Using Marketing Tools to Improve Employee Relations

This article proposes using marketing concepts and techniques to improve human-resources management. An in-house survey of employees to track changes over time, for instance, would be similar to collecting customer-satisfaction cards. Another approach involves a program that emphasizes detailed employee feedback through group meetings and interviews, provides diagnostic information, and increases employee involvement and commitment. Once a feedback system is being used, add an incentive-based compensation system. Employee-satisfaction scores can be used to determine the bonus compensation of the managers responsible for that satisfaction. Next, measure employees' attitudes about the work environment and determine the values they assign to particular job attributes and the company's performance in those areas. An analysis of the findings shows the most serious gaps between what is wanted and what is received. It's also useful to undertake a single-issue analysis. To do so, survey a representative sample of employees using a custom-designed questionnaire.