1. MPH 3023 CHAPTER 2: MAINTAINING HARMONIOUS EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

2. Building harmonious workplace relationships Making managers effective at building harmonious workplace relationships Open communication Establishing clear and fair policies and procedures Chapter Outline

3. Building harmonious workplace relationships Good employment relations result from: A fair work environment Open communication Strong ethics How to increase employee engagement: Keeping employees informed i.e. downward communication Providing opportunities for upward communication

4. Making Managers Effective at Building Harmonious Workplace Relationships To be effective, managers must: Accept their role as managers of “people” Know how to manage people Many managers do not have natural people skills, nor are they taught how best to interact with others. Over emphasis on favorable result may lead to short-term thinking whereby workers’ needs are ignored. Those managers who are not skilled at employment relations tend to practice discriminatory policies. Allow feedback-giving opportunity to build harmonious relationships at work. “Listen” and “respect” are the basis for effective employment relations.

5. Open Communication Failure to ensure sufficient communication will lead to: The growth of a strong grape-vine Employees receiving incorrect information Employee distrust of management Need to use a variety of media to successfully communicate.

6. Management-Union Meetings Company Handbook Opinion Surveys Town-Hall Meetings E-mails from the CEO Work Councils Ombudsman Open Communication

7. Open Communication: Management-Union Meetings Regular meetings should be arranged to provide for issues to be discussed before they become major disputes. Union-management meetings should be a meeting of equal partners. Employers who strives for good employment relations will meet frequently with union representatives as well as communicate directly with the workers.

8. Open Communication: Company Handbook A tool for communicating terms and conditions of service and company policies to employees. Handbook preparation An opportunity to involve workers and their representatives. Committee set-up to draft the handbook. Can outsource the work to a consultant. Handbook content Terms and conditions of employment Handbook language Easily read document and understood by all levels of employees.

9. Attitude surveys What the employees think on various issues Should not be conducted unless the employer is willing to take action to improve or change whatever is worrying employees. Open Communication: Opinion Surveys

10. An opportunity for top management to address all employees at once at a face-face meeting. Can be organized face-to-face or using the aid of projection technology. An opportunity for employees to speak up and raise questions. When questions are raised, answers must be honest. Open Communication: Town-Hall Meetings

11. Whenever something significant comes up, employees should be told. A very fast and cheap way of providing news to employees. Open Communication: E-mail from the CEO

12. Type of forum for an exchange of views between workers’ representatives and management. Relevant if employees wish to discuss major changes that they want to introduce. Open Communication: Works Councils

13. A very senior person to whom all employees may speak directly, about a personal grievance or an issue of concern. He/she is required to keep information provided by employees confidential, unless given permission to take action. Confidentiality limit must be clear to all parties. Open Communication: Ombudsman

14. Establishing Clear and Fair Policies and Procedures Clear and fair policies play a major role in achieving effective employment relations. Central to fair treatment of workers. Language must be easy to understand. Key policies must be included in new employees’ induction course to reduce possibility of miscommunication. Most common employment policies and procedures: Sexual harassment policy Safety and health policy Electronic communication devices policy Code of conduct Disciplinary rules and procedures