When it comes down to it, a workplace is a vast spider’s web of interconnected individuals.

With employees spending most of their waking life in the workplace, building good relationships and getting along with your co-workers is essential to long-term success.

For organisations that want to promote harmony, promote positive mental health, and grow good bonds between staff members, taking a closer look at employee relationship management is a must.

Read on to find out more about what ERM is, how it benefits businesses, and how it can be implemented into any workplace:

What is Employee Relationship Management?

Also known as ERM, employee relationship management is a way in which organisations can directly manage their internal relationships.

This applies both to staff at different levels, as well as to employees on an equal footing.

The heart of ERM is that a harmonious and friendly workplace is a happy workplace.

When employees get along with their peers, they are more likely to co-operate and collaborate. When they have a good relationship with those senior to them, they’re far more likely to be productive and happy in their roles.

What are the benefits of ERM?

Employee relationship management has plenty of benefits for both employees and employers.

From the perspective of an organisation, having people that are happy to work with one another allows for better productivity, smoother working processes and an all-around more collaborative and open environment.

For employees, liking your co-workers is, of course, an excellent benefit.

But beyond being able to chat about the weekend and each other’s kids or pets, positive working relationships have great benefits for mental health, productivity and even company loyalty.

With so many benefits, it’s no surprise that ERM is one of the big buzzwords in recruitment and HR right now.

How can companies implement ERM in the workplace?

When it comes to making ERM into something real in the workplace, as opposed to a concept, here are a few tips you could make use of:

Support mental health & healthy bonds

Taking care of your employees is a great first step in employee relationship management.

Using our Mind Fit programme within our employee wellbeing portal, you can support employees to have a healthier balance and connect with others in the workplace in healthy, rewarding, and productive ways.

Provide team benefits

Providing your employees with team benefits can be an excellent way to encourage positive relationships.

Whether it’s using resources and wellbeing tools like Keep Fit Eat Fit, or offering days out and team-building exercises, providing employee benefits is a good way to improve employee relationships.

Offer opportunities to socialise

Without the opportunity to get to know each other, connecting to others can be a challenge.

Even for completely remote or work from home teams, providing chances for pure socialisation can be beneficial to improving and building relationships.

In summary

For employers looking to enhance employee relationships, using ERM is the ideal option.

While, many times, employees will form relationships on their own, facilitating and promoting connectivity and co-operation can only benefit your workplace in the long-run – making it a more enjoyable, healthy and positive place to work.