Employee Relations

Employee relations is a general term for managing relationships that exist between employers and employees in an organization. It involves different activities and processes that are focused on enhancing collaborative efforts to solve conflicts and develop a productive and peaceful workplace. Successful employee relations build upon the establishment of clear communication avenues, addressing and handling employee complaints and grievances, adopting fair practices and policies, and encouraging mutual respect and trust between management and staff. HR professionals are central to managing employee relations and they are mandated to resolve conflicts, enforce company policies, and propagate a teamwork and collaborative culture.

Example of Employee Relations

The employee relations team at a manufacturing company got to work and held a town hall meeting series to address the claim raised by employees based on the recent shift schedule and overtime policy adjustments. At these meetings, employees were able to express their ideas openly and ask the company executives and the HR directly any questions they had. As part of the team's strategy, surveys were used as another way to collect anonymous feedback and identify areas for adjustments. The company responded to the feedback provided and redrafted its policies to provide a better balance between employee needs and the operational necessities. Through active participation with employees and by dealing with their concerns with transparency, the company preserved good employee relations and generated an attitude of loyalty and trust towards the staff.