EMPLOYEE RELATIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS - Essay Example The nature of imperfect labour markets today as well as the cutthroat competition limited jobs by desperate employees can and has in some cases, resulted in substandard industrial relations (Salamon, 2000). This in many instances leads to and escalates conflict in employee relations. However, while conceding that conflict may indeed be inevitable, it can be managed and controlled through a proactive and vibrant bargaining process that can be used to ensure a smooth transition in whatever transaction the Organization takes part in and the interests of its staff. This paper will discuss the notion of inevitability of employee conflict by examining various theories and literature demonstrating some of its causative factors and methods that have been developed in employee relations for managing it. To create a better understanding of the nature conflict in employment relations, it is important that the concept is first understood, and its constituent notions explained. Employer relations are by no means neither straightforward nor easy concept that can be tied down to a generic definition. Its meaning tends to vary widely depending on whom one is asking (Lewis, Thornhill & Saunders, 2003). In American HRM literature for instance, it is understood as the corpus of HR, in a functional sense it encapsulates the relations between employees and employers in the world place. On the other hand, a the British interpretation of the same covers a wider scope which cuts across specific workplace issues and covers even the interactions between the state, employer relations and labour unions. In these terms, employment relations involves both the micro and macro level relations which are notably absent in the American context (Gennard & Judge, 2002). In American context, employer relations are unlikely to encompass industrial relations as comprehensively as it can in a UK or