11 Great Questions you can ask a Public Company on Employee Relations

Furthermore, companies with good employee relations are more likely to have better communication and collaboration among employees, which can lead to the development of innovative ideas and solutions. Additionally, companies with good employee relations are more likely to have a better reputation in the industry, which can help them attract new customers and increase their market share.

Below are eleven great questions you as a shareholder should be asking any company you are invested in on its policies around Employee Relations:

• Is the company experiencing difficulty in recruiting qualified employees and what actions are being taken to address this issue? What strategies are being implemented to retain and develop top-performing employees?
• What is the company's employee turnover rate and how does it compare to the industry standard?
• What proportion of total employee compensation goes towards benefits, and does the company have a program in place to manage the cost of benefits?
• Does the company have a diversity initiative that provides training and advancement opportunities for women and minorities in leadership roles? Are diversity efforts connected to other HR initiatives such as employee assistance programs and benefits? Is there an affirmative action plan in place with monitoring of recruitment, hiring, and promotions?
• What steps is the company taking to increase hiring and development of minorities?
• What is the percentage of women and minorities in policy-making positions and what is being done to remove barriers to advancement for these groups to executive positions??
• Are the company's policies specifically banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation? Does the company offer benefits to same-sex domestic partners of employees?
• What actions are being taken to motivate, educate and retain key knowledge workers? Is there a program in place to promote teamwork, reduce organizational levels and focus on problem-solving at the operational level? How is compensation linked to performance?
• Does the company have a formal policy on sexual harassment in the workplace? Does it include a system for employees to file complaints? How many complaints were filed and investigated in the past year? What was the outcome of these complaints?
• Did any company employees suffer serious injuries on the job in the past year? What steps have been taken by management to improve the company's safety record?
• What measures has the company taken to protect its intellectual property in Australia and internationally? How does the company safeguard these rights when key employees are recruited by competitors?