While there is no magical formula that creates a desire for employees to organize, there are many reasons why employees may become unhappy over time and seek representation. Here are a few reasons why employees may unionize:
- Poor frontline leadership
- Poor scheduling/quality of work life
- Lack of communication
- Lack of formal complaint avenue and/or concerns about co-workers, safety, HR matters, and other day-to-day issues that impact employees’ lives
- Undesirable or unsafe working conditions
- Overall organizational changes that create feelings of job insecurity, such as lay-offs, reductions in force, and leadership changes
- Dramatic changes to specific job categories or functions
- Below market or perceived uncompetitive wages and benefits
- Inconsistent application of corrective action or discipline
- Favoritism and/or perception of preferred treatment from leadership with regard to unequal workload balances, assignments, rewards and recognition
- Inconsistent pay rates and/or reward systems for employees in the same or similar job classifications
- Lack of investment in training and development of employees