This chapter discusses maintaining harmonious employment and industrial relations through open communication and establishing clear policies. It outlines various methods for open communication between managers and employees like management-union meetings, company handbooks, opinion surveys, town hall meetings, and establishing an ombudsman. The chapter also stresses the importance of managers building relationships through accepting their role in managing people, allowing feedback, and practicing non-discriminatory policies. Clear and fair policies centrally guide the fair treatment of workers.

1. MPH 3023CHAPTER 2: MAINTAINING HARMONIOUS EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

2. Building harmonious workplace relationshipsMaking managers effective at building harmonious workplace relationshipsOpen communicationEstablishing clear and fair policies and proceduresChapter Outline

3. Building harmonious workplace relationshipsGood employment relations result from:A fair work environmentOpen communicationStrong ethicsHow to increase employee engagement:Keeping employees informed i.e. downward communicationProviding opportunities for upward communication

4. Making Managers Effective at Building Harmonious Workplace RelationshipsTo be effective, managers must:Accept their role as managers of “people”Know how to manage peopleMany managers do not have natural people skills, nor are they taught how best to interact with others.Over emphasis on favorable result may lead to short-term thinking whereby workers’ needs are ignored.Those managers who are not skilled at employment relations tend to practice discriminatory policies.Allow feedback-giving opportunity to build harmonious relationships at work.“Listen” and “respect” are the basis for effective employment relations.

5. Open CommunicationFailure to ensure sufficient communication will lead to:The growth of a strong grape-vineEmployees receiving incorrect informationEmployee distrust of managementNeed to use a variety of media to successfully communicate.

6. Management-Union MeetingsCompany HandbookOpinion SurveysTown-Hall MeetingsE-mails from the CEOWork CouncilsOmbudsmanOpen Communication

7. Open Communication: Management-Union MeetingsRegular meetings should be arranged to provide for issues to be discussed before they become major disputes.Union-management meetings should be a meeting of equal partners.Employers who strives for good employment relations will meet frequently with union representatives as well as communicate directly with the workers.

8. Open Communication: Company HandbookA tool for communicating terms and conditions of service and company policies to employees.Handbook preparationAn opportunity to involve workers and their representatives.Committee set-up to draft the handbook.Can outsource the work to a consultant.Handbook contentTerms and conditions of employmentHandbook languageEasily read document and understood by all levels of employees.

9. Attitude surveysWhat the employees think on various issuesShould not be conducted unless the employer is willing to take action to improve or change whatever is worrying employees.Open Communication: Opinion Surveys

10. An opportunity for top management to address all employees at once at a face-face meeting.Can be organized face-to-face or using the aid of projection technology.An opportunity for employees to speak up and raise questions.When questions are raised, answers must be honest.Open Communication: Town-Hall Meetings

11. Whenever something significant comes up, employees should be told.A very fast and cheap way of providing news to employees.Open Communication: E-mail from the CEO

12. Type of forum for an exchange of views between workers’ representatives and management.Relevant if employees wish to discuss major changes that they want to introduce.Open Communication: Works Councils

13. A very senior person to whom all employees may speak directly, about a personal grievance or an issue of concern.He/she is required to keep information provided by employees confidential, unless given permission to take action.Confidentiality limit must be clear to all parties.Open Communication: Ombudsman

14. Establishing Clear and Fair Policies and ProceduresClear and fair policies play a major role in achieving effective employment relations.Central to fair treatment of workers.Language must be easy to understand.Key policies must be included in new employees’ induction course to reduce possibility of miscommunication.Most common employment policies and procedures:Sexual harassment policySafety and health policyElectronic communication devices policyCode of conductDisciplinary rules and procedures