Introduction

The area of employee relations covers a broad range of topics centered

on the behavior and interaction of people in the workplace. It is
particularly concerned with the relationship between the employer and
employees.

An employer is responsible for managing employee relations within the

business. Maintaining good employee relations has a number of
benefits for the business. It can improve communication between
employees and therefore increase the productivity and efficiency.

When people feel that there are good employee relations within the
workplace, they are generally more likely want to remain with the
Unit 5
business, therefore improving staff retention. Another important part of
managing employee relations involves training and development.
Managing
Employee Relations
 5.1 Employee Relations
A) Concept :

Employee Relations involves the body of work concerned with maintaining employer-
employer relationship, which offers consultation, facilitation and resolution strategies
for workplace issues. It contributes to satisfactory productivity, motivation and
morale.
B) Importance :
 5.1 Employee Relations
1)Impact on Growth of Organisation:
The goal of employee relations is to strengthen the employer-employee relationship,
which encompasses everything from strategic human resources management to
functional, everyday human resources activities.
2)Employee Engagement :
The primary stakeholder in employee engagement is the human resources
employee relations area.
3)Turnover and Retention
Employee relations specialists analyze turnover and retention metrics to
recommend ways to reduce and improve each
4) Employee Complaints :
Labor and employment laws protect the civil rights of employees and prohibit
discriminatory treatment in the workplace. However, qualified employee relations
specialists identify, investigate and resolve potential and existing employee complaints.
.
 5.1 Employee Relations

5) Performance Management :
Basic goals for performance management include improved productivity and
collegial working relationships between employees and managers problem of
absenteeism at the work place.
6) Employee Recognition :
The employee relations section of human resources is the area responsible for
implementing employee recognition programs.
7) Discourage Conflicts :
Healthy employee relations also discourage conflicts and fights among individuals.
8) Reduce Absenteeism :
A healthy employee relation reduces the problem of absenteeism at the work place.
Individuals are more serious towards their work and feel like coming to office daily.
 5.2 Organizational
A) Meaning :
Entry
Organizational entry management involves planning, implementing and controlling a
defined path for workers to gain access and become employees of an organisation.
B) Phases :
 5.2 Organizational
1) Recruitment : Entry
HR department has to identify the quality and the number of persons to be recruited
and also to procure the services of persons with required qualifications, skill and
caliber continuously.
2) Selection :
Selection means a process by which the qualified personnel can be chosen from the
applicants who have offered their services to the organisation for employment.
3) Orientation :
Orientation also called induction. is designed to provide a new employee with the
information he or she needs to function comfortably and effectively in the
organisation.
4) Socialisation :
Socialization is the process of introducing or integrating the new employees into the
organizational culture.
 5.3 Employee Status
A) Meaning :
The employee status is legal status and classification of someone in employment as
either an employee or working on their own account (self-employed).
B) Concepts of Employee Status :
1) Classified Employees :
All classified employees are employees at-will and may be dismissed from
employment at any time, for any reason, or for no reason.
2) Definitions of Employment :
a) Regular :
Employment in an approved budgeted full-time or part-time position that is meant to
be part of the regular County work force.
b) Salaried Board Members :
Members of the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission are paid an annual
salary as established by county ordinance and state law.
 5.3 Employee Status
3) Extent of Participation in and Eligibility for Benefits :
a) Full-Time Regular
b) Part-Time Regular
c) Temporary
d) Salaried Board Member
4) Continuous Service is defined as :
Uninterrupted employment whiles a regular employee with the County of Albemarle.
Continuous service is broken by termination of or resignation from employment,
voluntary or involuntary.
5) Throughout the policies, the word "Day" shall be defined as :
The number of hours an employee is identified on the Employee Personnel System
as working. It is not necessarily the number of hours the employee actually works
per day.
 5.4Flexible Work
A)
1)
Arrangements
Ways of Flexible Work Arrangements :
Telecommuting :
Telecommuting refers to the unit arrangement that allows employees to work in their
homes part- or full-time.
2) Job Sharing :
It is a work arrangement in which two or more employees divide a job`s
responsibilities, hours, and benefits among themselves.
3) Flextime :
Flextime is another type of flexible arrangement in which employees can choose
when to be at the office.
4) Compressed Work Week :
Compressed work week occurs when an employee works for longer periods of time
per day or shift in exchange for a day off.
5) Part-Time Work :
Employees may choose to work fewer than the standard 37.5 or 40 hours work
week.
 5.4 Flexible Work
B)
Arrangements
Issues for Developing and Implementing FWA :
1) Open for All Employees :
Every attempt should be made to open these programs to all employees. The risk
here is that if only certain groups are offered these options then excluded groups
may feel discriminated against.
2) Training and Reward for Managers :
In order to make these programs an accepted part of the organization, managers
need to be trained and rewarded for encouraging their subordinates to use them
without fear of derailing their good standing within the firm.
3) Commensurate with Laws :
Organizations need to be mindful of the laws that may impact how these flexible work
arrangements policies are developed and managed.
 5.4 Flexible Work
Arrangements
C) Advantages :
1) Increased employee morale, engagement, and commitment to the organization.
2) Reduced absenteeism and tardiness.
3) Increased ability to recruit outstanding employees.
4) Reduced turnover of valued staff.
5) Allows people to work when they accomplish most, feel freshest, and enjoy working.
6) Extended hours of operation for departments such as customer service.
7) Develops image as an employer of choice with family friendly flexible work
schedules.
 5.4 Flexible Work
Arrangements
Disadvantages :
1) Flexible working means that odd shifts may be needed to accommodate the
schedules of others with seniority.
2) Employers feel obligated to give the schedule employee want even if it is not needed
the most.
3) Unless paired with other arrangements, still requires daily in-office time; while
employees are allowed to choose their start and end times, they may not typically
deviate from that schedule.
4) Employees may not feel as connected or integrated into the organization. Particularly,
if the rest of their coworkers are physically co-located.
5) Productivity may decrease on particularly long clays; it may be difficult to engage the
employee in ongoing efforts du: to missed meetings and so on.
 5.5 Employee Surveys
A) Meaning :
An employee survey is a specific kind of satisfaction survey that focuses on the
attitudes and perceptions of the staff.
B) Types of Employee Surveys :
 5.5 Employee Surveys
1) Employee Attitude Surveys :

Assess employees’ emotions and feelings within the workplace. The employee is
asked to evaluate each statement in term of their perception on the performance of the
organisation being measured.
2) Employee Opinion Surveys :
Employee opinion surveys are a means of measuring employee attitudes towards
their work, management practices, working conditions and human resources
policies.
3) Employee Satisfaction Surveys :
It determines the root cause of dissatisfaction issues, and targets them accordingly.
4) Employee Engagement Surveys :
Measure how engaged, eager, and dedicated employees are with respect to their job,
coworkers, management, and the company.
 5.5 Employee Surveys

5) 360 degree Surveys :

Examine the employee from multiple viewpoints, including coworkers, supervisors,
managers, subordinates, vendors, and customers. It is a method of collecting input from
many sources in an employee's environment.
6) Employer Improvement Surveys :

Give employees the chance to provide constructive criticism about their employer.
7) Employee Exit Surveys:
Provide valuable insight into workplace relationships, training, opportunities for growth,
and work processes within an organization.
8) Employee Benefits Surveys :
Regularly survey employees regarding benefits satisfaction can help organizations tailor
benefit plans to their employees.
 5.5 Employee Surveys
B) Consideration while Implementing Employee Survey :

The total process of planning, Implementing and analysing, employee surveys and
questionnaires include a number of important elements. Regardless of the type of survey
implemented, the following steps must be considered:
1) Objectives
2) Top Management Commitment :
3) Survey Development
4) Announcing the Survey
5) Implementation
6) Analysis
7) Feedback
8) Follow-up
9) Caution
 5.5 Employee Surveys
C) Advantages of Employee Surveys :
 5.5 Employee Surveys
1) Provide Information about Employees :
Such a survey can provide pertinent information about what employees feel about
working conditions, pay, benefits, and relationships with co-workers, communication
within the company and quality of supervision.
2) Improvements :
The most obvious advantage would be that employers are able to retrieve
information that could improve employee morale, productivity, efficiency,
communication, procedures.
3) Confidentiality:
By having the survey completed by anonymity gives employees a louder voice to
truly express their opinions.
4) Creating Solutions :
A primary advantage of employee surveys is the potential to create workplace
solutions.
 5.5 Employee Surveys
D) Disadvantages of Employee Surveys :
1) Stirring the Pot :
There are always issues that will cause the employees to
feel unhappy about their organization.
2) Hurt Feelings :
When people are able to be openly honest
and confidential they will say the truth and
sometimes the truth hurts.
3) Consistency :
Employer Need to do employee survey on consistence
basis usually yearly is the best.
4) Usefulness :
It is not worth having employees participate in an employee
survey if employers are not willing to hear their results
 5.6 Employee
Handbooks
D) Uses of Employee Handbooks :
1) To the Employees :
a) Source of Information:
A well-designed handbook gives employees central information source for such
useful information as what the company is about, its history and employee benefits.
b) Opportunity to Learn :
The handbook, then, gives employees an opportunity to learn about the company and
what the company provides for them and to understand the information at their own
pace.
c) Guide :
The employee handbook also serves as an easy reference guide for employees,
whenever it warranted.
d) Address HRM policies :
By being thorough in its coverage, an employee handbook will address various HRM
policies and work rules, which set the parameters within which employees are expected to
perform.
 5.6 Employee
2) To the Employers :
Handbooks
The employee handbook also serves as an easy reference guide for employees,
whenever it warranted.
a) Loyal Workforce :
Employers, too, can benefit from using an employee handbook.
b) Guide to Employees :
Handbooks are tools to educate, inform, and guide employees in the organization
thereby eliminating common misunderstandings and unreasonable employment
expectations
c) Allow to Deal with Employees :
Allows the employer to etch out certain rights it would not otherwise have in dealing
with employees and to make certain disclaimers regarding the terms and conditions
of employment.
 5.6 Employee
Handbooks
d) Proves that the Employer’s Policies are Consistent :

Employee handbooks help to proves that the employer’s policies are consistent with
current employment laws and as evidence of the company’s legitimate employment
practices.

e) Communication Tools :

It acts as a communication tool in which the employer may state employment

expectations and consequences for not meeting those expectations. Although the
employee handbook is not an employment contract and should not be viewed in that
way, it is a compilation of general company policies, practices and benefits.

f) Provide a Basis for Employee Performance :

Helps to enforce company policies and gives the employer a basis for employee
performance and conduct counseling.
 5.7 Violations of
A) Policy/Discipline
Guidelines for Disciplines :

While the investigation and/or the causal analysis may uncover information that
lessens the need to hold the employee fully accountable, discipline is the
appropriate action in most cases. For discipline, the guiding principles are generally
the same as the bases for selection decisions:

1) Decisions should be based on job-related criteria; that is, behavior that is being
disciplined should have a direct impact upon job or organizational performance.

2) Employees should be treated consistently.

3) Company policy should be followed; any deviation from company policy due to
mitigating circumstances should be clearly documented and rationalized.

4) Communication to all involved should be accurate and honest, but confidentiality

should be maintained when appropriate.
 5.7 Violations of
B) Policy/Discipline
Concept of Progressive Discipline :
1) Meaning :
Progressive discipline is a method often used by managers/supervisors to provide
notice to employees who are not meeting expected or communicated job
performance standards, not behaving appropriately at work, or are not following HR
policies and procedures.
2) Types of Progressive Discipline Programme :
 5.7 Violations of
a) Policy/Discipline
Verbal Counseling(s) ::
A verbal counseling is intended to be used by a manager/supervisor to notify an
employee that an improvement is needed in the employee’s work performance and/
or behavior.
b) Written Warning(s) :
A written warning provides notice to an employee regarding continued work
performance issues and/or inappropriate workplace behavior that have not been
resolved after giving the employee a verbal counseling.
c) Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) :
A PIP is a formal written plan used by the manager/supervisor as a final attempt to
resolve a serious issue that has not been addressed by the employee after a verbal
warning(s) and/or a written warning(s) have been given.
d) Termination of Employment :
Termination of employment is generally the last type of progressive discipline after
an employee has failed to meet the requirements of a PIP or a serious incident has
occurred during the PIP period.
 5.8 Organisational Exit
A) Meaning :
Organizational Exit or de-recruitment refers to the process of handling the
circumstances under which an employee leaves the organization.
B) Reasons of Organisational Exit :
1) Professional Reasons :
Employees may exit organisation when
they decide to seek better positions,
responsibilities and status outside the
present organization.
2) Personal Reasons :
The important personal reasons for organisa-
tional exit are relocation for family reasons like
marriage of the employees and health crisis of
family members
 5.8 Organisational Exit
3) Involuntary Separation :
An involuntary separation is caused by the factors which remain beyond the purview
of the employees. These factors are classified as:
a) Health problems
b) Behavioural Problems
c) Organisational Problems
C) Types of Organisational Exit :
1) Retirement :
This is a common form of separation of employees from the organization. There are
two types of retirement such as:
a) Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS):
In case of VRS, organizations usually offer large sums of money over and above the
actual retirement benefits to make the employees willingly leave the organization
before their retirement age.
 5.8 Organisational Exit
b) Compulsory Retirement Scheme (CRS) :
Organizations can also go for a CRS after completing due formalities like necessary
notices to the employees.
c) Termination :
When an employer or employee ends an employee's employment with a particular
employer it is called termination. Termination can be voluntary or involuntary
depending on the circumstances.
i) Voluntary Termination :
Resignation :
When an employee seeks to resign from the job for personal or professional
reasons, the organization, after a due consideration of the reasons, may initiate the
separation process. In case of efficient workers seeking to resign, an organisation
would undoubtedly make every possible effort to put an end to the cause for which
the employee wishes to resign from the job.
 5.8 Organisational Exit
ii) Involuntary Termination :
 Removal (Including Dismissal or Discharge) :
An organization may resort to dismissal or discharge of the employees from the
services for reasons like behavioural problems, including unethical behaviour
and a breach of the code of conduct.
 Downsizing:
Retrenchment is a kind of involuntary exit which an organization adopts to downsize
it labour force. The purpose of downsizing is to reduce the expenditure of the
business and raise the profitability, especially during the difficult times of the
organisation.
 Layoff:
A layoff is similar to retrenchment except that it is a temporary separation of
employees from the organization. Organisations usually resort to layoffs to
overcome the problems of business slowdown and other temporary business
interruptions.