What are employee relations (ER)?
Employee relations (ER) address relationships between employers and their employees. Some companies may have a dedicated team to maintain and improve employee relations, while others may refer to an organizational program designed to support employees and their interests. Employee relations are crucial to organizational performance because good employee relations management increases employee wellbeing and productivity.
Why employee relations are so important right now
Employee relations are important in today’s business climate as the relationship between employers and their employees is integral to the longevity of a successful company. Simply put, a company cannot function without talented employees. Employee retention is becoming more critical as companies compete for valuable, experienced employees, and keeping employees happy means managing employee relations effectively.
An organization with a positive relationship between management and employees may see retention rates and overall productivity improve. Recognizing and implementing employee relations strategies can help organizations grow and achieve long-term success.
Employee relations vs human resources
Employee relations strategies and activities are often overseen by the human resources (HR) department. They can fall under the general duties of an HR professional, or there may be a manager or team dedicated to employee relations.
While employee relations and HR can overlap, they have distinct purposes:
- Human resources: a department that manages all aspects of an organization’s workforce and work environment, including recruiting, training and development, compensation and benefits, and health and safety.
- Employee relations: the employee experience and the interactions between employee and employer.
HR would be concerned with the logistics and ensuring that workspaces are safe and well-equipped. ER focuses on employees’ engagement with their work by understanding how they experience the environment.
Tips and examples of employee relations in the workplace
A common challenge among companies without an employee relations program is that issues can become more significant problems when not appropriately managed. Here are some examples of employee relations in the workplace with tips to help a company function more smoothly:
Employee onboarding
When a new employee joins a company, it is their first introduction to the employer-employee relationship. How they feel they are received in those first few weeks can greatly impact their happiness at the company.
Tip: A thoughtful onboarding process creates a positive first impression and ensures an employee feels welcome, informed and ready to tackle their new role.
Related: The effects of onboarding on employee retention
Conflict resolution
Workplace conflict is likely to happen at some point in an organization. How management deals with employee discontent can affect the employee’s overall experience and desire to remain at the company long-term.
Tip: When tension and disagreements occur, having formal procedures and ER professionals to guide the process can keep conflict from escalating and breeding negativity.
Related: Conflict Management Styles: A Guide for Managers
Agile approach
The term “agile” first became popular in the technology sector and is slowly moving into other areas of business. An agile approach moves away from rules and planning toward a model driven by employee feedback. In HR departments, being agile means transforming how organizations hire and manage their staff. HR departments once relied on managing through control systems and a top-down approach, but now they empower employees to manage projects at the team level and cut back on management involvement.
Tip: As you implement your ER practices, consider how an agile approach to managing staff may create more harmonious employee relations.
Absenteeism and complacency
Unplanned absences can occur when employees feel unappreciated, are burned out or struggle with health issues. Excessive absenteeism can disrupt workflows when tasks are incomplete, or others must pick up the extra work. Complacency refers to doing the minimum requirements of one’s job and putting in no more time, effort or enthusiasm than necessary. Complacency is also known as quiet quitting.
Tip: An ER approach searches out the reasons behind absenteeism or complacency and determines how to address them with support for the employee or restructured work procedures.
Related: Quiet Quitting in Canada: Spot the Trend to Improve Engagement and Retention
Employee insubordination and misconduct
When an employee’s behaviour shows a lack of respect for leadership, inappropriate conduct or a refusal to follow directions, other employees can become uncomfortable or feel unsafe in their work environment. ER helps prevent these situations by setting expectations for behaviour, providing workplace training for managers, building a conflict resolution framework and promoting a culture of teamwork, listening and mutual respect.
Tip: ER can dictate what behaviour will not be tolerated with clear policies, a confidential method for reporting it, and procedures for investigating and ending it.
Related: How to Write an Employee Code of Conduct
Employee well-being
Focusing on employee well-being effectively prioritizes employee-employer relationships and demonstrates that employees’ health and happiness matter to the organization.
Tip: ER can show its commitment to employee well-being through actions such as implementing:
- social events to encourage connections between employees
- employee assistance programs
- flexible work arrangements
- paid mental health days
- extended health benefits
- gym memberships
Related: Implementing a Staff Retention Plan: 6 Strategies to Future-proof Your Company
Workplace health and safety
At a minimum, most organizations implement health and safety standards to ensure employees’ physical safety. Fostering a supportive and stress-free work environment to support employees’ mental health reinforces a respectful and caring environment where employees feel supported and valued. When employees feel supported, it helps create greater trust and mutual respect between the employer and employees.
Tip: Create a training program to address the health and safety of all employees and show what the company is doing to go above and beyond minimum requirements.
Related: What is Occupational Health and Safety?
Labour relations
Where a labour union exists, the relationship between employers and their union is fundamental to the success and well-being of the company. This relationship revolves around fair negotiations, collective bargaining and dispute resolution to ensure fair treatment of employees and favourable working conditions.
Tip: Ensure the continued and ongoing communication between employers and unions. Communication is key to avoiding misunderstandings and can strengthen labour relations.
Employee relations can take many forms within a company, and if implemented as an ER program, can help retain employees and help them feel appreciated and valued.
Related: Engage Employees for Successful Change Management: A Collaborative Journey
