you handling the situation and how matured you are acting upon such situations. Nice job Isuru.
ReplyDeleteYes.So both employees and employers have equal responsibility work carefully and responsibly in this type of situations
DeleteEmployee relations are a vital area of an organization for it's success. Happy employees makes the organization a better place.Your article explains some main employer-employee conflicts and solutions simply.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing
Useful articular Isuru. Well presented. Conflict is often the result of personality clashes. If a supervisor and employee have significantly different personalities, friction can arise. These conflicts are often not motivated by malice but are the result of two very different people misunderstanding each other
ReplyDeletePersonnel with conflict management skills are in short supply, in part because of increasing globalization of the industrial work force and the rise in conflicts between workers and management.Nice job Isuru.
ReplyDelete