Employee Relations

[Page 1089]The field of employee relations deals with the interaction between employees and their organizations. Work in this area is primarily concerned with the quality of the employee-employer relationship and involves ongoing assessment of that relationship. Employee relations professionals also establish and administer procedures for managing employee performance, settling disputes between employees or between employees and their employers, and ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws and/or policies that provide regulations or guidance pertaining to the management of employee-employer or employee-employee interactions in the workplace. Work in this field is separate from research in labor relations, which is a field largely focused on matters related to the union-employer relationship, such as organizing, elections, and collective bargaining.