TABLE OF CONTENTS When you have read this chapter and carried out the activities, you will be able to:
Identify the issues involved in the choices that organisations make in their relationships with their employees.
Explain what is meant by the terms 'unitarism' and 'pluralism'.
Describe the various actions that employers can take to encourage participation and involvement.
Outline the essential features of a grievance, disciplinary and redundancy procedure.
Appreciate the role of human resources in effectively handling procedures.
An organisation will not operate effectively unless it has a stable and relatively harmonious relationship with its employees. Conflict and disaffection will lead, almost inevitably, to high staff turnover, poor attendance, lack of involvement and other indicators of poor performance. In this chapter, we will be looking at the employment relationship from a number of viewpoints. Firstly from a workplace negotiating viewpoint. Here, the relationship is determined by an agreement on terms and conditions reached through a formal process of negotiations by representatives of management and the workforce. Secondly, from an involvement and participation viewpoint. This examines how the relationship is affected by the effectiveness and influence of the 'employee voice'. Finally, from a legal and procedural viewpoint specifically related to grievance, discipline, dismissal and redundancy, where an examination will be made of the approaches to individual sources of conflict.
These three approaches are not mutually exclusive. A heavily unionised environment has as much opportunity to make considerable progress towards involving employees and working towards partnerships as does a...
