Human Resources management in action
Consultation and dialogue
All businesses have consultation provisions, and the consultation and dialogue is sometimes described in labour agreements and/or legislatively determined eg Works Councils in Europe.
One of the ways to optimise business performance is to mobilise the whole workforce in pursuit of the same goals. This is achieved by involving employees in the business; giving them explicit business information; seeking their views on the best way to achieve work outcomes, actively collaborating on the achievement of change, whether in production processes or aspects of cultural change.
Some examples are:
- Borax invited all employees to provide ideas and inputs to improve the business as part of the cost reduction programme in their global operations. There were regular meetings between managers, supervisors and hourly employees where business information was shared and employees were encouraged to openly question and raise concerns. Bi-monthly communication meetings are held with the salaried staff and then shared with all employees using front line supervisors to disseminate information to all employees;
- Pacific Coal has published its "Leadership Principles and Behaviour" which explicitly require consultation, communication and feedback with employees on matters that directly affect their work and employment;
- Kennecott Energy/Hamersley Iron/Kennecott Utah Copper/Luzenac/Richards Bay Minerals/QIT all have active involvement cultures with many team based initiatives in place including an open door policy; daily employee shift meetings; safety and health meetings, regular employee communication meetings at which topical business issues, results and programmes are reviewed at department and location basis;
- Comalco/ Coal & Allied/ Kennecott Energy/Hamersley Iron/Kennecott Utah Copper/Luzenac/Richards Bay Minerals/QIT all have performance management processes in which employees and their immediate manager discuss and review individual/departmental objectives aligned with business goals and plans; and
- All Rio Tinto Brasil companies have a suggestion programme which encourages employees to contribute ideas for improvements to production methods and cost reductions. Suggestions are analysed by committees for technical and economic feasibility, respect for RTB rules and Brazilian laws. At the Morro do Ouro gold mine working groups were formed to brainstorm ideas that could improve production with a payback of two years. Some of these are now being implemented.
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