Landscape of Employee Relation in Organization

Employee relations refer to an employee's ability to engage with others healthily and form good relationships, particularly in a work environment. A surprising 48% of employees have reported workplace abuse. Also, human resource managers devote 24% of their time to resolving employee relations issues. It includes the process of developing mechanisms and communication channels to enable group employee interactions as well as strong one-on-one relationships from the perspective of company managers.

Employee relations involves:

• Governing the employee-employer relationship to form mutual respect, trust, and appreciation.  
• Building a strong company culture and a healthy work environment.
• Advocating for employees, supporting them, and addressing their concerns and conflicts.

Leading industry professionals determine that the major aspects that harm employee relations include workplace bullying, lack of honesty, lack of flexibility, terrible management, unclear policies, pay rise requests, and workplace disagreements. We'll go over these in more detail later. If someone is exceedingly task-oriented but lacks the necessary people management abilities, they can quickly create a poisonous relationship with the entire team, increasing employee turnover. Employees who are actively engaged produce excellent employee connections. Engagement is all about working on the three fundamental ABC principles of work:

A for achieving results, B for building relationships, and C for cultivating employee well-being.

The evolution of technology has a significant impact on employee relations in HRM. Technological advancements influence how HR professionals manage relationships, communicate with employees, and address various aspects of the employee experience.

Communication and Collaboration:

Open and transparent communication between management and staff promotes trust and understanding. Employees can voice their ideas and concerns by establishing feedback channels such as frequent surveys or suggestion boxes. Employees can stay connected and informed by using email, instant messaging, and collaboration technologies to allow real-time communication. Video conferencing systems enable distant communication, allowing individuals to cooperate regardless of their physical location and promoting flexible work arrangements.

Employee Engagement:

Employee morale and engagement are increased when their contributions are recognized and rewarded. Giving employees opportunities for skill development and career promotion makes them feel appreciated and invested in their development. HRM may use technology to create engagement platforms that collect feedback, perform surveys, and track employee happiness in real-time. The use of gamification elements in training and development programs increases engagement and fosters a healthy workplace culture.

Employee Rights and Responsibilities:

Human resources is in charge of creating and delivering organisational policies that specify employee rights and obligations. Assuring that the organisation follows labour laws and regulations to defend employee rights. HRIS systems aid in the management of personnel data, assuring accurate and secure record-keeping while also assisting with legal and regulatory compliance. LMS systems aid in the delivery of training programmes that educate employees on their rights, responsibilities, and compliance obligations.

Performance Management:

Conducting regular performance evaluations and providing helpful feedback helps employees understand what is expected of them and where they may improve. Setting goals collaboratively aligns employee goals with organizational objectives. Automated performance management solutions aid in goal formulation, progress tracking, and continual feedback, expediting the performance review process. Analytics technologies can be used by HR to examine performance data, discover trends, and make informed decisions about personnel management and development initiatives.

Workplace Culture:

Promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace boosts employee satisfaction and encourages creativity. Establishing and maintaining a culture based on shared values and ethical principles helps to create a healthy work environment. Internal platforms can help organizations develop a sense of community, discuss company values, and promote a positive working culture. Platforms that enable employees to share ideas and suggestions help to foster an innovative and inclusive culture.

Employee Well-being:

Employee well-being must maintain a safe and healthy work environment. Employee satisfaction is increased when work-life balance is promoted through flexible work arrangements and policies. Employee mental and physical health can be supported by technology-driven well-being applications that provide resources, stress-relief methods, and wellness programmes. Wearable gadgets are being used by certain organisations to monitor employee health and promote a culture of well-being and preventive healthcare.

Employee Involvement:

Employee engagement and collaboration can be improved by involving employees in decision-making processes through committees or team-based projects. Seeking employee opinions on decisions that affect them can result in more informed and well-received judgements. Employees have a voice thanks to mobile apps and feedback tools, which allow them to share their thoughts, report issues, and actively engage in decision-making processes. Technology enables collaborative decision-making by allowing employees from many departments and levels to contribute to discussions and projects.

HR professionals may improve communication, engagement, performance management, and overall employee experience in a quickly expanding digital workplace by adopting and integrating innovative technologies. To effectively negotiate the merger of HRM and developing technology, organizations must stay current on technological changes.

As a manager, they should maintain a performance monitoring system. It enables them to frequently analyse their employees' performance and reward them for their accomplishments. Employees will feel appreciated and responsible for their future in the organisation if their work is valued in this manner. If management has a limited budget, they can provide additional benefits such as flexible working hours, employee recognition, or a title promotion. To avoid strained employee relations, be open to comments and maintain an open and casual channel of communication with your staff. Allow your employees to anonymously express their issues and provide constructive suggestions to improve the working environment. You can spot possible concerns before they become disastrous using the responses from the reviews or the questionnaire. It will reduce misunderstandings and gossip, allowing employees to trust one another and freely share issues that are bothering them. Integrity and honesty in all aspects of the job can greatly contribute to good relationships. Poor employee relations can result in decreased productivity and low staff morale. Recognizing the elements that contribute to an unhealthy work environment and bad employee relations allows you to begin implementing processes and policies that promote a happier, healthier, and more productive workplace.

We can help our organization maintain healthy employee relations and develop a culture that supports and empowers employees with the correct procedures and processes in place, ultimately leading to a more successful and sustainable organization. Employee relations have the power to create or break a workplace and organizational performance. Human resource specialists play a critical role in establishing and sustaining a positive employee relations environment within the organization.

References

Jessica Cieslinski. ‘7 Ways To Improve Employee Relations In Your Organization’, People managing people, (No date). Available at: https://peoplemanagingpeople.com/culture/how-improve-employee-relations/ (Accessed: 17 November 2023).

Luke Parker. ‘7 Toxic Factors That Damage Employee Relations’, 6Q Blogs, (No date). Available at: https://inside.6q.io/damage-employee-relations/ (Accessed: 17 November 2023).

Mridul Maheshwari, Arbind Samal, Vaibhav Bhamoriya. (2020) ‘Role of employee relations and HRM in driving commitment to sustainability in MSME firms’, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, DOI:10.1108/IJPPM-12-2019-0599

Neelie Verlinden. ‘Employee Relations: Examples + 10 Strategy Tips’, AIHR, (No date). Available at: https://www.aihr.com/blog/employee-relations/ (Accessed: 18, 2023).