In this framework, I have identified four key risks that can generate crises:
1. Inequity in compensation, including uncompetitive salary increases or unbalanced OCT distributions are one of the main pressure flags in companies. According to the OECD, Mexico has one of the lowest levels of quality in the income of workers, both due to hourly wages and income inequality in the labor market.
2. Labor conditions in Mexico have allowed a super flexibility in the ways of operating, impacting the duration of the workers’ day. According to the results of the recently published NOM035 evaluations, the risk derived from long hours of work is in second place, with a 35% high or very high risk incidence.
3. Leadership styles that create tense work climates, poor communication, or lack of trust are catalysts for worker dissatisfaction. In the same survey, it is identified in the third place of risk, where more than a third of the workers identify it as a high or very high psychosocial risk factor.
4. Job instability due to cuts or restructuring, even prior to the pandemic, generate the perception of the worker of a constant risk of losing his job, against which he is willing not only to generate demands but also to be convinced by destabilizing groups that They seek to enter companies and take advantage of their circumstances to “use” them in the front of the conflict or expose them as victims, which they usually leave abandoned after not achieving their mission.
So what is the formula we need to prevent occupational hazards and ensure healthy work environments? Through the same analysis of the cases of labor unrest, I have identified three elements that prevent or help control crises:
– Have open, active and horizontal participation systems, where workers can contribute with solutions that make them feel valued and taken into account to improve the work environment. Added to the strengthening of internal communication networks that ensure the flow of information in two ways, allowing the early identification of risks and also serving as a communication channel in crises
– Preparation of leaders; Thousands of leadership courses have been given in companies, however, this new environment of labor complexity requires a transformation of practices and culture, so that beyond training it is necessary to generate a change in the mindset and the capabilities of the managers of the aligned teams, including with their reward system
– Given that the reform is still young, we need to implement risk monitoring systems in the business environment, in order to anticipate “attacks” by establishing a crisis management plan focused on the labor sustainability of the business.
Labor relations have changed dramatically and are positioned as one of the strategic issues on the business agenda, and that is why we need to be prepared.
Editor’s note: Blanya Cristina Correal is an Industrial Engineer with more than 25 years of international experience in Human Resources and labor strategy, in various multinational companies such as Coca Cola Femsa, Danone and Nissan. She has been recognized for two consecutive years as one of the 30 best CHROs in Mexico and is in the top 20 of the Most Powerful Women in Mexico ranking, according to Expansión magazine. Follow her on LinkedIn . The opinions published in this column belong exclusively to the author.
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