Once you have your HR systems in place and running smoothly, you may find that employee relations takes up the majority of your time. Employee relations is the phrase used for dealing with any type of employee issue that doesn't fall into another category. If an employee is having trouble with his/her supervisor, it's employee relations. If you are having to coach a supervisor, it's employee relations. Think of employee relations as anything you're having to do to maintain good working relationships between employees and between employees and supervisors.