How to Manage Employee Relations Training

Employee relations training serves the entire work force, from the highest level of management to front-line workers. It also protects the company's assets through providing training on labor and employment laws and regulations that govern the workplace and fair-employment practices. Training for employee relations specialists focuses on every human resources discipline. Cross-discipline training makes it possible for employee relations specialists to identify and resolve matters that affect the employer-employee relationship, regardless of whether the issues pertain to workplace safety, recruitment, compensation, professional development or any other area in the workplace.

Instructions

1. Review your employee relations training curriculum. Determine if it includes the most recent labor and employment laws, as well as new legislation that affects the workplace. Double-check training segments pertaining to the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and other federal, state and local labor and employment laws.

2. Ensure your training team is qualified to deliver training pertaining to legal matters. Consult your company's attorney for advice on providing training that meets the needs of your work force. It's worthwhile to spend a little more to deliver training that accurately addresses legal matters such as employer liability than to provide just basic knowledge using in-house resources.

3. Ensure every component of your employee relations training treats workplace matters seriously while providing training in an easy-to-understand manner. Refrain from overuse of legalese and complex terms and scenarios. If technical terms and concepts can't be presented in a way your supervisors and managers can comprehend, be prepared to give very thorough explanations. This may require the expertise of a seasoned training specialist or an outside consultant specifically trained to deliver training to employees at all levels.

4. Assess your learning objectives. You might need to vary your learning objectives according to occupational groups. For example, supervisors and managers need to learn what actions constitute sexual harassment, discrimination and a hostile work environment. Company leaders must also learn the types of supervisor and manager behavior for which the employer may be liable. Be proactive--not reactive--about addressing workplace complaint-handling. Teach employees, supervisors and managers how to respond to incidents such as workplace discrimination. Most employee handbooks contain workplace policies about recognizing and reporting inappropriate behavior in the workplace.

5. Determine how to hold staff and leadership accountable for your learning objectives. Update your employee relations training at least annually, with particular attention to laws that are subject to change from time to time. Develop a way to measure the effectiveness of your training; this could include an exam that training participants must pass to demonstrate they understand all the learning objectives.

References

• Entrepreneur: Managing Employee Depression in the Workplace
• University of California, Berkeley: Chapter 11: Employee Learning and Development
• Indiana State Personnel Department: Training Plan for Fiscal Year 2008
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Managers and Specialists
• Inc.: No Train, No Gain

Resources

• HR
• Society for Human Resource Management
• National Human Resources Association
• American Society for Training & Development
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission