Being able to exert an influence at work makes us feel good. The loyalty to our employer increases and we are willing to go the extra mile if we can have a say. This benefits all parties, says Stina Hallberg, regional ombudsman at Unionen Stockholm.
Apply for membership here
We feel good, secure and can be more creative and productive if we have a say. This is a freedom that we know benefits all parties.
Stina Hallberg bases her opinion on years of professional experience at Sweden’s largest trade union, but also on research, which shows that influence at work is important for both well-being and productivity. For the individual, this may mean being able to influence where and when tasks are carried out.
- We feel good, secure and can be more creative and productive if we have a say. This is a freedom that we know benefits all parties. As an employee, you often feel more comfortable if you can influence your work and share more of your skills with your employer. You go the extra mile. And that’s valuable, she says.
Looking at the bigger picture, it is important that employees as a group have a say in the workplace. This may concern, for example, the procedures in place for salary-setting appraisals or appointments to internal posts. How employees can exert an influence varies, but having a collective agreement and union representatives in the workplace are prerequisites for doing so in the best possible way, according to Stina Hallberg.
- The collective agreement itself regulates a great deal, including salaries and development opportunities – both for the individual and for the group. With collective agreements and union representatives, you also get the protection of the Trade Union Representatives (Status at the Workplace) Act, which says that you have the right to work in a union, she says.
What can influence look like without a collective agreement?
- Without a collective agreement, it’s entirely up to the employer how things are done,” says Stina Hallberg. “For example, there’s no agreement on how to talk to each other about salaries, schedules, annual leave and so on.
If there is no agreement, there is no liability.
When it comes to benefits, such as extra days of annual leave, pension or parental benefit, there are employers who offer the same arrangements as employers with collective agreements. But this can provide a false sense of security.
- Benefits can be quickly withdrawn if they are not agreed. What happens if the CEO who thinks it’s important to have a good working environment suddenly leaves? If there’s no agreement, there’s no liability. In such cases, benefits are tied to a person and a culture in the company. There’s no security, clarity or influence in that, says Stina Hallberg.
