Employee Relations

Listening tips to collect useful information on an Employee Relations case

  • Establish a climate for good listening - give the employee a fair chance to be heard without pre-judging, impatience, or recriminations.  Establish basic courtesy and consideration.
     

  • Show a genuine interest as you listen.  Sit face to face.  Avoid showing impatience by rocking your chair, tapping you pencil or other actions, which distract.
     

  • Don’t keep glancing at the clock.
     

  • At first, listen with a minimum of interruption.  Later, probe for facts and feelings, but don’t argue.  Let the speaker get it off of his chest first.  When he has finished,  restate his position to confirm understanding.  Make notes of all the facts and check the situation.
     

  • If the employee seems to be holding in his feelings, try to learn what these are and how deeply they run. Watch out for asking loaded questions – “What’s the excuse this time for not meeting your project date?”.
     

  • Determine the underlying cause behind an employee’s complaint or grievance.
     

  • If you can’t give the employee an immediate answer, tell him when he can expect an answer.  If the final answer to an employee’s complaint is “no,” explain the reasons and try to help the employee to accept it.
     

  • Don’t allow an aggressive individual to cause you to forget your listening techniques for sympathetic listening.  Keep your temper and allow him to tell his story and to receive a prompt answer.