How to assess union vulnerability in a remote workplace

One of the most significant ways the pandemic changed the modern workplace has been large-scale transition to remote work, which has cut across numerous industries, many of which had rejected the idea for years. What hasn’t changed, however, is the need to be attuned to the concerns and needs of your employees. In a traditional workplace, that could be a challenge, but in a remote work environment, it becomes all the more difficult. Supervisors can’t observe employees in person and assess morale throughout the course of a workday by simply walking around the office or workspace. Conversations between employees and supervisors that occurred routinely when employees gathered around the water cooler or when passing by each other’s work areas no longer take place.

Union concerns from remote work

But does it matter? Isn’t the common belief that employees are happier working from home or nontraditional offices and more satisfied with the work-life balance that comes with the flexibility of a remote work environment?

Maybe, but how is an employer truly to know one way or another? And how is an employer to know if its employees are dissatisfied and vulnerable to the appeals of union representatives when they no longer have the frequent face-to-face interaction a traditional work environment provided?

Rest assured, unions haven’t been deterred from organization efforts by the remote workplace. Rather, some unions have quickly adapted by reaching out to employees via social media platforms and campaigning via Zoom, all of which provide them with easier access to a company’s employees.