Sample Assignment on Employee Relations

Introduction

Trade Unions are the organizations or the association, the formation, financing and running of which has been done by the members having their individual interests. There are a number of unions that cover a large area within the field of employment. There are a number of roles being played by the trade unions that include negotiation of conditions and payments, providing information, details and advice, defending the rights of employers, resolution of conflicts in the concerned organizations, and giving and presenting services to the members (Achrol 2011). This report shall be discussing the roles played by trade union in context of a particular organization.

The organization that has been chosen for the purpose of this paper is Adidas, one of the most successful brand in the industry of sports and is a highly recognized brand across the entire global industry that is based in Germany since the year 1949. Even though the organizations has been highly successful in terms of profit, it has ended up facing a number of issues that affected the smooth functioning of the organization (Alexander and McCorkle 2005). These issues even placed the organization at the stake of its survival. So, it is important to that what is actually wrong with Adidas? There is a large population of workers that have been enduring the wages of poverty and harsh condition of working in the factories of manufacturing the coveted shoes of sports that enacts like a sweatshop. It has also been found that Adidas also does not have a good record being tracked with respect to upholding the rights of trade union.

Hence, considering these problems, several issues have been faced so that these call for alert. There is a need for having better systems of providing wages. There is a need for having at least an amount of wage that meets the basic criteria of living within the duration of their full-time job in order to reduce the amount of overtime from the day. However, it has been seen that the brand has shown commitment towards the payment of higher earnings being given to the stars that are responsible for the endorsement of the products (Adams 2009). In addition to this, the workers and the employees hold the right for the formation of trade unions. In the absence of a highly united structure, it is next to impossible for the workers in individual context for making an attempt for improving the conditions, in the absence of any fear related to retribution. As there is a need and huge scope for improving the conditions of the work force of Adidas, this paper shall be examining certain perspectives dealing with the principles of trade union.

1. Employee Relations against Changing Background

1.1 Unitary and Pluralistic Frames of Reference

Unitary Frame of References from the perspective of Adidas is referring to a mind- set, or a way to think in context of practices, values, attitudes, and assumption being related to the membership of the organization and the management. This perception has been set on the basis of the statement that is focused for the achievement of success, members of each and every given company, irrespective of the varying roles, must be sharing the same values, objectives, and goals (Achrol 2011). There is a large population of workers at Adidas that have been enduring the wages of poverty and harsh condition of working in the factories of manufacturing the coveted shoes of sports that enacts like a sweatshop. The unitary perception has been finding the expression by implementing the statements of mission and measuring the success by the literal achievement of the objectives being set.

In pluralistic frame of references, Adidas will be known to be thought of as being developed by different and powerful sub-groups, each and every of them having own loyalties towards law and their individual set of leaders and objectives (Achrol 2011). In literal sense, the two majority of the sub-groups within the pluralistic perceptions are the trade unions and the management. In this frame, the role being played by the management of Adidas will be leaning towards the enforcement and control and more towards the co- ordination and influence. The trade unions of Adidas shall be forced to be presented as the lawful representatives related to the employees; the dealing with conflicts is done with the consideration of collective bargaining and is considered as not being a bad thing.

1.2 Effect on Employee Relations with Changes in Trade Unions

A major challenge and change for trade unions within the history of Adidas has been the programme being privatized. This has resulted in affecting the workers of the factories specifically. There is a large population of workers that have been enduring the wages of poverty and harsh condition of working in the factories of manufacturing the coveted shoes of sports that enacts like a sweatshop (Alexander and McCorkle 2005). It has also been found that Adidas also does not have a good record being tracked with respect to upholding the rights of trade union. Hence, considering these problems, several issues have been faced by Adidas and these call for alert for the organization of Adidas. There is a need for having better systems of providing wages. There is a need for having at least an amount of wage that meets the basic criteria of living within the duration of their full-time job in order to reduce the amount of overtime from the day.

Due to the involvement of these issues at Adidas and the absence of considering these issues with appropriate solutions, there have been an increase in the number of workers leaving the job for having new and different employer that treated them well. In case of certain changes, for improving the employee relations, the trade unions will continuously be contributing by playing the role of a valuable partner in the tripartite by having a major influence on the social policies that can be striking a balance amongst the equity for individuals and efficiency within the markets (Achrol 2011). This refers to the fact that these are considered as a spokespersons showing wider concern to the society and the needs of the employees. There will also be a need for building the important base of the organization in order to influence the outcomes at both levels that are international as well as national.

By the changes taking place in Adidas trade unions, there will be an involvement of social cohesion, need for partnership, to promote democracy and the rights of human, and a number of challenges being faced at the international level (Achrol 2011). In the promotion of democracy and human rights being done, the trade union need to be projecting their role as being the crucial catalysts for promoting the democratic institutions and the rights of human. This again has been identified for Adidas as a previously relevant mandate of the unions of labour.

1.3 Role played by the Main Players in Employee Relations

A healthy relationship of the Adidas employees is important for the employees of finding their work as being interesting and the performance being done at the very best level. It is important to understand that the managers at Adidas play a significant role in the relations of the employees. It is important to understand that the supervisor should be capable of assigning a number of tasks with challenges to the members of the team in accordance with their interests and specialization (Adams 2009). It is also extremely important to understand the members of the team at Adidas in a significant manner. A leader of the team at Adidas should be behaving as a role model for the members of the team. He or she should be treating all of the individuals as one and avoiding the partialities at the place of work.

There are several guidelines which Adidas employee relationship players perform. The superior must not be acting pricy and should always be at a point of accessibility to the employees. There are a number of unions that cover a large area within the field of employment. There are a number of roles being played by the trade unions that include negotiation of conditions and payments, providing information, details and advice, defending the rights of employers, resolution of conflicts in the concerned organizations, and giving and presenting services to the members. The workers must be having the liberty of walking up to the bosses or the employers immediately as in the situation of doubt for the clarification of certain things. There should be no complications in the hierarchy as it results in disputes and confusions amongst the employees.

 In addition this, the managers at Adidas are bound to make sure that there is an involvement of each and every individual in the process of communications taking place on the open platform for each and every one in order to present a picture having more common goals (Alexander and McCorkle 2005). As a leader of the team, one must be focused on the responsibility for the encouragement of healthy competition at the place of work.

On the other hand, the trade unions also play a significant role at Adidas in the maintenance of employee relations. These have been present in the business environment since the late years of 1930s for being resistant by equal power of bargaining the dominating features of the employers being imposed on the employees and for representing the interests of workers within the relationship of employment.

Nature of Industrial Conflict and its Resolution

2.1 Procedures for Different Conflict Resolutions

At times, conflict has been identified as a positive factors in the organization of Adidas that can help in bringing important changes. The conflicts result in having a number of negative results not only for Adidas but any company. Individuals that end up being within disputes result in staying stress that leads towards a toll of physical form (Achrol 2011). Apart from this, individuals who stay busy in arguments and make attempts for persuading others for taking their sides, where there is no involvement of anger at the organization or the management, so that they may be venting their angry feeling in methods that are destructive in nature for the organization, like focusing on the involvement of additional time in order to sabotage the equipment.

There are a number of different types of conflicts at Adidas such as intrapersonal, strategic, structural, as well as interpersonal conflict. Adidas ensures that there is involvement of diversity and supervision in each and every strategy for the resolution of conflicts of any type. Hence, by involving supervision and diversity, Adidas will be able to maintain a workplace with faith and friendliness. In such types of strategies, there is an involvement of several steps within the procedure. These steps are as follows (Adams 2009):

• This is one significant steps that is referred as the parties will make attempts on solving and settling a conflict by compromising and reaching a common point. Both the parties will not getting exactly what they want, but none of the parties will be losing
• Conflict can end up being unpleasant, so, at times, people might make attempts to avoid these
• As ignorance or avoidance of an issue does not result in making it go away, a supervisor will be making attempts in order to make approaches directly in order to end up a conflict. One biggest possibility can be forcing the solution. This refers to the fact that an individual or a groups having power will be deciding what final result should be

At times, the most difficult and the most direct way for the management of Adidas that conflict is for confronting the problem or issue and solving it. This is the most important step in the procedure for the management of conflict that is referred to as the resolution of conflicts. In order to confront the issue, there is a need to listen to both the sides and to main an attempt for creating an understanding instead of blaming them. Later on, the parties should be focused on the identification of areas regarding the point of agreement and the ways that can be beneficial for both from the solutions with highest positive possibilities. Both the parties should be focused on the examination of the individual feeling and taking their time in order to reach down to a solution.

2.2 Key Features of Employee Relations

For Adidas, managing conflict in an effective manner is crucial, one has to be a communicator with strong skills. These include the creation of an open environment for communication within the respective unit for the encouragement of Adidas employees to communicate certain issues related to work. Considering the concerns of the employees will result in fostering an open environment in order to ensure that there is understanding regarding the doubts and questions of the employee and to create a focus on the perspective related to the issue. Whether there is involvement of two employees who are in a fight in order to reach a position or for the choice of a specific seat at a specific spot in the office (Alexander and McCorkle 2005). In these types of conflicts, there shall be a need for resolving the conflicts and the specific situation. In addition to this, there must be an acknowledgement for the existence of a difficult situation.

Communication with clarity and honesty plays a significant role in the entire process of resolution. There is a need for acquainting themselves as to what is taking and being open regarding the issue. Individuals must be allowed for the expression of feeling. Certain feelings related to angers and the ones hurting someone mostly are accompanies by the situations of conflict. Before there can be a beginning for solving the problem, there is a need for expressing and acknowledging these types of emotions.

Mediation can be considered as a significant option in order to provide help for resolving and managing conflicts as soon as possible. This contributes in neutral as well as confidential setting for the people so that they are able to fix a meeting for the discussion of issues and for the development mutual solutions that are acceptable for all of the parties. As a leader and a mediator of the team, one must be focused on the responsibility for the encouragement of healthy competition at the place of work (Achrol 2011).

On the other hand, the trade unions also play a significant role in the maintenance of employee relations. These have been present in the business environment since the late years of 1930s for being resistant by equal power of bargaining the dominating features of the employers being imposed on the employees and for representing the interests of workers within the relationship of employment. Grievance that involve the relationships being worked upon, uncertainty or interpersonal communication with respect to expectations have been identified as significant examples related to the issues basically in consideration with the mediation. Mediation at Adidas therefore cannot be considered as the formal type of venue for the negotiation of formal type of discipline in the absence of involving the process for the management of department, and the appropriate analyst of employee relations as well as labour.

2.3 Effectiveness of Procedures

At times even from the perspective of a successful organization such as Adidas, conflict has been identified as a positive factors that can help in bringing important changes. The conflicts at Adidas result in having a number negative results. Individuals in the organization that end up being within disputes result in staying stress that leads towards a toll of physical form. Apart from this, individuals who stay busy in arguments and make attempts for persuading others for taking their sides, where there is no involvement of anger at the organization or the management, so that they may be venting their angry feeling in methods that are destructive in nature for the organization, like focusing on the involvement of additional time in order to sabotage the equipment (Adams 2009). There are a number of different types of conflicts such as intrapersonal, strategic, structural, as well as interpersonal conflict. There must be involvement of diversity and supervision in each and every strategy for the resolution of conflicts of any type.

As there is continuity in the problem, there are chances that the supervisor might end up being highly emotional regarding it that only results in the creation of a number of difficulties in the process of resolving the conflict. Preparation must be done in order to resolve the conflict and full understanding must be created in order to know as to what can be referred to as a conflict. Focus must be created on the behaviour that can be changed by people and not on elements such as personalities that cannot be changed (Alexander and McCorkle 2005).

For the management of conflict in an effective manner, one has to be a communicator with strong skills and this is a necessity at Adidas. These include the creation of an open environment for communication within the respective unit for the encouragement of employees to communicate certain issues related to work. Considering the concerns of the employees will result in fostering an open environment in order to ensure that there is understanding regarding the doubts and questions of the employee and to create a focus on the perspective related to the issue.

Negotiation Processes and Collective Bargaining

3.1 Role of Negotiation in Bargaining Collectively

In simple words, motivation can be referred to as the set of factors that force an individual for behaving in specific ways. It has been identified as the process starting with a physiological need or deficiency that contributes in activating a behaviour or a drive for aiming at a specific incentive or a goal. The concept related to motivation is known to be occupying a key place within the discipline related to the behaviour of an organization. It has been considered as a concept that has been receiving the maximum degree of attentions alike with the researchers and the academicians (Allred and Raia 2007). However, it has been seen that Adidas has shown commitment towards the payment of higher earnings being given to the stars that are responsible for the endorsement of the products. In addition to this, the workers and the employees of Adidas hold the right for the formation of trade unions. In the absence of a highly united structure, it is next to impossible for the workers in individual context in a large organization like Adidas to make an attempt for improving the conditions, in the absence of any fear related to retribution.

Money has been identified as a powerful source of motivation for a number of reasons. In the initial position, money has been considered as the fundamental concept important for completing a specific task. The employee will be taking the payment as the rewards being provided for the performance of her or his work, and the employer shall be viewing it as the price for the utilization of these services related to the employees. Secondly, money, as a source of negotiation, can be considered as a source of exchange (Bagozzi 2009). Thirdly, money has been identified as one of the most significant factors of hygiene, and focusing on the improvement of factors related to maintenance has been identified as the first step being put in for the efforts in order to direct motivation. In addition to this, money is also known to be performing the function related to a card of score with the help of which assessment of values can be done by the employees that are being placed by the organization on the services being provided. With the help of this element, the organizations are able to perform collective bargaining. This particular element that is money is known to be given the maximum level of importance as per attested within the theories of expectancy and reinforcement being attested that contribute in being attested (Andaleeb 2005).

Apart from this, money is known to acting as a point of punctuation in the life of one. It is a significant mechanism to seek attention and to effect the level of production. Therefore, money is said to be given huge important in order to influence the behaviour of the employees. Money has been considered as being given high degree of vulnerability in order to be manipulated. In the final context, it can be stated that money enacts as an extremely powerful source of motivating and negotiating for an individual facing tense situation and showing anxiousness regarding the absence of money.

3.2 Impact of Negotiation Strategy

Strategy of negotiation is referred to as the patterns of interaction utilized by the parties involved in conflict for the achievement of resolution. Different strategies of negotiation at Adidas can be used being highly dependent on the relevance of the problems for being negotiated and the current relationship with their partner in negotiation. The selection of these policies is more often done in the phase of planning related to the process of negotiation (Atkins and Rinehart 2006). Two basic categories related to the strategies of negotiation at Adidas, in the traditional context have been used in the different strategies of negotiation that include the competitive strategy as well as the collaborative strategy.

The consideration of these strategies at Adidas have been done in the form a dichotomy like the negotiators being used for the cases of each other. The strategy of collaborative negotiation promotes in sharing the information with partner in negotiation. This sharing of information contributes in enabling a collaborative negotiator for the evaluation of the needs and priorities of everyone being involved rather than the exploitation of the differences. This strategy focuses on resolving the differing interests of the parties and the delivery of joint advantages for both the parties as the desired result related to the certain negotiation (Anderson and Narus 2009). On the other hand, the strategy of competitive negotiation has been considered as an attempt of resolving the conflicts by the explicit and implicit utilization of threats, punishments and persuasive forms of arguments.

Conclusion

Unitary Frame of References is referring to a mind- set, or a way to think in context of practices, values, attitudes, and assumption being related to the membership of the organization and the management. This perception has been set on the basis of the statement that is focused for the achievement of success, members of each and every given company, irrespective of the varying roles, must be sharing the same values, objectives, and goals. A major challenge and change for trade unions within the history of Adidas has been the programme being privatized. This has resulted in affecting the workers of the factories specifically (Bagozzi 2009). There is a large population of workers that have been enduring the wages of poverty and harsh condition of working in the factories of manufacturing the coveted shoes of sports that enacts like a sweatshop. It has also been found that Adidas also does not have a good record being tracked with respect to upholding the rights of trade union.

Money has been identified as a powerful source of motivation for a number of reasons. In the initial position, money has been considered as the fundamental concept important for completing a specific task. The employee will be taking the payment as the rewards being provided for the performance of her or his work, and the employer shall be viewing it as the price for the utilization of these services related to the employees. Secondly, money, as a source of negotiation, can be considered as a source of exchange. Strategy of negotiation is referred to as the patterns of interaction utilized by the parties involved in conflict for the achievement of resolution. Different strategies of negotiation can be used being highly dependent on the relevance of the problems for being negotiated and the current relationship with their partner in negotiation.

Considering the result, the involvement of the employees in the decision making has been becoming functional, by these types of sources that have a major impact on the positive performance of the workers and focused on the enhancement of their contribution for the organization to be successful.

References

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