EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT / INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Despite the widespread beliefs of many business leaders, unions can potentially play a productive role in employee communications. Professor Russell Lansbury looks at how representative bodies can enhance employee engagement Management literature has traditionally focused on largely top-down communication, with representative bodies often left out in the cold. However, studies of employee involvement and participation schemes indicate that if employees and their representative bodies, such as unions, are to play a key role in facilitating change, they require not only to be better informed through communication, but also to be provided with the opportunities to exercise greater influence in decisions that affect their work. Research undertaken in the UK indicates that employees are more likely to trust managers and their policies if there is support and involvement of an independent union. There are some significant differences between countries in terms of the legal requirements for organisations to communicate with their workers and to provide them with opportunities to influence decision-making. In the European Union, for example, there are specific provisions about the rights of employees and unions to be informed and consulted about certain workplace issues. By contrast, Anglo-Saxon countries with a common law tradition tend to place less emphasis on statutory provisions and leave it to the discretion of employers as to how much they will share information and consult with their employees.
44 | APRIL 2014
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AN ELUSIVE QUEST:
Using employee bodies to bolster engagement
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