6 Ways HR Can Strengthen Employee Relations
HR professionals wear many hats in an organization. They operate as ambassadors for the company drawing in hopeful applicants. Another critical aspect of the role is to administer compensation and benefits while ensuring compliance and workplace safety.
However, one of their most essential roles is as a liaison for the organization throughout an employee’s lifecycle, maintaining good relations between employees and the employer. This includes creating training and upskilling opportunities and serving as both confidante and peacemaker as issues arise between employees — and managers.
The common thread is that HR departments are often responsible for maintaining positive employee relations. It is up to HR teams to not only drive cultural initiatives but also to have the organizational perspective and insight to notice toxic practices and stop them before they can flourish.
As the individuals who are often the first to know about systemic issues, HR professionals are often the people tasked with finding solutions to reduce turnover and maintain a positive company culture. If they don’t, a simple issue can morph into a cultural problem that threatens to tarnish an organization’s reputation and harm its ability to attract top talent.
The key to this is to foster transparency and mutual respect among employees. This aspect of an HR professional’s job has become a key focus for leadership amid the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting trends that have dominated the headlines over the past year.
Many employers can’t afford to see their high performers lose motivation or leave the organization. However, 40% of workers are thinking of quitting their jobs soon, according to McKinsey. This shows a clear breakdown in employee relations over an extended period.
How did companies get to this point? Well, it has been a long time coming, and the way that some employers responded to the pressures of the pandemic is only the latest in a series of disappointments for professionals.
The erosion of employee relations can easily be traced back to the end of pensions, volatile employment markets, and declines in employee loyalty over the past two decades. The message was clear: if you want to get promoted and earn more money, you are better off leaving your job and seeking new opportunities every few years.
Without the vigilance of HR teams, it will be far more difficult to ensure that employee relations are strong enough to gauge employees’ sentiments and attitudes toward an organization. Once employee engagement numbers begin to slip, it is already clear that relations between employees and employers have broken down significantly. How can HR departments strengthen employee relations? Consider taking these six steps to reignite the human element in modern workplaces.
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1. Improve communications and help managers engage teams more effectively
Employee relations can see immense improvements by simply communicating more with employees about the health of the company, the strategic direction, and how they can add value to the organization.
Taking the time to have managers and senior executives share information with employees may seem like a small effort but it goes a long way in helping them feel connected to the organization and motivates them to contribute to business objectives.
It can be useful for HR departments to provide new managers with training to ensure that they are equipped to communicate effectively with their direct reports and model the employee relations practices that the organization encourages.
The adage that people do not quit jobs. They quit managers is absolutely true and should not be taken lightly. According to the Pew Research Center, a top reason that over half of Americans left their job in 2021 was feeling disrespected at work.
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2. Listen to employee needs and concerns
Simply talking to employees will prove ineffective in improving employee relations if there isn’t an opportunity for two-way communication. Employees need to believe that there is a channel to voice their concerns and ideas without fear of retribution from leaders.
HR departments have an important role to play in ensuring that employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts about what is going on at the organization and that it can be done anonymously. There also needs to be the perception that HR does not “play favorites” so that everyone feels comfortable laying their concerns on the table.
3. Promote fairness and equality across the organization
As diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives pick up steam across organizations. It is essential for HR to ensure that all employees feel that they have a seat at the table. Employee relations receive a noticeable boost when everyone in the organization believes that they are being treated in a fair and equitable manner. Not only does it contribute to higher morale and engagement, but employees also collaborate better with each other.
Additionally, with more professionals measuring the quality of a company’s culture based on its diversity efforts, this aspect of a company’s values can’t be ignored. It simply isn’t enough to have a diverse organization. Everyone needs to believe that they have equal access to opportunities in the organization and that they are being treated fairly by management.
*First published on Manatal.com.
*To read the full article, click here.
Manatal is an end-to-end recruitment and onboarding SaaS platform trusted by thousands of brands in over 135 countries worldwide. It is an AI-powered Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool that allows companies to hire faster, better and save costs.
