Management 101: Unions

I've been reading lots about employees organizing unions. Here are specific ways management can reduce the idea to unionize. Basically, pay employees a market rate wage, treat them with respect and show genuine appreciation. Here are the specifics.

1. Pay employees a reasonable market rate wage for specific job functions. Document the pay scales and don't pay some employees more than others for the same job function and experience. Yes, employees do talk about wages, sometimes unknowingly making comments that indicate pay amounts or wage increases. Remember, the main reason people work is to earn a paycheck, so pay is very important.

2. Compensate for items such as being on call, even if an after-hour’s call doesn't happen.

3. Allow comp time for salaried employees. If a weekday employee, for example works four or more hours on a weekend, allow the person to leave four hours earlier the following week. Related is if a salaried employee is constantly expected to work more that forty hours a week, then make sure the wage is higher than usual to cover these events. Still allow for comp time when the additional hours exceed what was budgeted as reasonable overtime. Hourly people must be paid by law for any hours worked.

4. Provide healthcare and other benefits that match other companies in the industry.

5. Leaders must show appreciation for their workers and direct reports. This means treating direct reports with respect and listening to their concerns and ideas. Also follow up and use the ideas if they could help the company. Make known to others when an employee has come up with an excellent idea. Workers who feel appreciated, will often perform above and have less of a reason to want to organize a union.

6. Promote from within an organization and document why a specific person was selected. Try to base promotions on personality and skill. Sometimes you will still have to go outside the organization to find the right candidate.

7. Document all job functions and provide appropriate training. The goal is to give employees a head start for success.

8. Find the sweet spot between overworking and underworking an employee. Overworking an employee causes resentment, especially if additional pay doesn't happen. This can result in an employee wanting to unionize. Underworking costs the company money paying someone to not work, and the person may become bored and detached. The person may also become fearful of job loss.

9. Make sure performance and salary reviews are done as scheduled. Document grounds for termination. Allow people to occasionally make errors without fear of job loss. No one is perfect. Do not put up with dishonesty.

10. If the company is having financial problems, inform the employees, especially if the problems will prevent wage increases or promised staffing increases.

11. If possible, especially for publicly traded companies, offer stock options and have a stock purchase program where employees can buy stock at a discount. Smaller companies can offer some profit sharing.

In summary, pay employees a market rate wage, and treat them with respect and show appreciation. Do this, and the desire to unionize will go down.