Human resources

Table of Contents

1. Topic pack - introduction
2. 2.1 Human Resource Planning - Notes
3. 2.1 Human resource planning - questions
4. 2.2 Organisational structure - notes
5. 2.2 Organisational structure - questions
6. 2.3 Communication - notes
7. 2.3 Communication - questions
8. 2.4 Leadership and management - notes
9. 2.4 Leadership and management - questions
10. 2.5 Motivation - notes
11. 2.5 Motivation - questions
12. 2.5 Motivation - simulations and activities
13. 2.6 Organisational and corporate cultures - notes (HL only)
14. 2.6 Organisational and corporate cultures - questions
15. 2.7 Employer and employee relations - notes (HL only)
16. 2.7 Employer and employee relations - questions
    1. Employee and employer associations - case study 1
    2. Employee and employer associations - case study 2
    3. Honda dispute in China
    4. Conflict at the University of NSW, Australia
    5. Women bosses in Norway
    6. Age discrimination
17. 2.8 Crisis management and contingency planning - notes
18. 2.8 Crisis management and contingency planning - questions
19. Printable version

Employee and employer associations - case study 2

The UK Post Office

The Post Office is the mail delivery company for the UK. They have a monopoly over letter delivery. However, management have recently been in dispute with their workers. The Post Office Workers Union has organised strike action against the level of pay earned by sorting and delivery staff and proposed changes in working conditions and terms of their contracts that may lead to redundancies.

Read the following articles which highlight the issues in the dispute and then answer the questions below:

• Origins of the Royal Mail strike
• Q&A: Royal Mail dispute

Question 1

Explain why stakeholder conflicts exist in this dispute.

Question 2

Examine the ways in which those employees who remain with the Post Office will have to change their work practices.

Question 3

Analyse the results of the industrial dispute on both the Post Office and employees and its likely impact on motivation, performance and efficiency.

Question 4

To what extent does the monopoly position of the Post Office affect its relationship with its employees?