Employee Relations

“Employee relations” can be defined as organisations efforts to manage and control relationships among employers and employees. Employees will definitely be devoted to do their jobs and dedicated to the employer if good employee relationship is maintained by the employer with fair and constant treatment is given to all employees. This will eliminate or minimize work palace matters save the valuable time and money of the organization. Organizations wishes humans who work collectively and perform to reap the desires and objectives of the organization.

Employee relationship management is a process that businesses use to efficaciously manage all interactions with employees, in view to acquire the goals of the employer. The human resources department have to play an essential function on this system, each in phrases of training and coaching managers and executives on how to correctly set up and nurture relationships with employees and in measuring and monitoring those relationships to decide whether or not targets are being met.

Ongoing concentration is  a must for Effective employee relationship.Which means that managers and their HR departments have to be alert at all times for signs and symptoms of discontent, which can be subjective, as well as cautiously monitoring the effects of more formal assessments. Those outcomes ought to additionally to be shared with staff. Most of time employees are requested to complete surveys and are not informed of the results or what is going to be accomplished with the outcomes.

One of the best approaches for an organisation to make sure good employee relationship is to adopt a human resource strategy that places a excessive value on employees as stakeholders in the business. Stakeholders are people who are devoted, financially or in any other case, to a company and are benefitted by its achievement. When employees are treated more than just paid labourers, as real stakeholders with the power to affect outcomes, they experience greater valued for the job they do.

It is not enough to assume that a company or even its HR professionals know what is important to employees. Needs are vary depending on employee characteristics such as age, gender, as well as the type of job being performed. It is a good idea to find out directly from employees what their needs are. You can do this in one-on-one conversations that take place informally throughout the year, during formal employee evaluation meetings and through surveys and polls that can provide a quantitative indication of employee needs.

Communication is critical to establishing strong employee relationships. Managers ought to be committed to communicating frequently and truly with employees with regard to their issues that affect their work. The greater open organisations may be, the more likely they may be to establish powerful relationships that lead to expanded loyalty and productivity among employees and reduced turnover and dissatisfaction.

In the long run, employee relationship requires the same talents and techniques required to manage any relationship. A clean understanding of workers' needs and a choice to meet those needs is foundational. Then steps ought to be taken to have interaction effectively with employees via a selection of conversation channels, interpersonal and formal (intranet web page, newsletters, and many others.). Ultimately, measurement of the effectiveness of these efforts must be frequent and ongoing, with improvements and modifications made while results aren't showing continual improvement or satisfactory degrees of performance.

Here are some advantages of employee relationships are managed well:

• Sound employee relationship management maintains a harmonious atmosphere at the workplace: one that is healthy among and between all levels of employees.

• Happy employees are more confident and productive. They take on increased responsibilities more efficiently.

• A stronger employee relationship leads to better employee morale and job satisfaction. This creates lower stress levels and increased enthusiasm, in turn, enhances their abilities to better meet the company’s goals and objectives. This fosters a building of trust and loyalty towards the company.

• Improved communication channels lead to conflict reduction, reduced staff turnover rates, and absenteeism levels. This reduces unnecessary costs associated with re-hiring and re-training new employees. It allows misunderstood situations to be clarified and put in place quick solutions to rectify the issue effectively.

• Companies that nurture employee relations enhance an employee’s motivation to be creative. This encourages a culture of innovative thinkers and cultivates a teamwork type ambiance.

A workplace that promotes great employee relationship management usually demonstrates:

·         Equality

• Equality prohibits favoritism and promotes a fair and uniform working environment. It creates an atmosphere in which employees feel relaxed and comfortable, knowing that they are commended and promoted based on their contributed efforts and goal achievements. When employees feel a genuine sense of equality they are more likely to be more productive and work harder.

• Make certain that your employees are knowledgeable of policies and recognize their limits and boundaries among their co-workers and management personnel.

·         Effective and open communication

• Given that your employees are the assets and backbone of your company’s operational success, improved communication is essential.

• Encompassing a work environment with an effective communication approach starts with keeping your door open to all employees and management personnel. An open door policy reinforces that you are always there to listen and take on concerns and questions. This leads to a workplace that is able to empathize with grievances, resolve misunderstandings and reduce internal conflict in an effective and quick manner.

• A secretive business owner can lead employees to mistrust their leadership and reduce employee morale, thereby damaging communication channels. Successful business owners effectively communicate and engage their employees in the businesses operation. This entails a positive interaction of management’s developments and plans as well as employee’s communicating their own feedback and judgments.

·         Effective employee relationship management requires a Shared vision

• Policies, goals, and objectives of a company should be clearly articulated and uninformed with all employees. This allows employees to work towards the same vision and drive the company forward.

• Sharing the company’s vision also means that employee’s opinions are taken on board. A collaborated vision instills an employee’s desire to improve the company’s image, brand, and position in the industry. A good employee relation culture encourages employees to share their ideas and input. When an employee feels their input is highly regarded, this enhances an employee’s determination to further excel in attaining a company’s set goals and objectives. Consider conducting monthly update meetings of the businesses short-term and future aspirations and goals.

·         Motivate employees

• Motivating employees is fundamental to enhancing overall productivity and attaining set goals. However, for this to be effective you must ensure that expectations are clearly defined and feedback is understood. The absence of this can produce major conflict and be detrimental to your company’s operation. Therefore, ensure that you are proficient in creating an environment where positive employee relations are present.

• Implement programs that encourage health and wellness. Managing your employees’ stress and improving their sense of well-being allows them to feel appreciated and cared about. When your employees are happy and well, their motivation to do well takes over.
• Respect and value your employees. Provide incentives and rewards, such as Employee of the Month programs, flextime and movie vouchers. Also, consider career development opportunities where warranted.
• Employee relations help you to understand what motivates and drives your employees to be more productive.

·         Inspirational leadership is essential for effective employee relationship management

Being the boss doesn’t entail telling people what to do and how to do it. Conversely, a successful employer is one that drives their employees to achieve results, reach targets and demands excellence.

They are not forceful in their demands; however, they are effective in how they communicate and motivate employee achievement. Being likable, yet a respected leader should be a must skill to achieve. This talent facilitates the ability to cooperate, instill trust and effectively coach and mentor your employees. A positive connection energizes your employees to excel. You don’t want your employees to feel scared or nervous in their own shoes; productivity decreases and so does your relationship.

References

·         Armstrong, M., 2010. A Handbook of Performance Management. New Delhi: Kogan Page Limited.

·         Hymowitz, C., 2000. How can a manager encourage employees to take bold risks? New York: Human Resource Planning Society.

·         Oluchi, O., 2013. Co-operation Between Employee and Management to In-crease Productivity :A Case Study of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited. International Business Management.

·         Saarbruecken, V.D. & Ivancevich, J.M., 2001. International Human Resource Management. New York: McGraw-Hill.

·         Shapiro, G., 2000. Employee Involvement: Opening the Diversity Pandora's Box. Personnel Review, Vol 29, pp.304-23.

·         https://www.potential.com/articles/5-ways-manage-employee-relations/

·         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2WsfhSIEHI