EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

Employee relations refers to the interrelationships, both formal and informal between
managers and those whom they manage. How are we managed? how we would like to be
managed? how and why conflicts arise? and how these can be resolved at work? These are
the basic concern of employee relations.
Employee relations has replaced industrial relations as the term for defining the relationship
between employers and employees. Today, employee relations are seen as focusing on both
individual and collective relationships in the workplace, with an increasing emphasis on
helping line managers establish trust-based relationships with employees.
A positive climate of employee relations - with high levels of employee involvement,
commitment and engagement - can improve business outcomes as well as contribute to
employees' well-being.
Historical perspective - Industrial relations has its roots in the industrial revolution which
created the modern employment relationship by spawning free labor markets and large-scale
industrial organizations with thousands of wage workers. As society wrestled with these
massive economic and social changes, labor problems arose. Low wages, long working
hours, monotonous and dangerous work, and abusive supervisory practices led to high
employee turnover, violent strikes, and the threat of social instability.
Intellectually, industrial relations was formed at the end of the 19th century as a middle
ground between classical economics and Marxism, with Sidney Webb and Beatrice
Webb's Industrial Democracy (1897) being the key intellectual work.
Industrial relations scholars have described three major theoretical perspectives or
frameworks, that contrast in their understanding and analysis of workplace relations. The
three views are generally known as unitarism, pluralist and radical. 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.
Pluralist perspective
In pluralism, the organization is perceived as being made up of powerful and divergent sub-
groups, each with its own legitimate loyalties and with their own set of objectives and
leaders. In particular, the two predominant sub-groups in the pluralist perspective are the
management and trade unions. Consequently, the role of management would lean less
towards enforcing and controlling and more toward persuasion and co-ordination.
Trade unions are deemed as legitimate representatives of employees, conflict is dealt by
collective bargaining and is viewed not necessarily as a bad thing and, if managed, could in
fact be channelled towards evolution and positive change. It is the opposite of the unitary
approach, there are different group within the environment. Hence, the interest of employers
and employee are divergent. The employers want to maximise profit at the expenses of the
employee and employee want to enjoy social benefits inform of increased in wages,
conducive environment. Therefore, conflict is inevitable and the need for trade union to
protect the interest of both parties. Also, there is dual authority/loyalty in this approach.
Therefore, employees are loyal to the management as well as their labour leaders
Unitarist perspective
In unitarism, the organization is perceived as an integrated and harmonious whole with the
ideal of "one happy family" in which management and other members of the staff all share a
common purpose by emphasizing mutual co-operation. Furthermore, unitarism has a
paternalistic approach: it demands loyalty of all employees and is managerial in its emphasis
and application. Consequently, trade unions are deemed as unnecessary since the loyalty
between employees and organizations are considered mutually exclusive, and there cannot be
two sides of industry. Conflict is perceived destructive and the result of poor management.
Marxist/Radical perspective
This view of industrial relations looks at the nature of the capitalist society, where there is a
fundamental division of interest between capital and labor, and sees workplace relations
against this background. This perspective sees inequalities of power and economic wealth as
having their roots in the nature of the
capitalist economic system. Conflict
is therefore seen as natural and trade
unions are a natural response of
workers to their exploitation by
capital.
While there may be periods of
acquiescence, the Marxist view
would be that institutions of joint
regulation would enhance rather
than limit management's position as
they presume the continuation of
capitalism rather than challenge it.

Industrial relations today  is a multidisciplinary field that studies

the employment relationship. Industrial relations is increasingly being called employment
relations or employee relations because of the importance of non-industrial employment
relationships;this move is sometimes seen as further broadening of the human resource
management trend. Indeed, some authors now define human resource management as
synonymous with employee relations. Other authors see employee relations as dealing only
with non-unionized workers, whereas labor relations is seen as dealing with unionised
workers. Industrial relations studies examine various employment situations, not just ones
with a unionized workforce.
According to Bruce E. Kaufman - "To a large degree, most scholars regard trade unionism,
collective bargaining and labor-management relations, and the national labor policy and labor
law within which they are embedded, as the core subjects of the field.” Industrial relations
today is in crisis. In academia, its traditional positions are threatened on one side by the
dominance of mainstream economics and organizational behavior, and on the other by
postmodernism.
In policy-making circles, the industrial relations emphasis on institutional intervention is
trumped by a neoliberal emphasis on the laissez faire promotion of free markets. In practice,
labour unions are declining and fewer companies have industrial relations functions. The
number of academic programs in industrial relations is therefore shrinking, and scholars are
leaving the field for other areas, especially human resource management and organizational
behaviour. The importance of this work, however, is stronger than ever, and the lessons of
industrial relations remain vital. The challenge for industrial relations is to re-establish these
connections with the broader academic, policy, and business worlds.

Importance
1. There are several issues on which an individual cannot take decisions alone.
2. Work becomes easy if it is shared among all.
3. The organization becomes a happy place to work if the employees work together as a
family.
4. An individual feel motivated in the company of others whom he can trust and fall
back on whenever needed.
5. Healthy employee relations also discourage conflicts and fights among individuals.
6. A healthy employee relation reduces the problem of absenteeism at the work place.
7. It is wise to share a warm relation with your fellow workers, because you never know
when you need them.

Employee relationship management refers to managing the relation between the various
employees in an organization. The relationship can be between employee and the employer as
well as between employees at the same level.
Employee relationship management is an art which effectively monitors and manages the
relation between individuals either of the same team or from different teams. Employee
relationship management activity helps in strengthening the bond among the employees and
ensures that each one is contented and enjoys a healthy relation with each other. Employee
relationship management includes various activities undertaken by the superiors or the
management to develop a healthy relation among the employees and extract the best out of
each team member.
Role of communication
 The communication has to be transparent and precise for a warm relationship among
employees. Clarity in thoughts is important. Don’t assume that the other person will come
to know on his own what is going on in your mind. The thoughts must be converted
sensibly into relevant words such that the other person is able to understand you well.
 The employees must be very clear about what is being expected from them.
Their key responsibility areas, roles and responsibilities must be communicated to them in the
desired form for them to perform their level best. Don’t play with words. Be straightforward
and precise in what you expect from your team members. Don’t blame them later.
Haphazard thoughts and abstract ideas only lead to confusions and spoil the relationship
among the employees.
 Don’t change statements quite often. Be firm. One should not tamper any data or
manipulate truth.
 Think twice before you speak. Avoid using foul words against anyone at the workplace as
it spoils the ambience of the office and leads to several disputes among individuals.
 Important information should be passed on in the presence of each and every employee for
better clarity. Every employee should have the liberty to express his views and ideas.
Don’t expect you would clear your doubts later on, ask questions then and there.
 Depend more on written modes of communication as they are more reliable as compared
to verbal communication. An individual might back out if the information is passed on to
him verbally as there are no records, but it never happens in written modes of
communication.
 An employee needs to be constantly motivated to avoid a dip in his performance. If
someone has performed exceptionally well, do not hesitate to praise him. Words like
“Well done”,“Bravo”,“Great Performance” go a long way in making the individual happy.
If you are satisfied with your team member’s performance, do communicate your feelings
to him.
 Communicate effectively with your fellow team members and you would never have a
problem with anyone. People would respect you and work would be fun for you.

Role of motivation
 A motivated employee works better and at a much faster rate as compared to others.
Simple words like “Well done”, “Bravo”, “Great”, “Wow” can actually work wonders and
go a long way in motivating an individual.
 A token of appreciation is a must. Cash prize, gift vouchers and shopping coupons help in
motivating the employees to a great extent. Every individual tries hard to win the prize
money and does not get time to fight or criticize others. They do not lose focus and instead
take each other’s help to accomplish their tasks within the stipulated time frame. They get
a motive to work.
 The employees must be motivated not to spread negativity around.
 Motivate employees to work in a group rather than working alone. They must realize that
working in a group means a better exchange of ideas and thoughts to come to an unique
idea fruitful for them as well as the organization.
 Award ceremonies must be organized at the workplace every month or after every three
months to acknowledge the top performers. Call them on the dais and honour them.
Display their names on the company’s main notice board so that every employee gets to
know about it. Give the top performers badges for them to flaunt and do this activity in the
presence of all.
 Job rotations and promotions are also an important way to motivate the employees. The
management must ensure that each one is happy with their work and monotony does not
creep in to the team. It is important that the employees are motivated well to extract the
best out of them and ensure a healthy relation among the employees.

Strategies to improve ER
 Involve your team members: They should feel important and indispensable for the
organization.
 Encourage individuals to share their work with each other: This way people tend to talk
with each other more, discuss things among themselves and thus the comfort level
increases.
 Assign them targets and ask all your team members to contribute equally and achieve the
target within the desired time frame. Motivate them to work in groups. This way
employees have no other choice than to trust their fellow workers and take each other’s
help as well.
 One should try his level best that all the employees must have their lunch together at the
same time.
 Encourage effective communication among the team members.
 Written modes of communication must be promoted among the employees for better
transparency.
 Morning meeting is another effective way to improve the relation among the employees.
Organize birthday parties, Christmas parties, New Year parties etc. at the workplace.
These small initiatives actually go a long way in strengthening the bond among the
employees. A healthy relation among employees promotes a positive ambience at the work
place and employees feel happy and satisfied at work. They look forward to going to
office daily and also work hard to realize their team’s as well as organization’s goals.

Industrial Relations
Under a narrower definition of industrial relations, specialized subjects could include
industrial relations theory; labor organizations (unions and employee associations);
management of industrial relations; labor and management history; labor and business law;
collective bargaining and negotiations; industrial conflict (especially strikes); grievance
procedures, arbitration and mediation, and other dispute resolution techniques; worker
participation or industrial democracy; the effects of unions on employment terms and on
society more broadly; and "comparative"
or internationally oriented perspectives on
industrial relations.
A broader definition of industrial relations
would include not only these but also
topics that fields such as human resources
tend to see as their domain,
including training and
development, workforce diversity,
compensation, selection and staffing, and
other employment legislation (laws and
regulations directly affecting employment
terms, such as laws on pensions, safety,
and minimum wages, as opposed to "labor
law," which mainly governs relations
between employee organizations and
employers).
The psychological contract refers to the unspoken, often informal and mutual obligation
expected between an employer and employee. The psychological contract is based on mutual
fairness, trust and belief that each party will honor said contract. The psychological contract
can be inferred from past actions, events and spoken statements. It often has more of an
impact on a persons’ day to day behavior than that of a legal. Where the psychological
contract is positive, increased employee commitment and satisfaction will have a positive
impact on business performance.
When broken the psychological contract can have both negative implications. When
breached, the contract can decrease in job satisfaction, employee well-being and employee
turnover. Also the psychological contract can negatively impact employee commitment and
engagement.
The Case in Mauritius - Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training
OBJECTIVES
•  To promote industrial peace and harmony and to protect the fundamental rights and
dignity of workers.
• To enhance productivity and the general well-being of the workforce through the
improvement in the standards of safety and health and prevention of occupational
diseases and injuries at the workplace.
• To facilitate the employment of jobseekers, provide assistance and guidance with
regard to employment prospects and facilitate the employment of non-citizens, where
required.
• To regulate the functioning of associations and trade unions.
• To regulate the operation of recruitment agencies involved in the recruitment of
Mauritians for employment locally and/or overseas and the recruitment of non-
citizens for employment.
VISION         
That all Mauritians have access to gainful and productive employment and that the work
environment be safe and conflict-free.
 MISSION STATEMENT
Promote decent work, support employers and workers in creating a safe, conflict-free and
productive workplace and facilitate access to gainful employment.

Consists of the following sections:

Inspection and Enforcement Section.
Conciliation & Mediation Section.
Research, Legislation and Labour Standards Section.
Information. Education and Communication Section.
Workfare Programme Unit.
Reduction of Workforce Unit.
Special Migrant Worker's Unit.