5 Tips to Maintain Good Employee Relations in 2022

One of the most valuable resources in any organisation is its human capital. By learning how to improve and maintain positive relationships with employees, you can create a healthy work environment. It’s not hard to see how healthy employee relationships can help improve and grow your business. Creating a healthy environment stimulates and leads to innovation.

 ‘’Client’s do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients.” Richard Branson

The importance of industrial relations lies in their role in developing a mutually beneficial relationship between employer and employee. When used properly, labour relations can help prevent strikes and employee protests, developing a healthy work environment, increase efficiency, boost productivity, and lead to overall industry growth.

2022 is the year of the employee. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind to maintaining good employee relations ensuring they feel valued and supported. 

If you are looking for a solution to your outsourced industrial relations needs, contact MASA today and connect with a leading staffing agency in South Africa.

1. Clear and Frequent Communications

Companies with better employee communication have been shown to have much higher levels of employee engagement. As the focus of employers shifts more and more from collective to individual relationships, employee engagement is becoming a key part of the employment relationship.

It has been shown that if there are adequate and strong relationships, even in the workplace, employees tend to be more productive as well as more efficient. To build and maintain relationships effective communication strategies need to be in place because when employees can openly share their views, employers can take the appropriate steps to ensure greater engagement both with internal and external stakeholders.

Employees should be encouraged to communicate about work or personal matters that may affect their work. Working together towards a common goal is an effective way to facilitate communication and increase comfort among employees.

2.  Employee Relationship Training

Employee Relations Training enables companies to proactively identify potential conflicts and resolve them before they escalate into difficult situations, as well as provide guidance and navigate the laws and regulations that govern discipline, labour, productivity, diversity, and behaviour management.

Not only is it beneficial for the company, but also for employees as it helps them better understand their jobs, which can increase job satisfaction. The best benefit you can offer your employees is the ability to upskill themselves which can lead to greater contributions in their work and help set the course of the company. 

According to a global study 86% of millennials would stay in their current job if they were offered some level of career development and training.

3. Looking at the Employee Experience from their Perspective

How you and your managers treat your employees directly affects their engagement and satisfaction with your business. Managers are also the first to address and raise issues of fairness and can make the difference between going on strike or solving employee problems together. Looking at the employee experience from their perspective, could create new and effective ways to re-engage with them resulting in better outputs.

Managers who are understanding and are aware of the challenges their employees face outside of work can affect not only the well-being of their employees, but also their overall image of the company. 

Positive employee relationships can only develop through an effective strategy based on trust, communication, managing perceptions and beliefs, defining clear expectations, and a robust conflict resolution process.

4. Draft an Employee Relations Policy

Aligning with your employees helps you avoid the dreaded “us versus them” scenario, by creating an environment which is a win-win situation for both parties and build a much stronger and more lasting employee-employer relationship.

Your HR team doesn’t have to be limited to talent management and payroll—they also help develop employee relationships and company-wide engagement. Building and drafting policies are an important element business practices, and MASA’s access to industry leaders can help smaller businesses gain access to insight from talented and highly skilled outsourced employees.

This includes considering all potential interactions within the company and implementing policies to manage the relationship between the organization and its employees through fair and transparent practices. With a clear employee relations policy, you can align your team with your culture, values, and mission from the start.

5. Focus on Company Vision, Mission and Values

Industrial relations are part of a human resource strategy designed specifically to ensure that human resources are used effectively to achieve the goals, mission, and vision of a business entity. By creating an atmosphere of respect and support, you can increase the number of engaged employees who believe in your vision.

Improving employee relationships can help team members understand the company’s vision and their role in achieving it, which can help them feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. 

According to a Harvard Business Review article written by Ron Carucci and Ludmila, more and more employees are tired of making moral compromises for the benefit of the companies for which they work for.

Like anything else, strong employee relationships also contribute to creating a stronger and better work culture. Employee experience in a value-based organization can build strong relationships and employee loyalty.

 Find your ideal Outsourced Industrial Relations Solution

The benefit of outsourcing your HR function is that it can help you strategies and improve your employee compensation plan. Outsourcing HR functions to a trusted vendor like MASA can help business owners understand and comply with these laws and regulations.

If you require professional assistance with hiring, onboarding, and training new employees, make sure to contact us so you can leverage the top staffing employment and labour outsourcing services in SA. 

MASA is a leading national and international employment/staffing agency capable of effectively managing the critical elements of your employment/staffing needs ready to facilitate seamless hiring and onboarding of new employees in your company.

Check out our article on the Outsourcing HR and Industrial Relations: 3 Questions Companies Should Answer