5 tips to help keep your workplace union-free

Union membership in the United States dropped to a record low in 2019, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Nevertheless, labor unions are still aggressively looking for new ways to refill their membership rolls. Here are five tips to ensure your workplace remains union-free.

Treat your employees with dignity and respect

The importance of treating employees with dignity and respect cannot be emphasized enough. Too often, employees turn to the idea of unionization because they are so frustrated with management that they feel they have nothing to lose by joining a union. The companies that are the most successful in staying union-free treat their employees as if they're the company's primary asset. That means following a proworker, not an antiunion, approach and having an interactive communication system that enables employees to express their views on the decisions and issues that affect them.

The more your company treats employees with dignity and respect, the more you can truly say your open-door policy works. And the more time your management team takes to view workplace issues through the eyes of rank-and-file employees, the less likely they will be to even entertain the idea of forming a union.

Train your supervisors

First-level supervisors have more regular contact with the rank-and-file workforce than anyone else at your company. Consequently, it's essential that they know what the company's position is on unionization and why. Too often, supervisors don't know why the employer holds a particular stance.