Legal Trends Keeping Norma Rae at Bay by Jonathan A. Segal W hen asked why employees find unionization attractive, most supervisors focus on wages and benefits. These soft issues, however, can result in hard collective-bargaining agreements. Most human resource professionals can see relatively clearly why employees would want a union and assume those reasons are equally clear to others in management. They are not. As a general rule, employees feel overworked and underappreciated.
Studies show that recognition is both important to employees and an excellent motivator.
Although unions are not always effective at increasing wages or benefits, they can and do validate employees' worth. Supervisors who focus all of their attention on employees with performance problems risk creating a pool of employees who may find unionization appealing. Employees who do well deserve to be told so, and supervisors must be trained to give praise when it is due. Employee recognition programs can also go a long way in creating a more positive employee relations climate, in general, and in helping employers remain union-free, in particular. Some supervisors with unfettered authority instruct by example in the presence of an employee's peers.