Victoria Woodison, HR director for the UK & Ireland at airline catering firm Gate Gourmet, told delegates at the CIPD's HRD 2009 Conference in London: "Our managers used to speak to unions to relay messages to our staff which bred resentment and miscommunication. This led to an illegal strike in 2005, because staff did not understand the ad hoc and reactive way managers dealt with their grievances and concerns. We were in the press for all the wrong reasons. I can't explain to you how bad it was. We were at breaking point."
Woodison joined the organisation in 2006 and she explained to delegates how, through strong employee communication and a formal agreement with trade union Unite in 2007, the organisation moved from being under threat of going into administration to becoming profitable, by lowering staff absence and increasing productivity.
She said: "We had to go through strike action to wake up and realise our communication strategies were not working. Through effective team meetings, staff forums and ongoing communication with staff - which is now intrinsic to our business - we were able to restructure the management of our organisation."
"Change must come from the top, though, and in our case was led by operations as much as HR. But the secret is to be upfront and honest with staff and unions."
More on the role trade unions are playing in the recession...
