Employee Relations Articles

Many employees are unfamiliar with the extent of their company paid benefits.  Communication is the key to correcting this lack of awareness.  People can’t appreciate what they don’t know about, so create an education program designed to boost morale.  Don’t save this important topic just for open enrollment.  Keep your staff up to date on any changes or special events throughout the year via email and posters as well.  Here are a few easy ways to get the word out about your company’s perks.

High retention rates have a number of benefits.  Reducing employee turnover allows your company to minimize recruitment and training costs.  It also provides you with a stable, knowledgeable workforce.  These experienced workers have fewer accidents.  All of these factors lead to increased profitability for your business.  Here are some ways you can help keep your best and brightest on the job.

Sometimes employee morale is impacted by factors outside a company’s control.  This might be due to the local economy drying up, rising healthcare costs, or challenges in the global marketplace.  However, the most common problems are ones that can be fixed internally.  All workers agree that their jobs are easier and less stressful if their supervisor or manager treats them well.  Personality and proper training matter.  If management is dysfunctional, motivation and productivity levels plummet.  Besides serious offenses like discrimination or harassment, here are some of the worst.

Ignoring employee complaints just sends them underground.  Workers who receive an inadequate response from management will choose to discuss grievances among themselves instead.  This spreads dissatisfaction and resentment, reducing productivity.  Issues that could have been addressed early on may escalate over time.  In extreme cases, unresolved conflict can result in incidents of workplace violence or costly lawsuits.  Keep potential problems in check by instituting fair and reasonable policies.  

A successful employee compensation model encompasses more than just the dollar amount on a pay stub.  Learn to leverage the additional benefits your company provides.  This will allow you to attract and retain the type of worker who helps make your business profitable.  In order to do this, you have to know what attributes you are looking for in your workforce.  

Employee motivation is a huge factor in your company’s morale level.  Some people seem to be born with a drive that comes from within, while most respond well to positive prompting from an outside source.  In either case, inspiring your staff starts with creating an environment in which they are not simply responding to negative motivations.  Fear of losing one’s job/health coverage and a desire to avoid disciplinary action are strong reasons to come to work every day.  However, they definitely don’t bring out the best in your workforce.  

Some employers can’t seem to convince staff members to stay for more than a couple of years before they move on.  Other companies experience very low rates of turnover.  Is there something to be learned from workplaces that demonstrate excellent employee retention?  Absolutely!  
Companies that consistently attract and retain high quality workers all pay attention to 3 key areas.  Here is what they are doing right.

Just about everyone has the same goal in mind when engaging in an interpersonal transaction.  They want to have their immediate needs met; and they want be treated with respect.  You will notice that these desires apply to both your customers and your staff.  Using this knowledge, you can create a positive work environment which raises the level of employee’s satisfaction with their jobs.  This, in turn, benefits your customers and your company’s bottom line.

Handling the human side of mergers and acquisitions can be just as complicated as the financial side.  If you are tasked with creating a smooth transition you will want to balance the needs of both sets of employees involved.  Here are a few guidelines that can help you create a successful outcome.

Losing one employee after another can be very discouraging.  If several of your best workers leave the company within a short time, there is usually something wrong.  It may take some investigating to find out what is going on.  Once you know what the problem is, you can work to reduce this type of employee turnover in a couple of ways.