Employee relations teams deal with a wide range of issues. But when cases are categorized inconsistently, everything suffers.
You lose time. You miss trends. Your documentation weakens. Even a well-handled case can become hard to defend if it’s mislabeled or misfiled.
Consistent categorization keeps things clear, aligned and defensible.
It helps your team:
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Act faster
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Spot patterns
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Report with confidence
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Build stronger documentation
That’s why we created the Employee Relations Issue Category Assignments resource—so you can organize cases the right way, right from the start.
What Are the Core Categories of Employee Relations Issues?
An ER issue category is a structured label used during case tracking. It gives each issue a clear identity and helps teams group similar cases together.
When every case is labeled with intention, it’s easier to report trends, measure volume and hold the line on consistent practices.
The core categories of employee relations issues are:
- Accomodations
- Leave Management
- Legal and Regulatory
- Discrimination
- Performance Management
- Regulatory
- Union Issues
- Policy and Practice
Employee relations teams often struggle with how to best categorize employee issues in their case management system. We recommend using the following Issue Categories and Sub-categories to ensure cases are entered and tracked with consistency.
Legal + Regulatory Issues
- Reduction in Force
- Retaliation
- Unemployment
- EEOC Charge, CHRC or state agency
- OSHA
- Wage/Hour (FLSA, Work Hours, etc.)
- Workers’ Compensation
Union Issues
- Grievance
- Information Request
- Unfair Labor Practice Charge
- Labor Relations Committee (LRC) Notes
Work Environment
- Concern About Employee
- Concern About Management
- Inappropriate Conduct
- Safety Concern
- Violence/Threat
Accomodations
- ADA
- Flexible Work
- Health/Medical
- Nursing Mothers
- Religious
- Service/Support Animal
Discrimination
- Age
- Disability
- Equal Pay/Compensation/Promotion/Growth Opportunity
- Gender/Gender Identity
- Pregnancy
- Race/Ethnicity
- Religion
- Sexual Orientation
Harassment
- Bullying
- Racial/Ethnic
- Religion
Performance
- Behavior Skill
- Technical Skill
- Performance Improvement Plan
- Performance Review Concerns
Policy & Practice
- Business Operations
- Company Property
- Compensation/Benefits
- Confidential/Proprietary Information
- Conflict of Interest
- Cyber Security
- Dating and Relationships
- Dress Code/Hygiene
- Electronic Communications
- Policy Question
- Social Media
- Substance Abuse
- Time/Attendance
- Travel and Expenses
Leave Management
- Bereavement
- FMLA
- Jury Duty
- Military
- Parental
- Time Off
Sexual Harassment
- Quid Pro Quo (Sexual Harassment)
- Hostile Work Environment (Sexual Harassment)
- Digital/Online Sexual Harassment
- Retaliation Related to Sexual Harassment
- Sexualized Jokes/Sexualized Comments
