Ep:08 — Activist Capture
Release Date: 03/04/2024
Ep:19 — The Trump Presidency and the Global CHRO
A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time
What will a second Trump presidency mean for US businesses? Putting America First means putting other countries second, third, or even lower down the order. America First actions at home will not be mirrored by benevolent actions abroad. The international impact of delivering a MAGA agenda is predictable. CHROs should consider how US domestic politics will challenge their global operations. Author and Podcast Host Alan Wild explores the five management challenges for global CHROs in 2025: geopolitics, tariffs, immigration, labor relations, and international cooperation. Key...
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Ep:18 — From Soft Law to Hard Law…From Mattel to Mercedes: A New and Game-Changing Tactic for Unions and Labor Activists
A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time
How has Mercedes found itself in a German lawsuit over its labor union practices in the United States? How did Japan's Panasonic find itself under investigation by US authorities regarding labor practices in Mexico? There are more; Amazon and Ikea are accused in Germany of poor labor practices in Bangladesh; Maersk stands accused in Denmark of abuses in Cameroon, Uber has been investigated by the Dutch contact point under the OECD Declaration and Armani is in trouble in Italy. These and other issues have arisen in the last twelve months, causing consternation in C-suites across...
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Ep:17 — Insights from the 2024 HR Policy Global Employee Relations Survey
A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time
This episode of the Wild Side podcast reveals the findings of the recent global survey conducted by HR Policy Global among employee relations leaders. It explores how the role of global employee relations has evolved into a pivotal executive function and examines the alignment of current skills with future success. It offers ten actionable insights to ensure your employee relations function remains adaptable and effective in the evolving global landscape. Key Takeaways: Characteristics of a global employee relations leader. [3:03] The convergence of Employee...
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Ep:16 — Poland – from Economic crisis to powerhouse
A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time
This episode of the Wild Side podcast is a national profile of Poland. The title tells the story of Poland since 1989 and looks at how a country in economic crisis in the 1990s turned into one of Europe’s success models and did so on its own terms. When people talk about employee relations in Europe, they often mention works councils, powerful unions with political clout, and sectoral bargaining. Poland is distinctly different, and this episode asks how, why, and how to succeed in employee relations in the country. Key Takeaways: Poland’s economic and demographic data since...
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Ep:15 — Does Sectoral Collective Bargaining Have a Future?
A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time
In this episode of the Wild Side podcast we look at the merits of sectoral collective bargaining, how the Global Employee Relations Leader should view sectoral deals in the countries they cover, and the questions they should be asking when faced with mandatory wage awards. Bargaining at the multi-company level, often supported by legislative extensions of the outcomes to all employees, has long been a feature of Western European and South American employee relations. The system came under pressure during the 2007-2008 financial crisis when steps were taken to maintain the system by allowing...
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Ep:14 — Germany: Powerful Works Councils & Balanced Efforts
A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time
This episode of the Wild Side podcast is a whistle-stop tour of Germany designed to give you enough knowledge to ask the right questions of your German colleagues. Germany is the world's most successful exporting nation due to domestic efficiency likely due to its co-determination rights, sectoral collective bargaining system, and the fact that works councils have existed there since 1919. Today, German companies employ true employee relations experts, and understanding employee relations is a right of passage for every German HR leader and most line managers, and they, by and large, do it...
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Ep:13 — Productivity Challenges and the Employee Relations Specialist
A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time
This episode of the Wild Side podcast focuses on where the next major productivity gains of multinational corporations will come from. Over the last 30 years, major productivity surges have come from challenging the power of organized labor, outsourcing non-core activities, and the wholesale offshoring of manufacturing and service provision abroad. The demand for companies to produce year-over-year productivity gains continues at the same time as operating costs have increased in offshore destinations. As a result, companies are taking cost-cutting initiatives in countries that have previously...
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Ep:12 — Japan: Navigating Employee Relations in a Unique Culture
A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time
This episode of the Wild Side podcast delves into the distinctive nuances of Japan and its unique approach to managing employee relations. With an astonishing 98% ethnic Japanese population, Japan's management landscape is intricate. Despite being an economic miracle in the post-World War II era, Japan has faced hurdles over the last three decades. Host Alan Wild explores the challenges of performance management and sheds light on the persisting gender equality challenges and the unique collective bargaining system. Discover how Japan's influential keiretsu, rooted in Shogun history, continues...
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Ep:11 — Dealing with Grievances in a Social World
A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time
This is the first of two Wild Side podcasts addressing the impact of social networks on employee relations. In this episode, Host Alan Wild suggests that current internal grievance procedures are not fit for purpose in a world where employees have become used to rating their experiences in real-time using leading-edge technology. It suggests that improvements must be made in company processes but concludes they will never compete with retail and hospitality practices. The answer is to get ahead of the game by continually listening to employee voice, and predicting and addressing issues before...
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Ep:10 — International Trade Unions: Who They Are and What They Do
A Walk On The Wild Side - Managing employee relations in global and millennial times ... 10 minutes at a time
Wild Side Episode 10 explores international trade unions, their identity, and current priorities. Employee relations professionals often engage with them for expertise in European Works Councils or as targets of global corporate campaigns. These trade unions influence policy through the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UN systems, primarily via ITUC, ETUC, UniGlobal, and IndustriALL. Their focus includes International Framework Agreements and capacity building for the movement. Key Takeaways: What organisations make up the ILO, and what is their collective...
info_outlineThis new episode of The Wild Side podcast deals with Activist Capture. Host Alan Wild describes the two forms of activist capture and shares regional examples of how it might play out. The first is where low voting in Works Council ballots results in the election of members who put their own interests before those of the people they represent. A similar issue is faced where thresholds for trade union representation are very low, and militant unions secure bargaining rights for the workforce despite having few members. The phenomenon is observed in rights-based employee relations systems and is a growing issue for Tech companies with no history of works council organization or trade union membership. The second form of activist capture is where internal company issues are hijacked by militant activists for their purposes, explode out of control in social and mainstream media, and are judged in the court of public opinion.
Key Takeaways:
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The two distinct forms of activist capture. [1:40]
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A recap of power-based countries and rights-based countries. [2:56]
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All European employees have a say in who represents them in elections. [4:21]
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Rights of Trade Union Committees in Nordic and Central and Eastern European countries. [7:37]
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Activist capture in the Tech industry in Europe. [9:28]
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Examples of socially-driven activist capture in the United States. [11:41]
Resources:
[email protected] — Request the 2023 HR Policy Survey