Developing Employee Relations and Communications

1. 13 Developing Employee Relations and Communications

2. Challenges • Outline how good employee relations and communications can contribute to business goals. • Describe the three types of programs used to facilitate employee communications. • Explain the various appeals procedures through which employees can challenge management actions. • Understand how employee assistance programs can help employees deal with personal problems that may interfere with job performance. • Summarize the technological innovations that allow managers to disseminate information quickly and how information dissemination influences an organization’s employee relations.

3. Employee Relations Representative A member of the HR department who ensures that company policies are followed and consults with both supervisors and employees on specific employee relations problems.

4. Employee Relations Policy A policy designed to communicate management’s thinking and practices concerning employee-related matters and prevent problems in the workplace from becoming more serious.

5. The Communication Process within an Organization Noise Communication Channel Sender (Encodes Message) Receiver (Decodes Message) Feedback Noise

6. How to Communicate Useful Feedback to Employees • Focus on specific behaviors • Keep the feedback impersonal • Give the feedback at the appropriate time and place • Focus negative feedback on behaviors that can be controlled by the employee

7. Downward Communication Communication that allows managers to implement their decision and to influence employees lower in the organizational hierarchy.

8. Upward Communication Communication that allow employees at lower levels to communicate their ideas and feelings to higher-level decision makers.

9. Information Dissemination Programs • Employee Handbook • This is probably the most important source of information that the HR department can provide. • Although sometimes considered a tool for only large corporations, small businesses can also benefit from the use of employee handbooks. • Written Communications • Memos • Financial Statements • Newsletters • Bulletin Boards

10. Information Dissemination Programs (cont.) • Audiovisual Communications • Video Presentations • Teleconferencing • Electronic Communications • Voice Mail • Electronic Mail • Meetings • Retreats • Informal Communications

11. Employee Feedback Programs • Employee Attitude Surveys • Appeals Procedure • Some of the most common management actions appealed by employees are: • The allocation of overtime work • Warnings for safety rule violations • The size of merit pay increases • The specification of job duties • The employer’s reimbursement for medical expense claims filed by employees • Performance evaluations

12. Excerpt from an Employee Attitude Survey To what extent are you satisfied with... Highly Satisfied Satisfied Highly Dissatisfied 1. my pay and bonus 2. my benefits —overall 3. my chance to get a promotion or a better job 4. having a sense of well-being on the job 5. the respect and recognition I receive from management 6. my job security 7. the morale of my division 8. the degree of responsibility and autonomy I have in doing my work 9. the opportunity to have my ideas adopted 10. working with highly talented capable people 11. interdivisional cooperation and communication 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

13. International Comparisons of Employee Satisfaction Where Workers Are Happy 100 82% 72% 66% 65% 58% 53% 43% Percent Satisfied with Company as an Employer 31% 0 Mexico U.S. Singapore Japan

14. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) A company-sponsored program that helps employees cope with personal problems that are interfering with their job performance.

15. Symptoms of a Troubled Employee 1. Excessive absenteeism patterns: Mondays, Fridays, days before and after holidays 2. Unexcused absences 3. Frequent absences 4. Tardiness and early departures 5. Altercations with co-workers 6. Causing injuries to other employees through negligence 7. Poor judgment and bad decisions 8. Unusual on-the-job accidents 9. Increase spoilage and breaking of equipment through negligence 10.Involvements with the law —for example, a DWI (driving while intoxicated) conviction 11. Deteriorating personal appearance 12. Obsessive behavior such as inappropriate discussion of personal problems with customers

16. An Employee Assistance Program Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Problem solved, employee con- tinues to work Problem solved; employee con- tinues to work or, if on leave, returns to work EAP counseling • Identify troubled • employee • Self- • identification • Supervisor • identification Treatment Employee refuses to seek help and is terminated if problem has a significant nega- tive impact on work Treatment un- successful; employee is terminated

17. Employee Recognition Program A program that rewards employees for their ideas and contributions.

18. Employee Recognition Programs • Suggestion Systems • Designed to solicit, evaluate, and implement suggestions from employees and then reward the employees for worthwhile ideas. • Managers should adhere to three guidelines when designing a suggestion system: • Use a suggestion evaluation committee to evaluate each suggestion fairly and provide and explanation to employees why their suggestions have not been used. • Implement accepted suggestions immediately and give credit to the suggestion’s originator. • Make the value of the reward proportional to the suggestion’s benefit to the company.

19. Employee Recognition Programs (cont.) • Recognition Awards • Recognition awards give public credit to people or teams who make outstanding contributions to the organization. • A recognition award can be initiated by a manager or by an internal customer of an individual or a team. • A recognition award should be a celebration of the team or individual’s success that encourages all organization members to work toward the organization’s goals.