Employee Relations
Introduction
To enable employees to deliver productive outcomes at work and within society, one must first consider the concept of industrial relations; later known as employee relations due to the shift in trading trends of the UK from predominantly manufacturing industries.
Employee relations concentrate on the management and maintenance of the employment relationship between employer and employee. This means dealing with employees either through trade unions or individually to bargain for employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and grievances or disciplinary action. It also seeks to providing employees with a voice (Armstrong, 2012).
An employee seeks good and honest pay, decent working conditions, security of employment, a healthy and safe working environment and the scope to express and resolve grievances. This can often cause conflicts of interest between employers and employees. Collective representation from trade unions will resort to resolve these conflicts through various industrial relations procedures (Armstrong, 2012).
Throughout history, there have been significant challenges faced by employees and their representative bodies, from the oppression of employee’s rights to the decline in trade union powers and to companies attempting to entice employees from trade union representation. Whilst this appears to be negative, there is a positive outcome from the course of history. The state has passed legal statutory rights as a way of guidance for employee’s rights. Along with many organisations recognising the importance of employee relationships with many, adopting initiatives to promote effective human resource management in order to ensure employee motivation and satisfaction.
A Brief History of Industrial Relations
Employment rights and employee relations has seen a very drastic improvement through history. Prior to and including the majority of the 19th century, employee relations was very much a master and servant role
To enable employees to deliver productive outcomes at work and within society, one must first consider the concept of industrial relations; later known as employee relations due to the shift in trading trends of the UK from predominantly manufacturing industries.
Employee relations concentrate on the management and maintenance of the employment relationship between employer and employee. This means dealing with employees either through trade unions or individually to bargain for employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and grievances or disciplinary action. It also seeks to providing employees with a voice (Armstrong, 2012).
An employee seeks good and honest pay, decent working conditions, security of employment, a healthy and safe working environment and the scope to express and resolve grievances. This can often cause conflicts of interest between employers and employees. Collective representation from trade unions will resort to resolve these conflicts through various industrial relations procedures (Armstrong, 2012).
Throughout history, there have been significant challenges faced by employees and their representative bodies, from the oppression of employee’s rights to the decline in trade union powers and to companies attempting to entice employees from trade union representation. Whilst this appears to be negative, there is a positive outcome from the course of history. The state has passed legal statutory rights as a way of guidance for employee’s rights. Along with many organisations recognising the importance of employee relationships with many, adopting initiatives to promote effective human resource management in order to ensure employee motivation and satisfaction.
A Brief History of Industrial Relations
Employment rights and employee relations has seen a very drastic improvement through history. Prior to and including the majority of the 19th century, employee relations was very much a master and servant role
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