Improving Employee Relations From the Inside Out

Talent Report+THRIVE

Description: Today we are talking about improving employee relations. Hear from an HR expert Advisor on how to foster better relationships between employees and management, and ultimately create a more positive and productive workplace.

We’ll look at how to handle common challenges, communication breakdowns, and performance issues. We'll explore effective techniques for building trust, boosting morale, and creating a culture of respect and collaboration.

Whether you're an HR professional, a manager, or an employee looking to make improvements in your workplace, tune in for valuable tips and actionable advice for cultivating positive relationships at work.

Resources:

Protecting Your Most Important Asset With a Positive Employee Relations Culture

MRA Membership

About MRA

Let's Connect:

Guest Bio - Amy Whittenberger

Guest LinkedIn Profile - Amy Whittenberger

Guest LinkedIn Profile - Sam Siebenaller

Host Bio - Sophie Boler

Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler

Transcript:

Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:03
Unknown
Hello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here.

00:00:21:04 - 00:00:51:16
Unknown
Now it's time to thrive. Hello, everybody, and welcome to MRA's 30 minute Thrive podcast. Today we're going to be talking about improving employee relations and hear from an expert advisor on how to foster better relationships between employees in management and ultimately create a more positive and productive workforce. So Amy Wittenberg is one of MRA's HR advisors. So she's on our 24 seven hotline answering any HR questions you may have.

00:00:51:18 - 00:01:10:16
Unknown
So, Amy, welcome back. I'm glad you're on the podcast again. Thank you. It's fun. I enjoy it. Good. Well, employer relations is such a big topic and we only have 30 minutes, unfortunately, in the episode. So let's kind of break this down a little bit and just kind of give us an overview of what employee relations is and what can be done about it.

00:01:10:19 - 00:01:40:07
Unknown
Sure sounds like fun. When I think of employee relations and being on the hotline is probably my favorite call. Yes. You know, because you really get to work with the show in terms of discussing an issue that may or may not be easy in working through, you know, what is the best way for them to handle it. I give them a lot of respect because most of time they're calling and knowing that the answer is, but they just want to walk through it with someone to make sure that they're thinking about all the things that they need to do.

00:01:40:09 - 00:02:04:00
Unknown
It's really where we can help coach and brainstorm ideas and maybe even it's even training the trainer, coaching them how to talk about the supervisor regarding an issue. And this is where we really get to help each other thrive. Yeah. So in terms of what's going on, when I think of employee relation issues, you know, it's running the gamut between investigations.

00:02:04:01 - 00:02:29:11
Unknown
It could be employee complaints about how they're working with the fellow colleague or maybe with their supervisor. It could be complaints about bullying, offensive behavior and performance, attendance, things going down, the terminations. Sometimes managers come to us and say, you know, we don't think this employees working out or is a good fit because they're, you know, toxic or rather brawls or gossiping, things like that all really hard.

00:02:29:13 - 00:02:50:08
Unknown
And then there's the cell phones. You know, they're everywhere these days. So we get regular calls in terms of, you know, what do I do with employee that this texting about another employee, I'm using the phone too much, maybe using it for social media and talking about employees of the company. So it's it's pretty broad based in terms of the issues we work through.

00:02:50:09 - 00:03:12:16
Unknown
Mm hmm. But again, it is my favorite favorite call because they're really good to work with them and answer questions and help them think through the best solution. Oh, yeah, absolutely. I like the more positive side you were talking about. We get into the investigations and conflict resolution, stuff like that in another episode. But let's start out by kind of defining what would good employee relations look like.

00:03:12:18 - 00:03:33:17
Unknown
Sure. You know, when I think of a story, when I used to teach occasional stretch and I call it the H.R. triangle, it is a trick question because I used to say, you know, as H.R. the advocate for an employee or a manager, that's a trick question because there it's an and so they're the advocate for the employee and the manager as well as the company.

00:03:33:19 - 00:04:05:12
Unknown
And that's when we think about the big picture of employee relations. You know, it's everyone's role to really work on, maintain a proactive environment so H.R. can help support employees do that, and managers do that as well as help drive some of those communications that can be proactive, more proactive. And that's from employee relations. Works best as when it's positive and proactive, which then it gets to avoiding some of the negative situations.

00:04:05:12 - 00:04:34:15
Unknown
Yeah. So I like to say an ounce of prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure in terms of working to pilot communication. Yeah, for sure. Any other practical strategies that employers can implement to improve employee relations or how can H.R. really support this in an organization? Yeah, I think of three areas probably where it's best of focus, and the very first thing that comes to mind, you know, is working on onboarding.

00:04:34:17 - 00:04:59:19
Unknown
Then certainly like an over communication plan and with an open door policy. And then I think because so much happens between the manager and the employee, I think it's really important for us to provide training for our managers. Yeah, So, so I think of onboarding, I think of that's where employee relationship begins between employer employee. And so I think any time you can spend more time upfront.

00:04:59:21 - 00:05:24:08
Unknown
So during the onboarding, you know, having really good, rich conversations in terms of, you know, what is it that you expect from employees, you know, what, what expectations do you have for behaviors? What behaviors do not want to see in the environment? And I think it's important not to assume that these employees know that. I think you need to be really intentional in terms of what you want to see in employees and guide them that way.

00:05:24:10 - 00:05:45:18
Unknown
Talk to them about what it means to build trust in an environment, how to work respectfully with each other, how to empathize each other, getting to know them, building relationships with employees, and then tell them what you don't want to see in terms of, you know, what is offensive behavior, what is gossiping, you know, and why doesn't it work?

00:05:45:18 - 00:06:10:07
Unknown
Because it, you know, breaks down trust and hurts people. So I think those and the more you have those upfront people understand better, then if you move into, you know, after they're employed for a while, you know, I think whatever h.r. Leadership can do to develop an overall strategy for working through positive communications. Yeah. So what kind of strategies can we put in to be proactive?

00:06:10:09 - 00:06:28:06
Unknown
Mm hmm. What can we do to help our managers in terms of having an open door policy in and that isn't about, you know, bring everything you want to my door, right? But teach them what it means, which is if you're going to come to my door, let's talk about where you can be part of the solution. Yeah, Come with ideas.

00:06:28:06 - 00:07:02:17
Unknown
And what what you don't like and what it would look like if it was fixed. Absolutely. So just maintaining those conversations. Yeah. And then. And then I'm sorry. And then working with the managers. Yeah. So, so much happens between a manager and the employee. It's really supporting those managers and how to have good communications and what that means for them in terms of, you know, setting outcomes, making sure employees understand those outcomes, allowing questions, building rapport, checking in with them, all those things that you can do to be proactive plus relationships.

00:07:02:18 - 00:07:28:23
Unknown
I love that. That was all great advice. I, I like the onboarding, um, examples of giving your new employees those examples because some of them may not even know what. I don't know what they mean. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. So earlier you mentioned that this is about maintaining positive relationships. So what are some strategies that h.r. And managers can use to build relationships?

00:07:29:01 - 00:07:52:06
Unknown
So i think some of the things that we can focus and is really those terms i said earlier, which is working and trust. So what does it mean, you know, to trust each other when i'm working together with an employee, it's teaching them how to have those conflict resolution conversations. Yeah. Understanding people's stories. So, you know, get to know the work your workers and where they're coming from.

00:07:52:07 - 00:08:17:02
Unknown
Yeah. And then the same thing with managers. But then I think leaders really need to do some broader things, which is make sure employees understand that their contribution is important and that we should seek their feedback and let them know that what they're sharing with us is important for us to understand, you know, kind of like the pulse of what's going on in the environment.

00:08:17:03 - 00:08:38:04
Unknown
Yeah, that's that's great advice. Let's switch gears a little bit now and return to the relationships fundamentals. So let's talk a little bit about how we can prevent or lessen these employee relation issues may arise. Mm hmm. So they another story kind of comes to mind only because, again, I think much of what happens is between the manager.

00:08:38:04 - 00:08:56:18
Unknown
The employee? Yeah. You know, they're managing them every day. And I think, you know, communications is hard to get right. And, you know, getting work done through employees is hard to do. So I think, again, working through managers. But I think of a many times and I've worked with supervisors and managers that have come to me about an employee.

00:08:56:20 - 00:09:19:15
Unknown
And, you know, either it's time to, you know, let them go or work through a performance improvement plan. And you always kind of went a step back in. I would always say, you know, in your point, in your finger at an employee, there's three fingers pointing back at you supervisor and try to get them to realize, you know what what has been the proactive things you've done?

00:09:19:17 - 00:09:47:22
Unknown
Have you been proactive in the relationship? Mm hmm. You know, so at asking questions like. And have you set expectations with them and did you give them time to think about what that means in ask questions and how to achieve those? And that's when, you know, the first deer in the headlights comes. Yeah. And then. And then they get to finally asking, you know, did you do everything in your power to make sure that they're succeeding at their job, You know?

00:09:47:22 - 00:10:05:12
Unknown
And that's when you get kind of radio silence with them. Mm hmm. Yeah. And I think that's frustrating for the managers because oftentimes will send them back and say, well, let's let's not start over, but let's go back a little bit with the beginning and make sure you did do those things to give employees everything they need to be successful.

00:10:05:14 - 00:10:29:12
Unknown
Mm hmm. And I think that's where it starts with is the more proactive you are in all of those things with your employees and the better it's going to be in terms of preventing employee relationships or just talk about how important communication is, too, in this whole process. So. Mm hmm. Can you share any tips for maintaining open lines of communication between employees and management?

00:10:29:13 - 00:10:49:10
Unknown
Yeah, I'd be happy to. You know, a couple of things come to mind. So when I work with managers, I would often say, you know, I think you should spend at least once a month talking with the employees, which, again, in opinion on the span of control, that means seen in a little over burdensome for them or unrealistic.

00:10:49:12 - 00:11:09:16
Unknown
Yeah, but that doesn't mean it has to be a long conversation. You know, mainly I think it's just brief check ins. How are you doing? You know, asking questions, you know, personally about them. You know, for example, how are your kids? Soccer's going, you know, or, you know, what did you do this past weekend to have some fun or what are your plans for the holidays?

00:11:09:18 - 00:11:33:15
Unknown
It's a little bit just getting to know them and show that you care. Exactly. Then it's building some other tips then, which is when you're talking with employee, make sure that you're not making any assumptions about them or their stories or where they're coming from. You know, make sure that you spend enough, enough time to to understand who they are and what might be going at home that could be affecting their job.

00:11:33:17 - 00:11:52:22
Unknown
Other things it can do is certainly, you know, listen, to understand. Mm hmm. We hear about proactive listening and how important active listening is. But I truly believe. Oh, yeah, you know, it's important to give someone your full attention when you're talking to them, looking at the rebels and nonverbals to see how comfortable they are with that conversation.

00:11:53:00 - 00:12:12:04
Unknown
And I think another thing that's really important is choosing words carefully. I think it tries, you know, managers that I speak with and I say it's really important to role play. You know, think about that conversation, advance, you know, and what words are you going to use? Because if you use the wrong word, it's going to make them play defensive and make them shut down.

00:12:12:06 - 00:12:33:11
Unknown
Right. And then you lost all your credibility and then speak to credibility, you know, with employees, if you say you need to do something, you need to do it. Oh, yeah. You need to follow through. You know, And if you said you need to look up something for them, make sure you look it up. If you say, you know, talk to someone else about something, make sure you talk to someone and then follow up and let them know, because that builds credibility.

00:12:33:13 - 00:12:57:06
Unknown
And then lastly, I think it's just being vulnerable, authentic and humble and showing them, you know, that I've been in your shoes, I've made mistakes and huge it I mean, and this is how I learned from them, you know, And but being vulnerable with them really builds a lot of trust. Yeah. Those are all great tips and great reminders, too, for just creating that culture of positive employee relations, you know?

00:12:57:08 - 00:13:17:03
Unknown
Mm hmm. We're closing out there. So now. But I want to thank you for being on the podcast today and really sharing your expertise on this topic. I know you deal with this every single day, so you're definitely an expert on it. But to our listeners, I would encourage you to like the episode, share it, leave a comment or review in.

00:13:17:03 - 00:13:34:18
Unknown
Consider joining MRA if you aren't a member already. We've got all the resources in the show notes below, and we've got Aimee's LinkedIn profile and her bio in there too, if you want to get in contact with her. All right. Thank you so much for tuning in today. And thank you again, Amy, for all your great knowledge. Thank you.

00:13:34:18 - 00:13:53:18
Unknown
It's been fun. I love it. I will see you next week. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect. For more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure to follow MRA’s 30 minutes Thrive so you don't miss out.

00:13:53:18 - 00:13:58:11
Unknown
Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.