TM 711 Labor and Industrial Relations Lowell D. Espinosa 1. What is Labor Industrial Relations? Industrial Relations refers to all types of employer-worker relationships, whether at the national, regional, or company level, as well as all dealings with social and economic issues such as wage setting, working time, and working conditions. Each industrial relations system is rooted in the national historical, economic, and political context, and thus differs from one country to the next. Social dialogue is essential in industrial relations for communication and information sharing, conflict prevention and resolution, and overcoming work-related challenges. Social dialogue has proven to be an effective tool for democratic governance and participation, as well as a driver of economic stability and growth and a tool for maintaining or encouraging peaceful workplace relations. 2. Differentiate Labor relations from industrial relations. Labor relations is a field of study that has various meanings depending on the context. It is a subfield of labor history that studies human relations with regard to work – in its broadest sense – and how this relates to questions of social inequality in an international context. Unregulated, historical, and non-Western forms of labor are explicitly included. Labor relations define "for or with whom one works and under what rules," which rules (implicit or explicit, written or unwritten) determine the type of work, type and amount of remuneration, working hours, degrees of physical and psychological strain, and the degree of freedom and autonomy associated with the work. While industrial relations are the relationships and interactions that occur in the industry, particularly between labor and management, as a result of their combined attitudes and approaches to the management of the industry's affairs, for the benefit of not only the management and the workers, but also of the industry and the economy as a whole. The term industrial relations refers to the relationship that exists between employees and management that is directly or indirectly related to the union-employer relationship. The relationship in the industry created by the diverse and complex attitudes and approaches of both management and workers in connection with the management of the industry is known as an industrial relation. 3. How do you maintain good industrial relations? Employee relations—the manner in which your company's managers and HR representatives interact with your employees—can have a significant impact on your workplace culture. Maintaining positive employee relations improves employee morale, reduces workplace conflict, and, ultimately, increases productivity. 1. Set the tone straight. First impressions are important. Extensive paperwork and meaningless presentations will not capitalize on a new employee's initial enthusiasm. Instead, greet them with the same enthusiasm and take the time to personally set them up for work. Introduce them to their coworkers and even assign a mentor to assist them in settling in. Making them feel valued and welcome from the start will set a positive tone that will stick with them as they learn how they fit into your company and their new job. 2. Provide positive feedback. Evaluations are frequently focused on how an employee can improve and what they need to do better. Additionally, employees must hear about the things they do well on a regular basis. o Let them know they have value. Employees, believe it or not, require this on a regular basis. Allowing them to know when you believe they handled a situation well or performed admirably in a difficult situation makes them feel like they are a valuable member of your team. o Say thank you. Employees who believe they have supportive managers who recognize their efforts are 67 percent more engaged than those who do not. They are also far more likely to stay with your business. A simple thank-you note or card can make a bigger difference than you realize. o Publicly recognize high achievers. Praise employees for their accomplishments and positive contributions to your company at monthly or weekly meetings will motivate those you recognize and inspire others to work harder. 3. Improve communication. It is not only inefficient, but also impersonal, to communicate with employees solely through memos or emails. If all you do is talk at them, your employees will quickly come to believe that they are not an important part of your company. Because your employees are among your most valuable resources, having two-way personal communication is essential. 4. Offer career development. Companies that actively offer and encourage career development for their employees will find that they have a more motivated and well-equipped workforce. Managers and HR representatives should collaborate closely with employees to identify ways for them to improve their existing skills and obtain new training. 5. Help them be happy. If your employees are content, they will be more engaged and productive at work. A happy person's brain simply performs better than an unhappy person's brain. Furthermore, happy employees are more creative and problem solvers. Simply letting your employees know that you care about their happiness is the first step, but there are some additional steps you can take to create happier employees. 4. How do you achieve industrial peace? In general, industrial peace is defined by the absence of strikes and lockouts. Industrial peace does not imply that there are no disputes in the workplace between workers and employers, or that workers are satisfied and happy with their wages and other working conditions. There is industrial peace because workers do not exercise their right to collective bargaining and employers do not declare lockouts. Disputes are settled peacefully through mechanisms such as the grievance mechanism, conciliation, mediation, compulsory arbitration, and voluntary arbitration. Peace leads to prosperity, and prosperity leads to happiness. Peace can be established in an industrial organization in a variety of ways. Establish machinery for the prevention and resolution of industrial disputes, to name a few. Legislative and non-legislative measures should be included in such machinery. Give the government the authority it needs to settle labor disputes wherever they arise. Make provisions for bipartisan and tripartite committees to develop personnel policies, codes of conduct, and codes of discipline, among other things. Create implementation and evaluation committees to investigate collective bargaining agreements, court orders and judgments, and violations of various laws' statutory provisions.
