Human Resource Management

Fifteenth Edition

Chapter 14
Building Positive
Employee
Relations
 Define employee
relations.

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 What is Employee Relations?

• Employee Relations – is the activity that involves

establishing and maintaining the positive employee-
employer relationships that contribute to satisfactory
productivity, motivation, morale, and discipline, and
to maintaining a positive, productive, and cohesive
work environment.

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 Employee Relations Programs For Building and
Maintaining Positive Employee Relations

Fair Treatment
• Research Insight
• Procedural Justice
• Distributive Justice

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 Bullying and Victimization

1. Imbalance of Power
2. Intent to Cause Harm
3. Repetition
• Verbal
• Social
• Physical
• Cyberbullying

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 Improving Employee Relations
Through Communication Programs

• Different Types
• Organizational
Climate Surveys

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 Using Employee Involvement
Teams

• Suggestion Teams
• Problem-Solving Teams
• Quality Circle
• Self-Managing / Self-
Directed Work Team
• Suggestion Systems

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 Explain what is meant by
ethical behavior.

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 The Ethical Organization

Figure 14-2 The Wall

Street Journal Workplace
Ethics Quiz
Source: Ethics and Compliance
Officer Association, Waltham,
MA, and the Ethical Leadership
Group, Global Compliance’s
Expert Advisors, Wilmette, IL.
(printed in the Wall Street
Journal, October 21, 1999, pp.
B1–B4). © 1999 by Ethics and
Compliance Officer
Association. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved.

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 Ethics and Employee Rights

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 What Shapes Ethical Behavior at
Work?
• Three factors combine to determine the
ethical choices we make
• The person (bad apples)
• Situations (bad cases)
• Company Environment (bad barrels)
• Pressures
• Organizational culture

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 How Managers Can Create More
Ethical Environments

• Reduce Pressures
• “Walk The Talk”

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 How Human Resource
Managers Can Create More
Ethical Environments (1 of 2)
• Institute Ethical Polices and
Codes
• Enforce The Rules
• Encourage Whistleblowers
• Foster The Right Culture

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 How Human Resource
Managers Can Create More
Ethical Environments (2 of 2)
• Hire Right
• Use Ethics Training
• Use Rewards and Discipline
• Institute Employee Privacy Policies

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 Explain what is meant by
fair disciplinary practices.

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 Managing Employee Discipline

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 The Three Pillars of Fair Discipline

1. Rules & Regulations

2. Progressive Penalties
3. Appeal Process

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 How to Discipline an Employee

1. Make sure the evidence supports the charge of

employee wrongdoing.
2. Make sure to protect the employees’ due
process rights.
3. Adequately warn the employee of the
disciplinary consequences of his or her
alleged misconduct.
4. Have the employee sign form.

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 How to Discipline an Employee

5. “Reasonably Related” to the efficient and safe

operation of the environment.
6. Objectively investigate the matter.

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 How to Discipline an Employee

7. “The Investigation should produce

substantial evidence of misconduct.
8. Apply applicable rules, orders, or
penalties without discrimination.
9. Maintain the employee’s right to counsel.

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 How to Discipline an Employee

10. Keep Dignity.

11. Listen to what the
person has to say.
12. Burden of Proof
(employer).

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 How to Discipline an Employee

13. Get the Facts.

14. Don’t Act while angry.
15.Adhere to your company’s disciplinary appeal
process.

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 Discipline Without Punishment

• Issue an oral reminder.

• Issue a formal written reminder and place in the
personnel file.
• Give “decision-making leave”.
• Dismissal if behavior repeats.

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 Google: Happiness and People Analytics

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 FedEx: Guaranteed Fair Treatment

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