Human Resource Management

Sixteenth Edition, Global Edition

Chapter 14

Building Positive Employee

Relations

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Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
14.1 Define employee relations.
14.2 Discuss at least four methods for managing employee
relations.
14.3 Explain what is meant by ethical behavior.

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Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
14.4 Explain what is meant by fair disciplinary practices
14.5 Answer the question, “How do companies become
“Best Companies to Work for?

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Learning Objective 14.1: Define
Employee Relations

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What is Employee Relations?
• Employee Relations
– the activity that involves establishing and maintaining
the positive employee-employer relationships that
contribute to satisfactory productivity, motivation,
morale, and discipline, and to maintaining a positive,
productive, and cohesive work environment.

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Learning Objective 14.2: Discuss at
Least Four Methods for Managing
Employee Relations

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Employee Relations Programs for Building and
Maintaining Positive Employee Relations
• Ensuring fair treatment
– Reflects concrete actions such as “employees are
treated with respect,” and “employees are treated
fairly”
– Research Insight
▪ Procedural Justice
▪ Distributive Justice

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Improving Performance: The Strategic
Context

A New HR Strategy at the Foxconn Plant in Shenzhen, China

Let’s talk about it…

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Bullying and Victimization
1. Imbalance of Power
2. Intent to Cause Harm
3. Repetition
– Verbal
– Social
– Physical
– Cyberbullying

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Improving Employee Relations Through
Communication Programs
• Different Types
– Focus groups
– Suggestion boxes
– Hotlines
– Exit interviews
– Open-door policies
– M BW A
• Organizational Climate Surveys

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Develop Employee Recognition/ Relations
Programs
• Service award program
– Reviewing tenure of existing employees
– Establishing meaningful award periods
• Recognition program

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Use Employee Involvement Programs
• Employee relations tend to improve when employees
become involved with the company in positive ways
• Focus groups
• Social media

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Employee Involvement
• Using employee involvement teams
– Suggestion Teams
– Problem-Solving Teams
– Quality Circle
– Self-Managing/Self-Directed Work Team
• Using suggestion systems

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Improving Performance: HR as a Profit
Center

The Cost-Effective Suggestion System

Let’s talk about it…

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Learning Objective 14.3: Explain
What Is Meant by Ethical Behavior

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The Ethical Organization
Figure 14-2 The Wall Street Journal Workplace Ethics Quiz

Source: Ethics and Compliance Officer Association, Waltham, M A, and the Ethical Leadership Group, Global
Compliance’s Expert Advisors, Wilmette, I L. (printed in the Wall Street Journal, October 21, 1999, pp. B1–B4).
© 1999 by Ethics and Compliance Officer Association. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved

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Ethics and Employee Rights
• Although ethics, fairness, and morality help govern how
employers treat their employees, the enforceable rights
embedded in employment law also govern what employers
and employees can do.

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What Shapes Ethical Behavior at Work?
• Three factors combine to determine the ethical choices we
make
– The person (bad apples)
– Situations (bad cases)
– Company Environment (bad barrels)
▪ Pressures
▪ Organizational culture

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How Any Manager Can Create More
Ethical Environments
• Reduce Job-related pressures
• Make it clear what’s okay and not okay
• Model the behavior (“Walk The Talk”)
• Reinforce the desired behavior, not the undesirable
behavior
• Take it seriously

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How Human Resource Managers Can
Create More Ethical Environments (1 of 2)
• Institute ethical polices and codes
• Enforce the rules
• Encourage whistleblowers
• Foster an ethical culture

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Improving Performance: HR Tools for
Line Managers and Small Businesses

Small Business Ethics

Let’s talk about it…

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How Human Resource Managers Can
Create More Ethical Environments (2 of 2)
• Hire Right
• Use Ethics Training
• Use Rewards and Discipline
• Institute Employee Privacy Policies

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Know Your Employment Law

Electronic Monitoring

Let’s take a look…

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Monitoring Acknowledgment
Figure 14-3 Sample E-Mail Monitoring Acknowledgment Statement

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Learning Objective 14.4: Explain What
Is Meant by Fair Disciplinary Practices

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Managing Employee Discipline
• The purpose of discipline is to encourage employees to
behave sensibly at work (where sensible means adhering
to rules and regulations).
• Positive employee relations
• Legal concerns

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The Three Pillars of Fair Discipline
1. Rules & Regulations
2. Progressive Penalties
3. Appeal Process

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Diversity Counts
• Comparing Males and Females in a Discipline Situation

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How to Discipline an Employee (1 of 5)
1. Make sure the evidence supports the charge of employee
wrongdoing.
2. Adequately warn the employee of the disciplinary
consequences of his or her alleged misconduct.
3. Have the employee sign a form.

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How to Discipline an Employee (2 of 5)
Figure 14-4 Report of Employee Discipline

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How to Discipline an Employee (3 of 5)
5. The rule that allegedly was violated should be “reasonably
related to the efficient and safe operation of the particular
work environment.”
6. Objectively investigate the matter.
7. The investigation should produce substantial evidence of
misconduct.
8. Apply applicable rules, orders, or penalties without
discrimination.

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How to Discipline an Employee (4 of 5)
9. Make sure to protect the employees’ due process rights.
10.Maintain the employee’s right to counsel.
11. Keep dignity.
12.Listen to what the person has to say.
13.Burden of Proof (employer).

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How to Discipline an Employee (5 of 5)
14.Get the Facts.
15.Don’t Act while angry.

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Discipline Without Punishment
• Issue an oral reminder.
• Should another incident arise, issue a formal written
reminder and place in the personnel file.
• Give “decision-making leave.”
• Dismissal if behavior repeats.
– Purge the paid suspension if no further incidents

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Learning Objective 14.5: Answer the
Question, “How Do Companies Become
‘Best Companies to Work for’?”

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Employee Engagement Guide for
Managers
• How Companies Become “Best Companies to Work For”
• The Great Place to Work Institution defines a great
workplace
• Three examples
– SAS
– Google
– FedEx

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SA S
• Great Benefits, Trust, and Work-Life Balance

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Google
• Happiness and People Analytics

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FedEx
• Guaranteed Fair Treatment

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A “Best Company” Human Resources
Philosophy?
• Cultivate trust
• Ensure fair treatment of employees
• Respect employees
• HR philosophies may well be the “magic sauce” that
explains why great companies to work for are great.

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Chapter 14 Review

What you should now know….

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