Regardless of what name you use, they're the people who make your company work. And to keep your company functioning smoothly, maintaining good relations with these people is vital. But pleasing everyone amid today's ever changing economic, regulator and legal environments is difficult.

Braun Consulting Group knows the importance of good personnel and labor relations and its value to your company's well being and bottom line. We keep pace with the dynamic forces that impact the workplace, and we have the expertise to help you implement strategies beneficial to all sides.

We are dedicated to developing the highest level of
management capabilities achievable in your organization.

UNCOMMON QUALIFICATIONS

In BRAUN Consulting Group's 16 years of practice, we have resolved hundreds of labor disputes, handled thousands of personnel matters and fielded countless questions on personnel concerns. We are planners, problem-solvers and partners in your organization's decision-making process on employee and related issues. Our experience covers the spectrum of employee related services in diverse industries - both private and public sector - but our approach is individual and fresh with each unique situation. Our office has assisted owners and employers in strategic planning, business repositioning - restructuring, start up, shut down, and successorship.

AN UNMATCHED RESOURCE

Based on your organization's needs, BRAUN Consulting Group can serve you in a variety of capacities. Our firm can act as your personnel department, handling all program development and implementation, or as a consultant and resource facility in an on-going counseling or project-by-project basis. Our capabilities encompass all corporate or public agency programs, including:

• Personnel department design, development or operation.
• Representation of management in union representation campaigns, contract administration, grievance handling and arbitration.
• Development and implementation of comprehensive employee evaluations and supervisor training in employee management.
• Resolution of disputes through mediation and other processes in private, labor, commercial or public matters using customized Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) tools.
• Employee benefit design and development, or evaluation for cost versus benefit - employee insurance benefit plan procurement. Development of Medical Savings Accounts (MSA).
• Key employee recruitment in complete confidence.
• Presentation of management's position to appropriate agencies and governmental groups dealing with employee relationships.
• Development of organization or department mission and objectives.
• Development of single or multiple year budgets by organization, department or program.
• Statistical analysis and data based comparisons using industry standards, bar code or custom designed standards for any proposal or project.
• Development of an agency or corporate strategic plan.

OUR PERSONNEL

BRAUN Consulting Group is headed by Robert Braun, Jr., with more than 20 years experience in business operation/development, labor relations, and personnel management. His key associates add extensive consulting experience in employee relations, with a number of additional associates used for select consulting assignments. Their broad knowledge draws on back-grounds in public and private sectors, on both the labor and management side of the table.
References available upon request.

For more information about Robert Braun, Jr. and his associates please
follow this link .

A HISTORY OF IMPROVING RELATIONS

• A medium-sized Washington city was having extreme difficulties communicating with its police officers and negotiating a labor agreement. The morale was terrible, and the Union had become "political," with officers publicly condemning the elected city officials. Braun's mission was to 1) improve morale, 2) complete a labor agreement, 3) stay within the budget, and 4) reestablish trust between employees and management.

THE RESULTS: The city administrator stated, ". . . the best thing we have ever done was to retain [BRAUN Consulting Group] to be responsible for resolving what appeared to be un resolvable."

• A Washington county of 300 employees was plagues by employee discontent and belief that the compensation system was based on "favoritism" and "patronage" rather than job related responsibilities. BRAUN Consulting Group established an independent "comparable worth" review committee to analyze, evaluate and establish relative "points" for each county position. We negotiated the program with three unions and assisted the Commissioners in developing a comprehensive pay grid with adopting resolutions, including a procedure for review of changed positions.

THE RESULTS: The Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners stated, "[BRAUN Consulting Group] did an excellent job of handling a large number of variables, mediating disputes between departments, establishing credibility of the system with the unions and establishing a control over the budgetary impact from wages never enjoyed before."

• A Washington trucking firm was on strike for a first contract. The company attorney had agreed to wages and pension at high levels in order to stop the picketing. Our mission was to get the already agreed to wage and pension rates reduced without returning to strike, even though the amounts had been signed by the company attorney.

THE RESULTS: Our client told us,
"I never believed you could do it, but you did it."

BRAUN CONSULTING GROUP HAS HANDLED VIRTUALLY EVERY CONCEIVABLE PERSONNEL OR LABOR RELATIONS PROBLEM KNOWN, USUALLY WITHOUT LITIGATION OR LABOR STRIFE AND ALMOST ALWAYS WITHIN OR UNDER BUDGET.