Mon, 10 Jan 2011
Managers should enlist the help of unions to prevent their staff from becoming de-motivated and quitting.
This is according to new research from the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which has outlined a number of ways businesses and employees can use the bodies as they recover from the recession.
Its pamphlet, titled The Road to Recovery, revealed that unions have a key role in resolving any disputes, with unionised workplaces seeing 1.3 tribunal claims per thousand staff, a figure that rises to 2.9 per thousand at non-unionised workplaces.
According to the report, employees who are given "a voice" at work are less likely to respond badly to changes in their working practices, something managers hoping to retain their best talent may wish to take into consideration.
Brendan Barber, general secretary at the TUC, said that the work of unions "goes well beyond wages and working conditions".
"Conflict between unions and employers will always generate the headlines. But behind the scenes, many employers are working closely with unions to modernise their workplaces and recover from the recession," he remarked.
The TUC's findings also showed employers will have to provide more training if their workers are part of a union, with the research showing a recognised union learning representative makes workers eight per cent more likely to get between two to five days of sessions to boost their skills.
Recent research from StepStone Solutions showed firms that do not make the needs of their employees a priority will be unable to retain their best talent as the economy recovers from the recession.
Based on research of a thousand businesses, read more about how nurturing talent amongst your workforce will help you through the current economic climate. 
Thanks for your help,
The learndirect team