1. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Part 5 Employee relations

2. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Historic Perspectives to Employee Relations 1980s – Employee relations an activity central to the HR function (Mackay & Torrington, 1986) 2000s – Employee relation issues now placed well down the HR agenda (IRS, 2003) Slide 20.1

3. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Employee Relations Climate WER 1998 – 80% of HR Managers surveyed believed climate to be either good or very good 2% of HR Managers believed the climate was poor Slide 20.2

4. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Key Trends in Employee Relations Trade union decline Decline in collective bargaining and industrial action Increase in employment law Slide 20.3

5. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Trade Union Decline Decline in numbers joining unions Decline in numbers taking part in trade union activity Actions of Thatcher’s Government Passing of hostile employment legislation Industrial restructuring Inevitability Slide 20.4

6. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Collective Bargaining & Industrial Action Reduction in workforce covered by collective agreements Breaking down of national collective bargaining UK strike rate below average for EU and OECD countries Slide 20.5

7. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Average Number of Days Lost Due to Strikes Slide 20.6 Table 20.1 Average number of working days lost due to strikes Source: Adapted from R. Taylor (1993) The Trade Union Question in British Politics. Oxford: Blackwell; and Labour Market Trends (2003c) ‘Labour disputes in 2002’, Labour Market Trends, June. London: HMSO.

8. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Employment Law Until 1960s – little employment law 1965 – first major employment legislation was introduced 1970s host of employment law - unfair dismissal law - health and safety - sex discrimination law - race relations law Slide 20.7

9. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Employment Law Over the Last Decade Disability Discrimination Laws National minimum wage Restrictions on working time Compulsory union recognition Host of family friendly measures Data protection Workplace dispute resolution Slide 20.8

10. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Study of Employee Relations Research questions focused on: Trade union organisation Forms of bargaining Industrial conflict and resolution ‘Assaults’ on established UK employment practices Slide 20.9

11. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Possible Focus For Study In The Future State of psychological contract between organisations and employees (Guest, 2001) Wider range of employment areas - regulatory practices in areas of training, pay, determination, etc. (Rubery & Grimshaw, 2003) Slide 20.10

12. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Strategic Questions (1 of 2) How far should employees be involved in decision making? Should employee involvement be direct or through representation? What form should the involvement take? Slide 20.11

13. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Strategic Questions (2 of 2) At what organisational level should involvement take place? What issues should be subject of involvement? Slide 20.12

14. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Categories of Management Styles in Employee Relations Traditional Paternalistic Consultative Constitutional Opportunistic Slide 20.13

15. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Categories of Consent 1.Normative 2.Disorganised 3.Organised 4.Consultative 5.Negotiated 6.Participative 7.Controlling Slide 20.14

16. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Individual Employee Involvement Increased interest in this area Useful in environment where unions are absent or marginal Direct forms of employee involvement are incompatible with collective forms Generally initiated by employers Slide 20.15

17. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Benefits of Individual Employee Involvement (1 of 2) Employees like to be involved and appreciate involvement initiatives Employee involvement initiatives improve organisational commitment Involvement makes change easier for employees to accept Slide 20.16

18. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Benefits of Individual Employee Involvement (2 of 2) Involvement increases levels of job satisfaction Involvement is associated with lower levels of staff turnover Makes a significant contribution to improving organisational performance Slide 20.17

19. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Major Forms of Direct Involvement Team briefing Publication of company news sheets Quality circles Suggestion schemes and surveys Slide 20.18

20. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Dimensions in Variances in National Systems (1 of 2) High union membership v low union membership Single employer v multi employer bargaining Interventionist government role v non- interventionist role Slide 20.19

21. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Dimensions in Variances in National Systems (2 of 2) Adversarial v consensual Autocratic management v involving management style Slide 20.20

22. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Summary (1 of 2) Trade unions and collective bargaining dominated for most of 20 th century Since 1979 union membership has declined as has collective bargaining Managers have sought other forms of employee involvement Slide 20.21

23. Torrington, Hall & Taylor, Human Resource Management 6e, © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Summary (2 of 2) Employment legislation shapes the rules that govern employee relationships There are seven categories of consent that illustrate variations in the level and type of collective employee involvement Individual employee involvement initiatives are direct Slide 20.22