Aligning HR Processes 6: Employee Relations

Working with managers, develop and implement changes in practices aimed at strengthening the organization's bond with employees; e.g., improving communications, achieving diversity goals, union avoidance, work-family programs, employee welfare and benefits programs

Determine potential impact of proposed legislation (e.g., safety, affirmative action, disability, etc.)

On-the-Job

Learn from best practice surveys and benchmarking with leading companies Analyze the relationship of current practices to strategic business objectives and communicate results Involve employee feedback groups in assessing need for new programs and practices and in implementing them

Education and Training

• Cornell University - New York City (212-340-2863)
     ---Building and Managing Employee Relations, 2 days, $795
     ---Strategic Benefits Planning, 2 days, $795
     ---Advanced Employee Relations, 2 days, $795
• University of Michigan (313-763-1000)
     ---Strategic Collective Bargaining, 1 week, $4850
     ---Negotiating and Administering the Labor Contract, 1 week, $4600
     ---Global Employee Relations Strategies 1 week, $4850
• Bargaining and Negotiating: A Learning Laboratory (University Of Virginia, 804-924-3000, 4 days, $3300)
• Achieving Competitive Advantage: Managing for Organizational Effectiveness (The Wharton School, 212-898-1776, Video, $495
• Workplace Diversity (Society for Human Resource Management (703-548-3440, 3 days, $825)
• Virtual Workforces: Alternative Work Solutions (Institute for International Research, 941-951-7885, 2 days, $1395)
• Theories of Difference (NTL Institute, 703-548-1500, 1 week)
• Open Book Management: A Partnership between Employees and Employers (American Management Association, 518-891-1500, 2 days, $1295)
• American Compensation Association (602-922-2020)
     ---Strategic Benefits Planning, 3 days, $775
     ---International Benefits, 3 days, $725
• Attend a Major Benefits Conference; e.g., Corporate Benefits Institute (414-786-6710);International Benefits Information Service (IBIS), 312-993-7900; Conference Board: U.S. Conference 212-339-0345, European Conference 212-759-0900; International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans (IFEBP), 414-786-6710 ext. 529
• Attend a Major Diversity Conference; e.g., SHRM (703-548-3440); Workplace Diversity Conference (888-735-6192); Conference Board (212-339-0345); International Quality & Productivity Center (973-256-0205)
• Attend a Major Work and Family Conference; e.g., The Conference Board (212-339-0345)
• Attend a Major Ethics Conference; e.g., The Conference Board (212-339-0345)

Reading

• The Conference Board (212-339-0345
     ---The New Employer-Employee Contract, Human Resource Briefing, 1995
     ---The New Deal in Employment Relationships, Report No. 1162, 1996
     ---Implementing the New Employee Compact, HR Executive Review, Report No. HRER-12, 1997
     ---Building the Business Case for Workplace Flexibility, Report No. 1154, 1996
     ---European Works Councils: Avoiding the Pitfalls, Report No. 1178, 1997
     ---Managing Diversity for Sustaining Competitiveness, Report No. 1195, 1997
     ---Corporate Practices in Diversity Measurement, Report No. 1164, 1996
     ---Diversity: Business Rationale and Strategies, Report No. 1130, 1995
     ---Employee Benefits: Surviving and Thriving with Continual Change, Report No. 1135, 1995
     ---Strategic Benefits Planning: Managing Benefits in a Changing Business Environment, Report by Victor A. Barocas, 1992)
     ---Global Corporate Ethics Practices: A Developing Consensus, Report 1243, 1999
  
• Lawrence M. Baytos, Designing and Implementing Successful Diversity Programs (Prentice Hall, 1995)
• Jeff Bridgford and John Stirling, Employee Relations in Europe (Blackwell, 1993)
• Peter Cappelli, The New Deal at Work (Harvard Business School Press, 1999)
• John Case, Open-Book Management: The Coming Business Revolution (HarperBusiness, 1995)
• Harry Chambers and Robert Craft, No Fear Management: Rebuiling Trust, Performance and Commitment in the New American Workplace (St. Lucie Press, 1997)
• Taylor Cox, Cultural Diversity in Organizations (Berrett-Koehler, 1994)
• Taylor Cox and Ruby Beale, Developing Competency to Manage Diversity (Berrett-Koehler, 1997)
• Farid Elashmawi and Philip R. Harris, Multicultural Management (Gulf Publishing, 1993)
• Peta Lyn Farwagi, Flexible Work Arrangements (Orion, 1998)
• Stewart Friedman et al. (eds.), Integrating Work and Life: The Wharton Resource Guide (Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 1998)
• John Gennard and Gradham Judge, Employee Relations (UK: Institute for Personnel Development, 1997)
• Carol A. Hacker, The High Cost of Low Morale: 191 Ways to Reduce Turnover, Improve Morale and Impact the Bottom Line (St. Lucie Press, 1997)
• Philip R. Harris and Robert T. Moran, Managing Cultural Differences: High Performance Strategies for a New World of Business (3rd ed.) (Gulf Publishing, 1991)
• Robert Haylen and Arminda Mendez Russell, The Diversity Directive: Why Some Initiatives Fail and What To Do About It (ASTD/Irwin Professional Publsihing, 1996)
• Peter Herriot, Wendy Hirsh and Peter Reilly, Trust and Transition: Managing Today's Employment Relationship (Wiley, 1998)
• Arlie Russell Hochschild, The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work (Henry Holt & Co., 1997)
• David Jamieson and Julie O'Mara, Managing Workforce 2000 (Jossey-Bass, 1991)
• Bill Jensen, Simplicity: The New Competitive Advantage (Perseus, 2000)
• Ellen Ernst Kossek and Sharon A. Lobal, Managing Diversity: Human Resource Strategies for Transforming the Workplace (Blackwell Publishers - UK, 1996)
• Fern Lebo, Mastering the Diversity Challenge (St. Lucie Press, 1996)
• Maria G. Mackavey and Richard Levin, Shared Purpose: Working Together to Build Strong Families and High-Performance Companies (AMACOM, 1997)
• Thomas McCoy, Creating an "Open Book" Organization: Where Employees Think and Act Like Business Partners (AMACOM, 1996)
• Barney Olmstead and Suzanne Smith, Managing in a Flexible Workplace (AMACOM, 1997)
• Odette Pollar, et al., Dynamics of Diversity: Strategic Programs for Your Orgnaization (Crisp Publications, 1995)
• Phebe-Jane Poole, Diversity: A Business Advantage (Poole Publishing Company, 1997)
• John P. Schuster, Jill Carpenter and M. Patricia Kane, The Power of Open-Book Management (John Wiley & Sons, 1996)
• G.F. Simmons et al., Cultural Diversity Fieldbook: Fresh Visions and Breakthrough Strategies for Revitalizing the Workplace (Petermans Guides, 1996)
• George Simons, Working Together: Succeeding in a Multicultural Organization (Crisp Publications, 1994)
• Jack Stack, The Great Game of Business: Unlocking the Power and Profitability of Open-Book Management (Currency/Doubleday, 1994)
• John Stredwick and Steve Ellis, Flexible Working Practices (Institute of Personnel and Development (IPD), 1998)
• R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., Beyond Race and Gender: Unleashing the Power of Your Total Workforce by Managing Diversity (AMACOM, 1992)
• Wellford W. Wilms, Restoring Prosperity (Time Business, 1996)