Strategic employment relations
"There are so many issues to address in today's workplaces such as flexibility, inclusion, mental health, technology, inequality and new legislation. All will be better resolved if employers value collective voice, if both parties listen, find common ground and jointly problem solve rather than spiralling into dis-engagement, conflict and dispute".
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Debbie Sanders, March 2025
Written by Debbie Sanders, Joseph Perry and Richard Saundry, this highly engaging book is unique in delivering a strategic management guide for those interested in collective voice and working with trade unions.
A practical guide packed with case studies and tools, it's an ideal one-stop-shop for students, instructors and practitioners looking for hands-on knowledge of collective employment relations.
“This is a very welcome and timely book. Drawing on a wealth of case studies and written in an engaging and accessible style, it will be a superb resource for under-graduate students, those taking CIPD-accredited courses, as well as for managers and trade union representatives.”
Chris Rees, Professor of Employment Relations, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
“This is a timely contribution to the debate about the future of employee and Union relations. If there is one thing practitioners agree on, it is that we must rediscover the skills of negotiation and compromise to address the good work agenda, productivity challenges and technological change. The narrative asks searching questions of the prevailing HR orthodoxy of the last few decades and is essential reading for those studying and working in the field of employee relations.”
Mike Clancy, General Secretary, Prospect, UK
“A brilliant book which is essential reading for anyone studying industrial relations or who works with trade unions and must create an industrial relations strategy. The authors capture the essential skills needed by every industrial relations practitioner.”
Emily Cox, Director of Colleague Relations, Lloyds Banking Group, UK
"Much of what is written about collective ER is from an academic perspective - which provides a good grounding and helpful insight - but this is also a very practical subject.
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A real motivation for me in wishing to write this book was to share some of the key themes, practical approaches, and real cases from my own career. If I was starting out today in a unionised environment, I know I would find this book very welcome."
The importance of different perspectives
During my career, I have looked at collective voice from many different angles – from the perspective of a union official, as a head of employee/industrial relations, as a researcher, a lecturer, as a consultant to large employers, a mediator and a trainer. This has influenced how I see collective ER, the skills I have used and the approaches I have taken.
ER as “smoke and mirrors” doesn’t help solve problems
Collective employment relations is often portrayed as a game of "smoke and mirrors", ideal for those who like to trip each other up and get lost in semantics. We see each other as being on the “other side”. As my career developed I didn't find this to be a helpful approach when dealing with issues in the workplace. Finding common ground and building trust can be more productive for both parties and this book is based on that fundamental premise. As the world seems increasingly polarised, it felt the right time for us to write this book.
Re-frame ER to generate interest, enthusiasm and a new generation
As unions have declined in membership, the ER/IR specialism has slowly vanished from the curriculum of those coming into HR. Many people in HR have no experience of working with unions but it is the most fascinating area and one where you can have such a positive impact.
We are convinced that if we increase interest in the subject of collective voice, we can rejuvenate a new generation of ER leaders and union representatives. They are needed to solve a whole range of workplace issues and create healthy cultures where people want to work.
Collective voice is still important despite declining union membership
The ER professionals for today are people who see value in listening to different perspectives, people who apply creative thinking and help solve workplace challenges alongside trade union and employee representatives. Their aim is to build inclusive cultures, manage conflict constructively, challenge leaders to think differently and build agreements and trust between leaders and their employees. With this approach, collective voice can become a strategic advantage.
ER is about change, uncertainty, creative solutions and trust rather than policy and process, them and us. Defined like this, ER will be a more attractive specialism. It is also about managing risk and costs but the difference is in the tools that you choose to use to manage that risk and cost.
My motivation for the book
Managing change and uncertainty
Employment relations is fundamentally about the effective management of change and managing differences of opinion on issues of relevance to workers in their daily lives. Its’ value is in helping parties to find solutions which provide good work, flexible work, make people feel valued, enable upskilling and improve the quality of working lives.
Building healthy workplace cultures
Employment relations is all about understanding the perspectives of a diverse group of people – leaders, union representatives, employees and employee networks. Employment relations professionals can impact the culture of an organisation by coaching others to value the importance of listening to different opinions before making decisions. If, through all organisational layers, employee views are encouraged, listened to and acted upon, leaders become better leaders, representatives take more responsibility and employees feel valued.
Finding creative solutions to conflict
In employment relations, a big part of the role is to resolve problems, conflict and disagreements. Unresolved, these issues can impact employee well-being, organisational performance and productivity. There is something hugely rewarding about working through problems and reaching a positive, often creative solution, when at one point it may have looked like there was no potential solution, and in doing so helping the organisation and individuals to move forward.
Building trust and negotiating agreements
The most effective employment relations specialists are curious, they spend time getting to know employee and union representatives, build trust, and understand fully why something isn’t or is working. Without this curiosity and understanding different perspectives, agreements are unlikely to be reached. The employment relations specialist aims to build the most effective agreement, regardless of whose idea it was.
Managing risk
Poor employment relations is very often a top ten risk in any organisation. Those organisations that take a strategic approach will foster a positive workplace climate, manage risks more effectively and reduce disruption to their business.
Minimising cost
The cost of conflict such as disputes and overtime bans is high, as is the damage caused to brands and employee engagement. Rebuilding relationships after conflict can take years. Despite this, very little investment is made in employment relations in many large organisations. We ask organisations to spend less on contingency planning for disputes and more on strategic planning, specialist resources or leadership development in critical skills. We advocate spending more on prevention and less on reaction.