TOPIC OF THE MONTH
 Union involvement: Professional suicide or a fast track to success?
New research has revealed that nine out of 10 workplace reps believe their career prospects have been hampered by their personal involvement with their union. But is this the case for the Society? Rachel Kelly asks some former SoR reps to describe their experiences.
In February, research from Personnel Today and the TUC revealed that a surprising nine out of 10 union reps believe they are sacrificing their careers to represent their colleagues. Some 38 per cent believe this is definitely the case and half believe it is possibly so.
Paul Nowak, national organiser at the TUC, said: “Too many union reps feel their careers are put on the line because of their representative role. Managers need to demonstrate practically that staff taking on reps roles will not lose out when it comes to career prospects, pay or development opportunities.”
But are the figures typical of all unions? Richard Evans, CEO of the SoR and himself a former rep, thinks not. “Within the Society of Radiographers and other profession-based healthcare unions, there is plenty of evidence that – far from losing out – reps are using their additional experience to effectively develop their roles alongside and beyond those of their colleagues.”
Kate Parkin, associate director and professional lead for radiotherapy radiographers at Brighton and Sussex Healthcare Trust, agrees. “I have never regarded union involvement as professional suicide,” she said. “In fact in my experience, it has been quite the opposite.”
Kate took on a union role very early in her radiography career and has found the skills invaluable in her progression up the ladder. “What the job taught me was to look at the bigger picture – at how an entire trust works and functions,” she explained.
“I was given the opportunity to work with senior management and representatives from the entire healthcare spectrum and this gave me enormous confidence.
“I used my experience as a ‘selling point’ when I was interviewed for my first management role,” she added. “The fact that I had an understanding of the wider issues affecting the NHS stood me in excellent stead for promotion.”
Now Kate helps reps in her own department by making sure the lines of communication are kept open. “I always involve reps in the decision-making process,” she said. “It’s important to remember that we are working towards a common goal.”
She believes that those reps who approach the role with a positive attitude will get the most out of it.
“If you are unnecessarily aggressive or negative, or unprepared and inaccurate about details, you will lose all credibility,” she said. “But, if you present the evidence properly and give the manager enough time to sort out a solution, then a problem can often be resolved before it becomes an issue.”
Andrew Jessop, departmental manager at Dartford and Gravesend NHS Trust, agrees. “It is more to do with problem solving and coming to an agreeable solution,” he said. “When I was a rep, I never regarded it as a confrontational role.”
But, regardless of how an individual approaches it, there is no question that the job can be challenging. Kim Sanderson, radiotherapy services manager at Portsmouth Oncology Centre, says that while her experience as a rep was generally a positive one, she understands why some might describe it as a thankless task.
“You can feel like ‘piggy-in-the-middle’ between the team and management and be seen by colleagues to be colluding with the ‘enemy’. The job has the potential to be very isolating.”
That said, Kim believes that many of the perceived barriers to progression are exactly that – perceived. “Reps imagine that they will never be promoted because they are ‘trouble makers’ or ‘difficult’. In most instances this is simply not true because your profile as a negotiator can earn you enormous respect within a department, from staff and management alike.”
This view is backed by the Personnel Today and TUC research which shows that only a third of HR professionals think that union reps’ careers are damaged by taking on union duties. And more than half of the HR professionals questioned agree that unions are an essential part of modern employer/employee relations and that unions are a ‘force for good’.
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