Labor Unions and Management Relations
Management and labor relations have been strained over the years with both sides wanting the most control over the other. Unions fight for better wages, benefits, and work environments for their members while management fights for lower costs to keep their organization from going under. The below paper will look at the impact labor unions have on a manufacturing firm, the principal challenges between unions and management, and strategies management can use to promote a positive relationship with their labor union employees.
Impact of Unions on a Manufacturing Firm
Unions can have a profound impact on a manufacturing firm’s productivity and profits either good or bad. From their very beginnings, unions …show more content…
While laws have been passed to improve employee’s work life and the union’s power has slightly diminished, they still hold a strong presence in many of the organizations they operate in. It is extremely beneficial to management to be able to work alongside the labor unions and have a positive relationship with them. There are three different ways management can promote a positive relationship between labor unions and they are: improving communications through workshops, listening to feedback from employees, and implementing an incentive …show more content…
Both sides have to willing and open minded enough to begin to fix the problem. Creating, if not already implemented, a labor-management committee to plan and develop team luncheons and workshops is a great way to begin to fix communications. In the committees, union members and management can voice their opinions in how the workshops should be executed, hindering the workshops from only benefitting one side. This committee will ultimately improve union and management relations, communication, work behaviors, quality, and reduce costs.
Listening to Feedback from Employees
Similar to communication, where the union employees do not feel they are being heard by management, listening to feedback can promote a positive relationship between management and unions. Introducing quality circles is a great way to listen to feedback and solve problems in the workplace. A manager would run the quality circle and enlist in a small group of employees that rotates every so months to reach all employees. Using quality circles to receive feedback will reduce costs, improve quality, attitudes, communication, work behaviors, and productivity for a manufacturing firm.
Implementing an Incentive
Management and labor relations have been strained over the years with both sides wanting the most control over the other. Unions fight for better wages, benefits, and work environments for their members while management fights for lower costs to keep their organization from going under. The below paper will look at the impact labor unions have on a manufacturing firm, the principal challenges between unions and management, and strategies management can use to promote a positive relationship with their labor union employees.
Impact of Unions on a Manufacturing Firm
Unions can have a profound impact on a manufacturing firm’s productivity and profits either good or bad. From their very beginnings, unions …show more content…
While laws have been passed to improve employee’s work life and the union’s power has slightly diminished, they still hold a strong presence in many of the organizations they operate in. It is extremely beneficial to management to be able to work alongside the labor unions and have a positive relationship with them. There are three different ways management can promote a positive relationship between labor unions and they are: improving communications through workshops, listening to feedback from employees, and implementing an incentive …show more content…
Both sides have to willing and open minded enough to begin to fix the problem. Creating, if not already implemented, a labor-management committee to plan and develop team luncheons and workshops is a great way to begin to fix communications. In the committees, union members and management can voice their opinions in how the workshops should be executed, hindering the workshops from only benefitting one side. This committee will ultimately improve union and management relations, communication, work behaviors, quality, and reduce costs.
Listening to Feedback from Employees
Similar to communication, where the union employees do not feel they are being heard by management, listening to feedback can promote a positive relationship between management and unions. Introducing quality circles is a great way to listen to feedback and solve problems in the workplace. A manager would run the quality circle and enlist in a small group of employees that rotates every so months to reach all employees. Using quality circles to receive feedback will reduce costs, improve quality, attitudes, communication, work behaviors, and productivity for a manufacturing firm.
Implementing an Incentive