Solution
Employee Involvement and Employee Participation and Their Differences
Several studies attempted differentiating between the concepts of employee involvement employee participation and the role of these concepts for organisational engagement. Employee involvement consists of activities where employees become involved in activities concerning their work, though the decisions are made and supervised by the management (Gifford et al. 2015). It is general more hierarchical in its orientation where employees contribute information, suggestions, or opinions. For example, suggestion boxes, or any ordinary group meetings where employees evaluate ideas can be referred to as involvement. The idea is that it helps employees enhance their sense of the organization.
On the other hand, employee participation involves more profound decision-making processes. Employees participate in the process of formal decision and are involved in organisational issues as evidenced by Ogbonda (2023). It underscores decentralisation or the ability of the worker to directly affect policy, strategy and operational formation. This increases some forms of employee participation that may include works councils, employee ownership schemes or Trade Unions through which the employees can exercise most of their working autonomy.
Example of Employee Involvement and Positive Relationships
An example of employee involvement could be implementing regular feedback sessions. In these sessions, people discuss ideas about the enhancement of the current flow or any other issue facing the organisation CIPD (2022). The type of participation like this makes the employees give their opinions as this makes them understand that the management appreciates them even though the decision-making rests on the management.
The kind of process that can be created is a working relationship that fosters positive interpersonal relationship by encouraging trust and group cohesiveness. Employees perceive the physical and psychological environment as diplomatically and professionally oriented, so they are willing to listen to their colleagues. When the information received by the employees is taken in to consideration or some actions being taken on them, more commitment from employees is encouraged.
Example of Employee Participation and Positive Relationships
One way that employees can be involved is having an employee committee that gets involved in decisions concerning policies on work flexibility. The recommendations for this change would be made directly to management to influence policy outputs.
This form of participation fosters the development of positive relationships where everyone has a stake in the result through endorsement of engagement in the organisation’s future. The approach enhances trust between management and workers and fosters relations of subordinates- superiors and workers-interemployee human relations (Hicks, 2024).
1.2 Union and Non-Union Employee Representation
Trade Union (Union Form of Employee Representation)
A trade union in the United Kingdom is a formal body of employees who collectively seek to promote the welfare of members in particular trades or callings. It bargains for its members on matters to do with wages, working conditions, remunerations, and other issues of employment (UNISON (2023). Trade unions also defend employees’ rights and sometimes provide legal assistance if workers engaged in a conflict, aim to fight for equality and fair treatment. Two of the biggest trade unions in the UK are UNISON and Unite.
Employee Forums as Non-Union form of employee representation.
An employee forum is an organisation that is recognised as legal, but it does not necessarily have bargaining power and entails employees and employers. This is because employee forums encompass subjects that have to do with working environment, changes in organisation, or wellbeing. Although forums are internal structures like unions, the latter has other social affiliations, and they undertake bargaining. In the UK, they provide an employee forum for an ‘Anyone can say anything’ style discussion for which they also act as middlemen, mediating fears or issues that are usually expressed in more of a hierarchical manner (Whittall and Tuckman, 2008).
Similarities
While trade unions are established legal avenue in which employees voice their concerns to the management levels, employee forums are other legal channels through which employees present their concerns to the management. They both are based on the concepts of reforming working conditions as well as on defending the rights of employees. In the same way, both forms of representation encourage dialogue between employees and employees’ representatives/employers with a view of addressing workplace concerns.
Also, trade unions play a role in engaging the employees through provision of a forum in which the employees can be represented. Similarly, they support involvement in decision-making, which may help to improve staff ad management interaction.
Differences
| Concept | Trade Unions | Employee Forums |
| Representation | Employees are associated in groups or organizations while in trade unions that deal with employers directly on matters affecting them such as wages, bonuses, and allowances without any intermediaries (Ethical Trading Initiative, 2020). | The employee forums comprise of discussions with the management without necessarily having bargaining power. |
| Structure | Trade unions are external, institutional and officially recognized superordinate organisations with linkages. | Employee forums remain closed to the internal forum only and have no connections to external groups. |
| Decision Making | Trade unions make formal decisions including bargaining for bargaining rights. | While maintainance of employee forums are more consultative in nature they do not actually entail as much definitive decision making as a given (ACAS, 2022). |
1.3 Relationship Between Employee Voice and Organisational Performance.
There is a key link between employee voice and organisational performance and argues that it is especially important when organizations are in the process of a public-sector merger. Employee voice is the ability of employee to freely speak, share feelings, ideas or even complaints about the workplace environment (CIPD, 2024). If employees are identified and made to feel that they are important it leaves them with the feeling that they are part of that company or institution hence improving their morale to work.
When there have been recent mergers/or key staff changes, it is critically important for the new leaders and those in people practice to focus on matters employee relations. Sharing why we are changing, what is changing and how it is changing helps to limit resistance while boosting morale making continued migrations easier (Renascence, 2024). When the employees have a feeling that they are recognised then the tendency of any organisation to have commitment towards the existing practices would always improve the performance of the organisation. On the other hand, lack of employee voice may result in lack of participation, reduced motivation, and therefore the organisation will face a setback when implementing changes during this period of change. Evaluation
The association between employee voice and organisational performance has positive and negative consequences.
Positives- encouraging the development of employee voice is likely to result in greater levels of engagement and motivation. If employees receive a feeling that their voice is being heard they follow the company goals and objectives and productivity and creativity improves (CIPD, 2024a). It also fosters teamwork since it creates open channels through which different ideas may be shared in the organization meant to boost success. In addition, organisations that seek for feedback get to learn about problems as they occur hence decrease on turnover rates to improve on retention.
Negatives- there are disadvantages when it comes to the concept of employee voice. Such situation gives rise to cynicism among employees since they feel they are not even given a fair shot at being considered on the matters they are contributing to. Furthermore, the overemphasizing of the views of the employees will mean that more than one opinion may prevail leading to confusion and lack of clear direction or focus which will lead to lack of clear direction or focus hence creating paralysis of decision making (De Jager, 2023). Finally, if management is not capable of receiving constructive feedback it may cause possible conflict of some sort and erode trust and degrade performance.
Judgment
In my view, there is a kind of positive correlation between employee voice and organisational performance. If well done, getting workforce involvement helps to empower employees, cultivate them for inventive ideas and boosts commitment that brings about improved performance. But organisations must also be careful on how they respond to feedback so that there is no negative impression on employees and culture of organizational culture.
1.4 Concept of Better Working Lives
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