Developing Employee Relations Human Resource Management
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Lecture Outline • Benefits of effective employee relations • Developing employee communications • Types of information • Communication process • Facilitate effective communication • Information dissemination programs • Employee feedback programs • Employee assistance programs
• Employee recognition programs 2
Benefit of Effective Employee Relations • Effective employee relations generate employees commitments at work • Effective employee relations require • Providing fair and consistent treatment to all employees • Treating employees with dignity and respect - as an important stakeholder • Understanding the concerns and the situation • Involving employees in decision making process • Effective cooperation between managers and employee relations representative 3
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Manager and Employee Relations Representative • Employee relations representatives • Member of the HR department • Ensures that company policies are followed • Advises supervisors and employees on specific employee relations problems • May help develop employee relations policies
• Employee relations policy: a policy designed to • Communicate management’s thinking and practices concerning employee-related matters • Prevent problems in the workplace from becoming more serious
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Developing Employee Communications • Communication channel – the key to a good employee relations program because it helps • Employees access to important information • Employees express their ideas and feelings • Employees are aware of the rights • Employees do better in their jobs • Supervisors are more familiar with employment policies
• There should be numerous communication channels which move information up, down and across formally and informally 5
Developing Employee Communications • Types of information • Facts: pieces of information that can be objectively measured or described • Feelings are employees’ emotional responses to the decisions made or actions taken by managers or other employees • The must be communication channels that allow employees communicates both facts and feelings
Information Dissemination Programs • Knowledge workers • Information is critical
• Information dissemination: Making information available to decision makers, wherever they are located • Employees feel more empowered • Better work involvement and commitment • Better participation in decision making • Better relations 9
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Information Dissemination Programs • Employee handbook • The most important source of information that HR dept. provides • Set the tone for the company’s employee relations philosophy • Provide information on • Company’s employment policies and procedures • Employees’ rights and responsibilities
• Should be updated annually • Some contain a disclaimer •
Is a set of guidelines, not a contract
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Information Dissemination Programs • Written communications • Memos • Financial statements • Newsletters • Bulletin boards
• Audiovisual communications • Teleconference
• Electronic communications • Voice mail • Electronic Mail (e-mail) •
Employee Feedback Programs • Upward communication • Aiming at improving employee-management relationships by • Giving employees a voice in decision making and policy formulation • Making sure employees receive due process
• HR departments are responsible for • Designing the programs • Protecting employees confidentiality • Protecting employees from retaliation 13
Employee Feedback Programs • Employee attitude survey: An anonymous survey measures employee likes and dislikes of various aspects of their jobs • Employee attitude surveys • Tell employees what will happen to the data • Discuss with them the results • Use the data ethically • Protect employee confidentiality 14
Employee Feedback Programs • Appeals procedures allow employees to • Voice their reactions to management practices • Challenge management decisions.
• Benefits • Enhance employees perception that the org has fair employment policies and • Help organization avoid litigation, legal fees and penalties. • Identify ineffective and unfair managers 15
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Employee Feedback Programs • Appeals Procedure • Open Door Program • Speak-up Program • Company hotlines • Ombudsman • Grievance Panel/Union Grievance procedures
• Organization should use a mix of appeal procedures 16
Employee Assistance Programs • Help for employees (troubled employees) cope with personal problems • Open and communicate to all employees but information is kept confidential • EAPs represent good-faith attempt by management
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An Employee Assistance Program
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Employee Recognition Programs • Program that rewards employees for their ideas and contributions • Two common types are • Suggestion systems • Recognition awards
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Employee Recognition Program • Suggestion Systems • Solicits, evaluates, and implements employee suggestions • Then rewards employees for suggestions
• Guidelines • Use suggestion evaluation committee to evaluate suggestions fairly • Implement accepted suggestion and reward immediately and • Value of the reward should be closely tied to the benefits
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Employee Recognition Program • Recognition Awards • Celebrates outstanding contributions • By individuals or teams
• Awards can be • Non-financial • Financial • Or combination
• A recognition award can be initiated by managers or peers and nominees evaluated by a recognition and award committee 21
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Summary and Conclusions • Good employee relations: • Fair and consistent treatment of employees
• Develop employee communications • Communication occurs three ways
• Facilitating effective communications • Disseminate information when needed • Solicit employee feedback
• Employee recognition programs • Must be sincere to have a positive effect 22
