Whether your company already works with union leaders, employs union-represented workers, or is on the verge of company-wide unionization, approaching collaboration with an open mind can transform a potentially antagonistic relationship into a mutually beneficial one.
In general, working with union leaders (and the workers they represent) can measurably improve company performance, employee retention, communication, and training. Since union representation petitions rose 58% between 2021 and 2022 according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), it’s important for employers to recognize and embrace this growing trend. Interestingly, most experts report that this uptick in union representation is occurring across a range of industries, from manufacturing to tech fields, where competition for talent is particularly high.
From an employee perspective, union organizing empowers workers to communicate their concerns, priorities, and suggestions regarding working conditions, benefits, and pay without fear of negative repercussions. In the best-case scenario, union-employer collaboration can lead to a closer, more trusting relationship between a business and its employees and provide a host of concrete benefits to both.
In this article, we’ll explore how organizations can achieve a productive and amicable relationship with union leadership and union-represented employees to achieve both organizational and workforce goals.
Identifying Shared Goals
When an antagonistic relationship is established between an employer and a union, it promises to diminish employee performance, company productivity, opportunities for problem-solving, and employee retention. Additionally, it creates a tense work environment where shared, long-term organizational goals are eclipsed by daily conflicts and the news of unsuccessful bargaining discussions.
In contrast, if your company and union leaders can identify shared goals from the start, long-term collaboration is likely to be more successful and respectful for both parties. At its core, successful collaboration means both parties recognizing that if the organization thrives and attracts increased investment, it can offer improved wages, benefits, workplace conditions, and employment opportunities to union-represented employees. This should be one of the primary incentives for union leadership to negotiate thoughtfully with an employer.
Regarding the employer’s responsibility, management must equally understand that total compensation (while significant) is often less of an employee concern than productivity barriers; stringent or inflexible work policies; and a sense of inaccessibility or lack of transparency on the part of the employer. We’ll explore steps employers can take to address these issues in a later section, but creating a more flexible and accommodating work environment for employees (broadly speaking) can go a long way to demonstrate an employer’s investment in employee well-being and work-life balance.
In starting (or restarting) negotiations, the obvious goal is for all sides to gain insights about the needs and concerns of the other parties involved. Beginning with that as a priority, the entire organization (employees, union leaders, and employer) is much more likely to collaborate productively in unison to achieve business and employee goals.
Transparency and Regular Communication: Modeling Collaboration
If an employer and union leadership can showcase a shared commitment to open, direct, and productive communication, this can have a powerful “top-down” effect on employee confidence in the partnership. When union leaders are invited to speak at employee meetings, and management is invited to speak at union functions, it demonstrates transparency and accessibility on both sides. From an operational perspective, allowing union leaders to participate in facility walk-throughs or even to join meetings with potential clients, can also instill trust and a sense of joint investment in the key processes that affect both the organization and its employees.
Concrete Benefits of Partnering with Unions and Union Leaders
Shifting exclusively to the employer’s perspective, these are some of the most high-value benefits of partnering with unions.
Improves Employee Retention
Generally speaking, union-represented employees tend to stay and contribute to the long-term growth of a company, particularly when bargaining and collaboration has been historically successful. Recent data indicates that unions reduce employee turnover (minimizing voluntary separations) and particularly increase the retention of skilled employees, who are the most likely to leave for another job opportunity.
Enhances Training and Productivity
Since many unions represent workers in an array of industries and companies, they can often provide expert employee skills training that benefits a company’s workforce.
In terms of productivity, recent research indicates that increased union density (the number of employees who are union-represented) within a company correlates with a “substantial increase” in productivity.
Improves Problem-Solving and Workplace Modifications
Working with unions can help an organization readily identify issues, hazards, or recurring concerns among employees. This is a consequence of improved lines of communication, empowering employees to more openly relay thoughts about work processes, impediments to productivity, safety concerns, and more. Hearing from the perspective of those with a daily, ground-level perspective can help your company promptly address facility-based, operational, or supervisory issues, improving employee satisfaction in the process.
Shares the Employer’s Perspective
Collaboration with union leadership can actually help employees more deeply understand the perspective of their employer, as well. By relaying the core challenges and concerns of the business itself, it helps employees understand agreements or changes to policy that are integral to the long-term success of the company and its workforce.
Heightens Employee Appreciation (and Performance)
Ultimately, all employees (union-represented and otherwise) want to know that their employer attentively considers their voiced opinions and concerns. They want to feel acknowledged for their contributions to the company and to see tangible changes when a serious, “consensus” concern has arisen.
As just one example, some companies now implement monthly “listening sessions” where managers or supervisors sit and engage with employees to hear their opinions and concerns based on insights from day-to-day operations. Measures like this can show that employer-employee relations are a genuine priority to the company, and often lead to better collaboration and improved performance in the workplace.
Improve Union Collaboration and HR Strategy with Cello HR
By thoughtfully collaborating with union leaders, your organization can improve employee retention, productivity, training, and communication to meet company and workforce goals simultaneously. At Cello HR, our experienced and knowledgeable staff offer lasting solutions to your HR needs, recommending strategies that can take your company to the next level and ensure organizational cohesion. Contact us today to start our collaboration.