Strategic employment relations
THE CHALLENGE
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Following a dispute, a diagnosis of this organisation identified that many line managers lacked capability, confidence, and support in industrial relations. This was leading to issues being escalated or going unresolved.
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They sought help with how to build these capabilities and ensure that line managers were supported when dealing with IR issues.
THE APPROACH - Building ER capabilities
We facilitated the creation of an 'action team', made up of union reps and line managers working together.
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As part of a wider change programme, the action team conducted interviews with line managers to understand the context and issues in detail.
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Following these interviews, the action team recommended a series of changes designed to build line managers' ER capabilities, and ensure they had access to adequate support:
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1. The development of a matrix of capabilities, organised by role - to bring clarity about ER responsibilities and to assess where capability development was needed.
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2. The design of a line manager 'life cycle' that ensures employment relations skills are understood and considered from the start of the recruitment process throughout the lifetime of that role.
THE OUTCOME
Following the introduction of the matrix of capabilities, each line manager role has clarity of the level and type of ER responsibilities, as follows:
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The ER function has responsibility for strategic level work, which involves working with senior union officials and delivering the ER strategy.
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At a tactical level, senior departmental managers have key responsibility for the day-to-day management of ER. This involves liaising with local union reps and resolving low-level issues.
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Those working in less unionised areas of the business - but with employees still covered by a collective agreement - have a working knowledge of ER and relevant policies and procedures.
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Following the introduction of the line manager life cycle, ER skills form part of the recruitment process. This helps to ensure:
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ER skills are assessed at interview and prioritised during the induction process.
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New managers have the right skills and experience for the environment, as well as approriate expectations of what work will be like and how they will need to operate.
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As line managers progress in their career, they receive specific ER learning and development interventions.
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Line managers' performance is considered in light of how they deliver, as well as what they deliver.
