Whose responsibility is it to maintain employee relations:
Management or Employees?
Firstly-let’s differentiate between Manager and a Leader:
- A Manager is responsible for overseeing administrative tasks and ensuring employees follow company procedures to achieve objectives.
- On the other hand, a Leader focuses on developing people’s skills and commands them to achieve the Company’s objectives.
Each company requires a balance of both positions. However, being a leader involves more than simply guiding people. Just as the top of the company needs balance, so do the employees reporting to management.
Employee relations refer to the company’s efforts to maintain positive relationships with its employees.
To achieve company goals and objectives, good employee relations are essential. This includes inspiring employee loyalty, increasing engagement with all employees, reducing staff turnover, and creating a positive company culture.
So, who is responsible for this?
The simple truth is that it is everyone’s responsibility to maintain a culture of honesty and clear communication in both directions, from management to the bottom of the chain and vice versa. Management should communicate clearly with employees and be consistent in doing so.
We need to strive towards maintaining effective relations between management and employees, which is the key to the success of any organisation. Creating strong employee relations will create higher job satisfaction, reduce staff turnover and will lead to more productive employees and a strong community in the workplace.
We need to shift our focus in our weekly/monthly meetings with employees. Instead of just discussing targets, systems, and processes, we should prioritise open dialogue and involve employees in ways to improve the working environment, communication, and set objectives.
It’s important to revisit the Company’s mission and vision to ensure clarity for all employees in what they’re working towards achieving. By doing this, employees will feel valued and part of the Company, which will create a culture that makes it easier to deal with disputes and maintain healthy working relations. Monetary rewards should not be our primary focus, as they cannot buy employee engagement and satisfaction.
Feel free to call our offices on (011) 794-5582 for any advice or assistance.