An organization can’t perform only with the help of chairs, tables, fans or other non living entities. It needs human beings who work together and perform to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. The human beings working together towards a common goal at a common place (organization) are called employees. Infact the employees are the major assets of an organization.

The success and failure of any organization is directly proportional to the labour put by each and every employee. The employees must share a good rapport with each other and strive hard to realize the goal of the organization. They should complement each other and work together as a single unit. For the employees, the organization must come first and all their personal interests should take a back seat.

What is Employee Relations ?

Every individual shares a certain relationship with his colleagues at the workplace. The relationship is either warm, so-so or bad. The relationship can be between any one in the organization - between co workers, between an employee and his superior, between two members in the management and so on. It is important that the employees share a healthy relationship with each other to deliver their best performances.

An individual spends his maximum time at the workplace and his fellow workers are the ones with whom he spends the maximum hours in a day. No way can he afford to fight with his colleagues. Conflicts and misunderstandings only add to tensions and in turn decrease the productivity of the individual. One needs to discuss so many things at work and needs the advice and suggestions of all to reach to a solution which would benefit the individual as well as the organization.

No individual can work alone. He needs the support and guidance of his fellow workers to come out with a brilliant idea and deliver his level best.

Employee relations refer to the relationship shared among the employees in an organization. The employees must be comfortable with each other for a healthy environment at work. It is the prime duty of the superiors and team leaders to discourage conflicts in the team and encourage a healthy relationship among employees.

Life is really short and it is important that one enjoys each and every moment of it.Remember in an organization you are paid for your hard work and not for cribbing or fighting with each other. Don’t assume that the person sitting next to you is your enemy or will do any harm to you. Who says you can’t make friends at work, infact one can make the best of friends in the office. There is so much more to life than fighting with each other. Observation says that a healthy relation among the employees goes a long way in motivating the employees and increasing their confidence and morale. One starts enjoying his office and does not take his work as a burden. He feels charged and fresh the whole day and takes each day at work as a new challenge. If you have a good relation with your team members you feel going to office daily. Go out with your team members for a get together once in a while or have your lunch together. These activities help in strengthening the bond among the employees and improve the relations among them.

An employee must try his level best to adjust with each other and compromise to his best extent possible. If you do not agree to any of your fellow worker’s ideas, there are several other ways to convince him. Sit with him and probably discuss with him where he is going wrong and needs a correction. This way he would definitely look up to you for your advice and guidance in future. He would trust you and would definitely come to your help whenever you need him. One should never spoil his relations with his colleagues because you never know when you need the other person. Avoid using foul words or derogatory sentences against anyone. Don’t depend on lose talk in office as it spoils the ambience of the place and also the relation among the employees. Blame games are a strict no no in office.

One needs to enter his office with a positive frame of mind and should not unnecessarily make issues out of small things. It is natural that every human being can not think the way you think, or behave the way you behave. If you also behave in the similar way the other person is behaving, there is hardly any difference between you and him. Counsel the other person and correct him wherever he is wrong.

It is of utmost importance that employees behave with each other in a cultured way, respect each other and learn to trust each other. An individual however hardworking he is, cannot do wonders alone. It is essential that all the

employees share a cordial relation with each other, understand each other’s needs and expectations and work together to accomplish the goals and targets of the organization.

Every individual at the workplace shares a certain relationship with his fellow workers. Human beings are not machines who can start working just at the push of a mere button. They need people to talk to, discuss ideas with each other and share their happiness and sorrows. An individual cannot work on his own, he needs people around. If the organization is all empty, you will not feel like sitting there and working. An isolated environment demotivates an individual and spreads negativity around. It is essential that people are comfortable with each other and work together as a single unit towards a common goal.

It is important that employees share a healthy relation with each other at the work place. Let us find out why employee relations are important in an organization:

There are several issues on which an individual cannot take decisions alone. He needs the guidance and advice of others as well. Sometimes we might miss out on important points, but our fellow workers may come out with a brilliant idea which would help us to achieve our targets at a much faster rate. Before implementing any plan, the pros and cons must be evaluated on an open forum where every employee has the right to express his opinions freely. On your own, you will never come to know where you are going wrong, you need people who can act as critic and correct you wherever you are wrong. If you do not enjoy a good relation with others no one will ever come to help you.

Work becomes easy if it is shared among all. A healthy relation with your fellow workers would ease the work load on you and in turn increases your productivity. One cannot do everything on his own. Responsibilities must be divided among team members to accomplish the assigned tasks within the stipulated time frame. If you have a good rapport with your colleagues, he will always be eager to assist you in your assignments making your work easier.

The organization becomes a happy place to work if the employees work together as a family. An individual tends to lose focus and concentration if his mind is always clouded with unnecessary tensions and stress. It has been observed that if people talk and discuss things with each other, tensions automatically evaporate and one feels better. Learn to trust others, you will feel relaxed. One doesn’t feel like going to office if he is not in talking terms with the person sitting next to him. An individual spends around 8-9 hours in a day at his workplace and practically it is not possible that one works non stop without a break. You should have people with whom you can share your lunch, discuss movies or go out for a stroll once in a while. If you fight with everyone, no one will speak to you and you will be left all alone. It is important to respect others to expect the same from them.

An individual feels motivated in the company of others whom he can trust and fall back on whenever needed. One feels secure and confident and thus delivers his best. It is okay if you share your secrets with your colleagues but you should know where to draw the line. A sense of trust is important.

Healthy employee relations also discourage conflicts and fights among individuals. People tend to adjust more and stop finding faults in each other. Individuals don’t waste their time in meaningless conflicts and disputes, rather concentrate on their work and strive hard to perform better. They start treating each other as friends and try their level best to compromise and make everyone happy.

A healthy employee relation reduces the problem of absenteeism at the work place. Individuals are more serious towards their work and feel like coming to office daily. They do not take frequent leaves and start enjoying their work. Employees stop complaining against each other and give their best

It is wise to share a warm relation with your fellow workers, because you never know when you need them. You may need them any time. They would come to your help only when you are nice to them. You might need leaves for some personal reasons; you must have a trusted colleague who can handle the work on your behalf. Moreover healthy employee relations also spread positivity around.

It is essential that employees are comfortable with each other for better focus and concentration, lesser conflicts and increased productivity.

Strategies to Improve Employee Relations

For the organization to perform better it is important that the employees are comfortable with each other, share a good rapport and work in close coordination towards a common objective. People feel responsible and motivated to do good work and enjoy their work rather than taking it as a burden.

It is important that the management promotes healthy employee relations at workplace to extract the best out of each individual. Competition is essential but it should not promote negativity or any kind of enmity among the employees.

Let us go through some steps and strategies for a healthy employee relationship in the organization.

Involve your team members: They should feel important and indispensable for the organization. An individual must be assigned responsibilities according to their interests and responsibilities. Don’t impose work on them. Let them willingly accept challenges. They must enjoy whatever they do otherwise they would end up fighting with their superiors and fellow workers.

Encourage individuals to share their work with each other: This way people tend to talk with each other more, discuss things among themselves and thus the comfort level increases. Let them work together and take decisions on their own. A team leader should intervene only in extreme cases of conflicts and severe misunderstandings.

Assign them targets and ask all your team members to contribute equally and achieve the target within the desired time frame. Motivate them to work in groups. This way employees have no other choice than to trust their fellow workers and take each other’s help as well. An employee must have the liberty to express his ideas and all of them should sit together to decide on something which would be beneficial to all.

One should try his level best that all the employees must have their lunch together at the same time. Half an hour to fourty five minutes must be dedicated to lunch and one should not discuss work during lunch time. There are other topics as well. Discuss movies, sports, shopping or any other thing under the sun. There will be no harm if the employees go out together once in a while for get togethers, picnics or shopping. Ask them to bring their family members as well.

Encourage effective communication among the team members. It has been observed that poor communication leads to confusions and misunderstandings. The communication has to be precise and relevant. One should not play with words and be very specific about his expectations from his fellow workers as well as the organization. If you are not very happy with your colleague’s proposal, don’t keep things to yourself. Voice your opinion and do express your displeasure. It will definitely prevent a conflict among employees later and improve the relations among them. Be straightforward. Don’t pretend things just to please your boss. If you find anything unacceptable, discuss with your superior but in a polite way.

Written modes of communication must be promoted among the employees for better transparency. Verbal communication is not as reliable as written communication. The agendas, minutes of the meeting, important issues must be circulated among all through emails. Make sure that all the related employees are in the loop. Don’t communicate individually with any of the employees as the other one might feel neglected and left out.

Morning meeting is another effective way to improve the relation among the employees. Let everyone come together on a common platform and discuss whatever issues they have. The meetings must not be too formal. Allow the team members to bring their cups of coffee. Start your day with a positive mind. Greet everyone with a warm smile. Exchange greetings and compliments. If any of your team member is not in a pleasant mood, do take the initiative and ask what is wrong with him. Try your level best to provide him a solution.

Organize birthday parties, Christmas parties, New Year parties etc. at the workplace. These small initiatives actually go a long way in strengthening the bond among the employees. Ask all of them to decorate the office, their work stations and make all the necessary arrangements themselves. You will actually be surprised to find out that everyone would be ready with some thing or the other. Employees would actually take the initiative and organize things on their own. Let them enjoy with each other and have fun.

Praise the individual if he has done something exceptionally well. Reward him suitably. The names of the top performers must be displayed on the notice boards for others to draw inspiration from them. Encourage everyone to perform well to live up to the expectations of the superiors as well as the management.

A healthy relation among employees promotes a positive ambience at the work place and employees feel happy and satisfied at work. They look forward to going to office daily and also work hard to realize their team’s as well as organization’s goals

Role of Motivation in Employee Relationship

A healthy employee relationship leads to an increased level of satisfaction among the employees and in turn an increased productivity. Workplace becomes a much happier place and employees tend to concentrate more on work rather than unproductive things.

Motivation plays an important role in a healthy employee relationship.

A motivated employee works better and at a much faster rate as compared to others. Motivating the employee would in turn benefit the organization only. You need to charge your cell phone after sometime for it to operate well, similarly a human being needs to be motivated from time to time to avoid a dip in his performance and for him to remain loyal towards the management. Motivation acts as a catalyst for organization’s success and helps the individuals to remain productive and deliver better results everytime.

Simple words like “Well done”, “Bravo”, “Great”, “Wow” can actually work wonders and go a long way in motivating an individual. If any employee has done exceptionally well, do appreciate him. Give him a pat on his back. The employees feel contended at work and thus share a warm relationship with their superiors. They do not badmouth anyone in the office or speak ill of their organization. Higher motivation rate results in more satisfied employees. Every organization invests time and money to groom an individual and make him a corporate material. It is absolutely an organization’s loss if it is not able to retain its employees. A motivated employee would stick to an organization for a longer duration and enjoy a healthy relationship with his colleagues and fellow workers. He would not be engaged in disputes and instead work hard to achieve his targets and in a way benefitting the organization.

A token of appreciation is a must. Cash prize, gift vouchers and shopping coupons help in motivating the employees to a great extent. Every individual tries hard to win the prize money and does not get time to fight or criticize others. They do not lose focus and instead take each other’s help to accomplish their tasks within the stipulated time frame. They get a motive to work.

The employees must be motivated not to spread negativity around. They should be encouraged not to make issues out of small things and do not bring their personal tensions to work. They should be made to realize the importance of team work at the workplace and healthy relation with colleagues. No one should forget their purpose of coming to the organization.

Motivate employees to work in a group rather than working alone. They must realize that working in a group means a better exchange of ideas and thoughts to come to an unique idea fruitful for them as well as the organization. Employees should be motivated to help each other and treat their team members as a part of their extended family. Individuals should complement each other at work but one should not forget his limit. Too much of a friendly nature again leads to problems and unrealistic expectations.

Award ceremonies must be organized at the workplace every month or after every three months to acknowledge the top performers. Call them on the dais and honour them. Display their names on the company’s main notice board so that every employee gets to know about it. Give the top performers badges for them to flaunt and do this activity in the presence of all. Don’t do it separately as the other employee might get hurt and start fighting with his team members. These kinds of activities slightly give an upper edge to the employees who have worked hard and performed well. Others also feel inspired to perform better next time.

Job rotations and promotions are also an important way to motivate the employees. The management must ensure that each one is happy with their work and monotony does not creep in to the team. When an individual does not enjoy his work, he would always look for excuses to fight with his colleagues and spoil the environment. He would be indulged in lose talks and always blame others for his non performance leading to an unhealthy relation among employees.

It is important that the employees are motivated well to extract the best out of them and ensure a healthy relation among the employees.

The performance of an individual is largely dependent on the relation he shares with his colleagues. It is really important that individuals are friendly with their colleagues so that they can discuss several issues with each other and come to a conclusion best suited to all. No individual can perform alone. Tasks are accomplished at a much faster rate when the work load is shared among all and each one contributes in his best possible way. Nothing productive has ever come out of conflicts and disputes. They in turn lead to major rifts among employees and create stress at the workplace. Why to unnecessarily spoil relations with people? You never know when you might need the other person.

Attitude plays an important role in improving the relationship among the individuals. Nothing is possible unless and until an individual has a positive attitude towards life. You might have excellent communication skills, might be an intelligent worker, but if you don’t have a positive attitude; you would definitely fail to create an impression of yours. People would be reluctant to speak to you and you would be left all alone.

An individual should never ever have a negative attitude at workplace. It is dangerous. Your organization pays you and in turn expects quality work from you, so why unnecessarily crib over things. It is always better to accept things with a smiling face. If your boss assigns you some task, it means that he finds you capable enough to handle the assignment. Consider yourself fortunate and the chosen one. Don’t make faces as your superior might feel bad and eventually lose his trust on you. Clear all your doubts with the person, who has delegated you the responsibility, rather than criticising and making fun in front of others who are not involved.

Don’t always find faults in others. No two individuals are alike. The other person might not be as intelligent or as educated as you are, try your level best to adjust with him. Adjustment does not mean accepting any wrong things, rather it is compromising sometimes.

Sam and Sara were team members and sat at adjacent workstations. Sam had a habit of constantly chatting over the phone with his friends and family, which sometimes irritated Sara.

Case - 1 Sara always thought that Sam did it intentionally to disturb her. She fought with Sam terribly and now has strained relationship with her team member.

Case - 2 Sara spoke to Sam about her displeasure, convinced him and requested him to either speak a little low or go outside for attending calls. Now a days Sara and Sam are best of friends and together they contribute effectively to their team’s targets.

Case 2 is any day a far better option.

One should not be too rigid or adamant. Be a little more flexible. Don’t always assume that the other person is wrong and only you are correct. You may be wrong sometimes. Listen to what the other person has to say and then only come to a conclusion. Don’t take any decisions with a blocked mind.

An individual should not make issues out of small things. It is always better to forget things. Ignore things as long as they are not affecting your team’s performance. Don’t take things to heart. The more you become negative for your colleagues, the more you fight with them and in turn spoil your relationship.

One should be forgiving. If your boss is angry with you over something, do take the initiative and say a sorry to him. A simple “Sorry” can actually do wonders. If you do not have the courage to talk to him, send him a sms. Saying sorry will not lower your self-esteem, instead it would strengthen the bond between you and your superior.

One should never backstab anyone just for the sake of a mere promotion or some money. It is unethical. Human relationships are more important and should be valued.

Don’t carry your ego to work. Everyone is equal at workplace. Respect one and all as everyone is an employee just like you. Don’t treat anyone as untouchables.

One should always keep his personal life separate from his professional affairs. Don’t drag your personal tensions to work. Try to keep a balance between the two. You cannot afford to ill-treat your colleague just because you had a fight with your spouse the previous night. Your fellow team members have nothing to do with it. Learn to enjoy life. One should always look at the brighter side of life.

Treat your colleagues as your friends. Give them time and try to mingle with them as much as you can. Go out together for shopping or for a movie once in a while. You will feel attached to them. The trust factor and the comfort level increases.

Remember there is always some light at the end of a dark tunnel. Never lose hope in life. Stay positive, be good to others and enjoy a healthy relation with one and all.

Role of HR in Employee Relationship

It is rightly said that the success and failure of an organization is directly proportional to the relationship shared among the employees. The employees must share a cordial relation otherwise they would always end up fighting with each other. Nothing is possible without trust. You need to trust people to expect the best out of them. Trust only comes when you are comfortable with the other person. An individual can’t always take decisions alone. Employees together can discuss things among themselves, come out with innovative ideas and accomplish the tasks at a much faster rate.

A human resource professional plays a key role in binding the employees together. He/she must undertake certain activities which help in strengthening the bond among the employees and bring them closer.

The individual taking care of the HR activities plays a key role in involving all the employees into something productive which would give them an opportunity to know each other well. Individuals are so engrossed in their daily routine work that they hardly get time to interact with each other. Many of them don’t even know the full names of the person sitting next to their workstations. The human resource department must ensure that several group activities are being organized at the workplace to bring all employees on a common platform.

Research says that if the employees are satisfied with their job responsibilities, they tend to remain happy and avoid conflicts with each other. Individuals develop a feeling of trust and loyalty towards their organization and don’t waste their time and energy in unproductive tasks.

Organize various activities like potlucks and small get togethers at the workplace. Ask each one to bring some dish according to his taste and convenience. Let the employees enjoy together. Employees tend to discuss lot many things apart from routine work in these kinds of informal get togethers.

One day probably the last day of the month should be earmarked with the sole objective of celebrating birthdays falling in the particular month. For example all those born in the month of May should celebrate their birthdays together on the last day of the month i.e. 31st May which will help a great deal for them to remain charged for next one year. The HR should send a formal mail inviting all. Let everyone enjoy and have fun. Divide individuals into groups and ask each group to do something. One group can probably be responsible for the decoration of the venue; the other group can take care of the cake as well as other eatables and so on. The HR person should ideally support each group to ensure that no one faces any difficulty in getting things organized.

It is the responsibility of the human resources team to organize various events like sports day, annual day, green day etc. The employees must be encouraged to participate in these kinds of extra curricular activities.

Employees are able to relax this way and take a break from their routine work. Problems crop up when the work tends to become monotonous. Employees should enjoy coming to office, rather than treating work as a burden.

The HR in coordination with the team leaders must display the names of the top performers every month on the company’s noticeboard.Send a congratulations mail as well. The human resource professional along with the supervisor can even hand over a small trophy as a token of appreciation to the top performers. Do this activity in the presence of all. The one who has performed well starts trusting his management more and strives hard to win many more trophies in the future. Everyone is aware about each other’s performance and gets inspired as well.

While making the organization’s policies, the human resource department must fix a common time for lunch for all the employees. Assign half an hour for the same and make sure that no one during the lunch time is seen working at their workstations. Everyone should come together at the office canteen and take lunch together. When people sit together, half of their problems disappear on their own. Employees share their sorrows, displeasures and various other problems with their colleagues and this way come closer to each other. People develop better bonding this way.

When a new employee joins an organization, make sure he receives a warm welcome by all. The induction program should be conducted at the auditorium or the conference room so that everyone can be invited. Ask the new joinee to introduce himself well. Let others know that a new member has stepped into their family to help them in their assignments.

The HR along with the line managers must communicate the key responsibility areas clearly to the employees to extract the best out of them and avoid dissatisfactions later

How do you think an organization runs? With the help of people who contribute in their own way to accomplish tasks and achieve goals of the organization. The individuals who spend their maximum part of the day at the workplace, striving hard to reach to a conclusion benefiting them as well as the organization are called as employees. In a layman’s language employees are the lifeline of an organization. A human being would die if there is no blood in his body, similarly an organization can’t survive without employees. Employees are the main assets of the organization and it is really important for them to prioritize their tasks at the workplace. They should think about their company more than anything else. To extract the best out of each team member, it is important that they enjoy their work and feel attached to the organization. An employee must be committed towards his organization for him to deliver his best and remain motivated.

The employees must be engaged in productive and challenging tasks so that they do not lose their focus and avoid conflicts and unnecessary disputes. An employee must be engaged in his work for maximum output.

What is Employee Engagement ?

Employee engagement refers to a condition where the employees are fully engrossed in their work and are emotionally attached to their organization. One can’t achieve anything unless and until one is serious about it. An employee must be dedicated towards his work and should take it as a challenge. Work should never get monotonous as it would then be a burden for the individual.

Problems arise when individuals have nothing creative to do and sit idle the whole day. They start interfering in each other’s work and tend to become negative for the organization. They start finding reasons to fight with their fellow workers and crib about almost everything.

The employees must be assigned challenging assignments as per their interests and expectations so that they devote their maximum time to work rather than loitering and gossiping around. The team leaders or the managers must ensure to review their team member’s performance on a weekly basis to find out whether they are enjoying their work or not? An employee must not treat his organization as a mere source of earning money only. An organization is a place where employees go to upgrade their skills and learn something new every day. One must respect and love his job to expect the same. Never talk ill of your organization in front of anyone.

Effective ways to enhance Employee Engagement

The team leader should understand his members well. Do not assign anything which the employee would not find interesting.

Effective communication enhances employee engagement. Make sure there is transparency in communication at all levels and everyone is aware of what is happening around him.

The management must constantly motivate his employees. Cash prizes, trophies, gift vouchers, certificates are an effective way to motivate the employees and keep them engaged in their work. Give them a target and ask them to achieve that within a particular time frame to earn handsome incentives or lucrative prizes. This way, the employees would not waste their time and spend their maximum time working and aiming for the rewards.

The team leader or the manager must be in constant dialogue with his team members. He should know what his team members are up to. Performance monitoring is important. The team members should be answerable to their immediate bosses.

Be friendly with your team. Don’t ask them to stay back late unnecessarily. They are likely to commit more mistakes and eventually lose interest in work. Let them go back home on time and enjoy their personal lives as well. Rejuvenation is essential for an individual to remain happy and stress free. More than a strict boss, be a mentor to them and stand by them always.

Encourage your team members to think out of the box. Ask them do their work in a little different way than they normally do. The employees must put on their thinking caps at workplace and accomplish the task in the most innovative way.

Such activities help the employees to develop a sense of trust and loyalty towards the management and stick to the organization for a longer period of time. They consider the organization’s goals as their goals and thus try to achieve them at any cost. The employees learn to take ownership of their work and do every possible thing which

satisfies them as well as the organization.

Employee Engagement and Employee Relationship

Employee engagement refers to a situation where the employees are engaged in their work and hardly get any time to gossip or spread rumours. It has been observed that an employee engaged in work tends to avoid fighting with others and thus enjoys a warm relationship with his colleagues.

Most of the time he is busy with his work and stays away from nasty politics or interfering in each other’s tasks. Both the two terms have a direct relationship with each other. In the real sense, employee engagement is directly proportional to employee relationship. More the employees are engrossed in their work; the better the relation among them.

Let us understand the relation between the two with an example:

Michael was heading the marketing and the branding team of a leading firm. He had four team members reporting to him. Michael being a responsible team leader ensured all his team members were assigned challenging tasks for them to enjoy their work. The team members were always on the toes to do something creative everytime. Michael took his lunch with his team members in the company’s cafeteria and made sure to spend some together every weekend. His team members never fought with each other, instead enjoyed their work, discussed things among themselves and came out with innovative ideas satisfying all. Most of the time they were seen glued to their workstations and hardly had any time for lose talks, gossips, blame games or criticism.

An employee sitting idle the whole day at workplace creates problems. It is rightly said that “an empty mind is a devil’s workshop”. People with no productive work to do actually look for excuses to argue and even provoke others to fight. They are involved in all kinds of destructive work and pose a threat to the decorum and peace of the organization. An employee who finds his work interesting would never bother whether his colleague is chatting over the phone or dating someone. He would be more concerned with his work and strive hard to complete it within the desired time frame. He would utilize his time in completing his assignments to submit it further rather than peeping into his colleague’s computer or finding faults in others.

An employee who is satisfied with his job profile would always think in the favour of the company and would stay away from doing anything which would bring a bad name to his team as well as his organization. He would prefer

working rather than wasting his precious time in unproductive tasks. Engaged and satisfied employees always try their level best to work hard and justify their salary.

An employee who is serious about his work would definitely complete it at a much faster rate as compared to non serious workers. Chances of mistakes in their work would also be less and but natural they would earn appreciation from their superiors or team leaders. Their work would be liked by all and hence they would definitely enjoy a healthy relationship with their superiors and fellow workers. Employees would be able to complete their assignments on time and thus impressing the management.

The team leader should ensure that the key responsibility areas of the team members match with their interests and specialization. It is essential that the employees don’t treat their work as a burden and look forward to going to office daily. In such cases employees enter the office with a positive frame of mind and are more adjusting and compromising with each other. They readily help each other and enjoy a healthy relationship with their fellow team members.

An employee must concentrate on his work rather than fighting with others and spoiling his relationship with his fellow workers.

Tips for a Professional for a Better Employee Relationship

For an organization to perform well, it is essential that the employees share a warm and a healthy relationship among themselves. They must be comfortable with each other for them to enjoy their work and deliver their level best. Disputes and disagreements only lead to stress and nothing productive comes out of it.

Let us go through some handy tips for a professional for a healthy employee relationship:

The first and the foremost mantra for a healthy employee relationship is effective communication. A professional must communicate effectively by carefully putting his thoughts into relevant words to avoid confusions and better understanding at the workplace. One should never play with words or speak something which might make the other person feel awkward or out of place. One’s communication has to be crisp and precise to create an impression. There should be transparency in speech at all levels for a healthy relationship. Pass on the information as it is.Never manipulate the truth. Communication is an art.No individual is born with effective communication skills; it comes in due course of time with practice.

Professionals must depend more on written modes of communication than verbal as it is more reliable and one can’t back out later. An email is nothing but a reflection of one’s thoughts and should be self explanatory for the others to respond accordingly. Take care of the style and font of the mail. One needs to be very careful about the subject line as the other person opens the mail only when the subject line is impressive and relevant. The mail should be marked to all the employees who should be a part of the communication with a cc to the team leader for him to be aware of what is happening in his team. Don’t send mails separately to individuals as it might create a confusion and eventually a friction among employees.

One should never adopt a casual attitude at work. Be professional in your approach. Learn to be disciplined. A professional must abide by the policies of the organization for better relations and peace at work. An individual should not take frequent leaves to ensure timely submission of work. Don’t unnecessarily ask for favours from your team members. For a better relationship with the fellow workers, one should not interfere in each other’s work. No one would appreciate if you peep into your colleague’s computer screen or open something not meant for you. One should be more concerned with his own work rather than bothering about others. Your organization pays you for your hard work so one should not waste his time in criticizing or making fun of others. How would you feel if someone unnecessarily pulls you into a controversy? You would never feel like talking to him. Avoid playing blame game at work. Learn to own your responsibilities else you would be left all alone in the office. Backstabbing should be avoided as it is considered highly unprofessional and spoils the relationship among the employees.

Don’t walk into meetings empty handed. Carry a notepad along with you to jot down the important points for future reference. An individual can’t remember each and everything thus it is always advisable to write down somewhere to avoid forgetting things later and earn the criticism of others. Develop the

habit of carrying a planner to mark the important dates. The agenda and the minutes of the meeting must be circulated among all so that everyone gets a common picture and nobody feels neglected.

It is essential to maintain the decorum of the office. Remember you are not sitting at your home where you can shout on anyone. Be polite to everyone irrespective of his designation and level in the hierarchy. Never use foul words or abusive language against anyone as it lead to severe disputes among employees. If you do not agree to someone, it is better to sit with him and discuss rather than arguing and spoiling your relationship. A professional must avoid gossiping and spreading unnecessary rumours at work.

Employees must help each other at work for a better relationship. One should avoid being jealous and selfish at work. If someone has done well, do appreciate him. Lend a sympathetic ear to your fellow workers if they are in trouble. Be a little more adjusting. Things can’t always be the same as you want, compromise sometimes to your best extent possible. Don’t just rush to your desk and start working the moment you step into your office. Greet others with a warm smile. Take your lunch with your team members and do go out once in a while to increase the comfort level. Celebrate festivals at the workplace where each and every employee can come together and enjoy. Don’t forget to wish your colleague on his birthday. Bring a nice gift for him as well.

One should intervene immediately in case of conflicts and arguments. Don’t tend to ignore things. One needs to be loyal towards his organization to be in the good books of the management as well as to grow professionally. Never misguide anyone. If you are not aware of something, it is better to stay out of it than misleading the other person.

Last but not the least one should always have a positive attitude at work. Try to be friendly with your colleagues and don’t always find faults in them. Don’t assume that your colleagues would always harm you. One should always look at the positive side of the things to avoid stress and maintain a cordial relationship with everyone at work.

Don’ts for a Healthy Employee Relationship

An organization is a place to work and not a battle field where employees would fight with each other. One needs to treat his fellow workers well, understand each other’s expectations for a healthy relationship and maximum output. The employees must be comfortable with each other and work together as a team.

Remember there is no “I” in a team. Every employee should think about his team first and all his personal interests should take a backseat. It is important that each and every employee works in close coordination with each other and decide something which would satisfy all.

Don’t treat your colleagues as your enemy. Learn to respect as well as trust them. Team leaders and superiors must ensure a healthy relationship among the employees to avoid negativity within the teams.

Let us go through some important points which must be avoided at the workplace for a warm relationship among the employees:

Avoid partiality at work. Don’t treat someone well just because he stays near your place or brings lunch for you daily. Everyone must be treated as one. If someone has done something wrong, it is the duty of the team leader to correct him irrespective of the relations he shares with him. Favouritism must not be promoted at the workplace.

Every individual should be assigned work as per their interest and capability. The work should be equally divided among all. Don’t impose your decisions on your team members. Let them decide on their own what is correct for them and what is not.

The employees must avoid lose talks and blame games at work. They actually don’t help. Learn to own your mistakes and find out ways to correct them. It is absolutely natural to commit mistakes. Every human being does, so no need to panic and pass on the blame to others. It severely spoils the relationship among the employees. One should not spread unnecessary rumours about any of his colleagues. If you come to know something about anyone, it is better to discuss with him in private rather than publicising the whole story. Just think what would you gain out of it?

An individual must never break his colleague’s trust. If your team member has shared one of his secrets with you, please keep it to yourself only. If the person sitting next to you has expressed his displeasure over anything, don’t disclose it in front of your boss or others. Avoid nasty politics at workplace. If you can’t help anyone it is better to stay out of it rather than giving wrong suggestions

Avoid communicating with employees individually. Meetings must not always be conducted one to one. Call all of them together and address them on an open forum. Let each and every one express their concerns. Emails must be sent with all the participants in loop and suggestions must be invited from their side. The communication has to be transparent for a better employee relationship.

Avoid criticism at work. Never make fun of anyone. Pointing mistakes is important but make sure you do not insult the other person. Sit with him. and make him realize his mistakes. Don’t be rude or harsh to anyone.

Don’t have separate lunch timings for the employees. Gone are the days when managers and supervisors used to sit in their closed cabins and special peons were assigned to them. The concept has changed now a days and everyone is one working for a common goal. The team leader’s position will not be tarnished if he takes his lunch with his team members. Don’t always discuss work at your office. If it is your colleague’s birthday, do make it a point to wish him in the morning. He will feel happy.

Too much of interference in each other’s work is bad and can lead to adverse effects. Don’t unnecessarily peep into each other’s computer screens. One must respect each other’s privacy. It is important to do work together but don’t ask too many questions or tend to irritate others. Don’t always try to find out what the other person is up to. Never ever read anyone else’s notes or open any courier or envelope not meant for you. If your colleague has asked you to send a mail from his system on his behalf, make sure you don’t read any of his personal mails.

One should be a little positive for better employee relations. Don’t always assume that the other person is wrong. Avoid unnecessary cribbing at workplace. If you are not well, it is better to stay at home rather than going to work and spoiling everyone else’s mood. Try to look at life from a larger perspective. Finding faults in others must be avoided for a better relation.

Avoid being selfish at work. Try to help others. Don’t ignore things just because it is not related to you. Understand the other individual’s problem and try your level best to sort it out. Every individual needs a break and if your team member asks for a leave do allow him but make sure your work does not suffer. This way your team members would respect you and discuss issues more freely in the future.

Efforts must be taken to avoid conflicts at work so that employees come closer to each other, work together and does not lose their focus. They must be cordial with each other for a warm and a healthy ambience at workplace.

Foster Positive Employee Relations Using Communication Best Practices

Organizations are always striving to maintain positive employee relations. This is especially true

during such trying times as the current economic downturn— at such times, employers feel

especially strong pressure to retain top talent in order to meet and exceed business demands.

However, organizations often face dwindling resources at such critical periods, meaning that they

must be creative in terms of maintaining these positive relations. One cheap and easy way in

which positive relations can be preserved is through smart communication practices.

Communication, especially between employees and leadership, can have a major impact on

employee relations. When effective communication practices are in places, employees generally

feel more connected and committed to the organization. However, when communication breaks

down, employee relation problems are more likely to occur. Here are a few tips for improving or

establishing organizational communication practices to preserve positive employee relations.

1. Conduct a communications audit. A preventative measure that organizations can take is to

conduct a communications audit. A communications audit is a snapshot of an organization’s

communication strategies, activities, and programs (Coffman, 2004). This process can inform an

organization as to which communication practices work and which may need to be improved. A

variety of methods can be utilized in a communications audit, such as workplace observation,

interviews or surveys of employees or leadership, and focus groups. Communication audits are

especially important for determining where communication breakdowns may have led employees

to be confused or misinformed on organizational rules, policies, and practices. Once areas are

identified for improvement, organizations can determine an action plan to repair or implement

new communication processes.

2. Provide a well-designed outlet for employees to communicate suggestions and

concerns to management. To maintain positive relations, many organizations utilize a variety of

systems for employees to communicate their suggestions and concerns to management. When

employees feel like they have a voice in the organization, they are generally more engaged,

especially when they see their suggestions implemented. This also benefits employers as

employees, being in the trenches of the organization, often bring to light ideas for change and

streamlining of organizational processes, which result in cost saving and increased productivity.

In ERC’s recent Employee Relations Survey, organizations reported using many types of

suggestion systems, ranging from face-to-face and group meetings to management blogs and

social media. What is best for each organization depends on the culture of that organization but

no matter what, there are some best practices that are recommended for establishing an effective

and well-received suggestion program (Heathfield, 2010).

Appoint a cross-functional suggestion review team. Many organizations designate

specific suggestion review teams or taskforces from a cross-section of departments. Each

employee in this group can provide a unique perspective on each suggestion and its viability,

and this team often has the power to recommend and implement suggestions.

Establish guidelines for the employee suggestion program. Good suggestion programs

have guidelines as to what topics are open to suggestions. Typically, acceptable suggestions

include ideas on cost savings, productivity, process improvement, and morale improvement.

Suggestion programs that merely become outlets for complaints and venting do not lead to

enhanced positive employee relations.

Communicate the process. A suggestion box tucked into a corner does little good for

employees or for the organization. For a suggestion program to be successful, the employees

have to know how to submit their suggestions and concerns. Employees should understand

who evaluates ideas, how decisions are made, and how rewards are allocated (if applicable).

Recognize and reward. A very effective way to foster positive employee relations is to

provide rewards or recognition for employee suggestions. The resuls of a recent ERC survey

(2010), showed that 30% of organizations rewarded suggestions in some way. A rewards

program has the potential to positively affect employee relations so long as the process is

made explicit and employees understand why or why not they are being rewarded. Keep in

mind that rewards do not need to be costly—praise can be its own reward. For instance, in

lieu of cash awards, many organizations provide recognition in meetings or newsletters for

great employee ideas and suggestions.

Provide feedback. Feedback on employees’ suggestions and ideas should be provided,

perhaps privately if suggestions are not anonymous. We’ve seen situations where employees

are less likely to provide suggestions if they fear that their idea could be publicly rejected. In

some programs employees can actually track the progress of their ideas from submission to

implementation. If feedback is not feasible, acknowledging and showing appreciation for

suggestions, at the very least, is crucial.

3. Have leadership interact with employees at all levels of the organization. A personal

connection between leaders and employees can go a long way in building and maintaining

positive employee relations. When employees have an opportunity to meet, talk with, and be

empowered by organizational leaders, they feel more emotionally committed to the organization,

engaged, and willing to work harder for the organization (Avolio, Zhu, Koh, & Bhatia, 2004). A

recent ERC survey (2010) found that most organizations (86%) provide opportunities for upper

management to meet with lower-level employees, and organizations can utilize a few different

strategies to do so such as:

Walking the floor. In some organizations, leaders and upper management use a

“management by walking around” style. These leaders will walk around the office or work

area, stopping to greet and interact with employees. These managers are often on a first-

name basis with everyone in the organization.

Social outings. Social outings and organizational events are great ways for leadership to

meet with employees and build relationships. Many leaders take part in fun games and

events, creating bonding experiences with employees. A somewhat common practice is

leaders cooking out for employees or doing something special to serve them.

Employee forums and focus groups. Rather than wait for employees to communicate

suggestions and concerns, leaders can proactively invite employees across the organization to

attend forums and focus groups. Employees appreciate and respond positively when they have

an opportunity to communicate their ideas directly to leaders, and this can go a long way in

building positive employee relations.

Personal recognition. When employees achieve great things or reach milestones, personal

recognition from leadership is a very meaningful occurrence. When upper management

communicates recognition, either personally or through a public venue (such as a newsletter

or intranet), employees feel empowered to continue to succeed in the workplace.

The importance and value of strong positive employee relations is something that should not be

overlooked by organizations. Strengthening employee relations can have great benefits for a

business and one clear way to improve relations is through effective and well-planned

communication. Any organization, whether big or small, is capable of fostering a rich flow of ideas

and information among its employees. All it takes is a little forethought, some solid planning, and

a true desire to listen and to share.

Additional Resources

Employee Engagement Surveys – To have ERC conduct an employee engagement survey

for your organization, please contact consulting@ercnet.org.

HR Help Desk – For guidance and best practices related to a variety of employee relations

issues, please contact hrhelp@ercnet.org.

Surveys – To download ERC’s Employee Relations Survey, please click here.

Training – To help your supervisors better handle employee relations issues, consider

sending them to ERC’s Supervisory Series I workshops that will give them the tools and

insights to succeed in their managerial role.