Role of industrial Relations Manager in Promoting
Because of its pluralist and collectivist perspective, industrial relations is primarily responsible for preserving positive working relationships between individual employees and also plays a crucial role in resolving conflicts inside the business. An IR manager serves as a directing leader by making sure that all workplace policies and procedures are adhered to.
Lester states that industrial relations entail efforts to find solutions between opposing goals and moral principles; between social gain and profit motivation; between discipline and freedom; between industrial democracy and authority; between cooperation and bargaining; and between competing interests of the community, the group, and the individual.
An industrial relations manager’s primary duty is to preserve positive working relationships between management and workers. Employee relations and labour relations are two other terms that are often used in connection with industrial relations. Despite the fact that the phrases primarily relate to the connection with workers, stakeholders, governmental authorities, and consumers of the employees are all directly or indirectly engaged. Thus, industrial relations management may be divided into three categories. These three types of relationship management include labour, customer, and employee relations.
Management of Employee Relations
Smaller firms often find it easier to manage the connections between workers, while bigger organisations may hire a specialised human resource manager who can handle industrial relations with ease. Supervisors with experience in managing labour relations issues often investigate and address issues that may impact output and subpar work resulting from employee misbehaviour. Industrial relations managers often use motivation to motivate staff members and have good communication skills. Employee appreciation initiatives are also adopted by industrial relationship managers after discussions with upper management. Industrial relations managers keep an eye on staff safety procedures in order to increase efficiency.
Management of Labor Relations
Labor relations is the study of how union members and upper management may cooperate with one another. In some nations, workers who engage in collective bargaining via negotiating duties are granted the right to organise a union. While big firms find it simple to communicate policy to workers via representatives, small company organisations often do not have labour unions.
Relationship Management for Customers
Because they employ fewer people, small businesses will be able to communicate with their customers more effectively, which will ultimately foster positive connections. An industrial relations manager may do market research, identify consumer needs, and make recommendations for enhancing customer interactions. Questionnaire-based surveys are often used to collect data, which is then used to create a framework that employees can use to better understand what customers want. Building strong connections is aided by providing staff members with training aimed at enhancing the quality of the products. e for commodities and amenities.
How to handle these difficulties
When interacting with labour unions, contractors, and other parties, IR managers should aim to avoid using technical jargon, speak in plain English, and if at all feasible, communicate in the local tongue to prevent misunderstandings.
Examine various labour laws and civil laws, and confer with the legal representative of the firm to ensure that all these requirements are being followed by the business.
Never fail to give the employee’s worry your full attention. Giving advice, making recommendations, and enforcing non-legal regulations are not always essential.
An IR manager may sometimes decide to resolve a conflict based just on their intuition.
Another method of resolving conflicts between employees is via job rotation policies or worker transfers.
They shouldn’t attempt to stop the workers from organising into unions or other organisations as this might make them more aggressive.
For workers to find their job fascinating and provide their best effort, a positive work environment is necessary. Everyone has to realise that they go to their company to work, and that disagreements are avoidable since they are just a waste of time. Workers need to get along well with one another and cooperate to achieve a shared objective. An person need other individuals to communicate his thoughts with and avoid becoming reticent while working endless hours.
It is essential to have colleagues who are trustworthy friends with whom one can confide secrets without worrying about them being discovered. The workers are inspired and look forward to coming to work every day in this manner. They work hard to meet the management’s expectations and don’t take frequent leaves of absence. In order for an organisation to function properly, it is critical that its members get along well with one another and refrain from workplace gossip, criticism, and other behaviours that might seriously damage their working relationships.
A key factor in encouraging positive working relationships is the manager or team leader:
It is crucial that the team leader provide his team member difficult assignments based on his areas of expertise and interest. The person must be interested in the task; if not, he will see it as a burden and complain about things needlessly. The team leader must have a thorough understanding of each member of the team. Make an effort to learn about their hobbies and all of their expectations from the company. It is usually preferable if the team leader contacts everyone and solicits feedback when they are creating their KRAs. Allow them to choose their finest effort. Since the workers have chosen their own roles and duties, they will never subsequently place blame on their superior or each other. Urge them to take up the task voluntarily. They would put in a lot of effort to do better work without arguing or criticising one another.
A leader of a team need to serve as an example for the other members. He should avoid showing favouritism at work and treat every person as one. Never treat someone differently simply because they drop off your kid at school every day or agree to whatever you say. Thank someone for a job well done, but be sure to correct them if they make a mistake. No one should be treated rudely or harshly by the team leader. Everything has a proper method, and one should never belittle other team members. It is really immoral. Take a seat with him and help him see his errors. In the future, he would undoubtedly look up to you.
The manager should be approachable to his staff at all times and should not come off as aloof. When in doubt, people should be able to approach their direct supervisors and have things cleared up. Overly complex hierarchies cause misunderstandings and conflict among staff members.
To ensure that everyone has a shared understanding, the manager must make sure that all significant communications take place on an open forum. Individual-to-individual communication is problematic. Bring everyone together to ensure that everyone understands expectations for themselves and what their colleagues are doing. Transparency in communication is essential for positive employee relations. No worker should ever feel excluded or ignored. The team leader must send out a message to all relevant members if he want to share any information with the rest of the team.
It is the primary duty of a team leader to promote healthy competition in the workplace. While competition is necessary for personal development, it shouldn’t convert allies into enemies. Encourage them to outperform each other at all times, but also ensure that your team is free of pointless rumours. Stop any team member who you discover is belittling or criticising others right away. Instead of inciting someone to fight, step in and attempt to find a quick solution to the issue.
Ensure that everyone on your team has lunch together, including yourself. At such moment, avoid talking about employment. Give them pleasure. Urge everyone to engage in conversation and engage with one another. Do not hesitate to inquire about their personal or family life. They would develop a bond with you. Make sure that the two members of your team collaborate on the same task if you see that they are not getting along. All they could do would be to speak to one other and discuss the situation. To improve comfort, arrange for them to sit next to one other at desks.
For better results, the team leader should maintain a neutral connection with each member of the team and ensure that they have a positive working relationship with him. A leader of a team should make every effort to unite and link his team members.
Here are some reasons why industrial relations are important:
Increased Production: Productivity and efficiency among employees are enhanced by a friendly, cooperative connection between them and their company, management, and fellow employees. It encourages employees to give their all in achieving the goals of the company. The organization’s output rises as a result.
Reduction of Industrial Disputes: A positive work environment contributes to a decrease in industrial disputes. Positive working relationships eliminate employee unhappiness. Employee happiness is derived by providing enough monetary and non-monetary rewards, allowing employees to participate in management and decision-making and profit-sharing, and enhancing their bargaining power via mutual negotiations and management consultation.
Employees who are happy at work are less likely to argue with management about problems such as poor pay, excessive hours, and unhygienic working conditions. Industrial unrest may be prevented as a result.
Production Uninterrupted: The main advantage of industrial relations is that it guarantees production continuity. A positive work environment may prevent strikes, lockouts, and other forms of industrial conflict. This guarantees ongoing output and the organization’s seamless operation.
Enhances Morale: Employee morale is raised by positive workplace relations. Workers have a sense of belonging and believe that their contributions will increase the company’s production. Positive workplace relations help workers realise that their contributions to the company will benefit both the employer and themselves. This instils enthusiasm, vitality, and efficiency in the personnel.
Efficient Resource Use: Strong labor-management relationships facilitate efficient use of labour, capital, and resources. Production rose with the least amount of resource waste because to improved staff morale, industrial harmony, respect of employees’ interests, and alignment of company and employee goals and interests.