The significance of building employee relations in 2021

We all treasure genuine employee relations, be that with a boss or a colleague, you can now call a friend. But why? Forging friendships can help battle the blues, increase productivity and even keep staff turnover to a minimum.

With a best friend at work, individuals are ‘seven times’ more likely to be engaged. Laughing releases endorphins into the brain, relieving stress and pain. Feeling comfortable and happy provides the ability to work at our fullest potential, remain vigilant and meet workplace intentions. Exceeding goals is an obvious win and a contributing factor to the success of a company.

The advantages of employee relations are not limited to productivity. With a massive 1/3rd of our time spent at work, full-time employees spend around 31 hours a week with colleagues. COVID 19 has dramatically encroached on our social lives, and having someone to conversate with during the day is even more significant. Vocalising ideas, goals, and general chitchat is vital to staying safe, sane, and strong.

Mental health issues, like depression and anxiety, have unfortunately become widespread over the past year. Faced with these unprecedented matters, individuals feel increasingly uncertain. Building a trustworthy, sympathetic, and understanding environment from employee relations can be part of a progressive system to address these concerns.

In 2017 a massive 81% of employees said they would consider leaving their jobs, and although COVID 19 may have changed this statistic, the importance of retaining employees stays the same. Maintaining your workforce is a productive and cost-effective strategy. Building workplace relationships preserves employee’s happiness, thus reducing the probability of resignation.

But how do you maintain employee relations? Recognition at work is one way to do so. Praise, especially from someone respected, encourages people and helps form a bond. Over half of the workforce feel disengaged and receiving acknowledgment from a friend or manager can get employees back on their feet. Here at Each Person, we make recognition at work manageable and natural with our employee engagement platform. 50% of employees say a simple ‘thank you’ would make them feel more valued, sending personalised ecards for employees is a perfect way to show appreciation and build relationships.

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Setting up an employee of the month is another effective way to form relationships and encourage positive attitudes. A simple, fast, and fair approach to this is through Each Person’s nomination scheme. Carried out virtually, every employee can nominate another team member from anywhere at any time, making it accessible and easy to review.

To find out about our reward and recognition systems, visit Each Person or send us an email at [email protected]. Let’s build our relationship.