2 ITEMS ATTACHED 1. COLLEGE MATH EXCEL ATTACHED 2. No feedback can be provided as the annual gross income is missing so that calculations can be verified - ATTACHED
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National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
Theresa Gass-Williams
Bryant & Stratton College
June 8, 2024
Ms. C. Brown
HURS233-Portfolio
Employ Law & Labor Relations
National Labor Relations Act
Legal Requirements and Obligations
The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) outlines important rules that guide unionization endeavors. In return, for the employers, the NLRA binds the practice of interfering unfairly with the employee's rights to organize, discriminating, coercing, or refusing to bargain collectively. Unions will be granted access to the employees, they will be engaged in good-faith bargaining, and they will refrain from making any unilateral alteration in the terms of employment during the negotiations. Violations of this responsibility can lead to legal consequences. While on other hand the NLRA safeguards the employees' right to organize, join, or assist labor organizations without interference or coercion from their employers. Employees are given the chance to take part in collective bargaining and cannot be retaliated against for doing so.
Practical Implications
The real-world applications of the NLRA are in different times and situations. An illustration of this is the case of NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) which determined that an employer broke the law by firing the employees who were involved in the process of unionization. NLRA is evidently performing its function of protecting employees' right to unionize without harassment. Additionally, research demonstrates that NLRA compliance has a significant influence on unionization rate and labor behavior. Researchers point to NLRB activity as the main factor for unionization increase, giving the evidence. Furthermore, the NLRA affects the outcomes of the process of collective bargaining. Research indicates that organized unions, under NLRA, tend to be linked with higher pay, benefits, and working conditions when compared to non-unionized ones. It shows the purpose of NLRA, which is to provide a fair labor environment.
Understanding Employee Concerns
The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935 is a fundamental piece of legislation in American labor relations whose objective is to safeguard the employee's right to self-organization, formation of unions, and bargaining collectively. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the primary issues arising with the employees, such as their working conditions, wages, and benefits, and how these concerns will affect productivity and organizational commitment. Also, it evaluates the likely effects of unionism on the company's needs, such as an increase in labor costs, likely disruptions of operations, and changes in employer-worker relations. This paper aims to present a clear understanding of how meeting these challenges and the potential of unionization might impact the general organizational climate and productivity.
Key Concerns Expressed by Employees
Workers have expressed high levels of dissatisfaction in aspects such as the working environment, wages, and benefits. They include a lack of basic safety measures at workplaces, long working hours without adequate compensation for overtime, inadequate health care benefits, and regressive wages that do not meet the inflation rate (Munir & Rahman, 2016). In addition, the employees complain that there are no professional development opportunities and there is no clear and fair system for promotions and raises.
All these factors significantly impact the employees' satisfaction. Lack of safety measures causes individuals to feel that they are valueless and vulnerable, thus reducing morale. Extended hours worked without commensurate pay leads to demotivation since workers believe their hard work is not appreciated. Lack of adequate health care provision and low wages cause financial pressure and dissatisfaction, resulting in low job performance. That is why the absence of professional development and transparent career advancement opportunities creates dissatisfaction and demotivation in the course of work (Varma, 2017). Altogether, these issues contribute to the work climate that results in the degradation of employee morale and increased job demands, which, in turn, affect their performance and retention rates. Meeting these concerns is critical to creating a motivated, satisfied, and high-performing workforce.
Implications for Productivity and Employee Retention
Employer responses to worker grievances over working conditions, wages, and compensation are crucial in promoting employee performance and continued employment. Lack of proper working environment and safety measures affect the frequency of employee absences and their levels of concentration, which lowers productivity (Massoudi & Hamdi, 2017). Employees earn meager wages and little or no benefits to entice them to stick to a company; hence, there is high turnover. New employees must be sourced, hired, and trained, which is expensive and time-consuming.
According to the employee surveys, many complain of poor remuneration, remuneration, and other working conditions. Records from the HR department show that the organization has high turnover rates, meaning employees are leaving due to these issues. By measuring the output per hour or number of projects done within a given period, one may discover that productivity has dipped due to low morale and motivation. For instance, a survey might reveal that 7 out of 10 employees are dissatisfied with what they are paid, that turnover rates have gone up by 15% within a year, or that productivity has gone down by 10% (Al-Suraihi et al., 2021). Data of this nature demonstrates the correlation that exists between lower employee satisfaction and undesirable business consequences. By addressing issues such as working conditions, wages, and benefits, the latter can be reverted, which will increase the satisfaction of the employees and their productivity, as well as improve retention rates.
Potential Impact of Unionization
The effects of unionization can thus be highlighted as follows: The first one is the possible rise in labor costs. Employer associations mainly bargain for better wages, attractive terms of employment, and working conditions, which results in additional costs to the enterprise. Further, union activities such as strikes or any collective bargaining sessions can hamper operations, which may lead to slow progress on the projects and overall low productivity. Unionization can also have negative impacts on the relationship between employers and employees (Hammer & Avgar, 2017). Having a union also has the potential to make workplace relations more confrontational since negotiations and disputes are more common than in workplaces without a union. Also, adherence to union agreements and labor laws are other activities that call for administrative and legal resources, making the operations complex.
Research indicates that unionized organizations may incur more expenses than non-union organizations, but they enjoy lower turnover rates and satisfied customer service. For instance, data may show that workplaces with unions cost 20% more in terms of labor, while on the other side, they turn over 15% less. Also, while productivity could temporarily decrease due to such disruptions, there are long-term organizational advantages, such as increasing the motivation and job security of employees, which in turn can contribute to boosting productivity (Chawla et al., 2018). However, the problems associated with management of the increased costs and business continuity during union activities cannot be ignored. As such, it becomes important that these factors are considered critically.
Strategic Approaches for Employee Relations
Develop a plan to create a positive and cooperative work environment that addresses employee concerns and uses strategies for enhancing employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention.
The key objective of union-management relations for creating a positive and cooperative work atmosphere is to develop a strategic approach. First, regular meetings should be organized, an open-door policy should be implemented, and communication should be through channels such as emails and discussion boards. Engage the employees through the formation of joint committees and frequently administer questionnaires to gauge their opinions. Performance awards and other things like a milestone celebration will increase morale and create a community environment. Improve the satisfaction and turnover of employees by providing them with professional development such as training and reimbursement for tuition fees. Encourage flexible working hours, allowing employees to work from home; better-paid leaves, including parental and mental health leaves (Dizaho et al., 2017).
Offer workplace health promotion initiatives such as workout competitions, mental health support services, and health check-ups. Provide the employee with a voice to give feedback and address grievances by adding feedback channels and suggestion boxes. Ensure there are well-defined procedures for handling grievances and make provisions for mediation in case of dispute. Perform feedback and grievances analysis on a quarterly basis to address repeat occurrences. Communication should be consistent through updates, newsletters, and intranet sites such as employee portals (Bui, 2019). Conduct open meetings with question-and-answer sessions at least once a quarter and provide mobile interfaces for live feedback. Ensuring timely follow-up on feedback is a way to assure the management's commitment to addressing employees' concerns, thus increasing their satisfaction and retention.
Include steps to establish mechanisms for employee feedback, grievance resolution processes, and ongoing communication channels.
To facilitate feedback and reporting mechanisms within the employees, establish anonymous feedback receptacles, including online forms and submission boxes where employees can report issues to management or the human resource department without any repercussions. It is essential to conduct periodic surveys to check employees' morale and obtain ideas regarding company enhancement (Frampton et al., 2017). When it comes to managing grievances, ensure that procedures for each step of the grievance process, from filing a complaint to grievance resolution, are well laid down and easily understood by all. It is crucial to guarantee that these procedures are well known to the employees through templates and training. Provide settlement services to provide an amicable solution for the conflict before it worsens. Do not rely on one method of communication to keep the conversation going. Create and consistently release in-house magazines with information on new developments within the company, policy updates, and special kudos to the staff members. Use an enhanced intranet portal for quick reference to proactive information and tools (Njeru et al., 2017). Organize town hall meetings once every quarter with live employee Q&A where the employees can ask the management questions on their minds in real time. Also, use the mobile apps for constant feedbacking to enable the employees to give feedback seamlessly. It is also essential to follow up on all feedback promptly to show management’s concern for employees’ complaints. By following these steps, the organization can build a culture of transparency and responsiveness and engage employees
References
Dannin, E. (2017). Labor and Employment Law News-Jan-Dec 2004. Members-only Library.
Gold, M. E. (2018). The Law of Labor Relations. In A Guide to Sources of Information on the National Labor Relations Board (pp. 95-126). Routledge.
Gould, W. (2019). The National Labor Relations Board in the Twenty First Century. The Cambridge Handbook of US Labor Law: Reviving American Labor or a 21st Century Economy.
Trongone, S. G. (2022). A new collective bargain? A multicase comparison of US Labor union strategy. Mobilization, 27(2), 149-168.
References
Al-Suraihi, W. A., Samikon, S. A., & Ibrahim, I. (2021). Employee Turnover Causes, Importance and Retention Strategies. European Journal of Business and Management Research (EJBMR).
Chawla, G., Singh, T., Singh, R., & Agarwal, S. (2018). Worker participation in union activities: a conceptual review. Personnel Review, 47(1), 206-226.
Hammer, T. H., & Avgar, A. (2017). The impact of unions on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover. In What Do Unions Do? (pp. 346-372). Routledge.
Massoudi, A. H., & Hamdi, S. S. A. (2017). The Consequence of work environment on Employees Productivity. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 19(01), 35-42.
Munir, R. I. S., & Rahman, R. A. (2016). Determining dimensions of job satisfaction using factor analysis. Procedia Economics and Finance, 37, 488-496.
Varma, C. (2017). Importance of employee motivation & job satisfaction for organizational performance. International journal of social science & interdisciplinary research, 6(2).
References
Bui, T. L. (2019). Internal communication in the digital workplace: digital communication channels and employee engagement.
Dizaho, E. K., Salleh, R., & Abdullah, A. (2017). Achieveing Work Life Balance Through Flexible Work Schedules and Arrangements. Global Business & Management Research, 9.
Frampton, A., Fox, F., Hollowood, A., Northstone, K., Margelyte, R., Smith-Clarke, S., & Redwood, S. (2017). Using real-time, anonymous staff feedback to improve staff experience and engagement. BMJ Open Quality, 6(1), u220946-w7041.
Njeru, K. M., Kiarie, W. C., Kibaara, D., Mwaniki, E., & Kiprono, B. (2017). Information Systems Driven Approach to Organizational Decision Making.
Sources
Dannin, E. (2017). Labor and Employment Law News-Jan-Dec 2004. Members-only Library.
Gold, M. E. (2018). The Law of Labor Relations. In A Guide to Sources of Information on the National Labor Relations Board (pp. 95-126). Routledge.
Gould, W. (2019). The National Labor Relations Board in the Twenty First Century. The Cambridge Handbook of US Labor Law: Reviving American Labor or a 21st Century Economy.
Trongone, S. G. (2022). A new collective bargain? A multicase comparison of US Labor union strategy. Mobilization, 27(2), 149-168.
Conclusion
Thus, it is important to improve the working conditions, wages, and benefits to increase the morale, motivation, and performance of the employees. Solving these problems can help increase productivity and decrease the rates of employee turnover. Nevertheless, the potential unionization of the workforce carries certain benefits and risks. Even if it entails increased labor expenses and organizational disturbances, it cultivates a more dedicated and uncompromising workforce, which, in the long run, is advantageous for the organization. These are important to consider when planning for various measures, considering the employee needs while at the same time satisfying the organizational operational and financial requirements.
