Employee Relations Issues and Skills
Employee relations issues run the gamut where there's a diverse workplace and recurring issues can become problematic for employers who embrace little to no change in their practices and policies. Employee relations -- one of the human resources disciplines -- can alleviate employer concerns by exercising authority and creating solutions that improve the workplace climate.
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Employee Engagement
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Employee engagement is often difficult to define because how employees embody engagement at one workplace may be totally different than another company. The simplest way to describe employee engagement is that it leaves you with the impression that employees truly care about their work -- they are enthusiastic, motivated and concerned about how their work affects the products or services the organization provides. Still, employee engagement is relatively easy to measure. Employee relations specialists assess the levels of engagement through employee opinion surveys, focus groups and observation. The ability to analyze human behavior and group interaction is valuable and often a required skill for employee relations professionals.
Workplace Investigations
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Employers communicate their commitment to fair employment practices and their equal employment opportunity policies within employee handbooks, in postings throughout the workplace and during orientation and training for employees, supervisors and managers. Nevertheless, sometimes issues arise that require employee relations intervention, such as informal and formal employee complaints or audits by federal agencies concerning employment practices. Employee relations skills necessary to resolve these issues include knowledge of labor and employment law and the ability to determine the appropriate application of rules and regulations. In addition, employee relations specialists must know investigative techniques and possess negotiation skills.
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Performance Management
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Performance management is a key factor in measuring employee productivity and organizational success, as well as establishing workforce goals. For most organizations, a performance management system has several components -- job descriptions, performance standards, performance appraisal methods and leadership training and supervisor guidance. The basic employee relations skill required for developing and implementing an effective performance management system is the ability to draw a connection between performance and productivity. Other employee relations skills are consensus-building and a broad knowledge base that includes understanding workforce planning, goal-setting and one-on-one counseling techniques.
Employment Trends
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Resourcefulness, initiative and creativity are employee relations skills that enable employers to maintain a competitive edge among other businesses in the industry and in the company's labor market area. Employee relations specialists who understand human resources best practices, the effect of new and pending legislation on employer obligations and how to develop strategy congruent with organizational goals and employment trends are valuable to human resources and the company overall. Issues such as a stagnant or dissatisfied workforce, increased turnover and reduced retention are matters that employee relations can handle with ease, provided they are comfortable recommending changes and innovations and can present their recommendations persuasively and guarantee positive results.
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References
- Omni Business Solutions: Employee Relations: Everybody Talks About It; Mike White; February 2003
- National Aeronautic and Space Administration: What is Employee Relations?
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Education: Human Resources, Training and Labor Relations Specialists and Managers
