What is Employee Relations?
An organization
can’t perform only with the help of chairs, tables, fans or other non living
entities. It needs human beings who work together and perform to achieve the
goals and objectives of the organization. The human beings working together
towards a common goal at a common place (organization) are called employees. In
fact the employees are the major assets of an organization.
The success and
failure of any organization is directly proportional to the labor put by each
and every employee. The employees must share a good rapport with each other
and strive hard to realize the goal of the organization. They should
complement each other and work together as a single unit. For the employees,
the organization must come first and all their personal interests should take
a back seat.
What is Employee Relations?
Every individual
shares a certain relationship with his colleagues at the workplace. The
relationship is warm, so-so or bad. The relationship can be between anyone in
the organization - between co workers, between an employee and his superior,
between two members in the management and so on. It is important that the
employees share a healthy relationship with each other to deliver their best
performances.
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An individual
spends his maximum time at the workplace and his fellow workers are the ones
with whom he spends the maximum hours in a day. No way can he afford to fight
with his colleagues. Conflicts and misunderstandings only add to tensions and
in turn decrease the productivity of the individual. One needs to discuss so
many things at work and needs the advice and suggestions of all to reach to a
solution which would benefit the individual as well as the organization.
No individual can
work alone. He needs the support and guidance of his fellow workers to come out
with a brilliant idea and deliver his level best.
Employee
relations refer to the relationship shared among the employees in an
organization. The employees must be
comfortable with each other for a healthy environment at work. It is the prime duty
of the superiors and team leaders to discourage conflicts in the team and
encourage a healthy relationship among employees.
Life is really
short and it is important that one enjoys each and every moment of it. Remember
in an organization you are paid for your hard work and not for cribbing or
fighting with each other. Don’t assume that the person sitting next to you is
your enemy or will do any harm to you. Who says you can’t make friends at work,
in fact one can make the best of friends in the office. There is so much more
to life than fighting with each other. Observation says that a healthy relation
among the employees goes a long way in motivating the employees and increasing
their confidence and morale. One starts enjoying his office and does not take
his work as a burden. He feels charged and fresh the whole day and takes each
day at work as a new challenge. If you have a good relation with your team
members you feel going to office daily. Go out with your team members for a get
together once in a while or have your lunch together. These activities help in
strengthening the bond among the employees and improve the relations among
them.
An employee
must try his level best to adjust with each other and compromise to his best
extent possible. If you do not agree
to any of your fellow worker’s ideas, there are several other ways to convince
him. Sit with him and probably discuss with him where he is going wrong and
needs a correction. This way he would definitely look up to you for your advice
and guidance in future. He would trust you and would definitely come to your
help whenever you need him. One should never spoil his relations with his
colleagues because you never know when you need the other person. Avoid using
foul words or derogatory sentences against anyone. Don’t depend on lose talk in
office as it spoils the ambience of the place and also the relation among the
employees. Blame games are a strict no no in office.
One needs to
enter his office with a positive frame of mind and should not unnecessarily
make issues out of small things. It
is natural that every human being can not think the way you think, or behave
the way you behave. If you also behave in the similar way the other person is
behaving, there is hardly any difference between you and him. Counsel the other
person and correct him wherever he is wrong.
It is of utmost
importance that employees behave with each other in a cultured way, respect
each other and learn to trust each other. An individual however hardworking he
is, cannot do wonders alone. It is essential that all the employees share a
cordial relation with each other, understand each other’s needs and
expectations and work together to accomplish the goals and targets of the
organization.
Importance of Employee Relations - Why Employee Relations at Workplace?
Every
individual at the workplace shares a certain relationship with his fellow
workers. Human beings are not machines who can start working just at the push
of a mere button. They need people to talk to, discuss ideas with each other
and share their happiness and sorrows. An individual cannot work on his own, he
needs people around. If the organization is all empty, you will not feel like
sitting there and working. An isolated environment demotivates an individual
and spreads negativity around. It is essential that people are comfortable with
each other and work together as a single unit towards a common goal.
It
is important that employees share a healthy relation with each other at the
work place. Let us find out why employee relations are important in an
organization:
- There are several issues on which an individual cannot take decisions alone. He needs the guidance and advice of others as well. Sometimes we might miss out on important points, but our fellow workers may come out with a brilliant idea which would help us to achieve our targets at a much faster rate. Before implementing any plan, the pros and cons must be evaluated on an open forum where every employee has the right to express his opinions freely. On your own, you will never come to know where you are going wrong, you need people who can act as critic and correct you wherever you are wrong. If you do not enjoy a good relation with others no one will ever come to help you.
- Work becomes easy if it is shared among all. A healthy relation with your fellow workers would ease the work load on you and in turn increases your productivity. One cannot do everything on his own. Responsibilities must be divided among team members to accomplish the assigned tasks within the stipulated time frame. If you have a good rapport with your colleagues, he will always be eager to assist you in your assignments making your work easier.
- The organization becomes a happy place to work if the employees work together as a family. An individual tends to lose focus and concentration if his mind is always clouded with unnecessary tensions and stress. It has been observed that if people talk and discuss things with each other, tensions automatically evaporate and one feels better. Learn to trust others, you will feel relaxed. One doesn’t feel like going to office if he is not in talking terms with the person sitting next to him. An individual spends around 8-9 hours in a day at his workplace and practically it is not possible that one works nonstop without a break. You should have people with whom you can share your lunch, discuss movies or go out for a stroll once in a while. If you fight with everyone, no one will speak to you and you will be left all alone. It is important to respect others to expect the same from them.
- An individual feels motivated in the company of others whom he can trust and fall back on whenever needed. One feels secure and confident and thus delivers his best. It is okay if you share your secrets with your colleagues but you should know where to draw the line. A sense of trust is important.
- Healthy employee relations also discourage conflicts and fights among individuals. People tend to adjust more and stop finding faults in each other. Individuals don’t waste their time in meaningless conflicts and disputes, rather concentrate on their work and strive hard to perform better. They start treating each other as friends and try their level best to compromise and make everyone happy.
- A healthy employee relation reduces the problem of absenteeism at the work place. Individuals are more serious towards their work and feel like coming to office daily. They do not take frequent leaves and start enjoying their work. Employees stop complaining against each other and give their best
- It is wise to share a warm relation with your fellow workers, because you never know when you need them. You may need them any time. They would come to your help only when you are nice to them. You might need leaves for some personal reasons; you must have a trusted colleague who can handle the work on your behalf. Moreover healthy employee relations also spread positivity around.
It
is essential that employees are comfortable with each other for better focus
and concentration, lesser conflicts and increased productivity.
Strategies to Improve Employee Relations
For
the organization to perform better it is important that the employees are
comfortable with each other, share a good rapport and work in close
coordination towards a common objective. People feel responsible and motivated
to do good work and enjoy their work rather than taking it as a burden.
It
is important that the management promotes healthy employee relations at
workplace to extract the best out of each individual. Competition is essential
but it should not promote negativity or any kind of enmity among the employees.
Let
us go through some steps and strategies for a healthy employee relationship in
the organization.
- Involve your team members: They should feel important and indispensable for the organization. An individual must be assigned responsibilities according to their interests and responsibilities. Don’t impose work on them. Let them willingly accept challenges. They must enjoy whatever they do otherwise they would end up fighting with their superiors and fellow workers.
- Encourage individuals to share their work with each other: This way people tend to talk with each other more, discuss things among themselves and thus the comfort level increases. Let them work together and take decisions on their own. A team leader should intervene only in extreme cases of conflicts and severe misunderstandings.
- Assign them targets and ask all your team members to contribute equally and achieve the target within the desired time frame. Motivate them to work in groups. These way employees have no other choice than to trust their fellow workers and take each other’s help as well. An employee must have the liberty to express his ideas and all of them should sit together to decide on something which would be beneficial to all.
- One should try his level best that all the employees must have their lunch together at the same time. Half an hour to forty five minutes must be dedicated to lunch and one should not discuss work during lunch time. There are other topics as well. Discuss movies, sports, shopping or any other thing under the sun. There will be no harm if the employees go out together once in a while for get together, picnics or shopping. Ask them to bring their family members as well.
- Encourage effective communication among the team members. It has been observed that poor communication leads to confusions and misunderstandings. The communication has to be precise and relevant. One should not play with words and be very specific about his expectations from his fellow workers as well as the organization. If you are not very happy with your colleague’s proposal, don’t keep things to yourself. Voice your opinion and do express your displeasure. It will definitely prevent a conflict among employees later and improve the relations among them. Be straightforward. Don’t pretend things just to please your boss. If you find anything unacceptable, discuss with your superior but in a polite way.
- Written modes of communication must be promoted among the employees for better transparency. Verbal communication is not as reliable as written communication. The agendas, minutes of the meeting, important issues must be circulated among all through emails. Make sure that all the related employees are in the loop. Don’t communicate individually with any of the employees as the other one might feel neglected and left out.
- Morning meeting is another effective way to improve the relation among the employees. Let everyone come together on a common platform and discuss whatever issues they have. The meetings must not be too formal. Allow the team members to bring their cups of coffee. Start your day with a positive mind. Greet everyone with a warm smile. Exchange greetings and compliments. If any of your team member is not in a pleasant mood, do take the initiative and ask what is wrong with him. Try your level best to provide him a solution.
- Organize birthday parties, Christmas parties, New Year parties etc. at the workplace. These small initiatives actually go a long way in strengthening the bond among the employees. Ask all of them to decorate the office, their work stations and make all the necessary arrangements themselves. You will actually be surprised to find out that everyone would be ready with some thing or the other. Employees would actually take the initiative and organize things on their own. Let them enjoy with each other and have fun.
Praise
the individual if he has done something exceptionally well. Reward him
suitably. The names of the top performers must be displayed on the notice
boards for others to draw inspiration from them. Encourage everyone to perform
well to live up to the expectations of the superiors as well as the management.
A
healthy relation among employees promotes a positive ambience at the work place
and employees feel happy and satisfied at work. They look forward to going to
office daily and also work hard to realize their team’s as well as
organization’s goals.
Employee Relationship Management
Employees are
the major assets of an organization. It is essential that the employees
perform together as a collective unit and contribute equally towards the
realization of a common goal. No task can be accomplished if the individuals
are engaged in constant conflicts and misunderstandings. It has been observed
that targets are achieved at a much faster rate if the employees work
together and share a warm relationship with each other. Employees must be
comfortable with each other to deliver their best and enjoy their work.
What is employee relationship management?
Employee
relationship management refers to managing the relation between the various
employees in an organization. The relationship
can be between employee and the employer as well as between employees at the
same level.
What is Management?
Management is
nothing but a technique which brings people together on a common platform and
guides them so that they achieve their desired targets without fighting with
each other. In a layman’s language, management is nothing but managing things
effectively so that tasks are accomplished without any hassles and
confusions. Management is required everywhere.
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Every individual
goes for shopping. The moment you enter in an outlet, a sales person would come
to you and assist you in your shopping. He would try his level best to convince
you and guide you in selecting an outfit according to your taste as well as
budget. The moment you finalize something, you automatically would be directed
to the billing section for the monetary transactions. Your shopping basket in
no time would reach the packing area where the officials would nicely put the
outfits in a smart carry bag flaunting the logo of the store. Finally there
would be a supervisor who would recheck your bill and thank you for your
valuable time.
How do you think
such a smooth coordination is possible? Not a single moment, there was any
confusion. All this is possible through management. Every thing was well
managed and organized effectively to avoid confusions and meet the ultimate
objective of the store ie selling the product as well as making the customer
happy.
Employee
relationship management is an art which effectively monitors and manages the
relation between individuals either of the same team or from different teams. Employee relationship management activity helps in
strengthening the bond among the employees and ensures that each one is
contented and enjoys a healthy relation with each other.
Employee
relationship management includes various activities undertaken by the superiors
or the management to develop a healthy relation among the employees and extract
the best out of each team member.
Let us go through
certain activities which are imperative for a healthy employee relationship
management:
- Transparency in communication is of utmost importance for a healthy employee relationship management. A single point of contact must be assigned who should be made responsible for handling queries of all the team members and escalating it to the seniors. Confusions are bound to arise if all of them would walk up to their superiors with their problems. Let the team members decide their SPOC. In such cases employees actually know who to get in touch with in case of a query and in the absence of their superiors. The hierarchy should not be too complicated and every employee should be accessible to each other. Important information must be passed on in the presence of all, where everyone has the liberty to express his opinions freely. Important information can also be put on the notice boards for everyone to read and get a common picture. If anyone has performed exceptionally well, do display his name on the bulletin board. Let everyone read it and get inspired to perform better next time. Encourage morning meetings where individuals can come together and know each other well. Exchanging information through emails is also an important way to improve the relation among the employees as everyone knows what is being communicated to the other individual.
- Encourage group activities at the workplace. Motivate individuals to work together probably in a group so that the comfort level increases. The more they talk, the more they get to know each other. Give them a target, a deadline and ask them to take each other’s help and reach to a conclusion. They would definitely come closer this way and start trusting each other more.
An
individual spends the maximum time at his workplace and one should treat his
team members as a part of one’s extended family. It is important to celebrate
festivals at organization, the same way we do at our homes. Celebrate each
other’s birthday and do ask for treats. Such informal get together go a long
way in improving the relation among the employees. Individuals come together,
enjoy together and come to know lot many things which actually they don’t
bother to find out during the normal working hours. Families must also be
invited for a better bonding. The team leaders must ask their team members to
take their lunch together so that they discuss other things apart from their
daily work.
- Assign challenging work to your team members so that they feel motivated to deliver their level best. Do not assign something which they do not find interesting. The responsibilities must be divided equally among the team members and no employee should be overburdened. Every employee should be aware of his key responsibility areas to avoid confusions. No way should the work get monotonous.
- The concept of workstations and cubicles must be promoted rather than closed cabins. People sitting in closed cabins tend to get cut off from rest of the employees in the organization and are generally lost in their own sweet world. They would enter their cabins in the morning and come out in the evening and thus sometimes even don’t get the opportunity to exchange greetings with their fellow workers. People sitting in workstations tend to talk to each other more often even in between work and thus relationship improves. One can even walk up to the other’s desk to have a brief chit chat in order to take a small break and feel relaxed. Employees sitting together discuss many things and even share their secrets, thus the trust increases. It is commonly observed that if any of your colleagues sitting next to you is on leave for some days, you start missing him.
- The employees must be motivated to avoid politics and blame games at work. Such activities are considered highly unproductive and spoil the relationship among the employees. Backbiting is a strict no no at the workplace. Avoid getting into unnecessary controversies and useless criticism at work. Respect your team members as well as your superiors. It is important that one trusts his management rather than unnecessarily cribbing and finding faults. Avoid conflicts and try to adjust with each other. It is okay to be friends with your colleagues but don’t have unrealistic expectations from anyone.
Last
but not the least the superiors or the team leaders must not act pricy and
try to dominate their team members. The “Hitler approach” does not work now
a days. No one should be afraid of his boss, instead treat him as his
well-wisher and mentor who is always there to support him. The employees must
be able to fall back on their team leader anytime. The team leader must
understand the needs and expectations of his employees and should not be too
harsh to them. If they want a leave for a genuine reason, do grant them. Don’t
be after their life if you find them chatting with their family or friends over
the phone once in a while or log on to any social networking site. These things
are natural but make sure the work does not suffer.
- Partialities must be avoided for a better employee relationship. Treat everyone as one and every individual must respect each other’s privacy. There is a limit to everything and thus over indulgence in each other’s work, too much of a friendly nature should be avoided.
For a better
employee relationship management, it is important that employees have a
positive frame of mind and don’t always consider their colleagues as their
enemies. Don’t always assume that your fellow team member would say something
against you in front of your boss. Avoid disputes, misunderstandings, instead
work together, enjoy together and make the organization a better place to work.
Role of Communication in Employee Relationship
A
healthy employee relationship ensures a positive environment at work and also
helps the employees to achieve their targets at a much faster rate. People
are more focussed, can concentrate better in their assignments and hence the
output increases. Employees are not engaged in constant fights, are eager to
help each other and do not take work as a burden. They enjoy each and every
moment at work and do not take leaves often.
Communication
is not only important in our daily lives but also plays a crucial role at
workplace. It is one of the most important factors which either improves or
spoils the relationship among employees.
The
communication has to be transparent and precise for a warm relationship among
employees. Clarity in thoughts is
important. Don’t assume that the other person will come to know on his own
what is going on in your mind. The thoughts must be converted sensibly into
relevant words such that the other person is able to understand you well.
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The
employees must be very clear about what is being expected from them. Their key responsibility areas, roles and responsibilities
must be communicated to them in the desired form for them to perform their
level best. Don’t play with words. Be straightforward and precise in what you
expect from your team members. Don’t blame them later. Haphazard thoughts and
abstract ideas only lead to confusions and spoil the relationship among the
employees.
Let
us go through the below example:
Janet
was working as a key accounts manager with a leading advertising firm. First
she wanted Ted to prepare a report on marketing and sales strategies undertaken
by her organization, then she wanted him to prepare a report on the branding
techniques and finally she asked him to also include the promotion strategies.
She herself was not very clear about her expectations. Poor Ted was so confused
that he submitted an incomplete report to Janet. She was not at all happy with
Ted’s performance and always side-lined him in future.
In
the above example, Janet was not very clear about the content of the report and
also confused Ted. One needs to express his ideas clearly for the other person
to understand it correctly. Poor communication in this case spoiled the
relation between Janet and Ted who were once good friends.
Had
Janet told Ted to prepare an exhaustive report on Marketing, sales, branding as
well as the promotion techniques undertaken by the organization, things would
been crystal clear and Ted would not have made any mistakes. One should be
first very clear about his needs, expectations and then only communicate it to
the other person.
Don’t
change statements quite often.
Be firm. One should not tamper any data or manipulate truth. You would never
gain anything out of it. Be honest and pass on information in its desired form.
If your boss has asked you to download some information to your fellow team
members, please do pass it on as it is. Don’t try to add or delete words as it
would earn you a bad name. No one would trust you in future or come to your
help whenever required. Remember honesty always pays in the long run.
Think
twice before you speak. Avoid using foul words against anyone at the workplace
as it spoils the ambience of the office and leads to several disputes among
individuals. Don’t say anything which would hurt
anyone. Avoid lose talks. It is okay to enjoy at work but one should never
cross his limit. If you do not agree to anyone’s ideas, it is better to discuss
things with him rather being rude or harsh. Whatever you communicate has to be
crisp, relevant and should make sense. Don’t utter non sense at work. Be a
little professional in your approach.
Important
information should be passed on in the presence of each and every employee for
better clarity. Every employee should have the
liberty to express his views and ideas. Don’t expect you would clear your
doubts later on, ask questions then and there. No one would feel bad, rather
appreciate your interest and attentiveness but do not jump in between. Do wait
for your turn to speak. Don’t meet anyone separately as the other person might
feel neglected or left out resulting in major displeasure and conflict among
the team members. Do take care of your pitch and tone. It should not be too
loud.
Depend
more on written modes of communication as they are more reliable as compared to
verbal communication. An individual might back out if
the information is passed on to him verbally as there are no records, but it
never happens in written modes of communication. Prefer passing on information
through Emails. All the related team members must be marked a carbon copy so
that everyone knows what is being communicated to his fellow member. One should
master the art of writing emails. Remember an email is nothing but a mirror
image of one’s thoughts. Make sure that your mail is self-explanatory and
everyone is clear about your ideas and opinions.
An
employee needs to be constantly motivated to avoid a dip in his performance. If
someone has performed exceptionally well, do not hesitate to praise him. Words
like “Well done”,“Bravo”,“Great Performance” go a long way in making the
individual happy. If you are satisfied with your team member’s performance, do
communicate your feelings to him.
Communicate
effectively with your fellow team members and you would never have a problem
with anyone. People would respect you and work would be fun for you.
Role of Motivation in Employee Relationship
A
healthy employee relationship leads to an increased level of satisfaction
among the employees and in turn an increased productivity. Workplace becomes
a much happier place and employees tend to concentrate more on work rather
than unproductive things.
Motivation
plays an important role in a healthy employee relationship.
A
motivated employee works better and at a much faster rate as compared to others. Motivating the employee would in turn benefit the
organization only. You need to charge your cell phone after sometime for it
to operate well, similarly a human being needs to be motivated from time to
time to avoid a dip in his performance and for him to remain loyal towards
the management. Motivation acts as a catalyst for organization’s success and
helps the individuals to remain productive and deliver better results every
time.
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Simple
words like “Well done”, “Bravo”, “Great”, “Wow” can actually work wonders and
go a long way in motivating an individual.
If any employee has done exceptionally well, do appreciate him. Give him a pat
on his back. The employees feel contended at work and thus share a warm
relationship with their superiors. They do not badmouth anyone in the office or
speak ill of their organization. Higher motivation rate results in more
satisfied employees. Every organization invests time and money to groom an
individual and make him a corporate material. It is absolutely an organization’s
loss if it is not able to retain its employees. A motivated employee would
stick to an organization for a longer duration and enjoy a healthy relationship
with his colleagues and fellow workers. He would not be engaged in disputes and
instead work hard to achieve his targets and in a way benefitting the
organization.
A
token of appreciation is a must.
Cash prize, gift vouchers and shopping coupons help in motivating the employees
to a great extent. Every individual tries hard to win the prize money and does
not get time to fight or criticize others. They do not lose focus and instead
take each other’s help to accomplish their tasks within the stipulated time
frame. They get a motive to work.
The
employees must be motivated not to spread negativity around. They should be encouraged not to make issues out of small
things and do not bring their personal tensions to work. They should be made to
realize the importance of team work at the workplace and healthy relation with
colleagues. No one should forget their purpose of coming to the organization.
Motivate
employees to work in a group rather than working alone. They must realize that working in a group means a better
exchange of ideas and thoughts to come to an unique idea fruitful for them as
well as the organization. Employees should be motivated to help each other and
treat their team members as a part of their extended family. Individuals should
complement each other at work but one should not forget his limit. Too much of
a friendly nature again leads to problems and unrealistic expectations.
Award
ceremonies must be organized at the workplace every month or after every three
months to acknowledge the top performers.
Call them on the dais and honour them. Display their names on the company’s
main notice board so that every employee gets to know about it. Give the top
performers badges for them to flaunt and do this activity in the presence of
all. Don’t do it separately as the other employee might get hurt and start
fighting with his team members. These kinds of activities slightly give an
upper edge to the employees who have worked hard and performed well. Others
also feel inspired to perform better next time.
Job
rotations and promotions are also an important way to motivate the employees. The management must ensure that each one is happy with
their work and monotony does not creep in to the team. When an individual does
not enjoy his work, he would always look for excuses to fight with his
colleagues and spoil the environment. He would be indulged in lose talks and
always blame others for his non performance leading to an unhealthy relation
among employees.
It
is important that the employees are motivated well to extract the best out of
them and ensure a healthy relation among the employees.
Role of Attitude in Employee Relationship
The
performance of an individual is largely dependent on the relation he shares
with his colleagues. It is really important that individuals are friendly
with their colleagues so that they can discuss several issues with each other
and come to a conclusion best suited to all. No individual can perform alone.
Tasks are accomplished at a much faster rate when the work load is shared
among all and each one contributes in his best possible way. Nothing
productive has ever come out of conflicts and disputes. They in turn lead to
major rifts among employees and create stress at the workplace. Why to
unnecessarily spoil relations with people? You never know when you might need
the other person.
Attitude
plays an important role in improving the relationship among the individuals. Nothing is possible unless and until an individual has a
positive attitude towards life. You might have excellent communication
skills, might be an intelligent worker, but if you don’t have a positive attitude;
you would definitely fail to create an impression of yours. People would be
reluctant to speak to you and you would be left all alone.
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An
individual should never ever have a negative attitude at workplace. It is dangerous. Your organization pays you and in turn
expects quality work from you, so why unnecessarily crib over things. It is
always better to accept things with a smiling face. If your boss assigns you
some task, it means that he finds you capable enough to handle the assignment.
Consider yourself fortunate and the chosen one. Don’t make faces as your
superior might feel bad and eventually lose his trust on you. Clear all your
doubts with the person, who has delegated you the responsibility, rather than criticizing
and making fun in front of others who are not involved.
Don’t
always find faults in others.
No two individuals are alike. The other person might not be as intelligent or
as educated as you are, try your level best to adjust with him. Adjustment does
not mean accepting any wrong things, rather it is compromising sometimes.
Sam
and Sara were team members and sat at adjacent workstations. Sam had a habit of
constantly chatting over the phone with his friends and family, which sometimes
irritated Sara.
Case
- 1 Sara always thought that Sam did it intentionally to disturb her. She
fought with Sam terribly and now has strained relationship with her team
member.
Case
- 2 Sara spoke to Sam about her displeasure convinced him and requested him to
either speak a little low or go outside for attending calls. Now a day’s Sara
and Sam are best of friends and together they contribute effectively to their
team’s targets.
Case
2 is any day a far better option.
One
should not be too rigid or adamant.
Be a little more flexible. Don’t always assume that the other person is wrong
and only you are correct. You may be wrong sometimes. Listen to what the other
person has to say and then only come to a conclusion. Don’t take any decisions
with a blocked mind.
An
individual should not make issues out of small things. It is always better to forget things. Ignore things as
long as they are not affecting your team’s performance. Don’t take things to
heart. The more you become negative for your colleagues, the more you fight
with them and in turn spoil your relationship.
One
should be forgiving. If your boss is angry with you
over something, do take the initiative and say a sorry to him. A simple “Sorry”
can actually do wonders. If you do not have the courage to talk to him, send
him a sms. Saying sorry will not lower your self-esteem, instead it would
strengthen the bond between you and your superior.
One
should never backstab anyone just for the sake of a mere promotion or some
money. It is unethical. Human relationships are more important and should be
valued.
Don’t
carry your ego to work. Everyone
is equal at workplace. Respect one and all as everyone is an employee just like
you. Don’t treat anyone as untouchables.
One
should always keep his personal life separate from his professional affairs. Don’t drag your personal tensions to work. Try to keep a
balance between the two. You cannot afford to ill-treat your colleague just
because you had a fight with your spouse the previous night. Your fellow team
members have nothing to do with it. Learn to enjoy life. One should always look
at the brighter side of life.
Treat
your colleagues as your friends.
Give them time and try to mingle with them as much as you can. Go out together
for shopping or for a movie once in a while. You will feel attached to them.
The trust factor and the comfort level increases.
Remember
there is always some light at the end of a dark tunnel. Never lose hope in
life. Stay positive, be good to others and enjoy a healthy relation with one
and all.
Role of HR in Employee Relationship
It
is rightly said that the success and failure of an organization is directly
proportional to the relationship shared among the employees. The employees
must share a cordial relation otherwise they would always end up fighting
with each other. Nothing is possible without trust. You need to trust people
to expect the best out of them. Trust only comes when you are comfortable
with the other person. An individual can’t always take decisions alone.
Employees together can discuss things among themselves, come out with innovative
ideas and accomplish the tasks at a much faster rate.
A
human resource professional plays a key role in binding the employees
together. He/she must undertake certain
activities which help in strengthening the bond among the employees and bring
them closer.
The
individual taking care of the HR activities plays a key role in involving all
the employees into something productive which would give them an opportunity
to know each other well.
Individuals are so engrossed in their daily routine work that they hardly get
time to interact with each other. Many of them don’t even know the full names
of the person sitting next to their workstations. The human resource
department must ensure that several group activities are being organized at
the workplace to bring all employees on a common platform.
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Research
says that if the employees are satisfied with their job responsibilities, they
tend to remain happy and avoid conflicts with each other. Individuals develop a
feeling of trust and loyalty towards their organization and don’t waste their
time and energy in unproductive tasks.
Organize
various activities like potlucks and small get together at the workplace. Ask each one to bring some dish according to his taste and
convenience. Let the employees enjoy together. Employees tend to discuss lot
many things apart from routine work in these kinds of informal get together.
One
day probably the last day of the month should be earmarked with the sole
objective of celebrating birthdays falling in the particular month. For example all those born in the month of May should
celebrate their birthdays together on the last day of the month i.e. 31st May
which will help a great deal for them to remain charged for next one year. The
HR should send a formal mail inviting all. Let everyone enjoy and have fun.
Divide individuals into groups and ask each group to do something. One group
can probably be responsible for the decoration of the venue; the other group
can take care of the cake as well as other eatables and so on. The HR person
should ideally support each group to ensure that no one faces any difficulty in
getting things organized.
It
is the responsibility of the human resources team to organize various events
like sports day, annual day, green day etc. The employees must be encouraged
to participate in these kinds of extra curricular activities. Employees are
able to relax this way and take a break from their routine work. Problems crop
up when the work tends to become monotonous. Employees should enjoy coming to
office, rather than treating work as a burden.
The
HR in coordination with the team leaders must display the names of the top
performers every month on the company’s noticeboard. Send a congratulations
mail as well. The human resource professional along with the supervisor can
even hand over a small trophy as a token of appreciation to the top performers.
Do this activity in the presence of all. The one who has performed well starts
trusting his management more and strives hard to win many more trophies in the
future. Everyone is aware about each other’s performance and gets inspired as
well.
While
making the organization’s policies, the human resource department must fix a
common time for lunch for all the employees. Assign half an hour for the same
and make sure that no one during the lunch time is seen working at their
workstations. Everyone should come together at the office canteen and take
lunch together. When people sit together, half of their problems disappear on
their own. Employees share their sorrows, displeasures and various other
problems with their colleagues and this way come closer to each other. People
develop better bonding this way.
When
a new employee joins an organization, make sure he receives a warm welcome by
all. The induction program should be
conducted at the auditorium or the conference room so that everyone can be
invited. Ask the new joinee to introduce himself well. Let others know that a
new member has stepped into their family to help them in their assignments.
The
HR along with the line managers must communicate the key responsibility areas
clearly to the employees to extract the best out of them and avoid
dissatisfactions later.
Role of Managers in Employee Relationship
A
healthy employee relationship is essential for the employees to find their
work interesting and perform their level best. It is important for everyone
to understand that one goes to his organization to work and conflicts must be
avoided as it is nothing but a mere waste of time. Employees must be comfortable
with each other and work in unison towards a common goal. An individual
cannot remain tightlipped and work for infinite hours, he needs people around
to talk to and discuss his ideas.
One
must have friends at the workplace whom he can trust well and share his
secrets without the fear of them getting leaked. This way the employees feel
motivated and enjoy going to office daily. They do not take frequent leaves
and strive hard to live up to the expectations of the management. For an
organization to perform well, it is important that the employees are friendly
with each other and avoid criticism, backstabbing at work, a strong reason to
spoil the relationship among the employees.
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The
team leader or the manager plays an important role in promoting healthy
relation at workplace:
It
is essential that the supervisor assigns challenging tasks to his team member
as per his specialization and interest. The individual should have interest in
the work; otherwise he would treat it as a burden and unnecessarily crib about
things. It is important that the team leader understands his team members
well. Try to find out their interests and what all they expect from the
organization. While developing their KRAs it is always better if the team
leader calls everyone and invites suggestions from them. Let them decide what
best they can perform. This way the employees would never blame each other or
their superior later as they themselves have decided on the roles and
responsibilities. Encourage them to willingly accept the challenge. They would
strive hard for a better output without fighting and finding faults in each
other.
A
team leader should be a role model to his team members. He should treat each
and every individual as one and avoid partialities at work. Do not give anyone a special treatment just because he
drops your son to school every day or says a yes to whatever you say.
Appreciate if someone has done exceptionally well but do make sure to correct
him if he is wrong somewhere. The team leader should not be rude or harsh to
anyone. There is a correct way for everything and one should not insult any
team member. It is strictly unethical. Sit with him and make him realize his
mistakes. He would definitely look up to you in future.
The
superior must not act pricy and should always be accessible to his employees. The individuals must have the liberty to walk up to their
immediate bosses in case of a doubt and clear things. The hierarchy should not
be too complicated as it leads to confusions and disputes among employees.
The
manager must ensure that all important communication takes place on an open
forum for everyone to get a common picture.
Problems arise when communication is done on a one to one basis. Call everyone
together so that all the members are clear as to what is expected out of them
and what their colleagues are up to. Communication should be transparent for an
effective employee relation. Any employee should not feel neglected or left
out. If the team leader wants to pass on any information to his team members,
he must send a mail keeping all the related members in the loop.
As
a team leader it is one’s prime responsibility to encourage healthy competition
at work. Competition is mandatory for an
individual’s growth but it should not turn friends to foes. Motivate them
constantly to perform better than the other but make sure there are no useless
gossips in your team. If you find any of your team members criticizing or
making fun of anyone, stop him immediately. Do not provoke any individual to
fight, instead intervene and try to resolve the conflict as soon as possible.
Make
sure all your team members take their lunch together and you are also a part of
it. Don’t discuss work that time. Let
them enjoy. Encourage everyone to talk to each other and participate in
discussions. Do take the initiative to ask about their families or personal
lives as well. They would feel attached to you. If you find any two of your
team members not getting along well with each other, make sure both of them
work together on the same assignment. They would not be left with any choice
than to talk to each other and discuss things. Make them sit together on
adjacent workstations so that the comfort level increases.
The
team leader should be neutral to his team members and make sure they enjoy a
healthy relationship with him as well as their fellow team members for a better
output. A team leader should try his level best to bring his team members
closer and bind them together.
Employee Engagement
How do you think
an organization runs? With the help of people who contribute in their own way
to accomplish tasks and achieve goals of the organization. The individuals
who spend their maximum part of the day at the workplace, striving hard to
reach to a conclusion benefiting them as well as the organization are called
as employees. In a layman’s language employees are the lifeline of an
organization. A human being would die if there is no blood in his body,
similarly an organization can’t survive without employees. Employees are the
main assets of the organization and it is really important for them to
prioritize their tasks at the workplace. They should think about their
company more than anything else. To extract the best out of each team member,
it is important that they enjoy their work and feel attached to the
organization. An employee must be committed towards his organization for him
to deliver his best and remain motivated.
The employees
must be engaged in productive and challenging tasks so that they do not lose
their focus and avoid conflicts and unnecessary disputes. An employee must be
engaged in his work for maximum output.
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What is Employee Engagement?
Employee
engagement refers to a condition where the employees are fully engrossed in
their work and are emotionally attached to their organization. One can’t achieve anything unless and until one is
serious about it. An employee must be dedicated towards his work and should
take it as a challenge. Work should never get monotonous as it would then be a
burden for the individual.
Problems arise
when individuals have nothing creative to do and sit idle the whole day. They
start interfering in each other’s work and tend to become negative for the
organization. They start finding reasons to fight with their fellow workers and
crib about almost everything.
The employees must
be assigned challenging assignments as per their interests and expectations so
that they devote their maximum time to work rather than loitering and gossiping
around. The team leaders or the managers must ensure to review their team
member’s performance on a weekly basis to find out whether they are enjoying
their work or not? An employee must not treat his organization as a mere source
of earning money only. An organization is a place where employees go to upgrade
their skills and learn something new every day. One must respect and love his
job to expect the same. Never talk ill of your organization in front of anyone.
Effective ways to enhance Employee Engagement
- The team leader should understand his members well. Do not assign anything which the employee would not find interesting.
- Effective communication enhances employee engagement. Make sure there is transparency in communication at all levels and everyone is aware of what is happening around him.
- The management must constantly motivate his employees. Cash prizes, trophies, gift vouchers, certificates are an effective way to motivate the employees and keep them engaged in their work. Give them a target and ask them to achieve that within a particular time frame to earn handsome incentives or lucrative prizes. This way, the employees would not waste their time and spend their maximum time working and aiming for the rewards.
- The team leader or the manager must be in constant dialogue with his team members. He should know what his team members are up to. Performance monitoring is important. The team members should be answerable to their immediate bosses.
- Be friendly with your team. Don’t ask them to stay back late unnecessarily. They are likely to commit more mistakes and eventually lose interest in work. Let them go back home on time and enjoy their personal lives as well. Rejuvenation is essential for an individual to remain happy and stress free. More than a strict boss, be a mentor to them and stand by them always.
- Encourage your team members to think out of the box. Ask them do their work in a little different way than they normally do. The employees must put on their thinking caps at workplace and accomplish the task in the most innovative way.
Such activities
help the employees to develop a sense of trust and loyalty towards the
management and stick to the organization for a longer period of time. They
consider the organization’s goals as their goals and thus try to achieve them
at any cost. The employees learn to take ownership of their work and do every
possible thing which satisfies them as well as the organization.
Employee Engagement and Employee Relationship
Employee
engagement refers to a situation where the employees are engaged in their
work and hardly get any time to gossip or spread rumors. It has been observed that an employee engaged in work
tends to avoid fighting with others and thus enjoys a warm relationship with
his colleagues.
Most
of the time he is busy with his work and stays away from nasty politics or
interfering in each other’s tasks. Both the two terms have a direct
relationship with each other. In the real sense, employee engagement is
directly proportional to employee relationship. More the employees are
engrossed in their work; the better the relation among them.
Let
us understand the relation between the two with an example:
Michael
was heading the marketing and the branding team of a leading firm. He had
four team members reporting to him. Michael being a responsible team leader
ensured all his team members were assigned challenging tasks for them to
enjoy their work. The team members were always on the toes to do something
creative every time. Michael took his lunch with his team members in the
company’s cafeteria and made sure to spend some together every weekend. His
team members never fought with each other, instead enjoyed their work,
discussed things among themselves and came out with innovative ideas
satisfying all. Most of the time they were seen glued to their workstations
and hardly had any time for lose talks, gossips, blame games or criticism.
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An
employee sitting idle the whole day at workplace creates problems. It is rightly said that “an empty mind is a devil’s
workshop”. People with no productive work to do actually look for excuses to
argue and even provoke others to fight. They are involved in all kinds of
destructive work and pose a threat to the decorum and peace of the
organization. An employee who finds his work interesting would never bother
whether his colleague is chatting over the phone or dating someone. He would be
more concerned with his work and strive hard to complete it within the desired
time frame. He would utilize his time in completing his assignments to submit
it further rather than peeping into his colleague’s computer or finding faults
in others.
An
employee who is satisfied with his job profile would always think in the favour
of the company and would stay away from doing anything which would bring a bad
name to his team as well as his organization. He would prefer working rather
than wasting his precious time in unproductive tasks. Engaged and satisfied
employees always try their level best to work hard and justify their salary.
An
employee who is serious about his work would definitely complete it at a much
faster rate as compared to non serious workers. Chances of mistakes in their
work would also be less and but natural they would earn appreciation from their
superiors or team leaders. Their work would be liked by all and hence they
would definitely enjoy a healthy relationship with their superiors and fellow
workers. Employees would be able to complete their assignments on time and thus
impressing the management.
The
team leader should ensure that the key responsibility areas of the team members
match with their interests and specialization.
It is essential that the employees don’t treat their work as a burden and look
forward to going to office daily. In such cases employees enter the office with
a positive frame of mind and are more adjusting and compromising with each
other. They readily help each other and enjoy a healthy relationship with their
fellow team members.
An
employee must concentrate on his work rather than fighting with others and
spoiling his relationship with his fellow workers.
Tips for a Professional for a Better Employee Relationship
For
an organization to perform well, it is essential that the employees share a
warm and a healthy relationship among themselves. They must be comfortable
with each other for them to enjoy their work and deliver their level best.
Disputes and disagreements only lead to stress and nothing productive comes
out of it.
Let
us go through some handy tips for a professional for a healthy employee
relationship:
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- Professionals must depend more on written modes of communication than verbal as it is more reliable and one can’t back out later. An email is nothing but a reflection of one’s thoughts and should be self explanatory for the others to respond accordingly. Take care of the style and font of the mail. One needs to be very careful about the subject line as the other person opens the mail only when the subject line is impressive and relevant. The mail should be marked to all the employees who should be a part of the communication with a cc to the team leader for him to be aware of what is happening in his team. Don’t send mails separately to individuals as it might create a confusion and eventually a friction among employees.
- One should never adopt a casual attitude at work. Be professional in your approach. Learn to be disciplined. A professional must abide by the policies of the organization for better relations and peace at work. An individual should not take frequent leaves to ensure timely submission of work. Don’t unnecessarily ask for favors from your team members. For a better relationship with the fellow workers, one should not interfere in each other’s work. No one would appreciate if you peep into your colleague’s computer screen or open something not meant for you. One should be more concerned with his own work rather than bothering about others. Your organization pays you for your hard work so one should not waste his time in criticizing or making fun of others. How would you feel if someone unnecessarily pulls you into a controversy? You would never feel like talking to him. Avoid playing blame game at work. Learn to own your responsibilities else you would be left all alone in the office. Backstabbing should be avoided as it is considered highly unprofessional and spoils the relationship among the employees.
- Don’t walk into meetings empty handed. Carry a notepad along with you to jot down the important points for future reference. An individual can’t remember each and everything thus it is always advisable to write down somewhere to avoid forgetting things later and earn the criticism of others. Develop the habit of carrying a planner to mark the important dates. The agenda and the minutes of the meeting must be circulated among all so that everyone gets a common picture and nobody feels neglected.
- It is essential to maintain the decorum of the office. Remember you are not sitting at your home where you can shout on anyone. Be polite to everyone irrespective of his designation and level in the hierarchy. Never use foul words or abusive language against anyone as it lead to severe disputes among employees. If you do not agree to someone, it is better to sit with him and discuss rather than arguing and spoiling your relationship. A professional must avoid gossiping and spreading unnecessary rumors at work.
- Employees must help each other at work for a better relationship. One should avoid being jealous and selfish at work. If someone has done well, do appreciate him. Lend a sympathetic ear to your fellow workers if they are in trouble. Be a little more adjusting. Things can’t always be the same as you want, compromise sometimes to your best extent possible. Don’t just rush to your desk and start working the moment you step into your office. Greet others with a warm smile. Take your lunch with your team members and do go out once in a while to increase the comfort level. Celebrate festivals at the workplace where each and every employee can come together and enjoy. Don’t forget to wish your colleague on his birthday. Bring a nice gift for him as well.
- One should intervene immediately in case of conflicts and arguments. Don’t tend to ignore things. One needs to be loyal towards his organization to be in the good books of the management as well as to grow professionally. Never misguide anyone. If you are not aware of something, it is better to stay out of it than misleading the other person.
- Last but not the least one should always have a positive attitude at work. Try to be friendly with your colleagues and don’t always find faults in them. Don’t assume that your colleagues would always harm you. One should always look at the positive side of the things to avoid stress and maintain a cordial relationship with everyone at work.
Don’ts for a Healthy Employee Relationship
An
organization is a place to work and not a battle field where employees would
fight with each other. One needs to treat his fellow workers well, understand
each other’s expectations for a healthy relationship and maximum output. The
employees must be comfortable with each other and work together as a team.
Remember
there is no “I” in a team. Every employee should think about his team first
and all his personal interests should take a backseat. It is important that
each and every employee works in close coordination with each other and
decide something which would satisfy all.
Don’t
treat your colleagues as your enemy. Learn to respect as well as trust them.
Team leaders and superiors must ensure a healthy relationship among the
employees to avoid negativity within the teams.
Let
us go through some important points which must be avoided at the workplace
for a warm relationship among the employees:
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- Avoid partiality at work. Don’t treat someone well just because he stays near your place or brings lunch for you daily. Everyone must be treated as one. If someone has done something wrong, it is the duty of the team leader to correct him irrespective of the relations he shares with him. Favoritism must not be promoted at the workplace.
Every
individual should be assigned work as per their interest and capability. The
work should be equally divided among all. Don’t impose your decisions on your
team members. Let them decide on their own what is correct for them and what is
not.
- The employees must avoid lose talks and blame games at work. They actually don’t help. Learn to own your mistakes and find out ways to correct them. It is absolutely natural to commit mistakes. Every human being does, so no need to panic and pass on the blame to others. It severely spoils the relationship among the employees. One should not spread unnecessary rumors about any of his colleagues. If you come to know something about anyone, it is better to discuss with him in private rather than publicizing the whole story. Just think what would you gain out of it?
- An individual must never break his colleague’s trust. If your team member has shared one of his secrets with you, please keep it to yourself only. If the person sitting next to you has expressed his displeasure over anything, don’t disclose it in front of your boss or others. Avoid nasty politics at workplace. If you can’t help anyone it is better to stay out of it rather than giving wrong suggestions
- Avoid communicating with employees individually. Meetings must not always be conducted one to one. Call all of them together and address them on an open forum. Let each and every one express their concerns. Emails must be sent with all the participants in loop and suggestions must be invited from their side. The communication has to be transparent for a better employee relationship.
- Avoid criticism at work. Never make fun of anyone. Pointing mistakes is important but make sure you do not insult the other person. Sit with him. and make him realize his mistakes. Don’t be rude or harsh to anyone.
- Don’t have separate lunch timings for the employees. Gone are the days when managers and supervisors used to sit in their closed cabins and special peons were assigned to them. The concept has changed now a days and everyone is one working for a common goal. The team leader’s position will not be tarnished if he takes his lunch with his team members. Don’t always discuss work at your office. If it is your colleague’s birthday, do make it a point to wish him in the morning. He will feel happy.
- Too much of interference in each other’s work is bad and can lead to adverse effects. Don’t unnecessarily peep into each other’s computer screens. One must respect each other’s privacy. It is important to do work together but don’t ask too many questions or tend to irritate others. Don’t always try to find out what the other person is up to. Never ever read anyone else’s notes or open any courier or envelope not meant for you. If your colleague has asked you to send a mail from his system on his behalf, make sure you don’t read any of his personal mails.
- One should be a little positive for better employee relations. Don’t always assume that the other person is wrong. Avoid unnecessary cribbing at workplace. If you are not well, it is better to stay at home rather than going to work and spoiling everyone else’s mood. Try to look at life from a larger perspective. Finding faults in others must be avoided for a better relation.
- Avoid being selfish at work. Try to help others. Don’t ignore things just because it is not related to you. Understand the other individual’s problem and try your level best to sort it out. Every individual needs a break and if your team member asks for a leave do allow him but make sure your work does not suffer. This way your team members would respect you and discuss issues more freely in the future.
- Efforts must be taken to avoid conflicts at work so that employees come closer to each other, work together and does not lose their focus. They must be cordial with each other for a warm and a healthy ambience at workplace.
Qualities in a Professional for Better Relationship with Co Workers
An
individual must share a warm relationship with his fellow workers to remain happy
and satisfied at work. Don’t
fight with your colleagues and spoil the decorum of the office. You need
people around to talk to, discuss several issues, evaluate the pros and cons
of your ideas and finally come to a solution which would be fruitful to you
as well as others.
An
individual must have certain qualities for a better relationship with his
fellow workers:
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- Stay positive and motivated. Nothing works better than self motivation. Look for reasons to stay motivated. Remember happiness lies within you. Enter your office with a smiling face. Don’t work out of any compulsion. If your job is getting stagnant, it is always better to move on. Don’t stick to it and crib. One must understand that every organization would have some or the other problem, you can’t leave all of them. You need to adjust somewhere so why not in your present company? Be a little adjusting and try to be friendly with your team members. Don’t spread rumors or pull anyone into controversies.
- Avoid pretending to be good in front of your boss. Such a habit might earn you a bad name in your team and your fellow workers might ignore you when you need them. Your work speaks and nothing apart from that really matters. Don’t try to play politics against anyone just for a promotion or mere appreciation from your boss. One should never manipulate truth and pass on the information as it is. Never backstab anyone. Honesty always pays in the long run.
- An employee has to be a good communicator for an effective employee relationship. Be transparent in your communication. Never play with words with an intention to confuse others. If you do not agree to anyone, don’t simply say a yes. Sit with him and discuss in a way to convince the other party.
- One needs to be firm on his statements. Don’t change your mind quite often. It leads to misunderstandings and confusions among others.
- Be patient and never be rude to anyone. One should speak what is acceptable at the workplace. Don’t use foul words against anyone. Learn to keep a control on your tongue. Avoid being hyper at work. It is always better to ignore minor issues rather than fighting with others.
- One needs to be disciplined at work. Follow your organization’s policies. Never be late to work. If your office timing is 9.30 AM, make sure you are there sharp at 9.28 AM. Work for yourself, not for others. Your boss cannot always sit on your head. If your superior is not there in the office, it does not mean you will roam here and there. Sit at your workstation, concentrate on your work and leave on time. Don’t unnecessarily irritate people. If you are not disciplined; no one would appreciate you.
- One should respect his superiors as well as his colleagues. Relationships would never improve unless and until you respect others. Treat all as one.
- One should give his team member his desired space. Respect each other’s privacy. Too much of interference in each other’s work is bad. Avoid staring at anyone’s computer screens or try overhearing anyone else’s conversation. Don’t open couriers or notepads not meant for you. It might contain something confidential and the other person may not like it.
- One should always keep his superiors in the loop in every communication. If you are sending an email to an external party make sure a cc is marked to your boss and he is aware of the entire development. Any information meant for all team members should be downloaded to them in the correct way.
- Avoid being jealous at work. If your colleague has done well, do appreciate him.
Challenges for a Better Employee Relationship Management
The
relationship between employees working in a common organization is called as
employee relationship. Every employee should ideally be comfortable with
others to stay motivated and stress free. No conclusion has ever come out of
disputes; instead it is just a mere wastage of time and lead to a negative
environment at work. The employees should work together as a single unit to
come out with more creative plans and accomplish the tasks at a much faster
rate.
Employees
enjoying a warm relationship with each other tend to discuss things among
themselves and always think in the favor of their team which eventually
benefits the organization also. Sometimes it is really difficult to satisfy
everyone. Someone or the other would have an objection to ideas leading to
major unrest in the team and spoiling the relationship among themselves.
Let
us go through the challenges to an effective employee relationship and ways
to overcome them:
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- Not all teams can afford to have members of the same sex only. Female employees are also likely to be there in the team and might not be too comfortable with their male counterparts. A male employee trying to be friendly with his female team member just to increase the comfort level between them might not be appreciated by her. She might think otherwise and lose her trust on him. A feeling of insecurity would crop up and thus spoiling the relationship between them. One needs to be very careful while dealing with team members of the opposite sex. Think before you speak and do take care of your limits. Too much of interference and a friendly nature might not work well. During informal get together make sure one does not speak anything which might embarrass the females. Avoid too much boozing or smoking at parties where female team members are also invited. They would feel awkward and would never be able to talk to you or discuss things. The female employees must also understand the corporate culture and should not overreact unnecessarily. It is absolutely normal to go out for meetings with your boss who is a male.
- It is really difficult to meet the expectations of each and every employee. Employees should not expect monetary benefits which exceed the company’s budget. The moment the management refuses to offer the desired incentives or perks to the employees they become negative and tend to spread rumors around. They badmouth their superiors, lose interest in work and hence their relationship suffers. To avoid such a situation, it is essential for the employees to have realistic expectations. Don’t ask for something which you yourself know is not possible and might disturb the budget of the organization. The team leader from the very beginning must prepare an incentive plan after discussing with his team members. The incentive plan must be same for everyone.
- It is human tendency to support someone who speaks well about you or favours you always.
Jerry’s
music academy was near Patrick’s apartment. Jerry went with Patrick almost
daily and no doubts always supported him at the workplace. Patrick was the one
who had the liberty to take frequent leaves. Jerry never ever said anything to
him which was not at all acceptable to the other team members. One should never
be partial at the workplace. Everyone is working to earn his bread and butter
just like you. No one is special in the organization. If anyone is working
hard, the company is also paying him well. It is always better to avoid taking
unnecessary favors from anyone. Don’t ask your subordinates to pick your son
from school, go for a grocery shopping or book your movie tickets. The moment
you ask for favors, the other individual starts taking undue advantages.
- You can never change the thought process of any employee. One can never get into anyone’s head to find out what he is thinking. You might speak something in a casual way but the other person might misunderstand it and make an issue out of it. One might say something in a light mood but the other person might take it seriously and start arguing. It is always better to be crisp and precise at workplace Avoid lose talks at work and don’t discuss things not related to your work.
- The superior might not always be accessible to his team members. A team leader might have to go for an urgent meeting when his team member walks up to him with a query. In such a scenario the employee should not feel neglected or ignored. It is the team leader’s duty to get back to his team members once he is free.
- Be realistic. Don’t ask any employee to attend his office on his birthday or marriage anniversary. One should never ask any employee to stay back late at office when he knows the other person has a party to attend. Understand other’s problems well. The team member should also not ask for leaves when he is aware of the work pressure.
- Remember life is all about adjustments. Don’t always have a negative approach towards life. Learn to compromise sometimes and make the organization a happy place to work.
After Effects of Poor Employee Relationship Management
The
relationship among the employees plays an important role in deciding the fate
of the organization. Employees must respect each other and come to each other’s
help whenever required and look forward towards achieving the organization’s
targets. If the employees do not enjoy a healthy relationship among
themselves, problems are bound to arise and ultimately their productivity
decreases.
Let
us go through the after effects of a poor employee relationship:
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- In the current scenario only those organizations can survive where work is done in an innovative way. Creativity and innovation comes through discussion. Employees must sit together on an open forum where every employee has the liberty to express his ideas. Every employee comes out with a unique idea which can be evaluated thoroughly to come out with something that has never been thought or implemented before. Employees together can contribute their level best in coming out with something beneficial to them as well as the organization.
- One needs to have trusted colleagues at work who can guide him and correct him if he is wrong anywhere. If one is spending the maximum part of his time in the office, it is but natural to share some or the other secrets with the team members. If you fight with others, you can’t rely on anyone and things would be really difficult for you. One has to pretend always and can’t speak his heart out.
- Employees not very satisfied and pleased with their work and management tend to change their jobs frequently. They find it difficult to adjust in such circumstances where one is at loggerheads with the other employee and thus fail to perform. Employee retention becomes a major problem when employees do not share a warm relationship with others as well as the management. An organization invests so much of its time in training the new joiners so that they come at par with the other existing employees and it’s really sad when the employees leave midway.
- If employees have strained relationship with each other, everyone works in his own sweet way and coordination becomes a concern. Employees are reluctant to share their workload and are thus always overburdened and unhappy. They fail to accomplish tasks within the desired time frame and hence the organization suffers. Employees are busy pulling each other’s legs and thus waste all their time which should be ideally used in productive work. The output of the employees in such situations is actually a big zero.
- Nobody likes to carry tensions back home. Disputes always lead to stress at work and people feel restless even at home. One can’t enjoy anywhere and is sad always.
- Individuals take frequent leaves from work leading to disciplinary problems at workplace. Nobody bothers to follow the rules and regulations of the organization and the office is a complete mess. Organizations fail to make profits and as a result come to a situation where they need to be shut down.
- Employees must be comfortable with each other for them to give their hundred percent at work and stay motivated.
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