Collective bargaining is process of joint decision making and basically represents a democratic way of life in industry. It is the process of negotiation between firm’s and workers’ representatives for the purpose of establishing mutually agreeable conditions of employment. Collective bargaining is a technique adopted by two parties to reach an understanding acceptable to both through the process of discussion and negotiation. Collective bargaining involves discussions and negotiations between two groups as to the terms and conditions of employment. It is called ‘collective’ because both the employer and the employee act as a group rather than as individuals. It is known as ‘bargaining’ because the method of reaching an agreement involves proposals and counter proposals, offers and counter offers and other negotiations There are three important theories of collective bargaining which have been discussed as follows: 1. The Marketing Concept and the Agreement as a Contract The marketing concept views Continue reading
Human Resource Management
Human Resource Management (HRM) is branch of management that deals with people at work, it is concerned with the human dimensions of management of the organization. As organization consists of people, therefore acquiring them, developing their skills, providing them motivation in order to attain higher goal and ensuring that the level of commitment is maintained are the important activities.
The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
The practice of paying bonus in India appears to have originated during First World War when certain textile mills granted 10% of wages as war bonus to their workers in 1917. In certain cases of industrial disputes demand for payment of bonus was also included. In 1950, the Full Bench of the Labour Appellate evolved a formula for determination of bonus. A plea was made to raise that formula in 1959. At the second and third meetings of the Eighteenth Session of Standing Labour Committee (G. O.I.) held in New Delhi in March/April 1960, it was agreed that a Commission be appointed to go into the question of bonus and evolve suitable norms. A Tripartite Commission was set up by the Government of India to consider in a comprehensive manner, the question of payment of bonus based on profits to employees employed in establishments and Continue reading
Integrity Testing in Employee Selection Process
Integrity tests are seen as a superior alternative to polygraph tests and interviews. In fact, the use of integrity tests in selection decisions has grown dramatically in the past decade. The tests are especially likely to be used where theft, safety, or malfeasance is an important concern. The promise of integrity testing is that it will weed out those most prone to counterproductive work behaviors. Clearly, integrity is an important quality in applicants; integrity tests are designed to tap this important attribute. Integrity testing can help the management determine which of their prospective hires are likely to engage in unproductive, dangerous, or otherwise risky actions on the job. Candidates are surprisingly candid in answering test questions about their workplace theft or drug abuse, but the tests also have control questions intended to indicate when an applicant is attempting to game the test. Although tests represent an additional expense in the Continue reading
Roles and Responsibilities of Team Members
Teams are usually selected or authorized by the quality council. A team will consist of a team leader, facilitator, recorder, time keeper and members. All team members have clearly defined roles and responsibilities. The team leader, who is selected by the quality council, sponsor or the team itself, has following roles. Ensure the smooth and effective operation of the team, handling and assigning record keeping, orchestrating activities, and how overseeing preparation of reports and presentation. Facilitate the team process, ensures that all members participate during the meetings, prevents other members from dominating, actively participates when appropriate, guides without domineering, and uses positive interpersonal behavior. Serves as a contact point between the team and the sponsor or quality council. Orchestrates the implementation of the changes recommended by the team within organizational constrains and team boundaries. Monitor the statues and accomplishments of members, assuring timely completion of assignments. Prepare the meeting agenda, Continue reading
Requirements of a Successful Industrial Relations Programme
Today’s professional industrial relations director, or by whatever title he is designated, no longer views his job as personalizing management, or that of a social worker in a factory, or a union buster, he looks upon his department as an adjunct to management supervision at all levels; he keeps other executives informed about new discoveries, programme trends and needs. At the same time, he provides efficient service in the operation of several centralized services. A successful industrial relations programme reflects the personnel viewpoint, which is influenced by three main considerations: Individual thinking Policy awareness and Expected group reaction Individualized thinking makes if imperative for the administrator to consider the entire situation in which the affected individual is placed. Policy awareness underscores the idea of the consistency of treatment and the precedent value of any decision which a management takes; while expected group reaction balances what we know of human nature Continue reading
EFQM Excellence Model
The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model was introduced in 1991 as the framework for organizational self-assessment and as the basis for judging entrants to the European Quality Award, which was awarded for the first time in 1992. A number of factors have encouraged many western countries to introduce quality awards. Among these were: the importance of quality for competitiveness, and contribution of benchmarking and self-assessment techniques to improving performance. The award models are used extensively throughout the world by leading companies and can thus be used for international benchmarking comparisons. A framework designed to assist organisations achieve business excellence through continuous improvement in the management and deployment of processes to engender wider use of best practice activities. It enables the calculation of scores against a number of criteria that can be used for either internal or external “benchmark” comparisons. It is hoped that the results of these Continue reading