Involvement and Influence : How does it look like

Employee involvement refers to the direct involvement of employees of the organization to achieve the company's goals of realizing the company's mission and vision. By involving, employees can improve their abilities by strengthening their skills in problem-solving and decision-making. Active employee involvement can further increase the profits of the entire organization.  In that situation, several types of Employee involvement can be examined as follows:

 

Definitions and legislations of Employee Involvement and Participation

Most employees are afraid of participating or involving in workplace issues due to fear of dismissal which can cause a negative impact on the success of the organization. There are fewer opportunities for innovations, new thinking, new ideas, and options in such situations. To prevent this scenario, several legislations are enacted that provide the employees' protection (Khalid & Nawab, 2018). In Sri Lanka, the employee is protected through labor law that has indicated the working hours, working days, and entitlement.  When the employees are legally protected, they do not fear engaging , as the employees are assured of their job security.. Further, Regulation of Employment & Remuneration, Act No 19 of 1954, the Industrial Employment Act, Factories Act, 1948, Payment of Wages Act, 1936, are several types of legal acts in Sri Lanka (Mirvis, 2012). When the employees are treated effectively with timely promotions, appreciation, and other benefits, a higher level of employee involvement can be expected.

 

Communication

Effective and open communication are considered to be key tools to enhance employee involvement in the organizational process. When the company provides opportunities for involvement, that can lift employees with the support of management. To enhance communication, it is vital to listen to all levels of the company which can be done through a face-to-face communication or indirect communication (Mahajan, Bishop & Scott, 2012) The meeting is ideally a good platform to increase employee involvement by giving opportunity for sharing ideas, opinions regarding company issues. By enhancing employee involvement, the employees elevate personal growth in terms of eradicating fear to address in a gathering. Job rotation, team working, and other training programs can enhance employee involvement in effective communication (Bakotić, and Rogošić, 2017) The level of employee relationship also helps to improve healthy working culture. Microsoft Corp., a great example, has led employee engagement efforts through a variety of channels over the years. By incorporating a "CEO Connection” page into their internal communications plan, Microsoft facilitates effective internal communication across all departments by allowing employees to network with staff, improving access to leadership communications, and encouraging top-down conversations.

 

Constraints and opportunities

Most company owners are afraid of employee involvement in activities that would hinder the productivity of the organization, therefore limiting their possibilities by imposing working conditions (Grawitch, Ledford, & Ballard, 2009). Many employers make it more difficult to lose the balance between work and life due to the bureaucratic labor rules of the company. When the work is overloaded, employee involvement becomes limited in working place which is also a good opportunity for corruption. When the employees have a lower level of job satisfaction, they are not likely to involve in additional activities. Further, as resources are limited, the employees are legally abiding under company rules and regulations, as a result, employee involvement can be expected at a lower level (Grawitch, 2009).

 

Collective bargaining

Collective bargaining is considered a powerful tool that can influence the company and is a mode of negotiation used by organizations that follow the Pluralist view of employee involvement. When the employees collectively bargain for demands, it has more power than bargaining individually. Mostly, Collective bargaining takes place mainly due to salaries and compensation, working conditions, benefits, and working hours, however, that leads to enhancing employee involvement effectively (Croucher, 2010). As the International labor organization states, collective bargaining is considered a fundamental right of employees that helps to decrease workplace inequalities while improving engagement.  The union leaders establish benefits for the employees mainly through negotiations (Markey & Townsend, 2013).

Collective agreements, in Labor Dispute Act, are a correspondence that regulates the employment conditions of workers in all sectors.  As per the Industrial Dispute Act of Sri Lanka, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) usually provide workers with better benefits than the law. CBA will take effect on the date of issue bonding various contracting parties, trade unions, employers, and employees and can exist for a period of time or indefinitely. Unlimited collective bargaining agreements can be terminated by sending a written notice of dismissal to all officers and other parties, trade unions, and employers in the prescribed form (Industrial Dispute Act, 1950)

 

The Bargaining process

The collective bargaining process begins with a labor dispute when a union or group of workers disagrees with their employer on a particular employment issue. The first phase of the process involves preparation, during which each side elects a representative to represent their interests in the negotiations. Then the parties get together for discussion (Townsend, Wilkinson & Burgess, 2013). For this reason, parties usually agree to certain basic rules before avoiding conflicts that can lead to process failure. After discussing the details of the dispute, the parties exchange suggestions for options for resolving. This is followed by a negotiation process in which the parties investigate various potential compromises. As the parties approach an agreement, a prior written collective bargaining agreement will be drafted, revised, and drafted while the parties reach a final agreement. Once all conditions are met, the final collective bargaining agreement will be reviewed and signed by both parties, making it a binding contract. There are five major types of collective bargaining processes: Composite Bargaining, Concessionary Bargaining, Distributive Bargaining, Integrative Bargaining, and Productivity Bargaining (Hartog & Belschak, 2012). However, in this bargaining process, a higher level of employee engagement can be examined by allowing to enhance their participation.

Video 1.0 describes the collective bargaining process of the company, and worker representatives and set the conditions for an ongoing relationship. The collective bargaining process at the time of contract negotiation consists of four possible stages: preparation and initial request, negotiation, reconciliation or deadlock, strike, and lockout. Regardless of the structure of the negotiation process, employees and management do not always reach an agreement on these issues. If they reach a deadlock, a dispute may be filed before mediation, mediation, or arbitration. The collective bargaining process includes preparation and initial requirements, negotiations, and settlement and contract agreements.

Video 1.0 : Process of Collective Bargaining

Source: GreggU, 2018

Non-union firms

Pertaining to company policies, many organizations discourage employee unions as a result of which employee involvement can be examined at the lower level. But in many cases, the employees later form into different types of mechanisms to enhance their participation (Gollan and Lewin,2013)  In non-union firms, the management can merit promotions based on the performances and skills of the employees (Park, Christie & Sype, 2014). Also in non-union firms, individual agreements can be examined. However, the real employee involvement can be increased not through the non-union environment, but through a union environment. When the employees are collectively demanding, there is a strong power than individualization.

 

References

• Bakotić, D. and Rogošić, A., 2017. Employee involvement as a key determinant of core quality management practices. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 28(11-12), pp.1209-1226.

• Croucher, R., 2010. Employee involvement in Ukrainian companies. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(14), pp.2659-2676.

• Den Hartog, D.N. and Belschak, F.D., 2012. Work engagement and Machiavellianism in the ethical leadership process. Journal of business ethics, 107(1), pp.35-47.

• Gollan, P.J. and Lewin, D., 2013. Employee Representation in Non‐Union Firms: An Overview. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 52, pp.173-193..

• Grawitch, M.J., Ledford Jr, G.E., Ballard, D.W. and Barber, L.K., 2009. Leading the healthy workforce: The integral role of employee involvement. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 61(2), p.122.

• GreggU, (2018) Collective Barganing Process [Online]. Available at https://youtu.be/4OpnLs6ftMM [Accessed on 11th April 2022].

• Industrial Dispute Act of 1950 [Online]. Available at https://www.lawnet.gov.lk/industrial-disputes-2 [Accessed on 11th April 2022].

• Khalid, K. and Nawab, S., 2018. Employee participation and employee retention in view of compensation. SAGE Open, 8(4), p.2158244018810067.

• Mahajan, A., Bishop, J.W. and Scott, D., 2012. Does trust in top management mediate top management communication, employee involvement and organizational commitment relationships?. Journal of Managerial Issues, pp.173-190.

• Markey, R. and Townsend, K., 2013. Contemporary trends in employee involvement and participation. Journal of Industrial Relations, 55(4), pp.475-487.

• Mirvis, P., 2012. Employee engagement and CSR: Transactional, relational, and developmental approaches. California management review, 54(4), pp.93-117.

• Park, H.Y., Christie, R.L. and Sype, G.E., 2014. Organizational commitment and turnover intention in union and non-union firms. Sage Open, 4(1), p.2158244013518928.

• Townsend, K., Wilkinson, A. and Burgess, J., 2014. Routes to partial success: Collaborative employment relations and employee engagement. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(6), pp.915-930.