The centuries-old struggle of employers versus employees shows little or
no sign of abating. There were two
clears signs of that this week. The first was the strike by firemen against
changes it says will force firefighters to work longer, pay more into their
pensions and receive less in retirement. The second was a call by the NHS Employers
organisation calling for a freeze in pay scales in 2014/5. On the face of it the
two extremes of the struggle – workers acting because they feel exploited, and
employers sending messages that employee costs cannot continue to rise.
Such standpoints, however, only perpetuate the struggle. To resolve the
underlying problem you have to think differently or, as Einstein put it, “You
cannot solve a problem from the same level of consciousness that created it.” So how can we break free of such entrenched
thinking?
The solution seems manifestly obvious and relatively easy. You simply have to
find a common purpose. If you doubt that just think of squabbling siblings: the
minute you introduce an outside threat, they will more often than not put aside
their differences to unite against it. Why then does this seem so difficult in
commerce? Both parties depend on providing a good service; their livelihoods
depend on it. Thus any threat to the organisation poses a threat to both.
Consequently these tough times should unite them and compel them to seek
solutions that are in both their interests. Yet there is so much mistrust that
seldom, if ever, seems to happen.
So if we are ever to break the cycle and create trust we must start looking forward rather
than back. The best (perhaps even only) way
to do that is to show both sides how much they will gain by working together
instead of against one another. To me the surest way to do that is through
employee ownership, with:
- The employee having an equitable stake in the operational
outcome; - The employer educating his employees in how the
organisation works and then communicating appropriately at all times so that
the employee knows what is going on and understands what is needed in any
situation and acts accordingly.
That way mutual mistrust will start to erode and you will get the employee
engagement, energy and enthusiasm that you are looking for and results that will
astound you. Can you think of any better way?