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
What Employee Relations Issues Fall into the Discrimination Category?
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Age
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Disability
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Equal pay/compensation
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Gender/gender identity
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Pregnancy
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Race/ethnicity
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Religion
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Sexual orientation
What Employee Relations Issues Fall into the Accommodations Category?
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ADA
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Flexible work
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Health/medical
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Nursing mothers
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Religious
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Service/support animal
What Employee Relations Issues Fall into the Harassment Category?
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Bullying
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Hostile work environment
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Quid pro quo
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Racial/ethnic
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Religion
What Employee Relations Issues Fall into the Leave Management Category?
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Bereavement
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FMLA
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Jury duty
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Military
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Parental
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Time off
What Employee Relations Issues Fall into the Performance Management Category?
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Performance counseling to employee
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Performance counseling to manager
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Performance improvement plan
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Performance review concerns
What Employee Relations Issues Fall into the Policy and Practice Category?
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Company property
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Compensation/benefits
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Confidential/proprietary information
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Conflict of interest
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Cyber security
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Dating and relationships
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Dress code/hygiene
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Electronic communications
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Policy question
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Social media
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Substance abuse
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Time/attendance
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Travel and expenses
What Employee Relations Issues Fall into the Legal and Regulatory Category?
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Reduction in force
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Retaliation
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Unemployment
What Employee Relations Issues Fall into the Regulatory Category?
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OSHA
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Wage/hour (FLSA, work hours, etc.)
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Workers’ compensation
What Employee Relations Issues Fall into the Union Issues Category?
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Grievance
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Information request
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Unfair labor practice charge
What Employee Relations Issues Fall into the Work Environment Category?
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Concern about employee
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Concern about management
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Inappropriate conduct
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Safety concern
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Violence/threat
Implement Employee Relations Issue Categorization
Categorization doesn’t have to be messy or inconsistent. Use our Employee Relations Issue Category Resource to build a structured, consistent approach that works across your team.
