Queen’s Industrial Relations Centre (IRC) in partnership with Human Resources is offering additional Managing Unionized Environments workshops following positive feedback to initial sessions in August. These sessions are customized to support managers during the transition to the new unionized environment at Queen’s.

“Surveys conducted after the August sessions produced consistently high ratings,” says Al Orth, Associate Vice-Principal (Human Resources). “This demonstrates that managers view the training as an important foundation for building positive relations with staff and our union partners.”

Staff and faculty members in supervisory roles receive practical training during the two-day session, to help them understand and deal with situations that may arise in the unionized environment. Participants in the August sessions indicated the training clearly outlined their responsibilities and obligations.

Participants also said the workshops debunked the myth that a unionized environment has to be adversarial. Workshop speakers give both the management and union perspectives and show how both sides can work together to achieve what’s best for the organization as a whole.

The workshops also introduce participants to available resources. Members of the Queen’s HR Employee/Labour Relations unit attend the sessions and contribute to the discussion. There are also many opportunities throughout the sessions for participants to network with their colleagues from across the university.

Workshops will be held in December, January and February. HR hopes by offering sessions during the academic term more supervisory faculty members will be able to attend. Participants will receive a certificate and two credits towards the IRC Labour Relations certificate program. Visit the HR website for complete details and to sign up.