LEADERS VS. UNIONS HOW TO SET UP A WIN-WIN RELATIONSHIP
It is amazing how one organization can have dual philosophies. It's true. When an organization is unionized, there are challenges that leadership will have to reckon with on a daily basis. These challenges are internal struggles that can thwart production and lead to employee dissatisfaction.
No organization goes into business to make strife its primary objective, yet unionized organizations experience it regularly.
So, how do unionized organizations manage this situation in order to continue its growth and development? Easy ! Strong leaders learn to navigate the union waters to stay afloat and on a steady course
It is possible to set up a win-win relationship with unionized employees, and the most significant tools and strategies start with communication.
WHAT DO UNION MEMBERS WANT?
Union members are typically dedicated to their jobs. They are the front-line workers who see more, hear more, and do more to serve the public than their leadership. What does this mean? It means that they have valuable information, and very often it is untapped by leadership
Communication is critical to the success of any organization but more importantly to one that has a union. In order for leaders of an organization to truly understand its union members, they must build mechanisms and systems of open communication channels. Something as simple as a monthly governance meeting that promotes employee leadership to coordinate and guide meetings could be a game changer.
By listening to staff recommendations, leaders can capitalize on information that they would never have gotten on their own.
This type of communication builds synergy between unionized staff and leadership. Organizations that put supportive efforts behind building communication infrastructure are more likely to experience a win-win relationship between unions and leadership.
