Figure 1 - Employee Relations (
In the effect of globalization and considering the rise of
individualism and unregulated labour markets across the world, it draws
primarily on recent developments in employee relations worldwide.
Parallelly, the current trend is skill migration which defines the
labour market demand and supplies. Further, experiences of workers and
employers in countries with limited workers’ protection are becoming
increasingly relevant for understanding the future of employee relations in
developed countries, in a context where unregulated markets facilitate the transfer
of labour practices from developing to developed countries to reduce labour
costs.
Employee Relations are efforts to create and maintain a positive
relationship with employees at an organization. With a good atmosphere of
maintaining positive and constructive employee relations, the organization will
get employees who are more loyal and more engaged in their work which helps to
get their extra commitment in achieving the goal of the organization
Typically, the HR department plays a vital role
in managing the employee relation at the workplace. However, some organizations
have a dedicated employee relations department or personal depending on their
nature of work and requirements.
ABC Company Privet Limited, (hereinafter referred
as ABC) is a well-established company in Furniture and Fit-out (trading)
industry, which practices the best Employee relation techniques to retain the
Best-Fit and encourage them in the long-run.
Figure 2 - Four Main Pillar of ER (Source: User Developed)
Open communication, show gratitude, consistent
feedback and investing in employees are the main four pillars of the ER which
ABC believes as the most effective tool.
In any relationship, communication is
the key, especially in the working relationship, the open communication among
the line managers and employees at ABC gives the employees the transparency
that they need and it helps them understand their role in the organization
better and most importantly it makes them so special as they are being cared or
trusted by the management.
Curtesy
leads the path to curiosity, similarly, simple words really do mean a lot to
employees and such simple words of appreciation reinforces their good
work. For example, when an employee at ABC finishes a project/task on time and
on budget, the achievement will be celebrated in a Hotel/Restaurant, and they
will be given a special bonus.
Even if
a small task being achieved within the timeframe, the Management is keen to appreciate
them Infront of their collages which makes them happy and encourage them in
their future assignments which ultimately result in achieving the goals.
“No one
is perfect”, therefore the Senior Managers who are most experienced in ABC ensure
that they always touching base with employees/subordinates, giving them
feedback on how they can improve and make them understand that they are trying
to help the employees grow as a person, which is exactly what they want.
“People
don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” – John C.
Maxwell, it is very important to show employees to what extend the management
cares for them, and want them to be better people, both personally and
professionally.
“Happy
bees make more honey”, accordingly the Management of ABC is concerned of its employee
is happy in their personal life, then they’ll be much more productive at work. Therefore,
the HR team is being requested by the ABC to find out what would make the
employees happier, and then to invest in them. Also, ABC allows them to pursue
side projects, subsidizes their gym membership, subsidize their guitar lessons,
it honestly doesn’t matter.
When it comes to employee relations, the HR
department at ABC helps to prevent and resolve problems or disputes between employees
& management and assists in creating and enforcing policies that are fair
and consistent for everyone at the workplace. Subsequently, the main
responsibilities of an HR/ER Team include acting as a liaison or intermediary
between employees and managers, and either creating or advising on the creation
of policies around employee issues like fair compensation, useful benefits,
proper work-life balance, reasonable working hours, and others.
To maintain a successful and positive employee
relation, an organization must first view employees as stakeholders and
contributors which are simply identified as Human Resources in the company
rather than simply as paid laborers. As we all know, the ABC also believes resources
are very scarce. This perspective encourages the management and executive roles
to seek employee feedback, to value their input more highly, and to consider
the employee experience when making decisions that affect the entire
organization.
Conclusion
Building a connected employer-employee
relationship might not be as easy as it seems. But the minute the company starts
investing time in them, they will understand that it's the right path to
business happiness!
References
Bamboo HR LLC, 2021. Bamboo HR. [Online]
Available at: https://www.bamboohr.com/hr-glossary/employee-relations/
[Accessed 24 July 2021].
