As the new year approaches, employers should be setting goals for improving employee relations in 2015.

This article highlights some of the more significant New Year's goals that every employer should set. By meeting these goals, employers can build excellent employee morale, reduce the likelihood of employment-related litigation and even position themselves well if a union comes to solicit employees to sign union authorization cards.

1. Focus on building a pro-employee track record

Employers should challenge managers and supervisors to be aware of their individual records of employee relations. Over time, every manager should have a proven track record of being accessible and caring for employees under their supervision.

The sum of these individual, positive track records should go a long way to inoculate the employer from labor or employment law problems.

2. Solve employee problems

Employers should publish a specific step-by-step grievance or problem-solving procedure, with a "special" bypass procedure for EEO, harassment or retaliation claims and use it effectively to solve employee concerns in a timely manner. Failure to solve employee grievances is one of the leading causes of unionization and can lead to employment litigation, possibly involving even large classes of employees.

3. Promote open communications

Employers should open up all channels of communications now. When new laws pass requiring changes in the workplace, these channels will be active and credible methods to inform employees about the changes, while minimizing employee skepticism and distrust.

Employers who have the basic channels in place should consider advanced communications methods such as employee hotlines, legally formed employee committees and social media.

4. Make safety a priority

Employers should take steps to protect employees and to allow them to work safely without exposure to harm. Other than being decent and humane, making safety a priority is the best way to show employees that their employer genuinely cares about them. Of course, having a safe workplace tends to take away one of a union's best organizing messages, too.

Employers should consider hiring a safety professional to spearhead the safety program, reviewing and updating their written safety rules, publicizing their commitment to safety, orienting and training employees about safe practices, rewarding safe behavior, evaluating employees and supervisors on safety habits, and forming an employee safety committee.

5. Make fair employment decisions

Employers should take steps to ensure that employees believe they are being treated "fairly." Among other things, creating the perception of fairness will reduce employees' needs to seek help or protection from government agencies, civil rights groups or unions.

While it is difficult to truly define "fairness," employers should treat employees with respect and dignity, communicate rules, standards and expectations, enforce rules and standards consistently, give employees notice of deficiencies, always investigate before acting, use progressive discipline (but don't promise it), consider using appeal procedures and provide employees with advance notice of changes.

6. Hire the right employees

Employers should hire employees that are best suited for their companies. If employees "fit" a company, then they are less likely to quit or to cause the employer problems either during their employment or after it ends.

Employers may need to evaluate their referral sources. They should conduct thorough reference checks and train interviewers to use legal and appropriate pre-employment screening methods.

7. Keep pay and benefits competitive

Employers should comply with all wage payment laws, minimize use of status symbols to distinguish groups, explain pay plans to employees, promote the favorable aspects of their benefits program, resolve employee pay issues promptly and regularly survey pay and benefits to ensure they are at least competitive. By doing so, employers can minimize legal claims and employees' interest in union representation.

8. Develop an overall education program

Employers should get employees accustomed to being educated about matters relevant to their jobs through a comprehensive education program. At a minimum, employees should understand the full array of employee benefits their employer provides them. They also should understand the policies and employer procedures that protect them.

Moreover, if laws change and make it easier for a union to organize a nonunion employer, employees will not be alarmed or suspicious when they receive information about the new law or unions.

9. Build your image in the community

Everyone wants to identify with a successful organization. That is just human nature. Employers should understand this need and foster employee pride and identity with their company so employees do not feel a need to identify with an outside organization such as a union.

Also, employers should not have an image in the community that might attract attention from government agencies, civil rights groups or unions desiring to organize their employees.

10. Constantly evaluate and adapt your human resources program

Change is inevitable, and successful employers will constantly be "self-critical." As appropriate for your company, reassess your human resources programs annually. Also, consider periodic climate or attitude surveys, focus groups, 360 surveys or assessments by outside entities.

Conclusion

This list of tips is not all-inclusive. Nevertheless, employers should consider taking these and other actions, tailored to their own situations, to avoid or at least minimize their chances of having their employees bring a union into the workplace to represent them or of having them file employment-related lawsuits or charges.