Why is a good relationship with the union one of the most important for the hr director to maintain?

When you're managing an organization, whether it’s a small, medium or large enterprise, it's highly likely that you will not be able to please every leader and subordinate all of the time. Conversations and negotiations can easily go south—internally and externally. As a result, professional relationships are strained.

So, if economics, labor law and collective bargaining trends are not your specific forte, then you'll want to hire a labor relations officer, or perhaps outsource a service provider who can help bring your company's team leaders (and subordinate employees alike) up to speed with the best business practices to support every stakeholder and maintain a positive reputation.

To help explain why it was also crucial, below six Forbes Human Resources Council members share additional reasons and benefits to having a labor relations guru on hand in the company.

Forbes Human Resources Council members share their insights.

1. To Preserve Relationships 

Employer-employee relationships are too often viewed as a result of legal requirements. A labor relations department strives to assist employers and employees at all levels in forming and maintaining strong professional relationships. Providing a resource to resolve employee grievances and introduce practices and strategies to increase employee engagement will benefit both the company and the employee. - Erald Minga, S4Capital 

2. To Understand Multiple Viewpoints

Receiving guidance from an expert is one reason why I am a big advocate of professional employment services organizations. This is especially true for human resources departments at smaller or medium-sized enterprises. It is impossible to be an expert in every area, so having an expert with experience and a varied point of view is a valuable and critical resource for a professional in HR. - Nakisha Griffin, Neustar Security Services

Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?

3. To Remain In Compliance With Labor And Employment Law

The advantage of having a labor relations officer or team member at your company, no matter its size, is having internal expertise as a resource to both employees and managers. They can ensure sound labor-management practices, cultivate mutually beneficial and respectful relationships and stay knowledgeable about labor and employment laws. The benefits are lower costs and improved talent strategies. - Sherry Martin

4. To Navigate Company And Department Challenges More Successfully

Labor relations experts are influential advocates that help companies be successful through negotiation, mediation and risk evaluation. No matter what the situation, these three skills are critical for helping individuals, teams and organizations work through challenges and come out the other side better than where they began. - Megan Leasher, Talent Plus

5. To Negotiate Better Contracts

A labor relations officer has a clear understanding of economics, labor law and collective bargaining trends. Where people in this position truly shine is accurately interpreting and administering labor contracts, working with both sides on their demands regarding collective wages and resolving the transpired grievances. Understanding the intricacies of the law is a crucial asset to any company. - Niki Jorgensen, Insperity

6. To Reinforce A Positive Onboarding Experience

A labor relations professional may also help the onboarding process of new hires run smoother. This expert can provide valuable information that is important to familiarize new hires with the company culture, policies, procedures, systems and more. Collaborating with a labor relations staff member to create a solid onboarding program is one of the most effective tools to retain stars within the organization. - Rabah Bu Hamdan, National Aviation Services (NAS)

Abstract

While unions are struggling with issues like loss of membership, lack of mature leadership, managements are challenged by the technology and cost factors of business. Though both the parties try to maintain an amicable relationship to sustain and grow, the HR practices are considered to be a threat for the unions. This paper based on a survey responses from 640 respondents conducted in manufacturing industries across different sectors in Odisha tries to explore the perception of workers, trade union leaders and managers about the HR practices and the union management relationship, and the impact of the former on the later.

Journal Information

The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations: A Review of Economic and Social Development (IJIR) is devoted to dissemination of knowledge for effective management of human resources and harmonious industrial elations. A quarterly in English, the journal enjoys high academic reputation in India and elsewhere and is widely subscribed by government institutions, universities and private sector organizations. A refereed journal its readership consists of academic scholars, policy makers, practicing managers and student community. Salient Features: In to its 46th year of uninterrupted publication and up to date Listed in EBSCO, GALE/CENGAGE Learning, Proquest/CSA Data Bases Research based articles and communications from eminent persons Reviews of latest titles form India and elsewhere Theme based special issue program with eminent persons as Guest Ed

Publisher Information

Indian Journal of Industrial Relations is published by The Shri Ram Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources, a premier organization in research, training/seminars and publications. The Centre's efforts in the last forty-five years have helped in bridging the gap that exists between the practitioners and social scientists. It has earned a name for itself in India and abroad. The Centre has completed over 175 research projects, conducted over 3000 training programs and published over 65 titles based on its own research studies. The research projects have been sponsored by the Government departments, public sector undertakings, industrial companies and international organizations. Research studies and workshops have been taken up by the Centre to strengthen Grass Root Democracy's contribution to health and education, as well as women and labour, both in the organized and unorganized sectors.

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