What Exactly Are Employee Relations and How Does HR Manage Them in Your Company?

Hello members,

Can anyone help me know a proper definition of employee relations and what is the exact role of HR in managing employee relations in an organization?

Thanks, looking forward to answers.

The term employee relations refers to the act of maintaining and generating a work culture free from conflict, groupism, and discontentment. It aims at building good human relations among employees to lead them to the ultimate objective of the organization.

The above version is my personal opinion on similar terms that I use simultaneously, such as Labour Relations, Industrial Relations, etc.

Since a discontented employee is the result of the particular organizational climate itself, all involved are equally responsible for bad industrial relations. Still, HR has a major role to play as they are supposed to deal directly with employees, from selection to separation. In small and medium-sized concerns, deteriorated IR may result from inadequate pay and benefits; whereas in large firms, it may be related to something else, and even ego clashes among employees may create headaches for HR. A psychological approach to this attitude is badly needed to bring about harmony within the organization. Here lies the significance of HR.

Regards,

Madhu..K

Dear Swati,

Management of Employee Relations depends to a great extent on the situation and the organizational requirements. Even after the emergence of new HR concepts, the former ideology of Personnel Management has not become outdated. Therefore, when your requirement compels you to fire an employee, you should do so, and on the other hand, if you are in a market that is relatively inelastic in labor, you have to act accordingly. A kind of flexible approach is recommended in managing employee relations. I recall the basic theme of "SEEMA BADHA" (I do not know whether the spelling is correct), a Bengali novel with the meaning "Limited Company," which revolves around the Personnel Manager of a company, the strategies, ideas, and so on. In the novel, a picture of how a dispute is fabricated just considering the 'situation' is shown. I have also experienced prolonging a negotiation with the workers simply because the company's order book was almost empty! and at the same time proceeding with conciliations to settle a dispute during a situation of an overflowing order book!

Don't worry, be confident to meet any situation, and draft your HR policies in a flexible manner without many problems for both the employer and employees.

Regards,

Madhu.T.K