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Service Spotlight - Labor-Management Focus GroupsWe directly observed the souring of relationships between some employers and employees during the recession. How can this be changed? In 2011, take advantage of the opportunity to create Employee-Management/Labor-Management focus groups.
In the union-free environment, the goal of such a meeting will be for management to gain insight into key employee issues and affect change that will positively impact the workplace. In a unionized environment, the focus groups will resemble noncontract grievance resolution to improve relationships. This will occur in the form of Labor-Management focus groups designed to determine historical issues that have been impediments to success and replacing them with positive ideas focused on future performance, work environment, and culture. The recommendations and action plans from such focus groups can be binding or nonbinding depending on the commitment and maturity of the participants.
Many "old school" labor relations professionals on both sides of the aisle (union and management) may initially discount this approach. However, we have proof positive that the approach works if the parties are willing to engage and at least listen... especially since the outcomes can be nonbinding if the parties elect that path. We encourage you to be a leader and experiment with this dynamic approach.
If you would like any assistance with facilitating focus groups within your organization, or would like to simply brainstorm your apporach, at no cost, please do not hesitate to call or email one of our consultants.
Union or No Union - Employers Want Positive Employee Relations.
Leadership is never easy. The ability to lead is often taken for granted. Leadership is often misunderstood. Organizations sometimes even choose to ignore naturally emergent leaders in favor politically selected leaders. Regardless of these observations, one statement still rings true - leading, developing, and inspiring employees teams and management teams has never been easy. Achieving optimum results is more difficult and more important than ever. Economic challenges, organizational change, technological change, changes in workforce demographics, competition, privatization, globalization, stringent/complex regulatory requirements, merger and acquisition trends, and ever increasing customer/client/constituent expectations dictate that organizations operate with creativity, flexibility and care for their employees.
We provide pro-employee/pro-employer solutions and input for unionized employers and nonunion employers. We can help you find the approach that will be most effective in helping you improve your relationship with your workforce, whatever the labor relations scenario.
For clients without unions, our firm assists senior leadership in creating a proactive environment to remain union-free including workplace climate assessments, leader training, employee training, organizational communications, pro-employee program implementation, workplace investigations, managing diversity and coordinating representation elections.
For clients with unions, our firm assists senior leadership in establishing a proactive and positive relationship with their labor organization including partnering strategies, effective communications, collective bargaining strategy, contract administration, positive grievance resolution (mediation), noncontract grievance resolution, leader & employee training, workplace investigations, and managing diversity.
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