Employee Relations

What Is the Definition of Employee Relations?

At its simplest, employee relations is the term used by organizations to describe the relationship between employers and their employees.

In recent years, there has been a lot more focus on creating trusted relationships between employees and their line managers.

When a positive climate has been built around employee relations, it can boost the workforce’s productivity as a whole, help keep employees happy at work, and reduce employee turnover.

What Are the Most Common Employee Relations Issues?

Many employee relation issues can be unforeseen. Some you may only have to deal with once or twice in the lifetime of a business. That said, there are many common issues that you do see time and time again.

Here are a few examples of the most common.

Conflict Management

Conflicts are unavoidable in the workplace – no matter how hard you try to keep them in check. You need to be prepared for when they do happen.

Make it clear from the get-go that the best way to deal with conflict management is by talking through disagreements. You need to nip it in the bud early on – otherwise, the conflict can spread beyond where it started to other employees and departments.

Punctuality and Attendance

Poor performance, lateness, and avoidable absence have two significant effects on a business. They cost the business money, and they can bring down team morale.

These issues shouldn’t be left to fester. You need to have the right procedures in place and tackle these issues head-on – and quickly.

What Are Some Strategies to Improve Employee Relations?

First impressions matter – make sure that your new employees feel like they are valued from the first time they enter the workplace. Assign a work buddy. Go through systems with them rather than dumping them into a plethora of paperwork.

Regular feedback – again, this needs to happen from day one, and then regularly moving forward. Employees need to know that their work is appreciated and that they are on the right track.

Career development path – nothing can stifle the soul of an employee more than feeling stagnant in their work and having no clear development plan. Ensure that your employees have a clear career development path within the organization.

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