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Improving social dialogue: What employers expect from employee representatives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Erica Romero Pender ,
Patricia Elgoibar ,
Lourdes Munduate ,
Ana Belén García  and
Martin C Euwema
Erica Romero Pender
Affiliation:
University of Seville, Spain; KU Leuven, Belgium
Patricia Elgoibar*
Affiliation:
University of Barcelona, Spain
Lourdes Munduate
Affiliation:
University of Seville, Spain
Ana Belén García
Affiliation:
University of Seville; KU Leuven, Belgium
Martin C Euwema
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Belgium
*
Patricia Elgoibar, Department of Business, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 690, Barcelona 08034, Spain. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The model of social dialogue within organisations between management and employees is facing unprecedented challenges, and changing rapidly. In this new context of labour relations, experiences and expectations of each other are key drivers for the primary parties to this social dialogue. There has been little systematic research investigating the conditions for constructive social dialogue, particularly when it comes to ‘soft factors’, such as perceived competences, trust, influence and conflict behaviours. Addressing these issues based on theories of conflict, trust and influence, this article investigates experiences and expectations of employee representatives on the part of human resource managers, their counterparts in social dialogue. The results of surveys conducted in 11 European countries indicate that, overall, employers found a model of structured dialogue with elected employee representatives useful. Furthermore, competences of employee representatives, cooperative conflict behaviours, informal relations and trust promoted the influence of employee representatives on organisational decision-making and the quality of these decisions. We discuss implications for different systems of industrial relations.

Keywords

J50Collective conflictemployee representativesmanagementsocial dialogue
Type
Industrial Relations Alternatives
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 29 , Issue 2: Symposium: Wage Theft and Minimum Labour Standards Enforcement Part 2 , June 2018 , pp. 169 - 189
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2017

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