A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time

This is a special edition of the Wild Side podcast. It falls outside the curriculum of the program "Managing Employee Relations in Global and Millennial Times … ten minutes at a time".

In this podcast, the full program team – Auret van Heerden, Rick Warters, Tom Hayes and Alan Wild set out their thinking on how business is tackling the Coronavirus pandemic. Unlike the crisis of 2008, business was not the cause of the current crisis … but business behaviors will in large part determine how we work our way through it and how quickly and strongly we emerge from it.

The team pose the question … "How will your company be remembered?"

They go on to suggest 10 actions that businesses can take if they wish to go down in this episode in history as "heroes" rather than "villains".

Welcome to the Wild Side, a podcast that discusses the world of modern employee relations ten minutes at a time. This episode is the first in the series of dealing with the impact of social networks on employee relations today. In this episode, host Alan Wild discusses individual employee grievances on social networks. Alan is the Global Affairs Director of the HR Policy Association, the leading voice of chief human resources offices today.

The grievance processes employers have relied upon for years have become unfit for purpose today. The new online, 'social' model encourages people to speak out publicly and in large numbers. Companies consider socially-driven complaints as the third most significant risk to their reputation after cybersecurity. Offering only one side of the story, individual social complaints and grievances are often protest focused not resolution focused. So, how can companies acknowledge and respond quickly to individual complaints and grievances before they virally escalate? This episode offers ten tips.

Key Takeaways:

• The new grievance model: How social media encourages people to speak out publicly and in large numbers. [1:16]
• The most significant reputational risks for companies today. [3:22]
• Unpacking the typical grievance procedure and possible outcomes. [6:08]
• Virally escalated grievances are commonly outside of a company's control. [9:07]
• How companies can respond to formal internal and online complaints. [9:48]
• 10 tips for organizations on listening and responding quickly. [11:39]

Resources:

HR Policy Association

Alan Wild on Linkedin

[email protected]

HR Policy Upcoming Events

Welcome to the Wild Side, a podcast that discusses the world of modern employee relations ten minutes at a time. This episode is the first in the series of country-specific employee relations profiles. In this episode, host Alan Wild discusses Chinese trade unions, Chinese trade union recognition, and industrial action. Alan is the Global Affairs Director of the HR Policy Association, the leading voice of chief human resources offices today.

China has only one trade union, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), and it is the representative of 1.7 million unions. It represents the state and its goal is to promote and maintain harmony in the workplace. Trade union officials are rewarded by meeting sales-type targets and China's top-down approach, setting up a union is about installing eyes and ears in the workplace. When you step into the world of why and how the ACFTU works it's clear you must leave your developed country experience at the door.

Key Takeaways:

• The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is the only trade union in China and it vastly differs from U.S. and European models. [:41]
• Trade unions officials have targets for recognition and for establishing collective bargaining agreements. [2:39]
• A summary of union fees, work rules, and an example of a U.S. headquartered company receiving a request from the ACFTU. [3:59]
• Strikes are not covered by the law in China and the reasons why strike actions have gone down in recent years. [7:19]
• Why employee unrest is volatile and subject to rapid escalation. [10:09]

Resources:

HR Policy Association

Alan Wild on Linkedin

[email protected]

HR Policy Upcoming Events

Welcome to the Wild Side, a podcast that discusses the world of modern employee relations ten minutes at a time. This episode is the first in the series of country-specific employee relations profiles. In this episode, host Alan Wild discusses the background of human resources and how employee relations works in practice, in China. Alan is the Global Affairs Director of the HR Policy Association, the leading voice of chief human resources offices today.

China today is the world's largest economy with a workforce 776 million strong. 30% of the Chinese workforce produce 40% of China's GDP. The first Chinese Labor Code was launched in the 1990s and Human Resource Management wasn't enacted as a discipline until the mid-90s. The Chinese labor code which is fundamentally based on international labor organization conventions has laws set at multiple levels and some laws have no penalty for non-implementation.

Key Takeaways:

• China is the central cog in the world's supply chain wheel: Facts that support this statement. [3:42]
• How the Chinese Hukou system works. [6:10]
• The birth of human resource management in China. [7:55]
• The Chinese labor code has laws set at multiple levels and some laws have no penalty for non-implementation. [8:23]

Resources:

HR Policy Association

Alan Wild on Linkedin

[email protected]

HR Policy Upcoming Events

Welcome to the Wild Side, a podcast that discusses the world of modern employee relations ten minutes at a time. In this episode, host Alan Wild discusses the essential basics of European Works Councils (EWC). Alan is the Global Affairs Director of the HR Policy Association, the leading voice of chief human resources offices today.

Most companies with a significant footprint in Europe have a Works Council even though they are not mandatory. The EWC Directive is simple. It provides a forum through which the central management in transnational undertakings can inform and consult with employees representatives on issues of transnational importance.

Key Takeaways:

• Why organizing unions internationally has been difficult and expensive. [:20]
• The two major initiatives that drove the European Works Council (EWC) agenda forward. [1:37]
• Understanding the EWC Directive. [4:55]
• Most companies with a significant footprint in Europe have an EWC and an EWC agreement. [9:49]
• How companies conduct consultations and other processes with EWCs. [12:08]
• What does a typical Works Council meeting look like? [17:43]
• General information about Employee Representatives and their role in Works Councils. [21:33]

Resources:

HR Policy Association

Alan Wild on Linkedin

[email protected]

HR Policy Upcoming Events

Welcome to the Wild Side, a podcast that discusses the world of modern employee relations ten minutes at a time. In this episode, host Alan Wild discusses Works Councils and how to manage them. Alan is the Global Affairs Director of the HR Policy Association, the leading voice of chief human resources offices today.

Works councils have a long history. They exist largely in Europe and in different forms elsewhere, even in China. They are made up of either elected employee representatives, trade union representatives, or more commonly a mix of both. All Works Councils are not equal. But, in every country, they are the heart of introducing change at work.

Key Takeaways:

• A brief history of work councils. [:29]
• Looking at the global economic competitiveness and comparative labor flexibility of Denmark, the UK, Germany, France, and Spain. [2:28]
• Works Councils commonalities. [4:07]
• How works councils are triggered, who the members are, and what their powers are. [5:39]
• An example of the process a company must follow when working with a works council. [11:27]

Resources:

HR Policy Association

Alan Wild on Linkedin

[email protected]

HR Policy Upcoming Events

Welcome to the Wild Side, a podcast that discusses the world of modern employee relations ten minutes at a time. In this episode, host Alan Wild discusses trade unions and the source of their power and influence, power-based systems and rights-based systems, and the impact of culture and maturity on collective bargaining. Alan is the Global Affairs Director of the HR Policy Association, the leading voice of chief human resources offices today.

There are concepts in global employee relations that are important to grasp. No one can understand the labor codes and practices in all of the countries in which their company operates. But, some broadly-based rules apply across the board. Understanding these concepts helps a global leader manage governance and oversight and to judge employee relations risk effectively.

Key Takeaways:

• The 7 Universal Principles for Negotiators.[1:09]

• Trade union power comes in two forms. [3:35]

• Two lessons derived from power-based and rights-based countries. [6:00]

• How national culture influences the negotiating climate. [8:21]

• Characteristics of mature and immature economies and how it affects employee relations. [10:53]

Resources:

HR Policy Association

Alan Wild on Linkedin

[email protected]

HR Policy Upcoming Events

Welcome to the Wild Side, a podcast that discusses the world of modern employee relations ten minutes at a time. In this episode, host Alan Wild shares a history lesson about how labor relations became employee relations, how local issues became global, and how the role of the Global Employee Relations Specialist was born. Alan is the Global Affairs Director of the HR Policy Association, the leading voice of chief human resources offices today.

Discover how the influence of trade unions faded when three pivotal shifts took place in the global industrial landscape. And, how after the fall of the Berlin wall, labor relations joined across borders, large economies joined the world's traded market, and employee relations was born. The ever-evolving employee relations landscape currently includes international trade union generated corporate campaigns and employee centered collective action through social media.

Key Takeaways:

• The role of Labor Relations Specialists within organizations. [ :35]

• Three things that changed the industrial landscape forever. [2:05]

• An example of how the new global and connected world operates. [5:41]

Resources:

HR Policy Association

Alan Wild on Linkedin

[email protected]

HR Policy Upcoming Events

Welcome to the Wild Side, a podcast that discusses the world of modern employee relations ten minutes at a time. In this first episode of the series, host Alan Wild addresses formal negotiations, works councils, the international framework for labor rights, and the impact of social networking on employee relations. Alan is the Global Affairs Director of the HR Policy Association, the leading voice of chief human resources offices today.

How and where work is done has moved on, and a new definition of employee relations matters more today than it ever did. And, as the world of old school labor relations shifts into the modern world of employee voice, listening and responding to employee voice in traditional, and not so traditional ways, is today more important and global than ever.

Key Takeaways:

• Why getting employee relations right matters and why your company doesn't want to get it wrong. [2:36]

• Old school labor relations and collective bargaining. [3:18]

• Have the rules changed when it comes to employee voice? [4:05]

• Employee relations in non-union companies. [5:00]

• Most issues that cause collective employee unrest start with an individual issue. [6:44]

• How to stay well informed about the new world of employee relations. [8:13]

Resources:

HR Policy Association

Alan Wild on Linkedin

[email protected]

HR Policy Upcoming Events