Author: Nancy Arenas, MPS, SHRM-CP 


As an HR practitioner, it is important to stay informed about the latest trends and developments in labor relations. Recently, we have seen an increase in union organizing activity in workplaces that have never been thought to be unionized before. In the past, HR professionals in certain industries were not worried about unions. But, in this current climate, unions can happen anytime and anywhere.

In this post, we hope to raise awareness of this important topic and provide insights into the possible reasons behind this trend. We will also provide insights on how to recognize the signs that your employees may be considering organizing, as well as strategies for preventing unionization and maintaining positive labor relations within your organization.

The Facts on Labor Union Trends

Labor union organization is on the rise. The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) reports that union representation petitions filings have increased 57% to 1,174 from 748 during the first half of fiscal year 2021.  As noted below, the trend is continuing:

Last April, NLRB General Counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo said, “Right now, there is a surge in labor activity nationwide, with workers organizing and filing petitions for more union elections than they have in the last ten years.” As the above chart shows, in 2022, unions won 600+ elections, which hasn’t been that high since at least 2005!

In prior years, Unions targeted certain types of industries (manufacturing, warehousing, etc.)  Now, unions are targeting all industries, including big name companies previously notorious for union-free workplaces like Starbucks, REI, Lululemon, Amazon, Trader Joe’s, Chipotle, Apple, Google, Hello Fresh, Politico, Tesla, Activision/Blizzard, and Buzzfeed.  For example:

• This month, workers at a Starbucks store in Ashland, Oregon publicized their intent to form a union to advocate for more staffing and better pay. If successful, this would be the first store in Southern Oregon to do so.
  
  
• Last month, Tesla employees at a plant in Buffalo, New York sent an email to CEO Elon Musk, announcing their intent to join a union because “unionizing will further accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy because it will give us a voice in our workplace and in the goals we set for ourselves to accomplish.
  
  
• In recent months, the Alphabet Workers Union has helped employees wage war on tech conglomerates like YouTube and Google to advocate for various work rights and conditions in the aftermath of the wave of layoffs in the industry.

As Unions continue to gain traction, it is important to understand some of the reasons employees may consider when unionizing.

Why Do Employees Organize?

We are seeing a shift in the attitudes of Americans overall with respect to labor unions. According to a recent Gallup Study, 68% of Americans approve of labor unions, the highest Gallup has measured since 71% in 1965.

The various reasons employees choose to organize may vary from industry or the employee population demographic. Different cohorts value different things. Some of those reasons might include the following:

• Voice. Employees believe that unions may offer a way for employees to have a say in the decisions that affect their work and their jobs.
• Working conditions. Employees may choose to organize to negotiate better pay, benefits and working conditions.
• Fair treatment (including diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts). Employees want to be treated equitably among their colleagues and peers when it comes to pay, interpretation of policies and practices.
• Job security. Employees may believe that the union can negotiate contracts that include protections against unjustified termination.
• Safety. Employees may want to improve safety conditions at the workplace.

Mistakenly, many employers believe that employee concerns regarding benefits and perks (such as PTO and other benefits) are the primary drivers of unionization. While those motivators play a part, observations of unionization efforts within Fortune 100 companies (like those we have already mentioned in this article), known to be the gold standard of comprehensive benefit packages, suggest that additional factors are at play (like the ones identified above). With this in mind, we present the following strategies to get ahead of any unionization efforts that may occur in your organization.

Signs of Organization and Strategies to Remain a Union-Free Workplace

Next, it is important to be aware of the potential signs that your employees may be organizing a union. Here are some signs that may indicate union activity:

• Increase in complaints and grievances.
• Increase in chatter - negative social media posts, low Glassdoor ratings or Slack posts about employee dissatisfaction with pay, benefits, management or working conditions.
• High employee turnover or requests for transfers.
• Groups of employees gathering frequently
• The presence of union literature or materials (flyers, posters or other materials promoting union membership or encouraging employees to join a union).
• More overt signs could include the formation of a union committee or the distribution of authorization cards.

By identifying the signs early on, you can take steps to address any concerns and maintain a union-free workplace, which could include the following:

Nurture a culture of listening and communication

Open and clear two-way communication in the workplace helps to build trust and understanding and can make it easier for employees to raise concerns and have their voices heard. Actively listening to and addressing employee issues and concerns will help management get ahead of any issues before they become major problems and help avoid the need for unionization.

Having an employee listening strategy can help companies improve communication and understanding between management and employees.

Companies are always looking for ways to stay competitive in their industry, and one important aspect of this is understanding the latest trends and benchmarks in the workplace. While it’s important to know what other organizations are doing, it’s even more important to understand the specific needs and values of your own employees. By tailoring your benefits, perks and programs to the unique needs of your employee population, you can create a more effective and engaging work environment. This is why building an employee listening strategy is crucial for any organization. It allows you to understand the needs and values of your employees and create an environment at work that meets those specific needs.

Here are a few considerations for building an employee listening strategy:

• Allow for diverse channels of communication and feedback. These can take the form of annual engagement surveys, small pulse surveys deployed at regular intervals, suggestion boxes, one-on-one meetings, virtual focus groups and open-door policies.
• Promote a safe talking space. Encourage communication so that employees feel comfortable speaking up and sharing their thoughts and ideas. Be approachable and responsive to employees’ voices and feedback.
• Take employee feedback seriously. Provide updates to employees on how feedback is being used and what changes (or not and why) are being made as a result.
• Committed Leadership. Make sure leadership is fully committed to engaging with employees to promote active listening and open communication.
• Integration. Embed the communication within the company’s values and integrate it into the company culture.

Promote a culture of values

When employees feel connected to the meaning and purpose of their work, they are more likely to be engaged and committed. Most employees want to feel a sense of connection to the meaning and purpose of their work and want to understand how their work aligns with their own values and ambitions.

A culture of values can provide employees with a sense of direction in helping them to understand how their work fits with the big picture and helps to create a sense of shared purpose among employees.

Creating a culture of values is not a one-time event, it’s an ongoing process that takes commitment and calibration from all employees and leaders.

Some considerations for creating a culture of values:

• Identify the values that are most important to your company and clearly communicate them to all employees.
  
• Embed your values in all facets of your business (decision making, hiring, product/service development, leadership style, communication and language, policies, practices, business strategy, operations, etc.)
  
• Call attention to and reward employees who exemplify company values.
  
• Empower employees to make decisions and take actions that align with company values and provide them with the autonomy and resources they need to do so.
  
• Continuously calibrate company values and evaluate the effectiveness of the culture of values and adjust where needed. (Are you living the company values, or have they just become motivational words on the wall?)

As a final note, federal laws (including the National Labor Relations Act) require employers to abide by certain legal obligations when communicating with employees seeking to form or be part of a union.  Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your Company’s union-free strategies, please consult your attorney.

San Diego SHRM member Gregg Ward recently wrote an article for Forbes.com. 

Three Key Ingredients For Repairing A Work Relationship After Respect Has Been Lost

"Recently, a coaching client who is a specialist in software sales told me she’d lost respect for a colleague who’d engaged in bullying behavior toward her and others on their team.

The backstory: They’d all been working from home during the pandemic, and the constant stress to perform, compounded by Zoom fatigue and a frustratingly tough market environment had put everyone on edge. But one of her colleagues had become particularly short and nasty over the many months of lockdown. Then, during a team meeting, the person had unfairly denigrated my client’s work. Her boss didn’t address it, instead acting as if it hadn’t happened. But my client did get a private chat message from a co-worker, asking if she was all right. She wasn’t. She was furious.

Still, determined to prove that she was tough and could be a team player, she set out to find a way to keep working productively with her disrespectful colleague without having to tolerate the abuse or make a formal complaint to the human resources department. So, she approached me, asking if there was something she could do on her own.

“Is it possible,” she asked, “to repair and rebuild a relationship with a colleague after you’ve lost respect for them?”

My answer? “It depends.” In my experience, I’ve found that repairing a broken work relationship is a challenging process that takes time and effort. But, without three key ingredients in the mix, it just won’t happen. They are:

1. Willingness

First, both parties need to acknowledge that in any relationship, it takes "two to tango." You may be willing to do to do the work to repair the relationship, but the other person needs to be willing too. In my client’s case, “doing the work” meant that her colleague would have to genuinely admit and own their offensive behavior, sincerely apologize for it, and make a good faith and consistent effort to do better going forward.

For some people, especially those who don’t see value in maintaining respectful relationships, joining in what I call the “reparative dance” is a big ask. Nevertheless, mutual willingness to tango together comes first. Without it, there’s little chance of repairing the relationship to the point where it can once again be truly productive.

2. Respect For Each Other

The second key ingredient in the recipe for successfully repairing a relationship is for both parties to be able to identify attributes in the other person that they still respect. For example, in my client’s case, although she loathed her colleague’s recent bullying behaviors, she respected that they were an absolute rock star when it came to explaining the benefits of their software products to potential customers. In fact, she tried to emulate these techniques in her own pitches. But was the respect reciprocal? Did her colleague respect her? She wasn’t sure. If neither party can find anything they respect in the other person, repairing the relationship and making it productive is very, very hard.

3. Emotional Intelligence

The final ingredient has to do with the emotional intelligence of both parties. Can they be compassionate with each other? Can they hear each other’s perspective and empathize? Can they apologize, forgive and move forward without resentment? These are all primary emotional intelligence traits that must be in play when trying to repair a broken relationship.

In my client’s case, she’d also need the personal fortitude, confidence, maturity and self-management skills to wade into a loaded conversation (or conversations) while still maintaining her composure. It would mean handling her colleague’s defensiveness, and possibly even a counterattack, skillfully. It might also mean risking the whole relationship blowing up in a very public way. Not everyone can navigate such a tough minefield.

I’m happy to report that after some in-depth coaching and practice using role-play, my client was able to repair her relationship with her colleague. In the initial conversation, her colleague admitted they’d taken out their frustrations on her and then made a full apology. It turned out that they’d had difficult personal issues going on at home during the pandemic, involving young children and an out-of-work partner who’d gotten sick months before and had become a Covid-19 long hauler. “Not an excuse,” they said. “Just an explanation.”

My client could empathize, and this proved helpful to both. Her colleague also said that they respected her for her organizational skills and consistent support. This proved helpful in moving forward. Then, in a surprise to all, her colleague made a full apology to the team for their disrespectful behavior, and it was graciously accepted.

In summary, there are three key ingredients that must be in the mix when trying to repair a relationship that’s gone bad due to disrespect: a willingness by both parties to do the reparative dance, the ability to find attributes that they still respect in each other and the emotional intelligence to stay in the process."

This article is from Forbes.com, to read the article, click here. 

How To Help Leverage Existing Skills Of An Employee Who Recently Changed Careers

For your business to succeed, it’s important to have happy, engaged, and confident employees. Confidence is directly correlated to better workplace performance – so empowering your employees to feel great about their performance and their skills is key for building a better company.

This is especially important when it comes to new employees, particularly for workers who are in a very new or different role, compared to their previous position. To help bolster the confidence of a new employee who recently changed careers, it’s important to identify their transferable skills – and how these skills can help them in their new position, and in the future of their career. Learn more below.

What Are Transferable Skills?

The precise transferable skills of each employee will vary depending on their role, industry, seniority, and other such details. But there are some general transferable skills that will be applicable to almost any position – regardless of the above factors. These include:

● Communication – Great communication skills are at the heart of proper teamwork, and can be developed in almost any position.

● Organization – The ability to organize projects, busy schedules, other workers and other such things is extremely powerful.

●  Leadership – Workers in every position can build better leadership skills, and these skills translate to better team performance, unity, and other such benefits.

● Teamwork – A great employee is a great team member. No company can thrive on its own, and team players are extremely valuable in every industry and position.

● Dependability – Employees who can always perform their duties on time, be punctual, and be relied upon in critical situations are a great asset for any company.

● Technological Literacy – General technological literacy – understanding how technology works in a business setting – is one of the most important transferable skills in our modern, technologically-sophisticated workforce.

● Adaptability – The ability to meet new challenges, adapt to them, and understand how to approach them is very important for employees who are working in challenging environments.

By identifying transferable skills in your employees and helping them understand how they can excel in their new position, you can boost their confidence – and their performance.

How To Identify These Transferable Skills

If you have an employee who is not feeling confident, and you are looking to identify their best transferable skills, there are a few different ways you can help them figure out where their strengths lie.

You should start by simply speaking with that employee about their responsibilities in their previous career. Ask them about what they did on a day-to-day basis – questions like:

● What did you do on a day-to-day basis in your position?

● Did you interact with other people and customers often, or were you more independent and “behind-the-scenes?”

● Did you have a leadership role? If not, were you good at following the directions and instructions of your leader?

● What software and hardware programs did you use?

● What are the “shining moments” that you were the proudest of in your previous role?

● What was your greatest challenge in your old job, and how did you overcome it?

● Did you ever take an innovative approach to a complicated problem, and find a solution?

As you speak with your employee and learn more about them and their past role, you’re sure to pick up on the transferable skills that they have.

How To Make These Transferable Skills Come To Life

Even after you’ve taken the time to learn more about your employee’s transferable skills, you need to do more than just write them down and talk to your employee about them – you need to show them how their new career is bringing their transferable skills to life.

You can do this by relating their previous skills to their new role. You can make your employee feel confident with their new responsibilities by showing how their most-developed transferable skills can be used in their new position – and giving them concrete examples.

● If an employee used to work in sales and is now in a client-facing role – like customer service – you can emphasize how they can use the communication skills they developed in sales to excel in their new position.

● If an employee used to work as an assistant for someone else, and has moved to a management role, you can point out how their organization and dependability skills have transferred to their new role.

● If an employee used to work in research and spent time analyzing and researching data for content, and has moved into a position where they are responsible for creating content, they can use the analytical skills they developed to easily discover new pieces of content to create.

By using these examples, you can show your employee that they have the skills they need to excel – even if their responsibilities have changed. And if your employee shows a desire to grow their skills even further, you may be able to take other steps – like offering them the ability to continue their education in a community college, online school, or even through internal corporate training.

If you’ve been thinking about joining an HR association, but you’re not sure that it’s right for you, we would encourage you to take the time to explore the associations near you, such as the San Diego SHRM, or other local HR associations. Anyone studying human resources management should consider HR associations to be a valuable personal and professional tool – so start exploring your options today, and learn more.

This post was written in partnership with Ashford University, who offers 80+ degree programs, including a Bachelor’s in Human Resources and a Master in Human Resources. Visit their website to learn more.

San Diego SHRM members interested in finding out more information on the Masters in Human Resources Management program can visit www.claremontlincoln.edu.  All San Diego SHRM members will receive a 12.5% scholarship to reduce the overall program cost.  Claremont Lincoln University is committed to socially conscious education – quality learning, accessible and affordable programs, and an online by design classroom environment.

As human resources professionals, communication and change is a part of our daily lives. Embrace your role as a change-maker by pursuing a higher degree that incorporates mindfulness, dialogue, collaboration, and change into its curriculum.  Claremont Lincoln University, known for socially conscious education, is now offering a Master of Arts degree in Human Resources Management. This new online program produces leaders capable of respecting differences and collaborating with those of different viewpoints to resolve problems. Using a holistic approach with multiple disciplinary perspectives, students are prepared to create sustainable and positive change as human resources professionals.

The Human Resources Management degree is designed for HR professionals like you. You will discover, share, and collaborate with other HR professionals in all aspects of people management including understanding human resources functions, enhancing your ability to apply key HR legislation, learning the elements of a total compensation system, developing plans for attracting and selecting employees, discovering the purpose and process of talent management, and applying HR analytics to your decision-making.  Our goal is to equip you in becoming a strategic partner through the development of interpersonal competencies, critical thinking, and ethical reasoning.  

The M.A. in Human Resources Management at Claremont Lincoln University focuses on:

• Decision-making: Examine data and analytic insights, quantitative and qualitative relationships, and decision-making strategies within a global and diverse workforce
• Ethical Leadership: Lead ethically and responsibly in positions of power in a workplace, community, or organization.
• People Management: Understand the foundations of strategic human resource management, workforce planning and employment, and employee and labor relations with a particular focus on mindfulness, dialogue, and collaboration.
• Strategic Communication: Demonstrate the interpersonal and engagement skills necessary for effective leaders to achieve innovative and collaborative resolution to community and organization issues.
• Conflict Resolution: Resolve conflicts through mindfulness, dialogue, and collaboration to bring about positive change.
• Action Research: Research, design, and implement a capstone project to affect a positive impact.

For more information on Claremont Lincoln’s M.A. in HR Management, please see the website at https://www.claremontlincoln.edu or contact Heather Staples, hstaples@claremontlincoln.edu

 Challenges of Hiring Global Talent: The transition process is key!

By: Claude Koehl 

Attracting and hiring talent from abroad has many rewards. First and foremost, importing foreign talent gives access to a bigger talent pool of qualified candidates, which can help fill skills gaps. Foreign employees also bring knowledge of industries, business practices and markets outside the U.S.A., and will therefore enhance your projects with a fresh perspective. Furthermore, global talent also increases the diversity of the workforce and therefore its potential for innovation. In other words, the benefits largely outweigh the cost.

The Challenges

Nevertheless, hiring global talent is a challenging process for any company and invariably involves some additional expenditure, as procedures that are standard for domestic recruiting will have to be revised and adapted. Here are examples of the key issues to be considered:

• What is the current team’s composition and what are the company’s long-term international expansion plans?
• Do the hiring managers have the expertise needed to complete a global hiring process successfully? For instance, will they be able to confirm work references from abroad? If not, what internal or external partners need to be added? What about your legal team?
• Have the necessary resources been allocated? The cost and timeframe need for recruiting international talent will exceed your typical domestic outlay. Additional expenses will need to be budgeted (e.g. extra man-hours, airfare for interviews, relocation expenses).
• Is your on-boarding process flexible enough to integrate global talent efficiently? By the way, it is said that up to 70% of failed relocation's result from the family not settling in and adapting.

The Transition Process is Key for the On-boarding and Retention of Global Talent

Getting the practical relocation elements right (e.g. the work visa and social security number, household move, a temporary place to stay) is crucial to make the new hire (and their family members) feel they are being welcomed to the company.

However, surveys show (Expat Insider 2018, Expatica.com 2018) that global talents' main concerns are cross-cultural differences and the need to adapt and integrate into a new community.

• Language competency, communication skills.
• Adapting to local culture.
• Learning culturally appropriate behaviors.
• Developing a new social network.
• Family unit relocation issues.
  (e.g. partner’s and children’s integration, relationship)
• Differences in Work Environment and Processes.
• Cost of Living and Retirement Provisions.

Letting your new hires know that the company is aware of these concerns can make a huge difference. First impressions do count!

So how can companies help with cultural issues and make global hires feel more welcome? Often, it is the little things that make a difference; here are some suggestions:

• Have some healthy food available for the arrival of the new hire at the temporary housing.

• Have somebody with knowledge of the new hire’s own culture give them an area tour, help them get their social security number, look for a school for the children, etc.

• Have informational material about their new community available, e.g. opportunities for sightseeing, cultural communities in the area.

• Implement a buddy system (e.g. past foreign hires, or domestic employees interested in cross-cultural communication).

• Train the domestic employees on cultural differences and sensitivity!

By the way, these initiatives can be implemented at a minimal cost, particularly considering the overall cost of hiring global talent. Another example of low-cost but invaluable on-boarding material is the new book “The American Way of Life. The Foreigners Perspective”.

An ABC (literally and metaphorically) of everyday life in America, a compendium of insights and instructions, a fascinating blend of the philosophical and the practical – this is a book that covers everything from coffee (and we all know how controversial that can be, especially those of us who rely on that first vital cup in the morning) to cloverleaf ramps, those objects of terror for many new arrivals, whether as drivers or passengers. As the idiosyncrasies of everyday American life are revealed via the perceptions and experiences of foreigners, much will resonate with anyone who has ever puzzled over the intricacies of operating a garbage disposal unit for the first time or contemplated the difference between a queen or a king-sized bed.

The book helps newcomers realize that they are not alone in finding some customs surprising, funny and sometimes downright weird. At the same time, it gives U.S. readers a better understanding about how their customs and standards can be perceived by non-Americans, perhaps even inspiring them to take a fresh look at their own cultural filter.

The author uses humor very intentionally to bridge the gaps caused by cultural differences and unconscious bias, because humor and laughter are known to be key coping mechanisms to relieve stress (dopamine reward system), boost overall mood, and influence positive learning. They are two of healthiest and most powerful methods for putting challenging situations, like a cross-cultural relocation, in perspective.

Packed with thought-provoking information, the Foreigners’ Perspective is much more than simply another eye-catching coffee-table book. It is an invaluable resource as:

• Ultimate guidebook for travelers, expats and immigrants giving much-needed insight into formal and informal facets of daily life in America.
• On-boarding material for companies aiming to advance employee engagement and promote diversity and inclusion.
• Entertaining icebreaker for discussions about cultural differences and unconscious bias.
• Great reference book for ESL teachers, intercultural consultants and trainers.
• Source book for U.S. readers desiring to better understand how their customs may be perceived by outsiders and newcomers.
• The perfect giveaway for anybody working with an international clientele (e.g. lawyers, realtors, talent acquisition managers, relocation consultants).

The American Way of Life. The Foreigners’ Perspective is a treasure trove for anyone interested in learning more about the profound impact American culture has on all aspects of daily life. For more information see www.ForeignersPerspective.com

The Author

Claude Koehl, herself a foreigner, has been working with employees from around the world for over 20 years. In 1994 she founded Intercultural Services to help companies and their employees develop cross-cultural leadership and communication competencies for the successful on-boarding, deployment, development, and retention of an increasingly diverse workforce. This book draws on her own cultural journey, as well as on the experience of the many people she has helped understand and integrate unfamiliar cultures.

Claude Koehl holds a Master's in Social Psychology, as well as degrees in Teaching, Health Promotion, Human Capital and Organizational Development. She is fluent in English, French, German, Italian, Swiss German, and is currently working to improve her Spanish.