Employment Relations

employment relations

Improving Workplace Employment Relations

High trust workplace relationships are recognised as an essential ingredient of sustainable organisational performance.  We offer a range of services to help employers, trade unions or non-union representatives improve their relationships:

  • A diagnostic approach that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of all parties.  We undertake semi-structured interviews with managers and workforce representatives to get to grips with the realities of the relationship.  Focus groups with employees are used to gather intelligence about what the workplace is really like.  The full report of our findings is designed to inform the development of a new employment relations strategy.
  • Facilitating discussions between managers and employee representatives using the findings from the diagnostic. We aim to transform the relationship, develop a new agenda and equip employee and management representatives with the skills they need to solve problems together.
  • Facilitating away days where employer and employee representatives with existing high trust relationships can take stock, discuss strategic priorities and agree an agenda for the future. 
  • Devising new arrangements for employee representation and participation where no such arrangements have previously existed.
  • Working with you to develop an employment relations strategy that is integrated into and supports the delivery of your business strategy

Developing Sectoral Dialogue

Some employers and trade unions continue to have discussions at either a sectoral or multi-employer level.  Most recently we helped to conclude the concordat between PCS (the major civil service union) and the suppliers of “back office” IT services to central government departments.  If you are looking to develop similar arrangements we can chair these meetings, draft the agreement and provide a secretariat at all stages of the process.

Strategic Advice for trade unions

WorkMatters Consulting offers strategic advice for trade unions on employment relations, labour market developments, economic and social policy, union membership trends and changing employer strategies.  Recent clients have included the Royal College of Nursing, Unison, Accord, Prospect and the FDA

 

Publications
Speaking Up! Voice, industrial Democracy and Organisational Performance (2004) available at www.theworkfoundation.com
Raising Lazarus: The Future of Organised Labour (2005).  Copies available from the Fabian Society www.fabian-society.org.uk