Good employee relations involve providing fair and consistent treatment to all employees so that they will be committed to the organization. The backbone of an effective employee relations program is the manager, who is expected to evaluate, reward, and discipline employees in line with the company’s employee relations philosophy. Employee relations representatives from the HR department ensure that employment policies are being fairly and consistently administered within the company. They often consult with both supervisors and employees on specific employee relations problems.

To develop effective employee relations, a company needs communication channels to move information up, down, and across the organization. Effective communications in an organization involve (1) a sender who encodes the message, (2) a communication channel that transmits the message, (3) a receiver who decodes the message, and (4) provisions for feedback because noise in the environment may distort the message’s true meaning.

Working with supervisors and managers, employee relations representatives can facilitate effective communications by developing provisions for (1) information dissemination, (2) employee feedback, and (3) employee assistance programs.

Information dissemination involves making information available to decision makers, wherever they are located. Employee handbooks, written communications (memos, financial statements, newsletters, and bulletin boards), audiovisual communications, electronic communications (voice mail, e-mail, and multimedia applications), meetings, retreats, and informal communications are some of the choices available for disseminating information to employees.

Employee feedback programs are designed to improve communications by giving employees a voice in decision making and policy formulation and making sure they receive due process on any complaints they lodge against managers. Two programs that the HR department can establish to solicit employee feedback are (1) employee attitude surveys and (2) appeals procedures.

Employee assistance programs are designed to help employees whose emotional or psychological troubles are affecting their work performance. The employee is given the opportunity and resources to resolve the problem. Successful resolution of personal problems benefits both the employer and the employee.

Employee recognition programs can enhance communications and employee relations by recognizing and rewarding employees who make important contributions to the organization’s success. Recognition programs often use suggestion systems and recognition awards. The rewards given to individuals or teams may be monetary or nonmonetary.