11 Positive Employee Relations Best Practices

This excerpt from Peter Bergeron’s “Union Proof: Creating Your Union-Free Strategy” provides the most vital areas to
address when creating an environment in which unions are unnecessary.

HIRING/SELECTION PROCESS
Use extreme caution & do background checks. Be sure to always have more than one person interview each
prospective hire if at all possible and be sure you know the legal “do’s & don’ts” of interviewing. Make sure all
participants are not only trained on what they cannot ask, but also about what they should ask.

FIRST LINE SUPERVISION

Always maintain supervisory involvement on all shifts – your first-line team makes or breaks a union-free
facility. First line supervision “is” the organiziation to most employees; front line supervision must “sell” the
organization’s party line at all times. Establish a “core team” of specially trained union-avoidance supervisors
on all shifts, and use this team as a sounding board for policy changes, as communication conduits, to train
weaker or new supervisors, and to communicate about unions in the event of card signing.

COMMUNICATION
Communicate early, often, aggressively and as consistently as practical on all matters affecting the business,
human resource matters or community related items. Never let the rumor mill be a suitable substitute for
communications & never assume employees understand company policy, procedure, culture or benefits. As
much as possible, involve the employees’ families.

UNION AVOIDANCE TRAINING

Union avoidance training should be ongoing or at least bi-annual for all supervisors. Upper management
should be involved. Get as sophisticated as possible with this training – the better armed supervisors are, the
better they will be able to defend the facility. Use a combination of live training, video and eLearning to reach
every supervisor on a regular basis and to keep them engaged.

ORGANIZING (THIRD PARTY) DETECTION

Ensure that there is a network to report any and all unusual or suspected third party activities. The LaborLook.
com website is an excellent tool for keeping an eye on union activity if you have multiple locations, allowing
reporting of any activity in the local area as well. The core team of supervisors can be the conduit for such
reporting and they should develop their own networks within their work areas to keep apprised of and report
any activity. The reporting party should be thanked and not chastised for reporting seemingly insignificant
items.

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS (HUMAN RESOURCES) TEAM

The representatives must walk the fine line of employee advocate and management defender. They should be
very well versed in union avoidance/detection skills. They should have a presence on all shifts and “press the
flesh” as much as possible. The absence of this presence will steer employees towards outside assistance, such
as a labor union or government agency.

WAGE & BENEFIT STRUCTURE

A true union-free culture should differentiate itself from unionized workers and product competitors by
providing competitive wage and benefit structures. These items should be reviewed and adjusted on an
annual basis, or more, if needed. Don’t let the competition get ahead, especially if they are a union shop.

RETENTION
Retention begins with hiring - consider a Pre-Hire Orientation video that honestly describes the company,
the job and the expectations for the position. Crucial to any business is the retention of its workers. Care
must be given to provide the proper wage, benefit, and career growth opportunities to all employees. Your
onboarding of new hires should include an orientation video with the company’s union-free philosophy as a
part of that consistent message.
POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Policies and procedures should always be tailored with keeping the third party at bay. Items like skip-level
meetings, spontaneous employee recognition, general employee recognition, employee involvement, company
sponsored community involvement, etc. should be developed, encouraged and fostered to the fullest extent
possible.

EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT
Establish teams that empower employees to provide feedback, input, and suggestions. These teams, when
managed effectively, have proven to be a valuable extension of the management team, and can facilitate
problem resolution and favorably impact on the bottom line.

MANAGEMENT VISIBILITY/ACCESSIBILITY
Management visibility is essential in every union-free environment. Upper management’s visibility and
accessibility is also a needed ingredient. Employees welcome the attention and sense that it is all part of
management’s commitment to the company’s culture. The interactions must be genuine and sustained and
cannot be perceived as the “car salesman.” approach or the “glad-handing politician.”

About “Union Proof - Creating Your Union-Free Strategy”

Today, organized labor is fighting for its very existence. They’re using every weapon
at their disposal - including every channel of communication, running corporate
campaigns, and influencing politics and legislation with large donations. Their
foot soldiers are waging an all-out war against corporate America, and the spoils of
victory are your employees.

In Union Proof: Creating Your Successful Union Free Strategy, Peter Bergeron, a 33-
year veteran of labor relations and human resources, shares his experiences, offers
advice and gives you the “best practices” that truly make a difference in remaining
union-free. Far from a legal text, Peter provides the practical tools and advice that
can help you make union representation irrelevant within your organization.

Whether you’re a Human Resources executive, thrown into the midst of a

cardsigning campaign or a seasoned Labor Relations expert, Union Proof cuts right
to the essentials with 11 areas to implement best practices, the 5 steps that prevent
organizing drives, plus tips and sample communication plans that will help you craft
your successful union free strategy.

If you’d like a free copy of the book, “Union Proof,” please visit
http://www.unionproof.com