Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Dealing with Disruptions

By Isobel Farrell, CLAC Regional Director

Unexpected disruptions at work can be a big deal!

As I write this, I’m watching a rather large backhoe tear up the front parking lot at the Grimsby Member Centre. We received only 24-hours notice from the region of Niagara that they're replacing water pipes all along the South Service Road and that we wouldn’t have access to any of the front parking spots for “at least a few days.”

Don’t they know we have over 50 people working at this building who all drive their own cars to work and need to be able to park? For those unfamiliar with this part of Ontario, we have no public transit. Additionally, we offer training courses and bargaining meetings so our parking lot needs to be accessible to both members and the public.

For workers at one of the area nursing homes I represent, my workplace disruption would pale in comparison to the constant changes in policy and procedures they’ve endured over the past few years. I’m sure they’d even go so far as to tell me that it’s not much of a disruption and to suck it up!

What can you do when rules get changed or upended with little to no notice and no apparent rationale? These changes can create a lot of stress and some very negative responses. Often, it is unclear how long a new rule will be in place, or if further changes are being considered.

In my experience, most negative reactions to new rules are rooted in a lack of genuine communication—a memo posted at 4 p.m. on a Friday does not count. Rather, inviting affected staff into the conversation helps mitigate or even eliminate any misunderstanding or tension.

It is for this reason that many years ago, CLAC pushed hard to negotiate language into collective agreements around the establishment of joint labour-management committees. The hope was that people directly affected by the operations of the business should be able to have a say in the operations of said business.

These bipartite committees have the opportunity to discuss an unlimited number of issues, including any operational issues or policies/procedures that are in place or are being considered. When done well, committees value the other side’s concerns and each group feels free to express their positions without fear of reprisal.

Better decisions are made when all sides are considered. The committees with the most success no longer see two groups coming together; but rather, one group with lots of opinions.

I encourage all stewards (and managers) to take their role on labour-management committees seriously. Come prepared to give voice to your positions and concerns. Listen to what is being said by all participants and ensure that effective communication is passed to the larger bargaining unit.

If the committee can reduce the number of unexpected workplace disruptions, work satisfaction will absolutely increase.

Dealing with Disruptions

You might be interested in