13-1 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Developing Employee Relations Chapter 13

13-2 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall  The roles of the manager and the employee relations specialists  Developing employee communications  Facilitating effective communications  Employee recognition programs Chapter 13 Overview

13-3 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall  Good Employee Relations —providing fair and consistent treatment to all employees The Employee Relations Specialist  Employee relations representatives  Member of the HR department  Ensures that company policies are followed  Advises supervisors and employees on specific employee relations problems  May help develop employee relations policies

13-4 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Developing Employee Communication  Communication —key to employee relations  Need multiple channels  Communication Flows: o Downward o Upward o Laterally  Information Conveyed:  Facts  Feelings

13-5 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Two-way Communication

13-6 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall  Focus on specific behaviors  Keep the feedback impersonal  Make is descriptive, not judgmental  Give feedback appropriately  Best time is after the behavior is observed  Best place is in private  Focus negative feedback on behaviors the employee can control Communicating Useful Feedback

13-7 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall  Knowledge workers  Information is critical Information Dissemination Programs  The employee handbook  Contains policies and procedures and employee rights and responsibilities  Sets the tone for employee relations  Should be updated annually  Some contain a disclaimer o Is a set of guidelines, not a contract

13-8 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall  Other Written Communication  Memos  Financial Reports  Newsletters  Bulletin boards Information Dissemination Programs  Audiovisual Communication  Teleconferencing

13-9 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall  Electronic Communication  Voice mail o Limit message capacity o Do not leave people in limbo o Do not use voice to avoid talking o Be sure everyone understands the system o Respect the caller Facilitating Effective Communication  Electronic Mail ( ) o Contributes to information overload o Don’t use for sensitive/private messages

13-10 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall  Multimedia technology  Meetings  Retreats  “Grapevine”  Cliques  MBWA Facilitating Effective Communication

13-11 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Employee Feedback Programs  Source of upward communication  Employee attitude surveys  Tell employees what will happen to the data  Use the data ethically  Protect employee confidentiality

13-12 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Employee Feedback Programs  Appeals Procedure  Open Door Program  Speak-up Program  Company hotlines  Ombudsman  Grievance Panel/Union Grievance procedures  Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)  Help for troubled employees  Good faith attempt to support and retain employee

13-13 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall An Employee Assistance Program

13-14 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Employee Recognition Programs  Suggestion Systems  Solicits, evaluates, and implements employee suggestions  Then rewards employees for suggestions  Recognition Awards  Celebrates outstanding contributions  By individuals or teams

13-15 Copyright ©2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall  Good employee relations  Fair and consistent treatment of employees Summary and Conclusions  Develop employee communications  Communication occurs three ways  Don’t ignore upward, the most difficult  Facilitating effective communications  Disseminate information when needed  Solicit employee feedback  Employee recognition programs  Must be sincere to have a positive effect