Unions are an essential agent in helping a company to ensure that the rights and needs of its employees are met. Therefore, increased safety of staff members and greater trust in relationships between employees and the company can be considered the key characteristics of a unionized setting.
Rights of the Union, Management, and Employees
Each of the participants in the described relationships has a unique set of rights that the rest have to recognize and respect. Namely, a trade union has the right to act in the way that allows improving employees’ workplace conditions and employees’ salaries. In addition, it is the responsibility of a trade union to notice and report the cases in which organizations fail to recognize the rights of staff members.
In turn, employees have the right to work, receive compensation (namely, salary), and be treated equally. The described rights constitute only fundamental ones, yet they provide a rather clear concept of what one should expect from one’s workplace (“Employer/union rights and obligations,” n.d.). Finally, the managers of a company have the rights such as holiday-letting, residential letting, and buying off the plan. Meeting the specified rights, one can create a functioning organizational environment where every participant is satisfied.
Impacts of the Union on Human Resource Functions
Work Restructuring
During restructuring, employees are provided with an opportunity to get used to changes and acquire new skills at a reasonable pace while being provided with the required benefits. The specified option is critical for staff members that respond to change with fear of losing their workplace due to slow response toward change and the inability to learn new skills immediately. In turn, trade unions ensure that employees have enough time to adapt and learn.
Performance Management
Feeling more confident once being supported by the union and being certain that their rights will be met, employees are likely to become more productive. Therefore, it is believed that the unionization of the workplace will have a significantly positive effect on job performance and the quality of work (“The five basic steps to organizing a union,” n.d.). For this reason, unionization should be regarded as a necessity.
Employee Discipline and Job Security
Although trade unions are usually seen as the organizations that support employees at all costs and, therefore, may contribute to a more relaxed atmosphere in the workplace, they, in fact, increase employee discipline. With the introduction of the principles of workplace ethics, such as honesty, integrity, and respect, companies can create a platform for reciprocity between themselves and their staff members. As a result, trade unions contribute to the extent of employee discipline and encourage them to adhere to corporate ethics. Similarly, changes in job security rates become obvious once trade unions are integrated into the workplace (Wood, 2018). Specifically, with the focus on employees’ needs, the factors affecting their security and safety in the workplace will be identified and managed.
Wages and Benefits
In the same way, trade unions shape the R function in relation to staff members’ wages and benefits. As long as trade unions continue to supervise companies’ attitudes toward employees, the latter will receive the full extent of promised benefits (“Step by step through a union campaign,” n.d.). Thus, the rights of staff members will be met entirely.
Health and Safety
Likewise, trade unions will allow reinforcing the HR function of addressing health and safety issues in staff members. Namely, trade unions make organizations change the elements of their workplace that do not met the established safety and health standards (Fan et al., 2002). As a result, employees’ security and well-being will not be jeopardized.
Costs for an Organization to Expect
The described change will require taking certain expenses. For instance, a company will have to ensure that the current workplace setting meets the set standards fully. Once any problems are identified, changes will have to be made, with respective costs taken. Therefore, a company should expect to spend an appropriate amount of money on improving their safety and the quality of workplace conditions.
References
Employer/union rights and obligations. (n.d.). Web.
Fan, D., Zhu, C. J., Timming, A. R., Su, Y., Huang, X., & Lu, Y. (2020). Using the past to map out the future of occupational health and safety research: where do we go from here? The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(1), 90-127.
Step by step through a union campaign. (n.d.). Web.
The five basic steps to organizing a union. (n.d.). Web.
Wood, A. J. (2018). Powerful times: Flexible discipline and schedule gifts at work. Work, Employment and Society, 32(6), 1061-1077.