© 2001 by Prentice Hall Developing Employee Relations and Communications

© 2001 by Prentice Hall 13-2 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.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall 13-3 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.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall 13-4 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.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall 13-5 The Communication Process within an Organization Communication Channel Sender (Encodes Message) Receiver (Decodes Message) Noise Feedback

© 2001 by Prentice Hall 13-6 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

© 2001 by Prentice Hall 13-7 Downward Communication Communication that allows managers to implement their decision and to influence employees lower in the organizational hierarchy.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall 13-8 Upward Communication Communication that allow employees at lower levels to communicate their ideas and feelings to higher-level decision makers.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall 13-9 Information Dissemination Programs  Employee Handbook u This is probably the most important source of information that the HR department can provide. u Although sometimes considered a tool for only large corporations, small businesses can also benefit from the use of employee handbooks.  Written Communications u Memos u Financial Statements u Newsletters u Bulletin Boards

© 2001 by Prentice Hall Information Dissemination Programs (cont.)  Audiovisual Communications u Video Presentations u Teleconferencing  Electronic Communications u Voice Mail u Electronic Mail  Meetings  Retreats  Informal Communications

© 2001 by Prentice Hall Employee Feedback Programs  Employee Attitude Surveys  Appeals Procedure u 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

© 2001 by Prentice Hall Excerpt from an Employee Attitude Survey To what extent are you satisfied with 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 Highly Satisfied Highly Dissatisfied

© 2001 by Prentice Hall International Comparisons of Employee Satisfaction MexicoU.S.SingaporeJapan 82% 72% 66% 65% 58% 53% 43% 31% Where Workers Are Happy Percent Satisfied with Company as an Employer 100 0

© 2001 by Prentice Hall Employee Assistance Program (EAP) A company-sponsored program that helps employees cope with personal problems that are interfering with their job performance.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall 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

© 2001 by Prentice Hall An Employee Assistance Program Step 1 Identify troubled employee Self- identification Supervisor identification Step 2Step 3Step 4 Employee refuses to seek help and is terminated if problem has a significant nega- tive impact on work EAP counseling Problem solved; employee con- tinues to work or, if on leave, returns to work Treatment un- successful; employee is terminated Treatment Problem solved, employee con- tinues to work

© 2001 by Prentice Hall Employee Recognition Program A program that rewards employees for their ideas and contributions.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall Employee Recognition Programs  Suggestion Systems u Designed to solicit, evaluate, and implement suggestions from employees and then reward the employees for worthwhile ideas. u 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.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall Employee Recognition Programs (cont.)  Recognition Awards u Recognition awards give public credit to people or teams who make outstanding contributions to the organization. u A recognition award can be initiated by a manager or by an internal customer of an individual or a team. u 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.