EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

Employee Relations

Employee Relations

Introduction

This papar is based on the topic of employee relations. The main purpose of this paper is to present a tactical employee relations program to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Furniture-co, an American firm with a strength of 800 employees.

Employee relations refers to the interactions between employees and their employer. Some similar, but slightly different, terms are human resources, human relations, labor relations, industrial relations, and personnel administration or personnel services. Generically speaking, the term includes an array of employer efforts, such as recruitment and selection, orientation, training, performance appraisal, safety, equal employment opportunity (EEO), handling of employee complaints, discipline, and even management training and, in some instances, union relations (Sims, 2001).

Discussion

It is clear from close studies of employee retention that organizations can be very successful by developing a retention strategy that is informed by employee surveys and that relies on pushing responsibility for retention down the organization (such as Furniture co in this case). Therefore, organizations must focus their efforts to improve the work experience of their employees. Such efforts should involve a four-step process of diagnosing, planning, acting, and evaluating the changes that are designed to retain highly valued employees (Guerin, 2007).

Describing and measuring the salient aspects of our work experience has been the subject of intensive research. The Gallup Poll has surveyed workplace perceptions of thousands of employees. The results provide tangible data that can constitute both an organizational baseline and a methodology for evaluating changes in an organization (such as Furniture co in this case)'s work experience as perceived by its employees (Fossum, 2005).

It is important to note that these 12 questions give one insight into only one aspect of the employer-employee relationship. If there is a problem in one area of employee morale, it is not possible to say that the solution to that problem is always going to be the same. Identifying barriers to retention and productivity requires multiple sources of data on such variables as commitment to the organization (such as Furniture co in this case), the external job market, enjoyment of the work itself, pay, and benefits. Identifying barriers is only the first step toward solving organizational problems. This diagnostic phase is followed by planning, action, and evaluation (Fields, 2005).

Selection

Selecting employees from a recruitment pool requires information about how well the prospects will perform the job and fit with the organization (such as Furniture co in this case)'s culture. All selection systems are probabilistic, meaning that selection mistakes will occur despite the best efforts to minimize such hires. As such, the complexity and sophistication of selection systems vary greatly. Having explicit policies and procedures along with accurate record-keeping are required in case selection processes face legal challenges (Delpo, 2005). Most organizations use multiple selection devices or procedures to evaluate applicants in a thorough fashion. The employment interview is widely used often in conjunction with application blanks and résumés, references, tests, work samples, and, increasingly, physical ability and drug tests (Bohlander, 2007).

The employment interview, a conversation with the purpose of ...