How to Build a Strong and Healthy Employer-Employee

More productive, more engaged, more loyal… happier employees. This is what a healthy, mutually respectful employer-employee relationship guarantees you.

“Employees have begun looking beyond material offerings and assessing how they feel about the company they work for – and that requires a different approach.” (Harvard Business Review )

This article explores:

• What’s the anatomy of a strong employer-employee relationship: its 9 common imperatives
• Why you’ll want to build one: the top 8 benefits you’ll reap

What Is Meant by the Employer/Employee Relationship?

The employer-employee relationship is the working connection between employers/managers and employees – how these two parties view and behave toward each other in a work setting.

“Employer-employee relationship refers to the harmonious working relationship between employees and employers in which the employees are allowed to participate in decision making.” (HAL open science )

This relationship begins forming the moment an employee signs their employment contract. It’s the primary driver of engagement levels in your company:

“…companies with highly engaged people outperform firms with the most disengaged folks – by 54% in employee retention, by 89% in customer satisfaction, and by fourfold in revenue growth.” (Harvard Business Review )

The Importance of the Employer-Employee Relationship

Managers and employees rely on one another to complete their tasks and deliver business outcomes. When employer-employee relations aren’t healthy, business revenue reflects this:

“Employees who are inspired to work produce better and more results. The level of competency of the staff increases because of their drive to become better.” (The Impact of Employer-Employee Relationships on Business Growth )

There’s a direct connection between employer-employee relationships and employee experience , which significantly impacts business performance.

When mutual respect, trust, and empathy exist, employees feel more valued as people rather than mere “employees,” raising job satisfaction and commitment levels.

“Employers no longer chant the old mantra ‘People are our greatest asset.’ Instead, they claim ‘People are our greatest liability.’” (Harvard Business Review )

Benefits of Good Employee Employer Relationship

Strong, healthy employer-employee relationships benefit everyone. They contribute to employees’ personal wellbeing and create the perfect context for innovation, risk-taking, commitment, and self-improvement.

Fewer Workplace Disputes

Conflicts are less likely in environments built on trust and mutual respect where staff works well together.

Increased Productivity

Lower conflict rates boost productivity: employees feel motivated to work toward common goals and perform better, thanks to friendly work environments and meaningful relationships.

Higher Engagement Rate

“Relationships with management are the top factor in employees’ job satisfaction, which in turn is the second most important determinant of employees’ overall wellbeing.” (McKinsey & Company )

Healthy boss-employee relationships – based on mutual trust, good communication, empathy, and encouragement – are crucial for high engagement. This translates into:

• Employees willing to “go the extra mile”
• Better on-the-job performance
• More loyalty to leaders and the company

Higher Retention Rate

Employees’ loyalty translates into long-term commitment, reducing costs for recruitment, hiring, and training new staff.

Easier Work Assignment

A healthy relationship means:

• Employees trust and feel comfortable with employers
• Employers understand employees’ strengths, weaknesses, and work styles

Employers can then:

• Assign the right tasks to the right people
• Create tailored tasks addressing specific weaknesses

This helps employees discover new strengths and feel valued, motivating them to meet expectations.

Quick Understanding Of Problems

With trust-based relationships and good communication, open conversations happen more frequently, providing early warning signs of emerging issues – allowing faster resolution.

Workplace Equality

Strong employer-employee relations support workplace equality. Such environments make employees feel valued and connected, translating into higher productivity and commitment.

Earning Employee Advocacy

Employees who feel trusted, valued, and able to be themselves become company advocates. Empowered employees promote organizational culture and serve as valued promotional assets.

How to Build a Strong Employer/Employee Relationship

Mutual Respect

Lack of mutual respect is the key cause of low retention and can turn potential advocates into saboteurs.

Respect is fundamental to building good employer-employee relations and influences employee engagement levels.

Knowing Each Other

Understanding each other’s strengths, stress tolerance, weaknesses, differences, and similarities leads to empathy, helping both parties connect better. Employers learn how to motivate employees and communicate feedback effectively.

Be Authentic

Authentic leadership significantly influences employee engagement and organizational trust. Be transparent and “walk the talk” – otherwise, employees will notice.

Ensure your actions back your words: set realistic expectations, provide safe work environments, prioritize wellbeing, and avoid micromanagement.

Set Clear Expectations

Clarity is kindness. Provide employees with documented clear and reasonable expectations:

• Roles and responsibilities for each person
• Clear individual and team objectives
• Key workflows
• Internal communication guidelines

This enables employees to do their best work, take risks, innovate, and grow.

Communicate Openly

“A survey of 400 companies with 100,000 employees each cited an average loss per company of $62.4 million per year because of inadequate communication.” (shrm.org )

Open communication makes employees feel authentically involved and on the same page. It builds trust, motivates, and relieves concerns.

Embrace Recognition

Employee recognition drives productivity, retention, morale, energy, and workplace engagement.

“83% of employees, out of 23,000 , that received recognition for performances, reported a more positive employee experience” compared to only 38% who didn’t.

Acknowledge employees for their work and character. This boosts motivation to repeat successful behaviors and creates a more human workplace.

Be Flexible

Good employer-employee relationships require supporting work/life balance. Show flexibility regarding time off, remote work, working hours, and unexpected situations. Demonstrate you care about building the best working relationship.

Be Consistent

Consistency builds trust and confidence. When everyone – from entry-level to CEO – is held to the same standards and follows the same policies, you build the trust critical for strong employer-employee relationships.

Provide Adequate Training

Employees assigned new responsibilities without proper training face undue pressure. Provide adequate training and set employees up to succeed, boosting confidence and job satisfaction.

Promoting Employee Engagement and Satisfaction

Authentic engagement stems from feeling valued and satisfied in your organizational role. Understanding this helps foster robust employer-employee relationships transcending basic expectations.

Offering Opportunities for Skill Development and Advancement

Demonstrating investment in employee futures reinforces ties profoundly, showing you view them as stakeholders whose progress matters significantly.

• Introduce regular training sessions or workshops enhancing capabilities
• Provide resources like e-learning platforms for beneficial courses
• Consider funding relevant higher education
• Implement clear career progression routes highlighting advancement opportunities

This approach breeds satisfaction and loyalty through growth prospects – essential for consolidating employer-employee relationships.

Encouraging Employee Feedback and Suggestions

Participation extends beyond output to decision-making. Cultivating environments where staff voice thoughts affirms their importance.

Strategically:

• Establish open-door policies promoting free expression
• Initiate brainstorming sessions on schemes under consideration
• Create suggestion boxes accessible to all
• Implement digital platforms for anonymous employee input

Employees feel acknowledged, leading to enhanced satisfaction and rich idea exchange – crucial aspects of healthy employer-employee relationships.

Providing Recognition and Rewards for Outstanding Performance

Everyone appreciates recognition – a basic human need. Ignoring this concept could damage your employee relationship.

In practice:

• Develop mechanisms acknowledging stellar work (e.g., “Employee of the Month”)
• Consider performance-based bonuses or raises
• Appreciate teams publicly after project completion
• Remember the power of a genuine “Thank You”

Such acts foster motivation while strengthening bonds with staff members, boosting overall employer-employee relations.

Resolving Conflicts and Addressing Issues

A significant pillar of robust employer-employee relationships involves handling conflicts and issues. This challenging stage, when dealt with tactfully, strengthens mutual trust and nurtures healthy work environments .

Implementing a Fair and Effective Conflict Resolution Process

Conflicts arise inevitably in human organizations, whether from misunderstandings or diverging interests. Developing fair conflict resolution mechanisms is integral to fostering healthy employee relationships.

First, acknowledge that all parties have valid points – ensuring no one feels unheard or undermined. Second, encourage open dialogue to facilitate understanding and find common ground. Third, respond swiftly; lingering disputes fuel workplace toxicity. Timely intervention smooths issues before escalation. Finally, adopt fair resolutions – unequal treatment based on hierarchy undermines credibility.

View each conflict as a growth opportunity rather than impediment – a chance to refine processes and build stronger employee relationships.

Handling Disciplinary Actions Professionally and Consistently

Creating boundaries isn’t limiting; it paves the way for orderliness. However challenging, consistency establishes respect in manager-employee relationships while ensuring everyone adheres to standards.

Your approach should encompass clear communication about inappropriate behavior and possible repercussions. This transparency aids eliminating feelings of unfairness or favoritism when disciplinary action becomes necessary.

While punitive measures may be required occasionally, offer chances for improvement. Constructive criticism trumps pure condemnation – redirection and retraining should ideally precede disciplinary measures.

Addressing Workplace Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination

No prosperous employer-employee relationship accommodates toxic practices.

Education is the initial line of offense against such tendencies. Create awareness about bullying and harassment. Empower team members on confronting such occurrences professionally.

Ensure strict policies deter these behaviors – implement robust reporting systems where victims or witnesses freely express concerns without reprisal fears.

Finally, foster cultures genuinely valuing diversity and respecting every team member regardless of background, faith, or gender. This authentic strength – value-adding variety – synergizes outcomes manifoldly when adequately harnessed. A firm stand against discrimination fortifies solid employer-employee relationships.

Nurturing a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Creating healthy work-life balance is crucial to cultivating exemplary employer-employee relationships. This ensures employees manage work responsibilities while properly caring for personal lives without feeling overburdened or stressed. Companies nurturing conducive work-life balance tend to have more engaged, productive, and satisfied teams.

Emphasizing the Importance of Work-Life Balance to Employees

In fast-paced environments, employees easily get engrossed in work responsibilities at personal life’s expense. Employers must highlight balance’s importance. Tangible actions include setting work hour boundaries and building awareness about burnout’s health implications.

Conveying the right message about necessity for balance fosters robust employee relationships as they perceive you caring deeply about their well-being outside work.

Offering Flexible Working Arrangements When Possible

Flexible working arrangements increasingly appeal to modern professionals seeking better time management control – central to achieving robust employer-employee relationships.

These setups allow individuals to tailor schedules per personal commitments (family activities) or preferences (peak productivity periods).

Arrangements range from occasional remote work days through full-time telecommuting to flex-hours, where workers complete required hours within broad company parameters.

Offering flexible arrangements requires clear communication, impeccable trust, and robust tech infrastructure, circumventing potential hurdles and disruptions.

Supporting Employee Wellness Programs

Employee wellness plays a pivotal role in strengthening employer-employee relationships. Initiatives promoting physical and mental well-being significantly raise morale, reduce stress, and increase job satisfaction – indispensable for building robust relations.

Consider programs encouraging healthy habits:

• Fitness classes
• Mindfulness or yoga sessions
• Nutritional counseling
• Routine health screenings

Additionally, provide professional development resources like stress management, time organization, or self-care training workshops.

These initiatives convey you value employees as holistic beings – not just workhorses – fortifying relationships over time.

Wrapping Up

Building strong employer-employee relations comes down to being empathetic. All these steps fundamentally depend on empathy.

Put yourself in employees’ shoes to see which “employer” actions/words would increase or lower your trust in leadership and the organization.

Simpler said than done, true. But the long-term benefits for your company are invaluable.