Not everyone is cut out to handle employee relations because it takes a strong, non-bias and neutral person to address and handle various issues properly. Here are some of the common mistakes made by office managers, supervisors and other members of management who are left to handle various employee relations issues:

1. Taking sides: Never ever take an employee’s side. You must understand that there are 3 sides to every incident 1.) their side 2.) the others side and 3.) the truth. Your job is to get down to the facts of the incident and sort through how to correct the issue. Every incident must be compared to the company policies and rules. This will help guide you on how to manage the situation. Each person involved should receive tools on how they can avoid the issue in the future and set your expectations immediately.
2. Emotional Reactions: All though employees can really make you angry and disappointed, you must control your emotions at all times when addressing employee issues. If you fail to control your emotions you could easily find yourself managing the situation poorly as your emotions have gotten the best of you. Do not name call, do not curse, do not throw things, judge or threaten your employees. It’s amazing how many managers there are that fail to control their emotions. Failure to control your reaction can easily result in a lawsuit.