Employee Relationship Management

Task 1: Briefing paper to the Board of Directors

Introduction

Considering the recent trends in REBU, there is a need for employee voice and engagement. This can be achieved through transparency and confidence that will encourage employees to be engaged which means they will become more committed, involved, and enthusiastic about their work. Employee engagement is related to improved profitability, customer service, and profitability (Hosseini & Sabokro, 2021). Therefore, if REB can attain robust employee engagement, it can be able to realize up to 2.5 growth in its revenue (Badru et al., 2022). Further, it will be able to address issues such as lower turnover, safety issues, and reduced customer loyalty. While higher pay and benefits result in improved satisfaction and contentment among employees, they do facilitate engagement and the voice of the employees. Instead, companies such as REBU should focus on paying more attention to employees as part of improving engagement.

Recommendations on Improving Employee Voice and Engagement

The following are the three main recommendations on how REBU can improve approaches to employee voice and engagement.

a) Giving More Individual Attention

One of the main challenges in improving employee voice and engagement for REBU is determining an approach that applies to all the employees. This challenge can be addressed by using a different approach for every individual. The management of REBU should therefore focus on knowing every individual including the tasks they are comfortable doing, their preferred communication styles, and what motivates them (Ibrahim et al., 2021). By focusing on every individual and getting to know their preferences, their autonomy and responsibility in their jobs will increase hence increasing their level of engagement.

b) Offering Training and Coaching

Developing a culture that promotes continuous development of employee skills is also another approach that can be utilized in improving employee voice and engagement. If REBU focuses on building the skills that its employees need in their jobs, then it will be perceived by the employees that it values them and believes in them. Further, the more the employees feel that REBU invests in their future, the more their engagement. To achieve, this the company does not have to invest in budget-intensive training (Ibrahim et al., 2021). Instead, REBU can schedule developed plans and reviews within half a year or a year where skills to be improved are identified and employees engage in one-on-one coaching sessions to enable them to elevate their skills and contributions.

c) Listening To Employees

As part of the approaches to improve employee voice and engagement, it is important for the management of REBU to closely pay attention to what the employees have to say and act on the feedback. This can be achieved through frequent performance conversations and surveys which will not only enable the company to realize a comprehensive approach to listening and addressing issues but will also ensure the employees are valued (Shin et al., 2022). After listening to the feedback from the employees, the company leaders of REBU can then be able to predict and prevent issues such as lower retention which is currently being experienced.

Interrelationship Between Employee Voice and Organizational Performance

Generally, employee voice refers to the means through which employees can be able to communicate their views to their employers and take part in issues related to their work. This plays an important role in establishing openness and trust between employers and their employees hence contributing to the organization’s success (Jolly & Lee, 2021). For REBU, realizing an effective voice will play a role in establishing trust with the employees and also enabling the company to realize organizational improvement, innovation, and productivity. On the other hand, the employees of the company having a voice to express themselves will facilitate a feeling of being valued, improved job satisfaction, more development opportunities, and more influence in decision making (Ashiru et al., 2021). Additionally, employee voice is critical for the creation of an inclusive and safe working environment which is important in improving organizational performance.

Employee voice is therefore important in the realization of positive outcomes for both the employees and the company. It allows the employees to take part in decisions making which is critical for employee well-being and motivation and offers a means of improving work experience and general job quality (Song et al., 2021). REBU as an employer can also be able to achieve higher innovation and productivity and less workplace absenteeism and conflict. As a result, this contributes to improved organizational performance which is directly related to employee voice. Generally, employee voice is related to the level of commitment and connection to the company among the employees. It, therefore, emerges as an important driver for business success within a competitive marketplace (Liu et al., 2022). With enhanced employee voice, a company such as REBU will be able to realize higher retention of talent, improved customer loyalty, and better organizational performance.

Surveys, Suggestion Schemes, and Team Meetings As Approaches To Drive Employee Engagement

Based on the size and the composition of employees of REBU, team meetings, surveys, and suggestion schemes can be utilized as approaches to drive employee engagement. Team meetings are critical in keeping in teaching and can occur on a weekly or biweekly basis where employees get a forum to air their issues and also discuss ideas for immediate feedback to be gained. Surveys can play an important role in measuring levels of employee engagement in REBU and analyze how employee engagement and critical business outcomes (Ashiru et al., 2021). The outcomes of these surveys can then be utilized in identifying engagement initiatives that facilitate the attainment of desired goals. Surveys are important in measuring the levels of employee engagement, but it is also important for REBU as an organization to realize that employee engagement surveys tend to differ from other employee surveys. For instance, they tend to have a distinct focus compared to other forms of survey. While other forms of survey such as opinion and satisfaction surveys aim at measuring the perceptions, views, and attitudes of the employees towards the organization, engagement surveys focus on measuring the motivation, passion, commitment, and sense of purpose among the employees towards their work and the organization (Badru et al., 2022). Suggestion schemes on the other hand can be implemented through various technologies which enable managers and the HR professionals in REBU to maintain contact with the employees and ensure they are engaged. These could include employee listening platforms where the management can be able to get comments and suggestions and carry out exit interviews. Social media and mobile app resources can also be utilized in discussing issues, sharing ideas, and voting on ideas. The company can also utilize blogs to not only inform and update employees but also enable them to respond openly (Ibrahim et al., 2021). Other platforms which REBU can utilize in realizing effective suggestion schemes include emailed newsletters, videoconferencing, and videoconferencing.

Difference Between Employee Involvement and Employee Participation

Employee participation in the business activities that employees engage in as a team to attain a certain goal. Employee involvement, on the other hand, refers to the opportunities that are given to employees for them to take part in the decision-making process within the workplace environment (Ali Ababneh et al., 2021). It, therefore, refers to how the management and the employees directly interact hence encouraging the employees to own part of the outcomes in a project (Selimović et al., 2021). With employee involvement, employees influence the decision-making process directly by partnering with the management on critical decisions. The main difference between employee participation and employee involvement, therefore, is that participation involves employees performing the actual business activities while involvement is related to the amount of input that employees have in relation to making decisions about the business activities which they take part in.

Both employee involvement and employee participation can help in fostering effective employment relationships within REBU. For example, REBU as a transportation and food delivery services company can have a team of employees that take part in arranging and scheduling transport scenarios. In such an activity, every employee is expected to take part in coming up with ideas related to real-life situations that can affect transportation. The team facilitates a mechanism through which every employee can give ideas that can facilitate the completion of the task and irrespective of their titles, every employee takes part in contributing to the project (Charoensukmongkol & Puyod, 2021). By creating the ideal environment where participation is team-oriented, and every individual’s unique skill is utilized, REBU will be able to boost the morale of every employee and create an inclusive workplace.

Conclusion

In conclusion, for REBU to enhance good physical and mental health work practice the organization needs to place its employees first over everything else. This involves understanding its employees and their work-life needs depending on what they expect and their personalities. Although REBU as an employer cannot offer a 100% good physical and mental health work practice, it has a responsibility to change influence their work and home life.

Task 2 – Training session (presentation pack and supporting notes)

Difference Between Organisational Conflict and Misbehavior and Between Informal and Formal Conflict

Misbehavior refers to any intentional action by an employee that goes against the organization’s norms. Some of the practices which may be considered to be misbehavior include misappropriation of company property, theft, misleading clients, sabotage of company processes, harassing others, and cheating among others (Cuervo-Cazurra et al., 2021). Irrespective of the type, all forms of misbehavior generally tend to be costly both to the employees, the organization, and even the country. The management must therefore pay close attention to various forms of misbehavior and take appropriate measures to address them. Organizational conflict, on the other hand, refers to any form of disagreement that occurs among the employees within the workplace setting or between the employees and the employer. Unlike misbehavior which tends to be individual-oriented, organizational conflict tends to occur within the groups as a result of different backgrounds (Coetzee, 2021). Conflict can occur as a result of disagreements due to managerial decisions, organizational policies, and other factors.

Informal conflict refers to a type of conflict that occurs as a result of personal differences such as personalities, beliefs, preferences, and backgrounds which influence how every individual reacts to situations within their workplace hence affecting how they relate with others (Pappas, 2021). On the other hand, formal conflict occurs in a workplace when individuals working within the same company cannot agree on an approach to be utilized in attaining a certain outcome. This type of conflict can occur at all levels and between various levels in an organization.

Key Causes of Employee Grievance within REBU

REBU is experiencing the problem of staff retention and an increase in turnover by 5% within a quarter due to several factors. Working conditions and wages are some of the reasons stated by employees during exit interviews but more factors could be considered to be the key causes of employee grievance (Godbless et al., 2020). One of the key causes is the lack of recognition by the company which affects motivation and retention. Employees of REBU or any other organization always look forward to being recognized for what they do through perks, bonuses, and even a single thank you. The lack of recognition schemes in REBU is therefore one of the key causes of employee grievances within the organization (Godbless et al., 2020). Apart from lack of recognition, being overwhelmed by work is also another factor that could contribute to employee grievances within REBU. If the employees within the organization feel they are overwhelmed, they are more likely to start looking for different opportunities (Julius, 1981). As a result of spending long hours at work to address the workload, they end up attaining unbalanced work/life.

The company culture of REBU is also another factor that could be contributing to the key grievances in the company. As a result of the company culture not being good, the employees of REBU are not happy and become less productive. Due to the poor culture at the company, the employees are miserable and demotivated. Poor relationship with the management is also contributing to the key grievances among the employees at REBU (Bouwen & Salipante, 1990). Due to managers of the company being unorganized, unapproachable, unskilled, and demotivating, employees may find it hard to work comfortably within the organization.

Skills Required to Handle Grievances and Disciplinaries and Avoiding Legal Claims

Several skills are necessary to be able to effectively handle the grievances and disciplinaries within the organization. One of the most important skills is being able to listen and act on the grievances of employees. It is important to have a mechanism where employees can be able to lodge complaints and grievances so that they can be resolved easily. Further, there must be someone in charge of taking the responsibility for the grievances received (Chisanga, 2022). Employees must also be informed that their grievances have been received and that action is being taken. Investigative skills are also important for handling grievances and disciplinaries. The management of REBU should not rely only on hearing issues but go ahead and determine whether an issue raised is valid or not. Inquiries need to be done on situations and relevant information obtained. The effective decision-making process is also important in handling grievances and disciplinaries in an organization such as REBU (Ensher et al., 2001). After collecting all the necessary information and examining the situation, the management must always make a decision. This includes accepting a grievance to be valid or rejecting it completely.

To avoid legal claims, it is critical that the organization approaches the grievances of the employees fairly and ensures that the managers are aware of the grievance procedures. Further, REBU as an employer should encourage its employees to discuss issues informally with their managers so that they are acted upon immediately (Walker & Hamilton, 2011). Further, it is critical to take into consideration more positive and informal approaches to dispute resolution including mediation. Line managers must be trained so that handling conflict during the initial stages in the teams. Apart from exhausting all the possible informal approaches, REBU must also ensure its staff is aware of the formal routes which can be utilized for raising grievances (Opatha, 2020). Further, all the rights accorded to the employees must be taken into consideration to avoid legal claims especially when carrying out disciplinary actions.

Official and Unofficial Action During a Conflict

An assessment of the emerging trends in conflicts and industrial sanctions

Rising levels of unionization are predicted by current labor relations trends. Many workers voluntarily join unions to safeguard and advance their employment rights. Trade unions step in to try and find solutions when there is an unresolved conflict between employees and employers on the aforementioned issues; if they are unsuccessful, they lead to industrial action (Bălăneasa & Manolescu, 2011). Industrial action is considered “official” if it is formally supported by a trade union and involves union members. Since industrial actions constitute a breach of an employee’s employment contract, the proper legal procedure must be followed to ensure that the action is “protected” against unlawful employment actions like termination and underpayment. Some workers may occasionally make an industrial action. Without the support of their trade unions, they might take a go-slow. Employees run the risk of being fired for such “unofficial” behavior that is frequently not protected. Since conflicts, misbehaviors, and industrial actions—whether official or unofficial—have a significant negative impact on an organization, managers must improve their ability to recognize and handle misbehaviors and conflicts before they devastate their businesses or develop into highly expensive industrial actions (Godbless et al., 2020). Workplace strife and bad behavior A large part of lowering the likelihood of industrial actions is having appropriate disciplinary processes for identifying, discouraging, and punishing wrongdoing in their business while successfully resolving conflicts. An additional skill that proactive managers should possess is the ability to resolve disputes between management and employees before they turn into industrial actions, which negatively impact production (Bălăneasa & Manolescu, 2011). To lessen their risks of being fired without cause, employees must, on the other hand, be aware of the legal ramifications of participating in industrial activities and make sure they are official and protected.

Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration

Although the three processes—mediation, conciliation, and arbitration—all have the same goal, they range in formality, responsibility, and improvisation. In each instance, a third party participates in the parties’ dispute-resolution process (Walker & Hamilton, 2011). Regardless of how the parties’ relationship develops or whether they want to mediate their differences, the goal of mediation is to resolve disputes. While both parties are frequently driven to repair their relationship during conciliation, the primary focus during mediation and arbitration is on settling the disagreement (Bălăneasa & Manolescu, 2011). Participation in conflict resolution is frequently required rather than optional. You will be required to take part in one of these dispute resolution procedures, depending on the severity of the dispute. Learn the distinctions between conciliation, mediation, and arbitration if you wish to become informed and ready for any situation.

Arbitration is a formal process that might make it feel as though you’re in a courtroom because it substitutes for trials. The arbitrator will decide how the dispute will be resolved, with little influence from the arbitration parties. Mediation is not as legally binding as arbitration. In some circumstances, each side may nominate one arbitrator, and the two arbitrators will then decide on a suitable arbitrator jointly (Godbless et al., 2020). The process is not as official as it would be in court, but parties may need to testify and provide evidence. Compared to mediation and conciliation, arbitration is more official. Depending on the subject of law, arbitration might take many various forms. For instance, the two primary types of arbitration in employment law are interest arbitration and rights arbitration (Godbless et al., 2020). While rights arbitration interprets the collective agreement, interest arbitration concentrates on its terms. Arbitration of rights also covers the interpretation of disagreements involving the firing of an employee.

Task 3 – Email to CEO

Subject: Similarities and Differences Between Employee Bodies

The issue of workplace unionization or non-unionization inevitably comes up every time a company decides to fire some of its employees. Non-union employees who have never worked in a unionized environment find it difficult to understand what a union is. But it’s important to comprehend how offices are set up and how they work. The primary distinction between unionized and non-unionized workplaces is that a given workplace’s work culture is established by either the company or the employees. Workplace culture encompasses all elements of a working environment, such as pay, hours, safety measures, etc. Whether a workplace is unionized or not affects how powerfully it may define its work culture. A collection of workers from the same industry make up the union, and they jointly present their demands and engage in negotiations to reach an agreement with the employer. The contract stipulates the workers’ salaries, timetables, perks, and safety measures. After a contract is established, the Union is responsible for seeing that it is carried out legally and efficiently.

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