MU0012 Employee Relations Management Q1. Define conflict management. What are the causes of workplace conflicts?

? What are the various strategies to be adopted for resolving conflicts? (definition of conflict management 3, explanation of causes of workplace conflicts 3, explanation of strategies 4) 10 marks

Conflict management refers to the manner in which managers handle grievances and disputes. According to John Gennard and Graham Judge, employee relations aims to resolve differences among various interest groups regardless of whether these groups comprise different categories of managers or employees." Workplace conflicts arise due to differences in perceptions, culture, employee biases, gaps in communication, and so on. A win-win approach is used to resolve conflicts. Mediation and counselling are adopted for resolving conflicts rather than using formal discipline measures. Managers are trained both to avoid and to resolve disputes. External mediators can also be called in if necessary. Large organisations like public sector companies prefer to use internal mediators to resolve conflicts. Explanation of causes of workplace conflicts: Poor Communication Poor communication is one of the main causes of conflict between employees in the workplace. This can result in a difference in communication styles or a failure to communicate. For example, a manager reassigned an employees task to the employees co -worker but failed to communicate the reassignment to the employee. This may cause the employee to feel slighted, which can transform into animosity among the two employees and the manager. Failing to communicate in the workplace may cause employees to make incorrect assumptions and believe workplace gossip. Poor communication in the workplace not only causes conflict but decreases productivity and employee morale. Difference in Personalities A difference in personalities among employees is another cause of workplace conflict. Employees come from different backgrounds and experiences, which play a role in shaping their personalities. When employees fail to understand or accept the differences in each others personalities, problems arise in the workplace. For example, an employee may possess a straightforward personality that results in him speaking whatever is on his mind, even if the timing is inappropriate. The employee with the straightforward personality may offend a coworker that does not possess the same type of personality. The co-worker may feel as if the employee is rude or lacks the authority to deal with her in such a straightforward manner. Different Values Similar to personalities, the values of employees differ within the workplace. A difference in values is seen clearly when a generational gap is present. Young workers may possess different workplace values than older workers. The difference in values is not necessarily the cause of employee conflict in the workplace, but the failure to accept the differences is. When employees fail to accept the differences, co-workers may insult each others character and

experiences. When insults occur, the conflict intensifies until the right solution is offered and accepted. Competition Unhealthy workplace competition is a cause of employee conflict. Some industries foster competitive environments more than others. When salary is linked to employee production, a workplace may experience strong competition between employees. Competition that is not properly managed can result in employees sabotaging or insulting one another, which creates a hostile work environment. Unhealthy workplace competition discourages teamwork and promotes individualism. Explanation of strategies: Counselling: Only a few organisations have professional counsellors on their staff. Many organisations train their managers to counsel their subordinates. Often, just by employing nondirective counseling (listening and understanding), managers can help frustrated employees. Discussions and debates: Task conflicts are resolved by discussing or debating the options. Consensual decision is made after considering every option. Compromise: This method tries to resolve conflicts by arriving at a solution which satisfies at least part of the requirement of each party involved. Using third parties: As serious conflicts have a negative impact on organisations, third parties with specialised .skills are used as arbitrators, mediators or ombudsmen to resolve them.
Q2. What is meant by organisational culture? What are the elements and dimensions of organisational culture? (meaning of organisational culture 3, explanation of elements 3, dimensions 4) 10 marks Organisational Cultures Organisational culture describes the psychology, attitude, experiences, beliefs and values of an organisation. According to Hill and Gareth (2001), organisational culture is defined as the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organisation and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organisation. An organisation is said to have a strong culture if its employees are aligned with the organisational values. Organisations that have a strong culture function efficiently. On the other hand, in organisations that have a weak culture, the employees are not aligned with the organisational values and control has to be exercised through extensive procedures and rules. ln organisations with a strong culture, Groupthink can develop. Groupthink is a state wherein people do not challenge organisational thinking even if they have different ideas. Innovative thinking gets discouraged in such situations. Innovative organisations need people who are willing to change the status quo, and to implement new ideas and procedures. Elements of organisational culture The paradigm: It defines the mission and values of the organisation. Lt outlines the functions of the organisation. Control systems: lt defines the processes and the rules which monitor the organisational activities. Organisational structures: lt outlines the reporting lines, hierarchies and the direction of work flows. Power structures: It specifies the decision makers and their power reach. Symbols: It includes organisational logos, designs and symbols of power like allocation of parking space. Rituals and routines: lt outlines procedures like meetings and reporting. Stories and myths: lt conveys the organisational values. Dimensions of organisational culture

National, religious and cultural groupings affect the organisational cultures. The different dimensions of organisational culture are as follows: Power distance: This is the degree to which there are differences in levels of power. A high degree indicates that some individuals have more power than others. A low score shows that people have more or less equal rights. Risk avoidance: lt reflects how the much organisation is willing to take risks. individualism versus collectivism: individualism refers to the extent to which people stand up for themselves. Collectivism refers to the interdependence of individuals in a group. Gender differences: lt concerns the traditionally accepted male and female values. For example, male values include competitiveness, assertiveness and ambition. Long- versus short-term orientation: Perseverance is emphasised in long-term orientation while immediate profits are emphasised in short- term orientation.

Q3. Explain the importance and features of Human Resource Information systems (HRIS). (meaning 1, example - 2, importance 3, features of HRIS 4) 10 marks Human Resource information Systems Human Resource information Systems (HRIS) is a software application that caters to the human resource information needs of an organisation like monitoring employee attendance, payroll and benefits administration, career development, employee information, performance management, and training. HRIS is a collection of components which work together to gather, process and store information that the HR department can use to make decisions, to coordinate and to plan its activities. HRIS facilitates easy access and management of employee-related information. Examples of Human Resource information Systems o SAP HR: This has modules for personnel administration, recruitment, training, time management, payroll, compensation management, budget management, travel management and personnel development. o PeopleSoft: This has modules for payroll, benefits administration, employee and manager self-service, talent management, learning management and HR business intelligence. The HR department is involved in formulating the company policies and streamlining the business processes. Efficient and new applications like HRIS make the HR department more effective. HRIS assists the HR department in decision making, employee recruitment, benefits administration, payroll, and employee training and performance analysis. HRIS simplifies the HR processes and organises company and employee data in a better way. By using HRIS, confidential information can be protected. HRIS integrates the financial and the HR aspects of a business. Features of Human Resource information Systems Job and pay history: The HRIS documents details and salary of past jobs. The education details of the employee are also recorded. The HR personnel are able to view salary details including bonuses awarded and deductions made. They can view job details like positions held and the period of employment in that position. Salary changes of the employee are recorded. Ability to import and export data: The HRIS scans images of resumes, employee photographs, employee signatures, job applications and accident reports. The HRIS is able to link to multiple file formats like PDF, Excel and Word. Exporting data in HTML or XML formats is also supported. Employee information is exported to programmes like Visio or OrgPlus and graphical organisation charts are produced. Ad-hoc report writing: Powerful reporting tools like Crystal Reports are used. Users select the reporting criteria such as department, location or position. Customised reports are created and saved using report generators. information that needs to be included in reports can be selected. Lists such as staff directories, lists of offices, lists of positions are generated. Such lists can be

sorted or filtered. Reports include tables and charts. Reports can be formatted as PDFs for printing. Time-stamps are also included in reports. Automated reminders and alerts: Reminders are set for important dates and deadlines. HR personnel schedule reminders for birthdays, anniversaries, company events, performance reviews, training, probation periods, and promotions. HR personnel can e-mail important reminders to employees. User-defined fields: Users define the organisation structure according to individual organisations. They can include company policies for recruiting, salary structure, promotions, increments, appraisal, transfers, confirmation and other areas. They specify the business rules and logic, which are applicable to their company. Attendance and leave tracking: Employee vacations, leaves and absences are tracked and documented. Company policies on leave and vacation are documented. The number of days of leave available is computed based on the years of service of the employee and the leave taken. Employee self-service: Employees are allowed to record and update their personal details like name, gender, nationality, address, marital status, passport number, date of birth, number of dependants, education, and contact phone numbers. They have the facility to record notes in a log. They can apply for leave and view their leave details. They can also change their bank account details and view their pay- slips. They manage their inboxes, personal calendars and service requests. They can view their work schedules. They are allowed to file their expense reports, can view and enroll in various benefit plans. They are permitted to sign up for training and view their training schedules. They are allowed to create purchase requests and confirm receipt of goods. For example, mySAP HR has more than 80 ready-to-use employee selfservices.

Q4. What is meant by grievance redressal? Explain the three stages of Grievance redressal. What precautions are to be taken while handling grievances? (meaning of grievance & grievance redressal 2, explanation of three stages 4, precautions 4) Grievance Grievance may be defined as a complaint or resentment against any unjust or unfair act. Grievance is any issue associated with an organisation or its management such as employee discrimination or harassment by managers lt may also be any alleged violation of employee contracts or settlements or violation of any laws, or discrimination on the basis of race, age or sex. Grievance Redressal Organisations (whether unionised or non-unionised) are legally bound to provide in a written statement of terms and conditions of employment, details of the person whom any employee who has a grievance may approach. A grievance redressal procedure sets out how such an application is made and how it is dealt with. The procedure aims to settle the grievance as quickly, fairly, and as near to the point of origin as possible. In practice, this means that the issue is more often settled by the employees immediate supervisor or line manager. The grievance redressal procedure describes about what happens if the grievance cannot be resolved at this level. Stages Stage I of Grievance Redressal An employee who has a grievance meets the shift-in-charge and discusses it. lf necessary, the employee obtains a copy of grievance Form 1. It is done within a week of occurrence of the aggrieving incident or when the employee became aware of the situation. ln case of promotion, a time limit of six weeks from the date of the promotion is permitted. The employee fills up the particulars and hands it over to the shift-in-charge and obtains an acknowledgement receipt in return. The shift-in-charge makes the necessary enquiries and returns the form to the employee with remarks filled in the form within two working days from the date of receipt of the form. ln cases where reference to higher authorities or to another department is necessary, more time is provided.

Stage II of Grievance Redressal lf the matter is not resolved at Stage 1, the employee obtains grievance Form 2 and submits it to the next senior manager. The senior manager arranges a meeting within three working days. The department head discusses the issue with the concerned supervisor and the employee and returns the grievance form to the employee with remarks. A unionised member may assist the employee at this stage of grievance redressal. Stage Ill of Grievance Redressal lf the employee is not satisfied with the reply of the departmental head, the employee appeals to the chairman of his unit grievance redress committee within seven working days of the receipt of reply at Stage ll. The employee obtains a copy of grievance Form 3 from the shift-in-charge. The recommendations of the unit grievance redress committee are considered unanimous and binding on the employee, if no objections are raised by either the management or the union. If objections are raised, the matter is sent for further consideration to the resident director, who discusses it over with the president or the deputy president before arriving at a definite conclusion. Precautions Always make sure that the managers concerned in the grievance handling events have a quiet place to meet the complainant. Always ensure that managers have sufficient time to dedicate to the complainant. Explain the role of the manager, the strategy and the events clearly in the grievance handling procedure. Explain the situation in detail to the employee to avoid any misunderstanding and encourage better acceptance of the circumstances complained. Let the employees present their issues without anticipation or interruptive comments. Use a positive and friendly way to resolve the crisis rather than corrective steps which upset the system. Stay quiet, cool, composed during the course of the meeting. Always focus on the subject of the grievance rather than deviating to related issues. Never make allegations against others. Acknowledge employee concerns about possible consequences of registering a grievance. Do not become angry, aggressive or destructive during the grievance handling procedure. Pay attention to the main point of arguments. Listen and respond delicately to any form of distress exhibited by the employees. Remove the source of anger or discomfort. Assure the employees that the managers are neutral and show no bias. Make sure there is successful, responsive and confidential communication between all involved. Take all possible steps to ensure that no one is ill-treated because of the grievance being raised. The researcher or decision maker acts neutrally, which means they must rule themselves out if there is any partiality or conflict of interest. Try to look upon the problem from different angles for better understanding. Consider all important information in the research process. Q5. What are trade unions? What are the objectives and activities of trade unions? (meaning 2, explanation objectives 3, activities 5) Trade Unions Let us first understand what a trade union is. A trade union or labour union is an administration of workforce grouped together to attain common goals such as enhanced operational circumstances. The Trade Union Act of India 1961 defines a trade union as an organisation, whether temporary o permanent, formed primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations between workmen and employers or between workmen and workmen, or between employers and employers, or for imposing

restrictive condition on the conduct of any trade or business, and includes any federation of two or more trade unions. Objectives of Trade Unions The primary objective of any trade union is to protect and promote the interest of its members. Trade unions are permanent workforce bodies within an organisation so that workers have constant access to their representative. Unions achieve their objectives through collective action and group effort. The objectives of trade unions are the following: To improve the economic conditions of employees by securing better wages for them. To provide better working environment for the employees. To secure employee bonuses from the profit of the organisation. To resist schemes of the management which reduce employment, such as rationalisation and automation. To secure social welfare of employees through group schemes which benefit every employee. To protect the interests of employees by actively participating in the organisational management. To provide organisational stability, growth, and leadership. Activities of trade unions ln this section, we will discuss the activities of the trade unions. Trade unions involve in various activities to accomplish their mission of safeguarding employee rights and interest. They engage in activities like negotiating or representing aggrieved workers or compromising on issues related to all union members. The following are the activities that unions generally engage in: Representation Trade unions represent labourers when they have crises at work. Lf employees feel they are being unduly treated, they can ask their union representative to help in solving their issues with the manager or employer. Unions also offer their members legal representation. This is normally to help people get monetary reimbursement for work-related injuries or to assist people who have to take their employer to court. Negotiation Unions discuss with employers issues which influence people working in an organisation. There may be differences of opinion and interest between organisation and union members. Trade unions bargain with the management of the organisation and try to find a solution to these differences. Pay, working hours, holidays and changes to working practices are the issues that are commonly negotiated. ln many organisations, there are correct agreements between the union and the organisation, which states that the union has the right to negotiate with the employer on behalf of the employees. Member benefits Trade unions provide a variety of benefits to its members. They insure members against unemployment, ill health, and funeral expenses. Providing qualified training, educating the workforce and giving legal advices are some important activities of trade unions. Collective bargaining This is a process employed in grievance handling and is recognised by employers. ln collective bargaining, union representatives hold discussions with the employers and reach an agreement on employee rights and duties. Unions are popular at collective bargaining. Industrial action Trade unions enforce strikes, resistance or lockouts to attain specific goals. Political activity Trade unions endorse legislation favourable to the interests of their members or workers. They follow campaigns, undertake lobbying, or monetarily support individual candidates or parties contending for public offices. For example, Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) undertakes lobbying for the Congress party of India.

Q6. Write a brief note on stress and employee wellness in organisations. (meaning of stress 2, explanation of symptoms 1, factors that increases stress 2, explanation employee wellness 4, example 1) Stress and Employee Wellness in Organisations Many companies have started workplace fitness and health promotion programmes for their employees. These programmes help reduce the level of stress and risk of developing coronary heart disease. Recent research has found that implementation of health promotion programmes control health care costs, absenteeism and turnover. Issues associated with participation and implementation of these programmes is also taken into consideration. Stress in Organisations Stress is described as the impact caused by any pressure. As the speed at which our society operates increases, the pressure to maintain that speed also increases. The effect of pressure mainly depends on the kind of position we have in an organisation. However, stress also enables an individual to meet deadlines and the high level of efficiency a job demands. Stress causes illness and produces several other conditions that have a severe effect on an employees performance. This, in turn, affects an employer's workforce. Leon Warshaw (1979), in his book on dealing with stress in the workplace, states that: "Stress affects personality, modifying our perceptions, feelings, attitudes and behaviour. And it reaches beyond its immediate victims to affect the political, social and work organisations whose activities they direct and carry out. This statement clearly indicates that increase in stress has a wideranging effect on employees that includes absenteeism, decreased efficiency, physical and mental illness, and tendency towards early retirement. Recent studies indicate that certain jobs have attributes that make them more stressful than others. Some of the factors that increase stress in the workplace are: Level of decision-making Dangerous physical or emotional conditions Repeated exchange of words with others. For example, police officers, fire fighters and air traffic controllers are under constant pressure. They need to have quick decision-making ability. Hence their level of stress is higher when compared with that of medical record keepers, technicians, librarians, and musical instrument repairers. Employers can manage the stress levels in a workplace with early reorganisation of the factors that cause stress. The following section discusses how an organisation implements employee wellness programmes. These programmes help employees overcome stress and other related problems. Employee Wellness Employee wellness focuses on human resource management to reduce health problems. These health problems are caused by improper lifestyle choices such as smoking, obesity and lack of exercise. Some of the health problems that are common among employees are cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness. These diseases account for 61 percent of hospital claims. This, in turn, creates workplace problems such as absenteeism, lost productivity, and increased medical costs. For example, people with high blood pressure are likely to have medical claims of more than Rs 2 lakh per year. Medical claims of smokers are 22 percent higher than. non-smokers. Many organisations offer wellness programmes to improve and maintain the overall health of their employees. These programmes are effective as they help employees to .quit smoking, manage stress, and improve their diets. Recent research indicates that taking part in wellness programmes reduces absenteeism and increases productivity. Employers must prioritise and enrol those who are in greatest need of these wellness programmes. They must motivate these high-risk individuals to participate. Some companies offer incentives to the participants, while others impose certain penalties on non-participants. For example, some companies have started to increase insurance premium contributions of non-participants, while others have started raising their deductible levels. Companies can take up effective healthcare risk management practices to minimise job stress. With the help of an effective selection process and a proper training procedure, companies can help employees meet the demands of their jobs. With clear job descriptions, companies can select

the most suitable applicants for a job. This also helps the candidate have a clear idea about the job responsibilities. The implementation of a pay-for- performance programme reduces uncertainty regarding rewards which, in turn, reduces stress. Some stresses are inherent and companies find it difficult to reduce such types of job stress. For example, fire fighting is a dangerous job where it is not possible to eliminate stress. ln this case, workers must learn to manage stress levels on their own. Companies can only offer stress counselling to their employees. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are intended to increase productivity and help resolve any personal issues. EAPs, with their mentors who are mental health professionals, provide confidential counselling to workers who fuse their personal problems with the work productivity. These counselling sessions are then documented to keep track of improvements in the worker's health, productivity, and performance. This helps to substantially reduce absenteeism rates, medical costs, and workplace accidents.