Did you know strategic employee relations help both the firm and the employees?
By reading this post, you get a 5-part action plan to implement strategic employee relations in your business.
Managing a workforce is a uniquely challenging job the demands of which can change depending upon the day and the individuals that you are dealing with.
However, just because the challenges that a manager might face can change from day to day does not mean that there are not proven solutions that can help.
Learning how to manage your workforce more effectively will enable you to experience increased productivity levels, improved employee satisfaction rates, and output quality, all of which benefit a business’s bottom line.
This guide is here to help you learn some of the best methods that can help you to manage your workforce more effectively.
What are Strategic Employee Relations?
Strategic employee relations involve building your rapport with your employees.
When employees feel their wishes are considered, they are more likely to be passionate about the work they do resulting in an increase in productivity for the firm.
Strategic employee relations accomplish a win-win for both the company and the employees: The employees feel valued and the company gets a boost in productivity.
How to Manage Your Workforce More Efficiently
1. Track Employee Engagement
The term "employee engagement" refers to the relationship that a member of staff has with their work and the organization that they are working for. An engaged employee is enthusiastic and absorbed in their work and has a positive relationship with their employing organization. This means that an engaged employee will go above and beyond to further the interest of the organization they are working for.
A disengaged employee, by contrast, will do little to no work and could actively try to harm the interest of the organization they are working for.
As inpulse.com explains, tracking the levels of employee engagement in your workforce helps managers to ascertain actionable insights. Tracking employee engagement rates enables you to assign tasks more appropriately, provide feedback and work with staff to increase efficiency and productivity rates.
2. Automate Wherever Possible
Managers looking to increase internal productivity rates should review how staff members are spending the majority of their time. You should ask all your staff how they spend their working day and which tasks they usually focus on. If you find that staff members are spending a lot of time on routine and repetitive tasks, this is a sign you would benefit from investing in automation.
If, for example, you are running an e-commerce business and find that your customer service teams have to spend much of their time answering routine customer queries, then you might want to invest in chatbot technology.
A chatbot can be programmed to answer many routine customer questions, instantly. This will provide a better experience for your customers, as they will receive an instant reply. Using a chatbot will also allow customer service staff to use their time more effectively on more demanding tasks.
3. Improve Employee Wellbeing
When your staff members are both physically and mentally healthy, they are able to perform at their best, work more productively and spend less time off work. If you are noticing the signs of poor employee wellbeing within your organization, such as burnout, increased sick days, or high stress levels, this is a sign to invest in an employee wellness program.
Your employee wellness program should take a holistic approach, meaning it should consider an employee’s mental and physical health and their overall wellbeing. There are many forms that a wellness program can take, including increasing health benefits, supplying healthy food, and offering flexible working options.
When creating your employee wellness program you should focus on what works for your staff and your organization, rather than trying to stick to a standard template.
In addition, you might consider letting the employees work on a hybrid schedule, some days at home and some days in the office. Working from home may add to their productivity since they save time on their commute.
4. Create a Culture of Open Communication
Photo by fauxels on Pexels.com Creating a culture of open communication can offer a series of benefits for your company’s efficiency rate. For example, staff members that are working in a culture of open communication are much more likely to bring problems to managers. When problems are spotted and addressed early the impact they are able to have on efficiency and productivity levels is greatly reduced.
For instance, encourage employees to volunteer to work from home if your industry allows people to work online at least part of the time. Employees will feel respected and valued when you take their wishes into consideration.
When a culture of open communication is established within an organization staff feel free to ask questions. This means that you are likely to experience a reduced number of mistakes and errors that are due to confusion and miscommunication.
A culture of open communication is also vital for stimulating innovation in your business. When staff feel comfortable coming to you with suggestions and ideas, without fear of chastisement or being ignored, you will experience increased innovation.
5. Set SMART Goals
It is almost impossible for employees to be able to maintain high levels of efficiency without being clearly assigned goals. When an employee has been provided with clear and achievable goals they are much more likely to work more efficiently as they understand the purpose for their work and they are motivated to achieve their aims.
Setting goals to improve workforce efficiency does not only involve picking an aim but choosing a SMART aim.
When you are assigning goals for your employees you should use the guidelines of SMART goals, the goals should be:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Making sure that goals fit within the SMART goals criteria can help you to make sure that you are not only setting aims that are achievable but will also work as a motivating factor. It can be useful to track the progress of employees using project management software to ensure that the goals you set are challenging enough to be motivating.
Strategic Employee Relations Frequently Asked Questions
By following a plan to implement strategic employee relations, you end up boosting the employees' performances and the overall productivity of the business.
Check to make sure employees feel engaged, happy, and encouraged to communicate. At the same time, the business should automate tasks and set SMART measurable goals.
Wrapping Up: Strategic Employee Relations
Here is your action plan for strategic employee relations:
Make sure employees are engaged.
Automate to speed up tasks.
Reduce burnout and absenteeism.
Encourage dialogue with employees.
Set SMART goals.
Readers, please share so business owners discover this action plan for boosting strategic employee relations.
I look forward to your views in the comment section. Do you have additional tips for boosting strategic employee relations?
