Month: March 2025

Diving into the existence of Labor Unions and the impact they have on the working environment.

By: Gage Ekström

While I have never been a member of a labor union, after spending two summers working for a heavy-civil construction company I have definitely spent a lot of time around union members. Through my job I even got to look into some of the benefits and drawbacks behind labor unions as well as why they are used on some jobs and in some companies and why they are not in others. However, I would say that my understanding of labor unions is summed up perfectly in this quote by Mason Stevenson with HR Exchange, “It goes without saying labor unions are controversial, at least in the United States. Pro-union workers believe unions are one of the basic building blocks of a strong working class. Opponents say unions are too restrictive and hurt working class employees” (Stevenson, HR Exchange).

I would definitely say that my experience and opinions of labor unions may be skewed to the pro-union side, purely because of how a lot of my connection to them was with the coworkers I interacted with on our job sites. They were proud of the organization they were with, and understood that it was through standing together that they could guarantee work and good pay. I also have supported unions in the past such as when the teachers at my school went on strike, demanding better pay.

I do see the other side however, in that unions can harm the average working individual. I know that job-seekers can be barred from applying to a position if they are not a member of a union, or they will be forced to join it if they are hired. Another point made by Stevenson was that “workers are bound by the decisions of the union even if they disagree with the decision. In some instances, they only way a unionized employee can get out of the situation is to resign, which is not always an option” (Stevenson, HR Exchange). While there is a lot of good in banding together as employees to ensure good benefits, it can in turn hurt others in the industry or block out any individuality in the group.

Compared to what we learned in lecture this week, I was pleased with the cohesive understanding that I was given concerning labor unions. It built off of my existing understanding of them, while also offering more context as to why some people choose to join unions such as because “they believe it is the only way to make changes or get their fair share” (Week 10 Lecture, MGMT 453).

At the end of the day, I would say that I am still very middle of the road on unions. I understand their benefits and support their existence, but I think they should also exist in moderation. Right now, “workers in protective service occupations and in education, training, and library occupations had the highest unionization rates (34.7 percent and 33.5 percent, respectively)” (Stevenson, HR Exchange). I think that there are definitely industries where employees can greatly benefit from unionizing, but I don’t think everyone needs to be unionized. As for me, going into a management role in a construction company, I do not think there is any need for unionizing with my employees as I feel very well compensated. However I will continue to work with unionized employees on my jobs, and I will support them and other individuals when they feel like a union is the best way to ensure that they will be paid and compensated fairly in their line of work.

Sources Cited:

Stevenson, Mason. “Pros and Cons of Labor Unions.” HR Exchange Network, 20 Nov. 2023, www.hrexchangenetwork.com/hr-compensation-benefits/articles/pros-and-cons-of-labor-unions.

An analysis of mental health and stress personally and in the professional environment.

By: Gage Ekström

Hello All! I am glad you found your way to my blog and if you are a student I hope that the term is wrapping up well for you! This week in our lectures we focused on benefits as well as health and safety, and I feel like I learned a great deal about how to effectively apply these to my professional life in the future.

To further my knowledge of these topics and of myself, I participated in three different tests and assessments:

• The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory
• A Coping and Stress Management Skills Test
• A Type-A Personality Survey

For the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, I got a score of 95, meaning that I have experienced a low amount of life change in the past year, and that because of this I have a lower susceptibility to a stress-induced mental health breakdown.

On the Coping and Management Skills Test, I got a Problem-Focused Coping score of 67, which means that I sometimes use problem-focused strategies to help cope with my stress. While it does vary depending on the situation, it is often a good idea for me to take action in order to modify or take charge of a given stressor to better cope with it.

Finally, for the Type-A Personality Survey I completed, I got a Impatience / Irritability score of 51. This means that while my interactions with others is mainly warm and tolerant, there are also times where I can get impatience and hostile. This means that when I am stressed or frustrated I can lash out at others or just end up stewing in anger or frustration. Something that surprised me is that even though I have a moderate score, this Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) that can lead to hostility, impatience, and the other related traits can even cause heart disease.

Through each of these assessments, I learned that while I am not a very stressed person, I do not always do the best at handling the stress I encounter. I know that this is something I need to work on too, because according to the World Health Organization, “15% of working-age adults were estimated to have a mental disorder in 2019” (WHO). According to their website article on mental health in the workplace, there are many different things myself and other companies could do to work on promoting how mental health is handled in the workplace, with four ways being:

• prevent work-related mental health conditions by preventing the risks to mental health at work;
• protect and promote mental health at work;
• support workers with mental health conditions to participate and thrive in work; and
• create an enabling environment for change.

I was also able to find examples of practices that real world companies have implemented to improve mental health in the workplace. One example was how Goldman Sachs has now implemented a program that requires all of their employees at the vice-president level and higher to complete a 25 minute mental health training virtually. They quoted that, “Managers will be equipped in identifying and responding to changes in workers’ behaviors, such as appearances, attitudes, absenteeism and poor conduct” (Kelley).

I think that knowing I have room to grow, and seeing how companies have been supporting their employees has motivated me to want to take better care of my mental health too.

Sources Cited:

“Mental Health at Work.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work. Accessed 7 Mar. 2025.

Kelly, Jack. “How Major Companies Are Addressing Mental Health in the Workplace.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/03/14/how-major-companies-are-addressing-mental-health-in-the-workplace/.