By Letzen Maldonado 
Saturday, May 03, 2003

When I was Night Manager at a 4-star hotel in Boston, I oversaw 17 employees. Five of them belonged to the Union. Three were staunch supporters who saw the union as their employer and protector; they worked not for the hotel, but for the union. One of the union's many rules was that employees could not be asked to perform duties outside the scope of their responsibilities and that management could not perform line-staff duties.

Now, under normal circumstances, this is not a problem. But when faced with a sudden rise in business demand or tight deadlines, flexibility of resources is essential to complete necessary projects. It is also essential if under your job responsibility is a task that you cannot possibly to alone.

For the first few months of duty, I had been unable to get the night team to think and work as a team. To the union employees, I was "them" (read management). The non-union employees thought the union ones had a poor attitude and didn't want anything to do with them. Needless to say, the impact on productivity and morale was big. More importantly, though, think about what such animosity could mean to a small staff charged with the safety of a property the size of one city block and up to 600 guests in the middle of a major urban area in the wee hours of the night. It was imperative to turn the situation around as quickly as possible.

I started by being fair to everyone and with simple acts kindness like sharing stories and laughter with everyone, inviting everyone to eat at my table during breaks, sharing coffee with all whom needed it. I made sure praise for good work was given, especially to the union employees. Little by little, I started winning the union employee's trust. I continuously offered my help and the help of others, reminding them that they could be done sooner with less effort. I made sure they knew when other members of the team achieved something as a team by celebrating the team's efforts. They watched and said nothing. I started to help them without asking for their permission. They said nothing. One day, I asked for their help in a project. Too soon. They said that was not part of their job description. I tried cajoling them into it, but nope, they wouldn't' give.

Then came the big moment for 3 of the union workers. All banquet rooms had been used that night and two big functions ran over. All these same rooms had to be prepared for meetings first thing the next morning. They would have been able to do it had it not been for the two late functions. Now they were in a predicament. I told them I was sure I could gather others to help, if they so wished. They looked at each other and then one said "Yes, please." Well, that's all it took for me to rally a team of people and dig in. We worked hard, but I made sure we had fun doing it, and after we were done (30 minutes early by the way), I treated everyone to a full breakfast for a job well done. The few times after that when the rest of us needed help, these 3 union workers were there to assist. In the meantime, I had already won one other, doing pretty much the same thing - making sure I and the others were there for him.

That left me with the strongest union-minded one. He had been with the hotel and the union for over 13 years. He was set in his ways, and yes, they were lazy ways. Still, I had learned that he prided himself in the knowledge he had acquired through the years, that he had a great need to be respected.

So I sought his advice and asked him to share with me his opinions on products and application approaches. Still, I couldn't get him to accept or give help. But his turn, too, came one night when he had been assigned to move a lobby carpet that measured 33 x 96. This was huge and it was glued to the floor. But laying and lifting carpet was in his job description. Nobody (his department managers, that is) bothered to think that he might need help. His was the sole responsibility to get the job done. Hmm. What to do?

As always, I offered help. He said no. He unglued and rolled the carpet by himself, but he couldn't lift it; he couldn't push it. It was simply too heavy. As I saw him standing over the carpet, sweating, breathing heavily, figuring out how he was going to move it, I decided that he would have help, like it or not, union threats or not. I was not going to have the man injure himself or bring on a heart attack, and I told him so. I called on the strongest men, two happened to be union workers from another department, and together, they lifted and stored the mammoth carpet. I thanked everyone, and without saying another word, I left and proceeded with my own work. He never thanked me. I don't know if he thanked the others. But he too, ended up helping when the need arose. Soon, the team was talking, eating together, laughing together.

And I got a bonus inspiration from this job! A union and non-union worker, who never before spoke to each other ended up falling in love and getting married. Well, talk about breaking down barriers and building bridges!

I had many other similar experiences with union staff when I transferred into the Housekeeping Department, a multi-cultural, multi-racial, union stronghold. Starting as Assistant Executive Housekeeper, I was an unwelcome member of management. During my tenure, I gained this group's respect, we raised quality and productivity standards and lowered inventory losses. Union grievances were virtually eliminated, too! The day I left, they through me a farewell party, bought me a gift, and the Union steward and I even cried together. I remember these days as the most gratifying of my professional experience. We united, not under a Union umbrella, but under one of respect for the individual and pride in the team.

In summary, to effectively deal with Union employees:

• Show yours is not a "management" against "employee" style. You are there to support them in achieving company goals.
• Do not put down the Union, and show you are trying to respect Union guidelines whenever possible.
• Build bridges by befriending them, offering your assistance to ease their workload where possible, respecting and seeking their expertise.
• Continuously build a teamwork environment and communicate its benefits to members.
• Celebrate team successes.

-- This article is available for free reprint in exchange for credit to Letzen Maldonado and link to managementaides.com.