I attended a Labour relations management forum today. The purpose was to look at how Labour relations can be improved. This blog entry is not to write about the outcome of the meeting but to reflect on the model I developed in response to the meeting.
Labour relations consists of two components : Labour as a social construct and relationship as a construct of structure. The social aspect consists of three aspects : communication, engagement and trust.
Communication is about giving feedback to the workforce through meetings, and other media. Engagement is the process of getting the workforce involved through participation, debate and consensus finding processes. Building trust is using the right language, respect and attitude.
The relationship aspect consists of values, leadership, policies and roles and responsibilities. Values is the common agreement of how both parties want to engage. Leadership is about establishing a common goal and direction so that all work to the same goal. Policies formulates the manner in which all will work together. Roles and responsibilities ensure clarity of the contribution each agree to make.
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