Strategic employment relations
THE CHALLENGE
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Industrial Relations was identified as a principle risk on the risk register of this High Street retailer.
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It sought help to review its current approach to IR, assess the impact of the range of IR risks, and assess the capabilities required to manage and mitigate these risks.
THE APPROACH - Assessing IR risks
To undertake the review, Make Work Better held interviews with key personnel across the business. This included visits to stores and warehouses.
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This was followed by our attendance at an in-store training session for new employee representatives.
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We then facilitated a workshop with key senior stakeholders on IR strategy.
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Finally, we consolidated our findings in a report for the HR leadership team and the Board, as follows:
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An analysis of the current approach to industrial and employee relations
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An analysis of the key IR risks and their impact
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A set of recommendations to manage and mitigate risk around strategic direction, alignment, governance, and capability.
THE OUTCOME
Our recommendations included:
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Define what you stand for in terms of employee relations and agree some broad principles as a business, to be shared internally and externally.
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Develop a one-page employee relations strategy with a clear goal, clear areas of focus, and actions.
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Provide an Employee Relations update to the People Business Board as part of new executive governance arrangements. This keeps the Exec informed with a whole company perspective, enabling well informed decision to be made and for genuine risks to be discussed.
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Ensure ER/IR risk is a regular item on the HR Leadership Team agenda to enable discussion on mitigation plans to ensure adequate resourcing.
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Build an HR Community of Interest for all those involved in IR/ER activity across the business. With the aim of building capability, sharing best practice, and providing support.
