New HR Executive Struggling with Employee Relations: How Do You Manage It?

Hello all,

Can anyone please tell me how to maintain employee relations in an organization? Being new to the organization, it's becoming hard for me to manage as an HR Executive.

Regards,
Gopal... 😕

Hello Gopal,

The standard meaning of employee relations covers communications, employee participation in management decisions, conflict and grievance resolution, trade unions, and collective bargaining. Employee relationship is not just managing people; it hinges on motivating our people constantly to give their best at work. At the crux of Company's employee relations is a set of sound values that touch every employee in your company: equality, dignity of labor, mutual respect, compassion, commitment, and trust. Be it the top or trainee level, these values percolate across all ranks; transform the lives of every person; and make a big difference in the way they perceive their workplace.

The key issues you may think are:
- People First
- Open Work Environment
- Family and work; a fine balance
- Employee welfare schemes
- Employee-Employer: A symbiotic relationship

You can start conducting small events every weekend to open themselves to communicate with HRD, understand the company's welfare measures like birthday parties, best performer awards, punctuality, icebreakers, grievance handling, etc.

Thanks,
Santhosh
MBA, LLB
santosh_10779@yahoo.co.in

Hi Gopal,

The most important thing is to understand people and the environment of your firm. You should be in a position to start off by solving employee grievances. Specify the turnaround time for it and ensure you get them resolved before the deadline. This will initiate trust-building. Slowly start with rewards and recognition on a monthly/quarterly basis, depending on your firm. I think this would be a good start as it would take nothing less than two months. All the best and keep in touch.

It might be good to encourage training for managers and supervisors on employee relations. How an employee is treated (e.g., a simple thank you, please, etc.) can make a huge difference in how productive and dedicated they are. Though HR can affect employee relations, I think having good direct supervisors and managers who know how to treat people is key.

Mark

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Thank you very much for the valuable information provided. I agree that being a good listener is crucial. HR professionals should be able to extract a lot of insights from employees. Regular meetings and office gatherings can help to bridge many gaps.

Hi Gopal,

Can you brief me on how to handle employee grievances in the organization? I am working with a logistics company. Are there any standard procedures for the same?

Thanks & Regards,
Harshada