The unionised organisations that I work with want to have constructive relationships with their unions and often refer to this in their people strategy. Like any strategy or approach, this will only come to life if everyone in the organisation understands it, is clear on their role and the part they play and has the right skills and capability to deliver effectively. If this doesn’t happen, the system fails and there is a mismatch between what the organisation says and does. It’s the same with collective employment relations.
Line managers play a critical role in making the employment relations system work. Many work with union reps on a daily basis, often building productive relationships, removing blockers, making improvements and managing change. However, increasingly organisations are telling me that newer managers are struggling with this side of their job. Here are some common themes:
Managers feel unprepared, unsure of what they can and can’t do and there is little timely support available.
They learn about ER on the job, which can have pros and cons but most of the time, the learning is ad hoc, inconsistent and subjective, varying with the views of the manager providing the learning.
There is a lack of consistency in approach to working with unions, which is confusing for managers and union representatives and undermines confidence and trust. This leads to issues being escalated and frustration all round.
HR support is provided but often only when the risk is high.
Line managers are at the heart of resolving problems, managing conflict and creating effective ER. Without them pulling in the same direction, with a clear goal and well trained, the ER strategy will be implemented piecemeal or fail.
Time together as a team, looking at the whole organisational approach and their role, is a very good investment, developing their knowledge as well as their skills. In sessions with managers in unionised companies, we spend time looking at:
Clarifying the ER approach of the organisation and using this context to help managers understand their role in delivering ER.
Translating this into a team ER approach including analysing what works well today and why, plus areas for improvement.
Assessing the effectiveness of formal meetings in addressing employee concerns and managing change. We identify how they can be improved such as clear terms of reference, modernised agreements, agenda management, action logs and use of problem-solving teams when things get stuck.
The behaviours that build trust and enable agreements to be made.
Their approaches to conflict management – individually and as a team.
How ER is included (or not) in recruitment and selection processes and what support is available for new managers.
Defining the skills that managers need to develop and ensuring this is reflected in development plans.
The managers I work with want to understand this area of their job better and play their part in delivering the people strategy. Their response is often "why have we not talked about this before?". They are a critical but often neglected part of the ER system and without them, the system and strategy fall apart.
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