Employee relations

Fostering good employee relations

When done well, employee relations contribute significantly to a positive workplace environment, improved productivity and the long-term success of the organisation.

We can help you to build and maintain positive relationships between your organisation and your employees, creating a culture of trust and collaboration by encompassing the strategies, policies, and practices that govern how employees are treated, how conflicts are resolved, and how engagement and productivity are fostered.

What are employee relations?

Employee relations focuses on creating and delivering people practices which develop and maintain positive working relationships between an organisation and its people.

As consultants we can support and advise managers on difficult people issues and are experts in employment law. For some organisations, this means working closely with trades unions and employee representatives and negotiating with them to resolve complex people issues.

How can we help?

Different working environments create different challenges, and so too will the changing circumstances of work. As experts in employee relations we help our clients understand the forces that bring about change (from inside and outside an organisation).

We look at the impact these changes can have on people, how to align people policies to the employer brand, ensuring compliance with employment law and how to respond when an employment relationship breaks down while making sure the organisation learns from these experiences.

An effective, holistic employee relations framework includes:

Compliance: Legislation and employees’ statutory rights compliance is critical
Workplace communication and engagement: Good employee relations involve establishing clear and open channels of communication between employees and management
Ensuring employee Voice: Using tools such as surveys, suggestion schemes or formal consultative mechanisms to ensure that employees have a say in workplace decisions that affect them
Conflict resolution and grievance handling: A key function of employee relations is to manage and resolve conflicts or disputes effectively and fairly. Ensuring that any disciplinary or grievance procedures are conducted fairly helps to maintain trust and prevent claims of unfair treatment or discrimination
Performance management: Effective employee relations include establishing clear performance expectations, regular feedback mechanisms, and fair appraisal systems

Employee engagement and motivation: Employee relations also focus on initiatives that boost engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty. This might include recognition schemes and career development opportunities
Retention strategies: Positive employee relations can lead to higher retention rates by creating a supportive and inclusive workplace culture where employees feel valued
Union relations and collective bargaining: In many workplaces, employee relations also involve managing relationships with trade unions. Maintaining constructive relationships with unions can help prevent industrial disputes and foster a collaborative approach to resolving workplace issues
Cultural and ethical considerations: Employee relations practices emphasise the importance of diversity, inclusion, and fairness. This means ensuring that policies are free from bias and that all employees are given equal opportunities to contribute and progress. Upholding high ethical standards and transparent practices is fundamental to building trust and a positive organisational culture

What our clients say about us

Judy Franz, Finance Director, BPM-D

“People Business support us on all our HR matters. They recognise that we have limited resource on our HR team and provide the necessary support and knowledge when we need it. They also challenge us into areas that we hadn’t even considered as needing attention. As a result we have a happier workforce, a better structured approach to HR and are striving to do better all the time. On urgent matters they have been super-responsive and their advice has been sound.”

Judy Franz, Finance Director, BPM-D

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