HN Public Personnel Administration Unit 8 Workplace Problems and Labor Relations

While We’re Waiting... You've been exiled to a deserted island for a year. In addition to the essentials, you may take one piece of music, one book (which is not the Bible) and one luxury item you can carry with you i.e. not a boat to leave the island! What would you take and why?

Identifying and Resolving Workplace Problems Signs and Symptoms – Poor work relationships – Substance Abuse – Violence – Employee Revenge – Dishonesty Relation between symptoms and absenteeism and turnover

Causes of Stress on the Job Control over work Demands of employer Lack of support Responsibility without authority Inability to voice complaints Poor working conditions Lack of clear job description and chain of command

Proactive Approaches Supervisory Counseling Referral to EAP Better workplace communication Managing Diversity Incentives related to work-life balance

Employee Assistance Programs Health Education and Wellness programs Counseling and referral for mental health and emotional challenges Child and Elder Care Time and Stress Management Legal services Crisis line Support Groups

Labor Relations 1800-Guilds/associations of workers and employers by trade. Also, organization of Navy shipyard (Federal government) 1842-Unions gained legal recognition 1930s- strikes that affected business which aggravated conditions during Depression 1935-Wagner Act, established National Labor Relations Board and gave employees right to form unions and bargain collectively

Labor Relations (cont.) 1955 AFL and CIO merged to form AFL-CIO, highest impact of unions on US labor JFK executive order allowing federal workers the right to form unions. Strong unions began to form about 9.4% of the US workforce was unionized.

Issues of Labor Relations Legitimacy of strike for public unions. Legitimacy of collective bargaining in government when the government is run by democratically elected officials. Union actions in the public sector may disrupt public services.