ER/Q Quiz

Your Employee Relations Processes

Q1: Select the description that most closely matches how employee relations processes are understood and handled throughout your organization.(Required)

Employee relations issues and events are handled on a case-by-case basis. We tend to rely on people managers and HR professionals to handle issues such as performance management, policy violations or investigations.

We communicate a recommended process for documenting ER issues and conducting investigations to HR and front-line managers. Still, we don’t require them or track the extent to which they are followed.

Issue documentation and investigation practices are in place and consistently followed by HR/ER and managers.

Each element of our employee relations process is clearly defined and communicated: issue management, investigations, issue aftercare, retaliation prevention and documentation. In addition, we regularly train the organization on these processes and define roles clearly for HR, ER, managers and senior leaders. Everyone is held accountable for role and process consistency.

Your Employee Relations Processes

Q2: Select the most accurate summary of your team’s approach to the “aftercare” side of an issue or investigation.(Required)

Not currently part of our processes.

Aftercare is left to the manager.

We set a reminder to check in with the involved parties a few months later to see how they are doing.

We have a well-defined process to proactively reach out to involved parties and monitor our data for any signs of retaliation before they become issues.

Your Employee Relations Processes

Q3: How transparent is your organization concerning ER processes?(Required)

We do not have any specific communications with employees or managers on our ER processes.

We share how employee relations situations and investigations are handled when they crop up with the managers and employees involved.

We train managers on what to expect when an issue arises and how to document it and get support.

We share how our processes work with the entire organization, so they know what to expect in case they need us.

We regularly share how our processes work, along with anonymized, aggregated data about our cases to build trust and transparency at all levels.

People and Stakeholders

Q4: If we asked other stakeholders (such as employees and managers) to describe the ER function at your organization, which of the below descriptions would we most likely hear?(Required)

“Employee relations is just part of what HR does; they seem to wear many hats.” HR is often asked to wear the ER hat and get involved after a problem occurs and when documentation or investigation becomes necessary.

“The ER team has a unique skillset beyond ‘regular HR.’” Special skills are needed to handle issues and close cases effectively. Our organization knows ER is a specialized part of HR that requires appropriate training, processes and tools.

“The ER team has a trusted reputation that sets consistent expectations.” The employee relations team is seen as a group of trusted advisors and coaches, as well as skilled investigators who operate from a Center of Excellence and partner across all organization functions to drive consistency.

“ER is necessary to prevent problems and drive trust across the organization.” The ER team, set up as its own function, is made up of subject matter experts with well-defined ER technical skills and analytics capabilities. They share insights and spot trends from case data and recommend organizational interventions to prevent issues from occurring.

People and Stakeholders

Q5: How would you describe the capabilities of your managers to be the “first line of defense” in navigating ER issues when they arise?(Required)

Managers need help with most issues.

Managers generally know what to do but still need coaching.

Managers are required to handle most issues on their own due to the bandwidth of our HR team.

Managers are good at handling and documenting smaller issues and know when to involve HR or ER in more complex situations.

People and Stakeholders

Q6: How are careers within the ER team supported and built?(Required)

The ER team learns through on-the-job development, such as increasing case complexity.

Our team has clearly defined career paths within ER and across HR more broadly.

No formal career development plans are in place specifically for ER.

Your ER Tools

Q8: How would you best describe your organization's capture, analysis and use of employee relations data?(Required)

Cases are not regularly tracked.

Cases are tracked using Word, Excel, Google Forms or something similar.

Multiple people with specific access rights consistently track cases in a system.

Cases are tracked in a single system built for ER, and case data is integrated with other business data to proactively correlate business outcomes with ER competency.

Your ER Tools

Q9: When an employee has an issue or concern to raise, what methods does your organization offer? (Check all that apply)(Required)

None of these apply

Email or call HR

Speaks to a manager or other leader

Webform or call ethics hotline

Anonymous reporting tool that includes the ability to connect with ER about the case.

Your ER Tools

Q10: What types of cases (if any) does your organization track? (Check all that apply)(Required)

None of these apply

Workplace investigations

Day-to-day employee issues or violations

Manager issues or documentation such as performance improvement or behavior coaching.

My organization does not track cases.

Your ER Tools

Q11: How do you share information about Employee Relations data in your organization?(Required)

We do not share data with other parts of the organization.

Information is shared upon request.

We regularly report to leaders within the organization to describe trends and recommend actions for improvement.

We share aggregated data and insights with our entire organization (including employees).

We regularly publish trend data and predictive analysis with leadership to inform discussions. We tie our ER recommendations and insights directly to business KPIs.

Your Organizational Structure & Design

Q12: Who does ER report to in your organization?(Required)

ER reports to an HR leader, such as a VP.

ER reports to the Chief People Officer.

ER reports to the Chief Legal Officer.

ER reports within a business unit to a business leader.

ER has a matrix or dual-reporting to HR and Legal.

Your results are in!

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Determine your ER/Q Maturity

Your Employee Relations Processes

Your Employee Relations Processes

Your Employee Relations Processes

People and Stakeholders

People and Stakeholders

People and Stakeholders

People and Stakeholders

Your ER Tools

Your ER Tools

Your ER Tools

Your ER Tools

Your Organizational Structure & Design

Your results are in!