This week, you had a chance to learn more about a special topic. Now, you have a chance to reflect on your learnings. Summarize your learning. What are the most important, key idea

Topic

Independent Learning

Collective Bargaining

Collective bargaining is the process of negotiating the terms of employment between an employer and employees. This process occurs between company management and a labor union. The result of collective bargaining is called a collective bargaining agreement. This establishes terms of employment for several years. Terms of employment include conditions of employment, work hours, working conditions, base pay, overtime pay, work hours, shift length, work holidays, sick leave, health care benefits, vacation time, and retirement benefits. Members of the union pay union dues for representation. Should management and labor not reach an agreement, the collective bargaining process may result in labor strikes.

Private Sector

Collective bargaining in the private sector is regulated according to the National Labor Relations Act. In addition to describing fair labor practices, this Act also appointed the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as the federal agency responsible for enforcing its provisions.

Non-profit Sector

The NLRB also has jurisdiction over most nonprofit organizations, as long as they meet or exceed a certain amount of revenue annually. However, some religious schools are exempt from coverage if the practice of their faith is sufficiently intertwined with the practice of the school.

Public Sector

Collective bargaining in the public sector is governed by the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) for federal government employees and by statutes in individual states for state and local government employees. The CSRA covers all federal employees within the executive branch, except those that have been specifically excluded. The rights of federal government employees are more limited than those of private or nonprofit sector union members. For example, federal employees are not allowed to strike and cannot bargain over issues such as wages and fringe benefits. The rights of state and local government employees vary widely, based on the state. This spectrum of rights ranges from states that allow government employees to engage in collective bargaining to those that do not recognize that government employees have the right to join a union.

1. Union Management RelationsLinks to an external site.

2. At what point are negotiations considered? Let's look at one example where you’ll be put in the shoes of an agency manager who needs to make a tough call during COVID-19.

· IND502 Collective BargainingLinks to an external site.

Outsourcing

One factor that can impact employee engagement and block the attainment of strategic goals is the reality of outsourcing. Outsourcing is a business decision when companies hire outside suppliers to provide specific goods or services instead of producing the goods or services in-house. Outsourcing can be motivated by cost factors, a lack of in-house expertise, or even restructuring. In many cases, outsourcing impacts job security and may lower employee morale and engagement. In addition, many outsourcing decisions include individuals or companies that may operate in other countries or even different regions of the same country with vastly different cultures and norms. This adds an additional layer for managers to consider.

On the other hand, when done well, outsourcing can support business growth without sacrificing quality. Organizations can expect to see cost savings (no benefits and no office space) and added flexibility (extended work hours throughout time zones). Common outsourcing includes engineering, information technology, legal processes, recruitment, and human resources.

1. How to Build a Better Business with OutsourcingLinks to an external site.

2. So how exactly are decisions to outsource made? Let's look at one example where you’ll be put in the shoes of a Director of Parks and Recreation.

· IND502 Outsourcing Download IND502 Outsourcing

Toxic Culture

2021 was an unprecedented year for the job market. Due to COVID-19, many employees lost their jobs, but many employees resigned in unprecedented numbers. Cook (2021) found that the greatest number of resignations included those between 30 and 45 years old. The industries impacted the hardest include consulting, information technology, apparel, and fast food. While the reasons were personal, many employees had clearly had it with wage stagnation, job dissatisfaction, and safety concerns regarding COVID-19 and the workplace. 

Sull and Sull’s work in 2022 focused on another cause of resignation – toxic work environments. Their article, Toxic Culture is Driving the Great Resignation, features five predictors of attrition based on their research. This research also made some bold statements about the importance of culture and resignation. For example, they (2022, January 11) said, “Workers are 3.8 times more likely to leave Tesla than Ford, for example, and more than twice as likely to quit JetBlue than Southwest Airlines”. Clearly, these companies have very different attitudes and cultures.

1. Toxic Culture is Driving the Great Resignation Links to an external site.

2. Why Every Leader Needs to Worry about Toxic Culture