So how do you make lemonade out of the likely lemon that is the proposed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)? It begins by shifting your mindset. Stop thinking in terms of “avoiding a union,” and start thinking about “engaging my employees in the business.” Only when you make this shift will you be able to see the opportunity that this “lemon” presents.
The more you hold onto the old mindset, the less likely you are to engage your employees in ways that make the need for a representative between you and them unnecessary. This is easier said than done, especially at a time when many companies need to reduce labor and benefits costs and cut headcount. These are the type of forces that creates the paranoia that drives your employees into the arms of a union. At the end of the day, they may feel like they need a bigger “dog in the fight” for them.
The key is to give them a dog before they go looking for one on their own…the subject of my next entry.