Union Activity, Employment Engagement, and Changes in the Manufacturing Industry, Part II

Host Tom Godar welcomes Husch Blackwell partner Anne Mayette to part two of this Labor Law Insider podcast. Anne is deeply engaged in counseling employers regarding employment and labor activity and defends employers in litigation as well. From these experiences she has deep and important insights into the workplace. Anne shares a number of these insights regarding employment engagement, particularly as they relate to the manufacturing industry in this episode. This discussion is an outgrowth of the extensive manufacturing white paper published by Husch Blackwell in January 2023 which explores challenges and opportunities for manufacturers well beyond just the area of labor and employment. In part two of the podcast—part one was posted on March 2, 2023—Anne shares some anecdotes from employees which go a long way toward helping understand employee engagement. For instance, it becomes clear that employees value ongoing training and a career path that is clearly explained and available to them, as well as flexibility in terms of their work and work life. Employees seek an employer that is truly concerned with the safety of its employees and that engages well trained and experienced managers to assist employees in their day-to-day activities, as well as managing their long term goals. Indeed, employees are also very interested in an open dialogue with managers and the commitment of organizations to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Not surprisingly, surveys and scholarship affirm that while wages are important, two-thirds of the employees who are paid at market rate still feel underpaid and undervalued. Instead, these employees often conclude that they neither are trusted to have meaningful workplace insights nor feel connected to the larger mission of the organization. This disconnect at the workplace and lack of trust is an area of vulnerability for employers who seek to maintain a direct relationship with their employees rather than working through a third-party union. Anne discusses the use of engagement surveys, an analysis of human resources and safety policies, the introduction of DE&I training and recruitment process, and use of union vulnerability tools to assess where employers are as it relates to employee engagement. Join Anne and Tom in this fascinating conversation which goes well beyond union avoidance to creating a workplace where employee engagement leads to successful and profitable practices by employers.