POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
SABLAYAN, OCC. MINDORO CAMPUS
SABLAYAN, OCC. MINDORO
LEARNING MODULE
COOP 20023 – MEMBER RELATION AND OFFICE
PROCEDURES
PREPARED BY:
PROF. ALGENE EDWARD M. FRANCISCO
I – OBJECTIVE
This lesson is intended to teach the students the office
procedures, elements of member relations and effective
communications. At the end of the lesson, the student should
be able to:
1. To know the importance of business
2. To know the importance of member relations
3. Learn the effective communication
4. Learn the barriers of communication
DEFINITION OF MEMBER RELATIONS
Happy members are productive members. Successful
businesses know how to manage relationships to build lasting
member’s satisfaction. Learn the meaning of member
relations and understand the essential elements of an
effective member relations program.
Workers Are Important
The most important part of any business is its people. No
business can run effectively without them. But people don't
work in a vacuum; they need to communicate and work with
others to get their jobs done. Company need to manage
relationships in the workplace to keep the business
functioning smoothly, avoid problems, and make sure
members are performing at their best.
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What Does 'Member Relations' Mean?
The term 'Member relations' refers to a company's efforts to
manage relationships between company and members. An
organization with a good member relations program provides
fair and consistent treatment to all employees so they will be
committed to their jobs and loyal to the company. Such
programs also aim to prevent and resolve problems arising
from situations at work.
Member relations programs are typically part of a human
resource strategy designed to ensure the most effective use of
people to accomplish the organization's mission.  resolve problems and address concerns.
Human resource strategies are deliberate plans companies
use to help them gain and maintain a competitive edge in the
marketplace. Member relations programs focus on issues
affecting members, such as pay and benefits,
supporting work-life balance, and safe working conditions.
One of the most effective ways for a company to ensure good
member relations is to adopt a human resource strategy that
places a high value on employees as stakeholders in the
business. Stakeholders are people who are committed,
financially or otherwise, to a company and are affected by its
success or failure. When members are treated as more than
just paid laborers, but as actual stakeholders with the power
to affect outcomes, they feel more valued for the job they do.
Think about the last job you truly loved. Was it because you
were treated like an important part of the team? You
probably had an interest in seeing the business succeed, like a
stakeholder.
Elements of a Good Member Relations Plan
An effective member relations program starts with clearly
written policies. Member relations policies describe the
company's philosophy, rules, and procedures for addressing
member-related matters and resolving problems in the
workplace. Many companies have one or more member
relations representatives, people who work in the human
resources department to ensure that company policies are
followed fairly and consistently. Member relations
representatives work with member and supervisors to
An member relations program is not a one-size-fits-all
solution. Strategies for good member relations can take many
forms and vary by a number of factors, including industry,
location, company size, and even individual leadership
philosophies. For example, issues that concern construction
workers on the job can be very different from the problems
facing nurses or accountants. Nevertheless, there are some
elements that all good member relations programs share.
Communication
Communication is the process of exchanging facts or ideas.
There are eight basic elements of communication. They are
source, message, encoding, channel, receiver, decoding and
feedback.
Source 
- the person who is conveying the message. The
intention of the source is to pass information or ideas
to others. The source can also be referred to as the
sender or the encoder. The source decides on the
message and the most effective method to send it. The
source will decide if the message should be delivered
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 in-person, in a letter, an email or another form of
communication.
Message  known as the decoder. The receiver is responsible for
- is the subject of the communication. The message can
be an order, suggestion, opinion, feelings, attitude or
views. The message can be in several forms. For
example it can be a letter, a speech, an email or text.
The source takes in to consideration the meaning of
the message, who it's being delivered to and how it
needs to be represented. That will help the sender
decide the best delivery that will make the message
easiest for the receiver to understand and is most
appropriate.
Encoding  message, it was communicated in a poor way.
- is the is the act of assembling the message. The
information, thoughts and ideas are put together in a
way for the receiver to understand the message. The
key to communication is that the encoder sends a
message that is understood in the same way by both
the encoder and receiver. If someone is known as a
great communicator, then they are a great encoder.
Great encoders know how to deliver their message in a
way that the intended audience can understand.
Channel  change the meaning of the message. A message
- chooses the channel that will be used for
communicating the message. The channel is
responsible for delivering the message. The message
can be verbal or non-verbal. The channel can be a
letter, an email, a phone call or in-person. The encoder
can use the content and purpose of the message to
decide the channel to use for delivery.
Receiver 
- is who the message is intended for. The receiver is also
decoding or interpreting the message.
Decoding
– is the process of the receiver interpreting the
message. Reading or listening are a part of decoding
the message. Then the receiver must understand the
message in the way it was meant to be interpreted.
The decoder may not always interpret the message in
the way the encoder intended the message to be
understood. If the decoder doesn't understand the
Feedback 
- ensures that the receiver understood the message in
the way the sender wanted the message to be
understood. Feedback is also known as reaction and
responses. The source can judge by the reaction if the
message was received correctly.
Context
- is where the message is received. The environment can
delivered in a boardroom may not have the same
meaning as message delivered at a convention. The
audiences and their frame of mind differ in the
environment they are in.
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Kinds of Communication
1. Verbal Communication - the sharing of information
between individuals by using speech. Individuals
working within a business need to effectively use
verbal communication that employs readily
understood spoken words, as well as ensuring that the
enunciation, stress and tone of voice with which the
words are expressed is appropriate.
2. Non Verbal Communication - behavior and elements of
speech aside from the words themselves that transmit
meaning. Non-verbal communication includes pitch,
speed, tone and volume of voice, gestures and facial
expressions, body posture, stance, and proximity to
the listener, eye movements and contact, and dress
and appearance.
Barriers to Effective Communication
There are many reasons why interpersonal communications
may fail. In many communications, the message (what is said)
may not be received exactly the way the sender intended. It is,
therefore, important that the communicator seeks feedback
to check that their message is clearly understood.
The skills of Active Listening, Clarification and Reflection may
help but the skilled communicator also needs to be aware of
the barriers to effective communication and how to avoid or
overcome them.
There are many barriers to communication and these may
occur at any stage in the communication process. Barriers
may lead to your message becoming distorted and you
therefore risk wasting both time and/or money by causing
confusion and misunderstanding. 
Common Barriers to Effective Communication:
1. The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar
and/or technical terms.
2. Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may
find it difficult to express their emotions and some
topics may be completely 'off-limits' or taboo. Taboo
or difficult topics may include, but are not limited to,
politics, religion, disabilities (mental and physical),
sexuality and sex, racism and any opinion that may be
seen as unpopular.
3. Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or
irrelevance to the receiver.  Differences in
perception and viewpoint.
4. Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or
speech difficulties.
5. Physical barriers to non-verbal
communication. Not being able to see the non-verbal
cues, gestures, posture and general body language can
make communication less effective. Phone calls, text
messages and other communication methods that rely
on technology are often less effective than face-to-face
communication.
6. Language differences and the difficulty in
understanding unfamiliar accents.
7. Expectations and prejudices which may lead to
false assumptions or stereotyping.  People often
hear what they expect to hear rather than what is
actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions.
8. Cultural differences.  The norms of social interaction
vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in
which emotions are expressed.
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Effective communication involves overcoming these
barriers and conveying a clear and concise message. 
Perhaps the most important element for successful
relationships with members is communication. To feel
engaged in the business, members need to be informed of
what's going on with the company, including management's
plans and how those plans may affect their jobs. Conversely,
when management withholds information, this can result in
mistrust of leadership and damage to members morale.
Management can keep workers informed of the latest
developments by any number of means, including email
announcements, newsletters, employee portals, regular
meetings, and special events.
Effective communication goes both ways; member should feel
as though their opinions, feelings, and concerns are being
heard by managers.
Open lines of communication can be informal, such as day-to-
day interactions between members and supervisors, or
formal mechanisms for employee feedback, such as
workplace satisfaction surveys or grievance and appeals
procedures.  8. What are the basic elements of communications?
A skilled communicator must be aware of these barriers
and try to reduce their impact by continually checking
understanding and by offering appropriate feedback.
Grievances and appeals are processes that allow members
to challenge management decisions or labor issues through a
formal dispute resolution process.
SELF ASSESSMENT:
1. What is the most important part of a business? Why is
this of such high importance?
2. What does the term "Member relations" refer to?
When answering the question, be sure to discuss the
two groups that this "relationship" is between.
3. What are "human relationship strategies?" In addition
to describing these strategies, list and describe two
examples of these types of strategies.
4. One way to promote good member relations is to make
them stakeholders in the business. Explain what this
means and discuss why this practice could be
successful.
5. What are member relations strategies? What is the
role of an member relations representative in creating
and enacting these strategies?
6. What role does communication have in member
relations? Give an example of how a boss can use
communication to promote good member relations.
Describe this policy and explain how it would be an
effective tool.
7. Explain the importance of a grievances and appeals
process in a healthy work environment.
9. Whys do cultural differences affect the
communication? Give 5 examples and explain briefly.
10. How would you reduce the impact of barriers of
communication? Support your answers by giving
enough examples.
COOP 20023 5
Readings:

>Skillsyouneed/barriers of communications

REFERENCES:

https://careertrend.com/workplace-hygiene-policies-
2967.html

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/verbal-
communication.html

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/barriers-
communication.html

https://study.com/academy/lesson/

COOP 20023 6