Industrial Relations!

A profession that has historically been perceived to be male-only. In fact, the term ‘IR’ unwittingly conjures up in our mind a function replete with gents with a poker face, pragmatic, and devoid of overt emotion. They are thought to be ‘Gurus’ of their profession; people who are aware of sections and subsections of the ID Act, and the Factories Act among other apparently abstruse domain specific information. A lot of these people might even spew some of this knowledge in their conversations with stakeholders. They come across as people who have developed deep knowledge of the modus operandi of Unions and who can proactively plan their movements a step or two ahead of the Unions. You might even consider them as people who not only know the members of the Union, but their families too, including what they do, where they study, and their source of funds. In the informal hierarchy , IR Managers are respected as “aukaad hai”. Today, this is viewed as the ER (Employee Relations) discipline. 

Unions, IR & ER!

The instant and sub-conscious image is one of blue-collared employees who want to get justice for the not-so-privileged class of employees. The people who stand for the rights of employees to ensure fairness. People who stand for a cause. On the other hand, there is also the impression of Unions as the epitome of violence; people who will pick up fights with the management for no apparent reason, destroy company property and go on a rampage and be responsible for the closure of plant and machinery.

We might also want to distinguish between ER and IR. IR is still plant dominated where the IR lead has a connect with the Unions. They bargain and negotiate on behalf of the company and are responsible for the memorandum of settlement, charter of demands and are responsible for harmonious working between the union and management. ER on the other hand, encompasses a larger canvas of grievance handling, managing employee related issues, industrial relations as well as handling of POSH related matters. Contemporary ER experts may not necessarily know the intricacies of the Bare Acts or the sections of the law.

Biases 

The typical biases that women have had to deal with is that they are weaklings who require constant support in everything and anything that they do. That they are incapable of handling Unions since most Union members and leaders are mostly men. The perception to some extent has to do with ‘male ego’, the feeling of being superior and more able mentally and physically as compared to women. The mental barrier also pertains to questioning how a woman can sit at the helm of the table to negotiate CB ( collective bargaining), COD ( charter of demand) or a MoU( memorandum of understanding ).

In the present context, these perspectives are somewhat outdated. IR/ER is no longer a ‘male only’ profession. The glass ceiling has given way as the male bastions have been broken and women have forayed into this profession and achieved tremendous success while at it. 

Enablers

It is essential to reflect on some of the enablers that have made it possible for women to enter this hitherto ‘male only’ profession and to acknowledge and thank those who made it possible. A big aspect is the faith, trust, and support that organizations and senior leadership in these companies have provided to back this cause. There are a number of sticky situations that one can encounter during negotiations. 

If there is a CB where the Union demands the moon, the lead from the management side can refer the number she has been given so she knows what is the extent of leeway she can provide to the union during the bargaining process. 

Safety is the other big one. There potential threats and risks that one has to contend with as part of this role. Organizations have left no stone unturned to protect their women employees. Knowledge of the law, relationships with the office of the Labour Commissioner, and networking with local political leaders through PR has been a great help too. 

Most companies have also ensured a good backup system by investing in lawyers, law firms, and reputed IR consultants in case there are legal hassles and litigations. The D&I cause has helped increase the number of women in this role, even though the numbers are still on the lower side. 

The changing face of Union members

Union Members these days are very sharp and in most cases, well-read professionals. A lot of them perhaps understand IR related aspects better than the IR experts. They are aware of their entitlements, and which levers to press within the company for the intended results. 

Office bearers of the Unions like the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer are usually well connected and have strong political affiliations which they use to their advantage. They have awareness of what is happening within the organization and track official movements. More often than not, they are a step ahead of the management. The other interesting fact is the kind of funds they have access to. Their demands are usually beyond imagination and backed with sufficient reasons in a lot of cases. The one thing that stands out though is the scant number of women who are key office bearers within the unions. The latter is not too different than what it was in earlier days too. 

Women in IR/ER

These days, women working in the IR/ER function are doing extremely well. They possess patience, perseverance and an understanding nature, which they use to their advantage. They painstakingly go through the various connecting threads and put together each piece of the jigsaw puzzle to arrive at the true picture. While they might appear to be gentle on the outside, most of these women have nerves of steel and grit. They are empathetic but are able to perceive the finer nuances through their gifted sixth sense.

Recommendations for IR/ER professionals

There are quite a few things that have helped me while donning an IR/ER hat. I am listing the salient ones here:

1. Treat Union Leaders and Office bearers with respect. They are human too.

2. Informal catch-ups go a long way in building relationships. An informal interaction over an occasional cup of tea helps to proactively gauge potential future events. In my stints as an IR/ER professional, there have been occasions when I have been privy to confessions about what a particular Union member might be planning. In some cases, these could have been damaging to the organization. Having a sense of this in advance has helped me and the management to proactively address such issues.

3. Be there for them and with them. They too have ups and downs, tragic incidents and celebrations. A personal visit on such occasions builds solidarity.

4. Honesty, transparency and being reasonable helps. They know when you are taking up for them and putting their cause to the management. On the flip side, they also know when they are in the wrong even though they may rarely admit it. 

5. Being in touch goes a long way. A simple wish on the occasion of a festival is a step among many to build camaraderie. 

Many years ago, during my stint as Chief People Officer at ACC, some of my male colleagues laughed behind my back, saying “A woman in IR”. I had the last laugh as my team and I consistently resolved Union issues at our plants spread across Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. 

Later, as the ER APAC Lead for Accenture, we successfully managed to make ER a desired function from the ‘scavenger function’ that it was informally called. We successfully closed negotiations with the ‘Male only’ Union” at Bangladesh. During the closure and negotiation discussions I had the female version of my ‘James Bond’ moment. Our GAP (global asset protection) lead, an ex- US Marine actually thought I should take a helicopter or private charter to Dhakka, complete the negotiations, and in the event of a life threatening situation, jump back into a waiting chopper. Of course, our global CHRO very firmly said “I will not risk her life”. 

Today, in my role as the global CHRO for Strides, I continue to work on long term settlements with my Union members, with my other very capable ER/IR colleagues.  

Nothing is too difficult to surmount, especially for women. Everything is possible. Even the word Impossible when read carefully suggests I am possible!