Winning Workplaces has a great article on becoming a business that is hard for unions to organize. They state,
“the great leaders in the progressive small firms we recognize for their exemplary workplace practices work hard to create cultures that embrace soliciting employee opinions, early and often.”
I whole-heartedly agree! The challenge is that this kind of culture is built layer by layer, over time, and if this environment doesn’t already exist it cannot be constructed overnight.
If there is any single benefit to the potential onslaught upon American business brought about by the likely passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, it is the highlighting of this issue: that these types of business cultures really are the best environment for businesses. Those companies that have lagged behind might finally be motivated to be proactive in fostering such environments.
The effort required to build such a workplace, especially in a company facing years of inertia, can be monumental. It is worth the effort. But in the mean time, we could be less than 1 year away from life under the EFCA. I believe these companies may best be served by “getting real” with their employees about the threat this presents. This would be a great place to open the lines of communication, to better train managers and supervisors, and to begin the path to a more open and communicative work environment.
Bottom line: start now. Businesses will reap the dual benefit of having an improved work environment, and becoming a hardened target to union organizers. The reality: 1) even if EFCA doesn’t pass (now), unions won’t go away, 2) productivity will likely increase in a better environment, 3) it’s the right thing to do!
