Do You Know What You Don't Know? Do you know the true state of your employee relations climate? How would you know if something is wrong? ...or right?

Over my many years in Human Resources, the concept of 'Positive Employee Relations' has served me well. Simply stated, this concept states that the single most important relationship in the work environment is the relationship between an employee and his/her supervisor. The supervisor should be perceived as the single most important positive asset towards the employee's success. The second most important relationship is between the employee and the employer. Therefore, any attempt by a third party to intervene between that employee and their supervisor, and their employer, should be avoided proactively and agrressively.

This concept is not a transaction, but an ongoing systematic process. It involves the organization's leadership and internal as well as external resources. What is the state of your employee relations climate?

The Employee Free Choice Act is a fraudulent piece of Union inspired and funded, Democrat sponsored legislation designed solely to take away employees' right to free choice in order to line the pockets of union leaders, and their Democrat sponsors. It is more important today than ever before that you and your employees know the facts BEFORE the union or any other third party comes knocking on your door.

I recently listened in on a webinar put on by two highly regarded Partners from the law fim McGuireWoods. (Email me and I'll provide contact information), and the effects of EFCA on our businesses is far from good. My strong suggestion to you is to start right now assessing where you stand with your employees.

Review your policies and procedures, your handbooks, and your compensation and benefit plans. What kind of managers do you have? What skills are important for them to have? Do they have them? How well does your dispute resolution process work?

As I said in my previous post, I would suggest you get someone to help you with this assessment who will tell you the honest truth. This is no time to play the lead in 'The Emperor's New Clothes'. If you have a trusted HR advisor, get that person involved. And do not opt out by saying that you do not want to stir the pot; that you know your people. What if you are wrong? Fighting a union organizing drive is expensive, and we don't even have EFCA,... yet!

What the Democrats and the Unions want to do is deprive your employees of critical information. There will be no time to catch up. So you must be proactive. 

The first step is to find out what your employees think of their supervisors and what they think of their employer. Do they feel they are appreciated and that they have some involvement in decisions that effect them? Do they have concerns about management? What do they think of their work environment? What is the level of loyalty? Do they feel respected? These are important questions to consider, because if they are not getting what they need from you, they WILL look elsewhere!

We will address this topic further in future postings. For now I want to repeat the key theme from the beginning. You should be working hard to foster a "Positive Employee Relations" environment. And you should be taking all possible steps to know where you stand with your employees on an ongoing basis. Get someone to help you with this, someone who does not have a vested interest in how things look today. Get a new set of eyes to look at your work place, and to make an assessment. This is the time to invest in being proactive. An ounce of prevention now, and you will save a boat load of money later. More importantly, you will still have that primary relationship with your employees!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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