The Pluralist perspective of industrial relations is just as the name suggests, they see organisations as constellations of different groups. The organisation is seen as multi-structured in terms of groups, leadership, authority and loyalty. A miniature democratic state composed of sectional groups with divergent interests over which the government tries to maintain some kind of dynamic equilibrium. The main groups within this perspective that find themselves at the opposite ends of the scales often are the workers and managers. This can be down to a number of issues such as pay, working conditions, bonuses and working hours and it is over issues like these that conflict often occurs. The pluralist perspective during the twentieth century include a widespread distribution of authority and power in society, ownership separation from management, political separation and industrial conflict and an acceptance and institutionalization of conflict in both spheres. The priciple assumption of pluralist perspective Continue reading
Industrial Relations Management
Functions of Collective Bargaining
Good relations between the employer and employees are essential for the success of an industry. In order to maintain good industrial relations, it is necessary that industrial disputes are settled quickly and amicably. One of the efficient means of resolving industrial disputes and deciding the employment conditions is collective bargaining. It is a process in which the representatives of the employer and of the employees meet and attempt to negotiate a contract governing the employer-employee union relationship. Collective bargaining is a technique of social change, some-times performing its function smoothly and at other times threatening to blow up. Arthur D Butler’s classification of functions of collective bargaining can be viewed under the following three headings. Collective bargaining acts as a technique of long-run social change, bringing rearrangements in power hierarchy of competing groups. Collective bargaining serves as peace treaty between two parties in continual conflict. Collective bargaining establishes a system Continue reading
Employee Assistance Programs in Organizations – Employee Counseling
Counseling has been practiced in one form or other since the evolution of mankind. In every field which requires dealing with people, counseling is essential. Counseling is a dyadic relationship between two persons; a manager who is offering help (counselor) and an employee whom such help is given (counselee). It may be formal or informal. Formal counseling is a planned and systematic way of offering help to subordinates by expert counselors. Informal counseling is concerned with day to day relationship between the manager and his subordinates where help is readily offered without any formal plan. Every manager has a responsibility to counsel his subordinates. When individual managers are unable to deal with specific problems, the counseling services of a professional body is required. An organization can either offer the services of a full-time in-house counselor or refer the employee to a community counseling service. Counseling occasionally is necessary for employees Continue reading
Perspectives on Industrial Relations
Industrial relations is a set of phenomena operating both within and outside the workplace, concerned with determining and regulating the employment relationship. Scholars have described three major theoretical perspectives or frameworks, that contrast in their understanding and analysis of workplace relations. The three important perspectives on industrial relations are generally known as Unitarism, Pluralism and Marxism. Each offers a particular perception of workplace relations and will therefore interpret such events as workplace conflict, the role of unions and job regulation differently. The three major perspectives on Industrial Relations are; 1. Unitary Perspective In unitarism, the organization is perceived as an integrated and harmonious system, viewed as one happy family. A core assumption of unitary approach is that management and staff, and all members of the organization share the same objectives, interests and purposes; thus working together, hand-in-hand, towards the shared mutual goals. Furthermore, unitarism has a paternalistic approach where it Continue reading
Definition and Concept of Industrial Relations
An Introduction to Industrial Relations Industrial relations constitute one of the most delicate and complex problems of the modern industrial society. This phenomenon of a new complex industrial set-up is directly attributable to the emergence of ‘Industrial Revolution”. The pre-industrial revolution period was characterized by a simple process of manufacture, small scale investment, local markets and small number of persons employed. All this led to close proximity between the manager and the managed. Due to personal and direct relationship between the employer and the employee it was easier to secure cooperation of the latter. Any grievance or misunderstanding on the part of either party could be promptly removed. Also, there was no interference by the State in the economic activities of the people. Under such a set-up industrial relations were simple, direct and personal. This situation underwent a marked change with the advent of industrial revolution — size of Continue reading
Features of a Sound Employee Disciplinary System
Discipline is an inevitable correlate of organization. To be organized means to be disciplined and vice-versa. The behavior of an employee is at the root of all discipline in an organization. Some of the key features of a sound employee disciplinary system are: 1. Knowledge of Rules The employee must be informed clearly about what constitutes good behavior and the rewards that may emanate from it. All instructions should be clear and understandable. It is common sense that an employee will obey an instruction more readily if he understands it. The supervisor himself must know all the rules. He cannot effectively communicate with his workers if his own knowledge about rules is half baked. In fact, he needs to know more than the barest minimum that he wants his workers to know. This reserve of knowledge is essential in order to be able to answer several unexpected question from workers. Continue reading