Navigating Employee Relations: A Guide for Managers

, by Stephanie Messier | Dealing with Difficult Employees

Developing strong employee relations is crucial for a positive work environment, as it addresses issues like misunderstandings and gossip, and promotes open communication and transparency. Leaders who apply best practices can create a supportive environment, but only if they resolve concerns promptly. Let’s examine common problems and solutions.

Below are seven common employee relations issues, their impact on a team and organization, and practical tips for addressing them.

1. Conflict Management

Scenario: Two team members are at odds over a project’s direction and tasks, leading to tension.

Impact: This conflict disrupts teamwork, hampers productivity, and creates a negative atmosphere.

Solution: Address conflicts promptly and objectively. Encourage open communication and active listening to allow both parties to express their views. Providing training on conflict resolution equips employees with the tools to manage future conflicts. Additionally, conducting psychometric personality style tests like DISC helps employees appreciate each other's styles.

2. Pay Disputes and Wage Issues

Scenario: An employee discovered that his pay is lower than that of his colleagues in similar roles and feels he is deserving of better pay although he has less experience.

Impact: This can result in low morale, decreased motivation, and potential loss of talent.

Solution: Understand the reasons why the employee feels there is a lack of fairness; explain your pay structure; evaluate whether the employee's compensation should be reviewed; engage in a conversation where your employee can develop and grow to gain the experience needed for increased pay; develop a plan and commit to it through regular performance and development discussions.

3. Safety Concerns in the Workplace

Scenario: Workers in a manufacturing plant report safety concerns, including faulty equipment and stress caused by tight deadlines.

Impact: These issues can result in workplace injuries, lower morale, and reduced productivity.

Solution: Promote a culture of safety and conduct an audit of the workplace. Prioritize a secure work environment through regular safety inspections and risk assessments. Implement training programs that promote a culture of safety and establish a reporting system that allows employees to raise concerns without fear of retaliation.

4. Managing Vacations

Scenario: An employee asks for time off only a few days before their vacation, but the manager refuses the request because of workload concerns and short notice.

Impact: This can lead to employee dissatisfaction, potential burnout and potential short-term leave.

Solution: A clear vacation policy promotes consistency and fairness. Implementing a vacation and leave system such as HRIS and time tracker tools can simplify managing requests with advance notice. Regular communication about vacation and leave policies helps reduce misunderstandings.

5. Attendance Problems

Scenario: An employee frequently arrives late, takes extended breaks or calls in sick once a month.

Impact: These habits disrupt team productivity and can lead to resentment among colleagues if the manager does not address them.

Solution: Share with the employee the impact their actions have on the team’s productivity. Ask the employee what causes the tardiness and attendance habits to ensure there are no underlying concerns (i.e. caregiving challenges, illness, etc.) Implement a time-tracking system to monitor attendance and identify patterns. Communicate clear expectations and consequences for attendance issues, promote accountability.

6. Performance Issues

Scenario: An employee consistently fails to meet targets.

Impact: This can reduce team morale and further stress the employee.

Solution: Identify improvement areas with the employee and implement regular check-ins with clear expectations, constructive feedback and coaching to help the employee overcome challenges. As a manager, remove barriers that hinder productivity. Provide training to address performance gaps. If the performance does not improve despite guidance and coaching, consider a performance improvement plan (PIP).

7. Dealing with Unresolved Conflicts

Scenario: Two employees have ongoing conflicts that disrupt team dynamics.

Impact: This can lead to decreased cohesion, productivity and discomfort on the team.

Solution: Promote open communication and active listening to resolve disputes. Describe how the behaviours affect the team. Ask both employees to share their challenges and potential causes and propose solutions. Establish a formal conflict resolution policy with mediation techniques and train staff on it.

Every workplace faces employee relations challenges at some point, and it is crucial to address them quickly and effectively to prevent them from worsening and leading to bigger issues later. The key is not to see employee relations as something managers should fear or view as negative, but rather as a regular part of workplace management. Developing and implementing a framework to resolve employee relations issues will help see it as a constructive process rather than a negative event.