Human Relations
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Emotional Intelligence 3
Emotional Intelligence and Human Relations 4
Motivation and Goal Setting 4
Importance of Motivation to Human Relations 5
Managing Conflict 6
Human Relations and the need for Managing Conflicts…………………………………….7
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….7
References…………………………………………………………………………………………9
Human Relations
Introduction
Human relations refer to the process or act of fostering a workplace culture, training employees, and resolving conflicts that may occur in the work environment. The conflicts might be between employees or between employees and management. Therefore, human relations are essential to the continuity, performance, and success of the business and all its operations. Businesses that do not embrace human relations have a higher chance of registering poor performances. This paper will discuss topics and their importance in the field of human relations in a typical business environment.
Emotional Intelligence
The first topic is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence denotes an individual’s skill to keep his emotions and those around the person in check. According to Matters (2002), studies indicate that emotional intelligence is a determinant in individual success. Some people have a high degree of emotional intelligence. They can understand the emotions they feel, know the meaning, and assess how those emotions affect them. People who have low emotional intelligence possess none of these abilities and work on impulse. They react without really taking the time to understand the emotions and how they might affect other people. Low emotional intelligence has more adverse effects on the work environment. For instance, the organization diverts its energy from tending to its customers to reprimand and correct an employee with low emotional intelligence. By focusing on the employee, the organization losses money and customers in the process.
Employees with low emotional intelligence usually are not on the same page with the set objectives and goals of the organizations, and they tend to need correction more often than not. They cannot assess how their emotions will affect other co-workers, the management, and even the customers of the organization. Their first automatic reaction is to react on impulse, which might strain relationships in the work environment. Irrational thinking and poor decision making are by-products of low emotional intelligence. Their impulsive reactions cause problems and misunderstandings in the workplace, which in turn causes conflicts.
Emotional Intelligence and Human Relations
Emotional intelligence plays a vital part in human relations. Emotional intelligence is one of the objectives of human relations during the training of the employees. If an employee has high emotional intelligence, the employee can assess the emotions that he or she experiences and decide whether it benefits the organization or the people who work in tandem with the person. People with high emotional intelligence are easier to work with and get along within the working environment as they do not let their emotions control them. They can objectively assess themselves and set their feelings aside for the betterment of the organization. It also fosters good relationships with co-workers as well as the management, facilitating the smooth running of business operations and information that ensures the organization is productive. High emotional intelligence also has a part to play in developing and nurturing healthy communication of the individual.
Motivation and Goal Setting
Self-motivation generally refers to the internal drive that people have that pushes them to move forward. To run a successful business operation, employers need to higher workers that have self-motivation. Employees with self-motivation always strive to do better, achieve more, regardless of the situation. Motivation in the workplace has a direct impact on employee performance and productivity (Ganta, 2014). Employees can also teach themselves how to become self-motivated by setting goals. The goals that they set for themselves should be reasonable and achievable within realistic timelines. The organization can also set goals for the employees to achieve. The employees will develop motivation when they focus their efforts and attention on achieving the set objectives the organization or they put in place.
Goal setting will also work to improve and increase the employee’s emotional intelligence in that they will not have any issues as they collaborate to attain the same goals. They learn to appreciate each other’s efforts as they have collaborated and understand the scope of each other’s capabilities. Alternatively, the organization can also motivate the employees and reap the benefits of a motivated workforce. Motivation encourages people to push even harder and put in more effort into what they do. Managers can motivate the employees either by rewarding extraordinary efforts or even by encouraging them. When the management encourages the workforce, it gives the impression that they recognize and appreciate the employees’ efforts in on the job. Hence the employee will have the motivation to work even harder.
Importance of Motivation to Human Relations
Motivation is one of the significant components of the human relations training process since it gives people a context of the actions that people do and why they do it. People develop internal motivation or self-motivation when the thing that they set out to accomplish is the reward. In contrast, external motivation comes from outside parties’ actions in rewarding individual or collective efforts for a job well done.
Motivation also increases the employees’ emotional intelligence, giving them an appreciation and respect for the other person’s efforts through collaboration in achieving the organization’s goals and objectives. It breaks down the perceived differences that people think exist between them and other people who work in the same organization, office, or department. It facilitates teamwork within the organization, creating an avenue for the team members to work together to actualize the company’s goals and objectives. It also creates a favorable working environment where people can seek assistance in challenging areas they need and require help.
Managing Conflict
Conflicts in the workplace affect the employees in the same way that it affects the organization (O’Rourke & Collins, 2008). Disputes are common in the workplace, and they arise because of several reasons. For instance, conflicts may arise as a result of personality clashes among employees. Employees usually work in teams, and people in the same group or team might disagree on a thing or two. A new employee can also upset the personality mix of a team since the new employee is not conversant with the group dynamics and workings of the team that she has joined. Unclear job roles are another source of conflict within an organization since employees might rub each other the wrong way when they both think that the other is doing the other’s job. Unrealistic expectations are also another likely source of workplace conflicts. A conflict might ensue when the management is not mindful of the needs of the employees and go on exerting pressure for them to meet unrealistic goals. An example of this is long working hours that deprive the employees of time to themselves to carry out some of their duties and responsibilities away from work. Hence, the need for employees and management alike to acquaint themselves with and acquire skills to manage conflicts in the workplace effectively.
The conflict has a tendency of straining workplace relationships and also business processes and productivity of the employees. Employees who engage in conflict cannot effectively carry out their activities, which hinders the smooth running of business operations. To effectively manage conflict in the workplace, a person must first identify and understand the root cause of the conflict. After doing this, it would be easier to effectively implement any conflict management styles and address the source of contention.
Human Relations and the need for Managing Conflicts
Finding the appropriate method of managing workplace conflict is important in a business as it repairs relationships that might have experienced some strain after the conflict ensued. People in a business environment usually work in teams. It is essential to immediately address any conflict for the team’s overall productivity and success in implementing its duties. After managing conflict, it sets precedence on the right method to follow or implement in case a similar conflict erupts again. Managing conflicts serves to improve the way that employees and the management relate with each other. It also improves people’s sensitivity towards the emotions of other people as people are not the same. It makes them appreciate the different opinions that people within a group might have towards the same topic of discussion.
Conclusion
Human relations are important in the workplace as it ensures the continuity and success of a business’s operations. Several topics are important to human relationships in a business environment. The first one is emotional intelligence, and it refers to the individual’s capability to comprehend the emotions that the person experiences and looking at it subjectively to determine how it will affect other people. Motivation and goal setting are other topics. Motivated employees put their best foot forward, and setting goals helps employees become motivated. The last topic is managing conflicts. Conflicts are a normal part of operations in a working environment. People must find ways of managing conflicts for the proper and effective running of the business. Conflicts affect work relationships and the normal and effective running of business operations. Conflicts can either arise among the employees or between the management and the employees. One example of a source of conflict in the workplace is unrealistic expectations set by the management.
Reference
Ganta, V. C. (2014). Motivation in the workplace to improve the employee performance. International Journal of Engineering Technology, Management and Applied Sciences, 2(6), 221-230.
Matters, E. I. (2002). Emotional intelligence.
O’Rourke, J., & Collins, S. (2008). Module 3: Managing conflict and workplace relationships (Vol. 3). Cengage Learning.