What Is a Labour Relations Manager?

When human resources (HR) departments were first popularised in the early 20th century, they focused mostly on keeping track of employees, monitoring their performance and doing administrative work.

As time went on, however, and labour law became more advanced and employees began to tune into their rights as employees, the need for HR departments and personnel to be able to properly manage staff and keep them happy became increasingly evident.

The introduction of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act of 1992 introduced an era of close regulation of labour conditions and relationships between employers and employees in the UK, eventually leading to the establishment of what we now know as labour relations managers, with the rest of the world operating on a similar timeline.

 

What Does a Labour Relations Manager Do? 

 

In the simplest of terms, a labour relations manager is responsible for managing the relationship between employees and the organisation in question.

Essentially, they’re the middleman (so to speak) who is in charge of ensuring that both parties are appropriately represented and that there is adequate communication between the two.

The specific focus of labour relations managers, however, especially in large organisations, is on the business’s interactions and relationship with trade unions.

Labour relations managers implement collective bargaining strategies while meeting with employers and company management with the goal of negotiating fair contracts, wages, company policy and more.

The primary objective is to achieve an outcome that is favourable for both employers and employees.

Indeed, to be able to do this job effectively, a labour relations manager, sometimes referred to as an industrial relations specialist, needs to have a combination of negotiation and people skills as well as in-depth knowledge of labour law and company policy.

 

 

Key Responsibilities of a Labour Relations Manager

 

Managing the relationship between employees and employers is a multifaceted responsibility, consisting of dealing with a combination of policy and legal protocol along with negotiations, conflict resolution and more.

The primary responsibilities of a labour relations manager include:

 

Negotiating Collective Bargaining Agreements: One of the core responsibilities of a labour relations manager is to negotiate with labour unions on behalf of the business in question. In this context, they’re representing the business, so it’s essential that they’re fully aware of and up to date with company policy and labour law, among other things.

This process of negotiation between unions and organisations via a human resources manager is called collective bargaining, eventually leading to collective bargaining agreements (CBA).

 

Handling Grievances and Conflict Resolution: The flip side of the coin is that a labour relations manager is also in charge of representing employees in some contexts, ensuring that their interests are met. However, this is all done within the bounds of reaching agreements that suit both parties.

So, when grievances arise and conflicts need to be solved, it’s the responsibility of the labour relations manager to find the middle ground between the position of the employees and the position of the employer.

Thus, the labour relations manager is there to mediate conflict and settle grievances in such a way that everybody walks away happy – or, at least as happy as possible.

 

Compliance: One of the key components of negotiation is knowing what can and can’t be negotiated. That is, within the restrictions of company policy and, more importantly, the law.

This means that a labour relations manager needs to be well-versed in company policy and labour law in such a way that can be implemented when necessary.

Furthermore, a labour relations manager is expected to not only stay up to date with any changes in law and regulation but to be able to advise management on such changes and the best ways to proceed, in terms of both company and employee interests.

 

Recording Keeping and Management: Just like with any policy and legal proceedings, it’s essential that labour relations managers keep meticulous records of everything they do, including disputes between employees and the employer, both in terms of negotiations that have occurred as well as final agreements reached. This is essential for the purpose of legal compliance as well as potential use in the future.

 

Training and Development: Since labour relations managers are considered somewhat experts in managing the relationship between employers and employees, they’re often called on to conduct training sessions with other employees. This may be colleagues from within the HR department, as well as members of management.

 

Why Labour Relations Is An Essential Part of Human Resources

 

Businesses vary dramatically across different industries, from function and purpose to general procedures, policies and ways of doing things.

However, one thing that’s essential across the board, whether you’re running a restaurant, a clothing manufacturer or a mining corporation, is managing human relationships. Having strong company policy and labour law isn’t much use without somebody who understands it and can effectively enforce it, interpret it and advise on it.

While a great deal of the job pertains to having specialised knowledge of labour law and such, the other essential component of being labour relations manager is the skill to be able to diffuse tense situations, empathise with different parties and produce compromises and settle disputes when conflicts arise.

The combination of theoretical and practical skills – legal knowledge and the ability to communicate with people and bring calm to situations – is what makes the job of a human relations manager both difficult and absolutely essential in any business.

Not only does it keep everybody happy (in theory), but it also ensures that businesses are complying with both company policy and legal requirements.