Labor unions primarily work by bargaining to negotiate with business owners about pay and working conditions. Today, labor unions can negotiate working hours, wages, vacation time, and even job responsibilities.

Pros and Cons for Employees:
Labor unions can have both advantages and disadvantages for employees. The advantages can include job security, improved compensation and benefits, a sense of workplace democracy, and training and development opportunities. The disadvantages can include paying union dues, reducing flexibility due to standardized rules and procedures, and the resistance to change to new technologies by the union.

Pros and Cons for Employers:
Like employees, employers can experience advantages and disadvantages associated with labow unions but the impact on employers can vary depending on factors such as industry and company size. The advantages can include stable labor relations, increased job satisfaction and workforce productivity, and higher levels of employee loyalty and commitment. The disadvantages can include increased costs for labor, the possibility of strikes or work stoppages causing financial loss, and loss of management control.

Pros and Cons for Society:
Labor unions can have significant effects on society as a whole and can influence economic and social dynamics. The advantages can include safer workplaces and better standards for all workers, reducing income inequalities and ensuring that workers receive a fair share of economic success, and economic stimulus by higher wages contributing to increase consumer spending. The disadvantages on society include potentially inefficiencies in the market due to unions limiting companies’ quick adaptability to market changes, job loss in competative industries, and increased costs for good and services due to higher wages and benefits.

Personal Story and Opinion:
One of my friends is currently a union member and has had both good experiences and bad experiences. Overall, she said her experiences have been good and her union has make some changes including wage increases, however, she said being in a union is a lot of work and is tiring at times. She attends union meets and conferences multiple times a month and she mentioned that there is tension in her office from time to time between the union workers and non-union workers.

After reviewing the lecture materials, doing research, and speaking with my friend, I would not consider joining a union. The two main reasons I wouldn’t join a union are the union costs and that I prefer to negotiate my own terms with my employers. However, I do support some aspects of unionization including fair wages and improved working conditions, so I am not completely against it, but I am more impartial about unions than in support of them.

References:

https://www.epi.org/publication/unions-and-well-being/ https://online.maryville.edu/blog/pros-and-cons-of-unions/

https://www.hrexchangenetwork.com/hr-compensation-benefits/articles/pros-and-cons-of-labor-unions

https://online.maryville.edu/blog/pros-and-cons-of-unions/

Stress can negatively impact a person’s lift in many aspects. Workplace stress can affect an individual’s home life, but the opposite can also be true. Irritability, distraction, and fatigue can all be caused by personal stressors which can negatively impact both employees and their organizations. After taking the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory Test, the Coping & Stress Managemtn Skills Test, and the Type A Personality Test, I learned some things about myself that I didn’t already know.

Based on my results and what I know about myself already, I have a lot of stress in my life, and I don’t cope with it very well. Additionally, during interactions with others, I generally am warm and tolerant of their behaviors and choices, but also at times I am impatient and hostile and when I am stressed or frustrated, I tend to lash out at others or end up stewing in the anger/frustration. During my last year working in healthcare, I recognized multiple times that my personal and workplace stressors were affecting the way I treated others, especially my co-workers, so I took steps, including delegating taks and asking for help from others, to help manage my stress and progress through my professional career.

Workplace stress and poor mental health can negatively affect workers, which should be a concern to organizations. Job performance, productivity, and engagement can all be affected by stress and/or poor mental health, but a bigger concern for organizations is that stress can increase an individual’s risk factor for various cardiovascular diseases. Reports have shown more than 80% of U.S. workers have reported experiencing workplace stress and more than 50% believe their work stress impacts their life at home.

There are many ways organizations can help their employees deal with stress and many of today’s young businesses are finding newer and more innovative ways to do this. Organizations are doing more to help employees understand the nature of stress and provide them access to resources, such as therapists, mental health resources, and support groups, that can help them cope with stress. Having an open-door policy to allow employees to vent and have quick conversations around problems or issues can help help decrease stress and provide immediate solutions for their issues. Organizations are also offering at least one kind of wellness benefit to help employees feel healthy, engaged, and supported in their workplace.

Resources:

https://www.osha.gov/workplace-stress/understanding-the-problem#:~:text=Workplace%20stress%20and%20poor%20mental,factor%20for%20various%20cardiovascular%20diseases.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/larryalton/2016/12/07/how-todays-young-businesses-are-helping-employees-cope-with-stress/?sh=1990d3cf24c2

https://hbr.org/2019/08/what-wellness-programs-dont-do-for-workers#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThese%20things%20are%20often%20pitched,7.8%25%20in%20the%20coming%20years.