What Are HR Policies Vital to Employee Relations?
All companies enforce policies that define how employees collect a payment, how they behave, how long they work, and when they can take time off. For example, HR managers often work to reform and improve policies regarding:
- Equitable payments
- Work-life balance
- Work schedules
- Vacation time and days off
- Onboarding procedures
- The termination process
HR managers also help to deal with problems and disputes among employees or between employers and workers. Employee relations managers also work diligently to create fair policies that help employees achieve their best work. Successful policies make workers feel appreciated and supported but also define roles and provide meaningful structure. Employees want to feel valued, but they also want a sense of consistency and meaning from their employers.
Why Are Employee Relations Important?
Positive relationships among workers at any company contribute to increased loyalty to the business. In short, workers who are happy and content and who get along well with each other and respect each other are more productive.
However, many employers wonder how they can improve or maintain positive employee relations. Company owners must remember that the business’s workers are not simply collecting a paycheck. Owners must value the ideas and perspectives of their employees. In addition to answering workers’ questions, successful business owners ask employees about their goals, talents, and ambitions.
When employers value the feedback of their workers, the company encourages positive communication, both formal and informal, and the business continues to grow and improve.
Too often, company heads become preoccupied with only sales numbers, and they ignore the welfare and attitudes of their employees. However, when companies value the experience of clients, customers, and their employees, the company functions at a higher level.
What Are Common Employee Relations Issues?
Most companies strive to keep employee relations running smoothly, but problems occur even at the most communicative and supportive companies. While employee relations issues range widely based on the industry and the company’s characteristics, here are some of the most common categories of employee relations problems.
- Time and Hour Disputes: Disputes over work time quickly grow contentious. When workers complain that they are not paid accurately for their hours, an HR manager must intervene and straighten things out. Additionally, sometimes managers realize that workers are adding to their hours or not tracking their work hours accurately.
With the influx of remote workers, it is even more essential to ensure that all employees track their hours carefully and that companies constantly ensure that their tracking systems work well. Hour violations are not only unfair to the parties involved; they violate state and federal laws and employers must take them seriously.
- Conflicts at the Office: Individual employees are all different, and they bring unique experiences and views to the workplace. Employee disputes occur all the time and worsen when the company does not encourage open communication. When workers struggle to communicate, they often misunderstand each other’s concerns and demands. When morale is low, and conflicts occur often, Employee Relations Managers must step in to restore order, listen to all parties’ grievances, and help ensure that things improve. Temporary fixes do not stop future disputes, so solutions must be well thought-out and thorough.
- Requests for Raises: When employees ask for a raise, they usually do so after considering it for some time. When a supervisor ignores the raise request or quickly denies it, these actions create unhappy employees. While managers cannot grant every raise request, they should consider each request and speak with the employee to understand why they think they deserve a raise. Even if the supervisor cannot grant the raise, listening always helps.
- Employee Disputes: Disagreements among workers are common and often a result of a lack of communication. For example, employees often disagree when they do not clearly understand their responsibilities. While HR managers always face a difficult job, they must intervene when conflicts arise. Feuding employees can impact morale, and poor behavior can spread throughout the workplace. HR managers should try to resolve conflicts as soon as they occur calmly.
- Bullying: If one Worker is intimidating or bullying others, HR managers and others in charge must investigate the situation immediately. When offices allow bullying to continue, their workers fail to trust them, and their performance and work ethic suffered. Bullying can quickly divide employees into groups and bring the entire brand down. If firing the bully or bullies does not solve the problem, legal action is an option.
- Workplace Safety: Companies are typically responsible for workplace accidents in the form of lost wages, injuries, and medical leave. Plus, losing employees to injury is damaging and difficult for the company’s productivity. From the second workers are hired, safety should be a top priority. Onboarding should cover all safety protocols, and employers should continually update onboarding materials.
How Do Managers Handle Employee Relations Cases?
All worker relations issues are different, and unique cases require unique approaches. However, when employee relations suffer, managers and owners can follow general rules to solve problems and get the business back on track.
- Engage in Active Dialogue: Listening to employees as they honestly report their problems is vital, and many supervisors neglect to do so. When allowing workers to vent their problems, consider their perspective and position and how difficult it can be to get things out in the open. The simple act of listening before making a judgment shows employees that their supervisors care.
- Communicate Openly: Employees follow the rules and regulations they are aware of and openly discuss. When they ask questions about certain policies, answer them to the best of one’s knowledge.
- Consider each Worker Equally: Do not prioritize any employees, and do not exercise favoritism. The playing field should be even and level.
- Document all Interactions: When problems arise, investigators and attorneys go straight to the documented evidence to find out what happened. Keep clear records of every employee interaction, even when it is unfavorable.
What Strategies Can Individuals Use to Improve Employee Relations?
When owners, managers, and supervisors strive to improve worker relations, they are already on the right track. Even if superiors have positive relationships with their employees, they can always improve communication and increase understanding.
A competent worker relations plan creates an equal balance between employers and workers by encouraging communication and openness. When workers feel that their employees truly hear their complaints, they feel supported and appreciated. When employers feel that workers are content, they have more faith in the company and the way the business works together on all levels.
While there is no specific strategy to improve employee relations, we recommend focusing on the following actions:
- Respond to employee complaints and grievances respectfully, even if they appear unfounded
- Help not only settle but also understand the origins of employee disputes and conflicts.
- Offer calm, measured solutions and trusted strategies for resolution.
- Emphasize employee satisfaction as well as company productivity and recognize the strong ties between them
- Encourage an environment that prioritizes listening, communication, and honesty.
- At the same time, enforce appropriate penalties for those who bully and disrespect others.
A general strategy to improve employee relations includes all of these considerations. Businesses that care about relationships among employees and between workers and their superiors are more productive and profitable.
Contact Nakase Wade
At Nakase Wade, our California business lawyers and corporate attorneys have helped settle many employee relations disputes. As a result, we understand the importance of clear roles and concise communication throughout the company. As a result, we can help business owners improve their relationships with employees while strengthening the entire company. Contact Nakase Wade today for a free consultation.
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