Unions are increasingly on the rise around the nation. You only have to look at what has happened recently with Starbucks and TCGPlayer (an eBay subsidiary) to realize that workers in many industries are troubled and frustrated, and that’s leading to more and more talk about unionization.
Given that both federal and state labor laws make it difficult to legally thwart unionization efforts, how can you prevent your own workforce from unionizing and protect your business? A union consultant might be a key piece of your strategy.
What can a union consultant actually do for you?
Every situation is unique, but the overall goal is to find out why your workers feel the need to unionize and what can be done to change that. Typically, “union talk” starts when there is a lot of discontent in the workforce. To combat this, a union consultant can:
- Assess the workplace: A union consultant can identify areas that could lead to unionization. This assessment can include analyzing your company culture, employee relations, compensation and benefits, among other factors.
- Develop a communication strategy: Your consultant can help you develop a strategy that fosters open and transparent communication between management and employees. This strategy can include regular employee meetings, newsletters and social events to build positive relationships with employees.
- Conduct training sessions: Training sessions for your management team to help them better understand labor laws, employee relations and union organizing tactics. This training can help your management team identify potential union organizing activities – and develop effective strategies to prevent them.
- Create an employee relations program: You can get help developing an employee relations program that focuses on addressing and defusing employee concerns and issues before they escalate. This program can include anonymous surveys, open-door policies and employee-suggestion programs.
By taking these steps, a union consultant can help you create a positive workplace culture that values open communication, employee engagement and fair treatment. These actions can help prevent a union from forming by addressing the underlying issues that could lead to unionization and keep your business uncomplicated and union-free.