Managing Employee Relations

One important part of managing employee relations is ensuring employees are being treated fairly by their supervisors / managers. A human resource (HR) professional plays a vital role in building a bridge of communication between the supervisors / managers and their subordinates where disciplinary problem and poor performance require formal procedures to be invoked.

COMMUNICATION ON COMPANY'S POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Most of the disciplinary problems arise from a lack of communication. Companies communicate to their employees through induction/orientation, which could include employee handbooks, safety manuals, labour contracts and standard operating procedures. However, if the employees do not fully comprehend the policies and procedures at hand, most often than not, the companies are setting them up for failure, unintentionally.

COMMUNICATION AND PERCEPTION OF THE CONCEPT 'FAIR'

For the employees to feel that they’re being treated fairly, companies need to understand that everyone has different interpretation of fairness. The HR professional can help to find a common perception of fairness throughout the organisation. The perception of fair treatment depends on expectation clarity and explanation.

The HR department, with support of supervisors / managers should make sure that employees know up front what standards they will be judged upon and the penalties for failing to do so. This expectation clarification acts as a consensus between management and employee to ensure things are not left to interpretation.

They should also ensure that all parties involved and directly affected understand why final decisions regarding the disciplinary problem and poor performance are made by explaining the thinking underlying those decisions.

DURING EMPLOYEMENT

HR professional / supervisors / managers help employees understand the standards they will be judged on during orientation and also during employment

WHEN PROBLEM ARISE

HR professional / supervisors / managers have to explain the underlying thoughts of the final decisions regarding the disciplinary problem and poor performance

Without proper communication between the employer and the employees, misunderstandings arise, productivity decreases and even the chance of lawsuits increases.
Consequently, the HR department, with the support of supervisors/managers should and must act as the vehicle that drives communications within an organization.