This document discusses strategies for building positive employee relations. It covers the HR role in ensuring fair treatment of employees and resolving problems. Practices that promote positive relations include fair treatment, career opportunities, feedback mechanisms like surveys and open communication. Employee involvement strategies discussed include job design, alternative work schedules, teams and suggestion systems. The document also addresses measuring employee attitudes through surveys and focus groups, developing an effective employee handbook, and using a progressive disciplinary process to correct behavior rather than punish.
4. Positive Employee Relations: HR Role
Works for the fair treatment of employees
Partners with and trains managers in fairness issues
Attempts to resolve employee problems
Believes employees should be treated with respect
and dignity.
Understands the business needs and the needs and
emotions of employees and tries to balance them
through policies and balanced treatment.
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5. Positive Employee Relations: Practices
Fair and consistent treatment of
employees
Access to career opportunities
• Job posting
• Job bidding
Balanced promotion decisions
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6. Feedback and Communication
Lack of communication leads to making
assumptions; most likely negative (Snowball Effect)
Feedback mechanisms:
Attitudes surveys
Skip-level interviews
Stay interviews
Open door policy
Department/unit communication meetings
Employee participation committees
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7. Positive Employee Relations: Practices
Problem solving procedures
Counseling (Employee Assistance Programs)
Compensation and benefits practices
Communicate market position
Clarify how salary grades are established, how to
progress and how raised are awarded
Performance appraisal
Rewards and recognition
Obtain employee input through surveys
Develop clear criteria
Train supervisors and managers on how to administer
programs effectively
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10. Employee Involvement
Planned attempt to link the shared interests of the
employee and the company for the mutual benefit.
A motivational technique as it satisfies the needs of
employees to have freedom in making job related
decisions.
HR roles:
Communicate organizational goals to employees
Maintain involvement programs
Help management develop trust in employees
Fosters stronger commitment toward organizational
goals.
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12. Job Design
Effective job design enables employees to
experience three critical psychological states related
to beneficial work outcomes:
Meaningfulness: which is linked to skill variety, task
identity, and task significance.
Responsibility which is linked to autonomy
Knowledge of results which is linked to feedback.
Redesign strategies:
Job enlargement: adding more tasks similar to the job
tasks
Job enrichment: increasing job depth by adding more
responsibilities
Job rotation: movement between different but comparable
jobs
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13. Alternative Work Schedules
Give employee more control over work hours
Enable employee to balance family needs and work
demands
Some benefits for the employers:
Increased productivity
Savings on overtime
Lower rates of absenteeism
Reduced fatigue
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14. Alternative Work Schedules
• Employee works a specified number of hours
per week with varying start end timesFlextime
• Doing full week work in less that 5 days
Compressed
workweeks
• Work for less than the full time hours on a
regular basisRegular part time
• Two part-time employees share one full-time jobJob sharing
• Reducing work hours gradually before full
retirementPhased retirement
• Working off site through electronic computing
and communications equipmentTelecommuting
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15. Teams
• Ongoing
charter, usually cross
functional.
• Examples; safety
committees, strategic
planning committees
Committees
• Come together for a
specific
project, disband when
project is completed
• Example; team for job
design project
Project
teams
• Self-managing, assume complete
responsibilities in a specific area
• Participation is a permanent part of daily
work
• Example; a team authorized to manage
client relationships. Team create
production schedules and responsible for
budgets and deadlines
Self-directed teams
• Temporary, aim to accomplish a
specific objective, general important
and long term strategic issue
• Example; taskforce for explore
healthcare options to find ways to
reduce costs
Taskforces
• Responsible for end
product, ongoing
charter
• Participation is a
permanent part of
daily work
Work teams
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16. Employee Suggestion Systems (ESP)
Employees who deal with day to day issues usually
have better ideas for solving problems and improve
processes.
ESPs enable employees to provide ideas to improve
processes and workplace.
Mutual benefits (better business results vs. personal
rewards)
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17. Effective ESPs
A clear policy for suggestion and how they are
handled
Established rules for evaluation of suggestions
Rules for evaluating the merits of the suggestions
All suggestions deserve a response
Keep the process as simple as possible
Give financial incentives tied to the savings/merit of
the suggestion
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21. Attitude Surveys
A tool to identify employees needs and values
Measures satisfaction and engagement
Survey topics may include:
Quality of management
Quality of work/life issues
Employee morale and job satisfaction
Effectiveness of compensation and benefits
Perception of HR effectiveness
Employee retention and attrition issues
Organizational communication
Workplace safety
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22. Attitude Surveys-Special Considerations
Guarantee anonymity
Accept criticism
Don’t ask if you are not prepared to address the
issue
Communicate the results and give feedback
Ensure that the timing is appropriate
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24. Employee Focus Groups
A group who participate in a structured discussion to
look in-depth at specific issues.
May be used to follow-up a survey or to gather
opinions about benefits
Should be planned effectively and facilitated by a
competent facilitator.
Participant should represent the targeted group
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25. Organizational Feedback
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Presentation of data to stimulate discussion and
generate potential solutions.
Management Feedback: Providing management with
the interpretation of the results.
Employee Feedback: Sharing results with
employees and addressing the issues appeared in
the results.
Ignoring the feedback not only diminishes the
benefits of the survey, it has detrimental effect and
may increase dissatisfaction.
27. Employee Handbook
Explains major HR and employee policies and
procedures and employee benefits.
Very important, sometimes overlooked
Types of information
Introductory information
Employment information
Compensation
Benefits
Attendance
Other information
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28. How to Develop Employee Handbook
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Review and update existing policies
Create an outline of the handbook content
Create summary of each policy and procedure
Add each summary in the appropriate section of the
outline
Review entire handbook
Send for legal review
Distribute to employees
Update when necessary
29. Sample
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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND COMPENSATION PROGRAMS
In order to attract and retain a highly qualified and competent work force, XYZ has instituted a performance
management program to compensate employees in a fair and equitable manner based upon demonstrated job
performance, and in accordance with its Equal Employment Opportunity policy.
Through this program employees will receive constructive work reviews designed to address performance and skill
developmental needs and interests. Upon an employee's anniversary date, an employee becomes eligible for
consideration of a salary review.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM SCHEDULE
Employees may receive constructive work reviews on the following schedule:
FULL-TIME NON-PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES:
a. 3 month work review
b. annual work and salary review, based on anniversary of start date.
FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL LEVEL EMPLOYEES:
a. 6 month work review
b. annual work and salary review, based on anniversary of start date.
PART-TIME EMPLOYEES:
a. annual work and salary review
Under usual and appropriate circumstances, employees should receive a performance review annually. If an
employee's job responsibilities change substantially at any time after the annual work review, however, another may
be performed before the next annual review, after the new assignment has begun.
30. Developing Employee Handbook-Guidelines
Keep it simple: clearly written, can be understood by
all employees
Keep it current: review it as major changes occur.
Make it online
Pay attention to the look: make it attractive visually
and linguistically. Proper graphics may be used.
Obtain evidence of receipt.
Have legal review
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34. Reasons for disciplinary action
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Poor performance
Absenteeism and tardiness
Violation of policies and rules
Serious misconduct
35. How to Avoid Disciplinary Action
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Set clear expectations
Have written policies, procedures and work rules
Establish a climate of communication
Maintain an open door policy