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How Can HR Strengthen Employee Relations?

Maintaining effective relations in the workplace is critical to the success of any organization. Employees tend to be more productive when they have healthy relationships with others at work. A strong connection between workers facilitates improved collaboration and communication, which results in an efficient work environment. According to Gallup research, highly engaged employees see 21% greater profitability. Moreover, companies with strong employee relations face a 41% reduction in absenteeism and 59% less turnover. 

Learning how to strengthen employee relations can help you create a healthy workplace that attracts and retains top talent. In this article, we discuss the best practices for improving relations in the workplace. 

Communicate with Employees Face-to-face

Open communication between managers and employees is essential in achieving higher productivity and strengthening relations at all levels of an organization. It does not simply mean that employers should talk to their employees frequently. It is an environment where people are welcome to share their views and concerns on a regular, ongoing basis. 

Here are some strategies to improve communication between managers and employees:

  • Hold regular one-on-one meetings. The regular 1:1 meeting offers the space for more direct conversation between employees and HR managers, creating a comfortable environment for sharing issues and concerns.
  • Be transparent. Transparency is a key strategy for creating a comfortable work environment and boosting motivation to work harder. Employees who feel that their employers are open and trustworthy are 94% more likely to be satisfied with their work. 
  • Listen to and ask for feedback. Ask employees for feedback for constant personal and operational improvement.

Promote Work-life Balance 

It is important to encourage a healthy work-life balance for a company to succeed and grow. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is not only crucial for employee relations, but it can also increase productivity and performance. According to CompareCamp research, 85% of companies that promote work-life balance report an increase in productivity. Moreover, organizations that offer work-life balance programs for employees claim to have 25% less employee turnover. 

Work-from-home opportunities, paid time off, and flexible working hours can contribute to employees’ well-being. In addition, managers should make sure employees take short breaks during the work day. 

Conduct Team Building Activities

Team building activities give employees an opportunity to get to know each other and their managers and develop stronger relationships. In addition, these connections can have a positive effect on work ethic and retention. Team building can improve work ethic and innovation up to 10 times. Half of the employees say they choose to stay at a company because they feel like part of a team. 

Team building events are usually activities, games, and challenges designed to encourage employees to collaborate with each other to achieve a common goal. Some examples include virtual coffee meetings, escape rooms, team trivia, and company retreats. Team building events are even more relevant today when a vast majority of individuals work remotely. Bringing remote workers all together is an efficient way to improve employee relations.

Use Technology for More Effective Communication

With the emergence of technology in the workplace, the need to always stay connected with colleagues is paramount. HR managers should ensure workers have access to various communication tools, such as chatbots, social media applications, Zoom, Skype, Slack, and others. With the use of communication tools, HR managers make sure employees can always share important information with each other at any time. Thus, with modern communication tools, managers successfully strengthen employee relations between remote employees too.

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