Employee Relations
137 pages | paperback | Allen and Unwin (2003)
(Not available from author)
The world of work in the 21st century is changing rapidly and it will continue to change at an increasing rate. It is estimated that at least 40 per cent of current jobs, products and services will not exist by 2020. It has also been suggested that the present concept of 'employee' will no longer be appropriate for most people in the future as we move more towards outsourcing work to private contractors or temporary workers.
Organisations in the future will be more focused on coordinating external contractors who, in turn, will operate across a number of organisations and industries in a globally competitive environment.
In this changing world of work the traditional master-servant concept of employment will no longer apply. With this comes a shift in focus from traditional industrial relations - with its highly legalistic, centralised, confrontationist approach - to a situation where people management will become the responsibility of those on the spot. The parties involved will deal with each other directly through consultation and joint problem-solving. This requires a shift in emphasis from traditional industrial relations to the more holistic approach of employee relations.
Employee relations are developed within an organisation by all the responsible people. It makes it inappropriate to pass the problems on to a human resources division or to outside authorities. These facilities will still be available as support agencies, but basically you and I now have to take on the responsibility of developing a good working environment for those who operate within and for the organisation. The emphasis under employer relations is more on the recruitment and development of quality people who will gain satisfaction in a safe, healthy and secure working environment.
Employees will be more confident in the knowledge that they will have equal access to opportunities, be chosen on the basis of merit and will respond more positively to the demands of a changing workplace. Those who survive and prosper in this highly flexible and ambiguous environment will be willing to take responsibility for the development of a positive workplace within their area of operation. People will be encouraged to participate in real decision making in an environment of openness, honesty, trust, cooperation and collaboration. They will have confidence in the knowledge that those in responsible positions have the knowledge, skills and understanding of employment conditions, legislation and regulations to ensure that matters are dealt with quickly, correctly and fairly.
In the past, too many people have tended to avoid or only pay lip service to matters such as industrial relations, equal employment opportunity, anti-discrimination, cultural diversity, occupational health and safety and change management. They saw these areas as being the responsibility of someone else or they were matters that were played out in the ring of high-profile tribunals or courts. Those who will survive in the turbulent world of work in the future will recognise that people are our most important asset and their management and development will be their highest priority.
The best operators will be the ones who will manage the creative tensions and differences between employees and be able to blend those differences fairly into effective working teams capable of meeting the challenges of a changing work environment. This will be even more important in a world where employees will work in different environments over a global spectrum linked by advances in technology, with many not even seeing their colleagues or supervisors face-to-face.
This book is designed to assist you to understand the complexities of your responsibilities in this crucial area of people management in the working environment, in a language and style that is practical, realistic and easy to understand. It breaks down the legalistic jargon into every day applications and it attempts to defuse the threatening image of industrial relations into a more positive approach of employee relations where everyone concerned works cooperatively towards common goals.
137 pages | paperback | Allen and Unwin (2003)
(Not available from author)
The world of work in the 21st century is changing rapidly and it will continue to change at an increasing rate. It is estimated that at least 40 per cent of current jobs, products and services will not exist by 2020. It has also been suggested that the present concept of 'employee' will no longer be appropriate for most people in the future as we move more towards outsourcing work to private contractors or temporary workers.
Organisations in the future will be more focused on coordinating external contractors who, in turn, will operate across a number of organisations and industries in a globally competitive environment.
In this changing world of work the traditional master-servant concept of employment will no longer apply. With this comes a shift in focus from traditional industrial relations - with its highly legalistic, centralised, confrontationist approach - to a situation where people management will become the responsibility of those on the spot. The parties involved will deal with each other directly through consultation and joint problem-solving. This requires a shift in emphasis from traditional industrial relations to the more holistic approach of employee relations.
Employee relations are developed within an organisation by all the responsible people. It makes it inappropriate to pass the problems on to a human resources division or to outside authorities. These facilities will still be available as support agencies, but basically you and I now have to take on the responsibility of developing a good working environment for those who operate within and for the organisation. The emphasis under employer relations is more on the recruitment and development of quality people who will gain satisfaction in a safe, healthy and secure working environment.
Employees will be more confident in the knowledge that they will have equal access to opportunities, be chosen on the basis of merit and will respond more positively to the demands of a changing workplace. Those who survive and prosper in this highly flexible and ambiguous environment will be willing to take responsibility for the development of a positive workplace within their area of operation. People will be encouraged to participate in real decision making in an environment of openness, honesty, trust, cooperation and collaboration. They will have confidence in the knowledge that those in responsible positions have the knowledge, skills and understanding of employment conditions, legislation and regulations to ensure that matters are dealt with quickly, correctly and fairly.
In the past, too many people have tended to avoid or only pay lip service to matters such as industrial relations, equal employment opportunity, anti-discrimination, cultural diversity, occupational health and safety and change management. They saw these areas as being the responsibility of someone else or they were matters that were played out in the ring of high-profile tribunals or courts. Those who will survive in the turbulent world of work in the future will recognise that people are our most important asset and their management and development will be their highest priority.
The best operators will be the ones who will manage the creative tensions and differences between employees and be able to blend those differences fairly into effective working teams capable of meeting the challenges of a changing work environment. This will be even more important in a world where employees will work in different environments over a global spectrum linked by advances in technology, with many not even seeing their colleagues or supervisors face-to-face.
This book is designed to assist you to understand the complexities of your responsibilities in this crucial area of people management in the working environment, in a language and style that is practical, realistic and easy to understand. It breaks down the legalistic jargon into every day applications and it attempts to defuse the threatening image of industrial relations into a more positive approach of employee relations where everyone concerned works cooperatively towards common goals.
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