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This module is about the ways in the employment relationship is experienced and managed. Employee Relations refers to the relationships between, and among, employees and managers in the organisational setting. These relationships are not static but evolving in relation to the economic context and social developments. As work and society has changed so too have our expectations of work and its rewards. This module traces these developments and examines the tensions inherent in the workplace together with the ways in which these tensions manifest themselves. Management and employees adopt varied strategies to work together in an increasingly regulated environment and this module explores the range of possible alternative strategies in managing the employment relationship. Human resource practitioners, managers, trades unions, workplace representatives are key players in the employee relations scenario but their actions are framed by the law, the state and the socio-economic context. Employee relations issues have an increasingly global flavour as companies cross national boundaries and the law is influenced by the European agenda. This will continue to be the case at least in the short term despite the referendum vote to leave the EU. Employee Relations is a key aspect of HRM and is informed by the research of a number of the staff in the OB/HRM subject group.

The Business School sends ALL formal communication with students to their University email accounts. Any of the staff listed above may try and contact you via your University email address. As a result all students should check their University email address on a regular basis.

Failure to do so will mean you miss out on important information.

This module will provide a basis from which students may consider their strengths and weaknesses in relation to important aspects of HRM eg conflict management, stakeholder analysis, contextual analysis, assessing the balance of power between actors in the employment relationship. The module will contribute to the development of transferable communication and intellectual skills

This module will enable students to identify key aspects of the employment relationship and the contextual factors which influence managerial decision making with regard to managerial strategies. It will equip them to identify and evaluate the sources of power available to employers and employees and the constraints which impact on these parties in influencing the outcomes of employee relations.

Students will be introduced to a range of conceptual tools through which to analyse the employment relationship, its context, parties, process, subjects and outputs. Through the use of various case studies, students will develop a critical and evaluative awareness of the economic, social and political dimensions of the employment relationship and the social responsibility aspects of its management.

The module is aligned to the CIPD professional standards in the areas of employment relations and employee engagement.

The Hull Way and the Hull Employability Awards

The Hull Way aims to give all students the opportunity to develop and articulate the graduate attributes they need to become a ‘distinctive Hull graduate’. The starting point for the Hull Way is the Hull Graduate Profile; which is a key set of graduate attributes all our students will have the opportunity to develop. These graduate attributes outline core skills, knowledge and behaviours we help our students to develop at Hull to enable them to be successful in the world at large and achieve their full potential.

This module includes several elements that can support its students to reflect on and develop some of the key Hull Graduate Attributes. Examples include:

This module includes several elements that can support its students to reflect on and develop some of the key Graduate Attributes that can lead to successfully achieving a Hull Employability Award.

Examples include:

Critical and independent thinking:

The module’s seminars will include several debate-based activities where students can:

Defend ideas confidently when constructively challenged by others

Challenge accepted practices or ideas with reasoned arguments

Be able to think critically and analytically to evaluate arguments and propose solutions to challenges

Leadership and collaboration

Contribute ideas and suggestions in group activities

Work effectively as part of a team

Communication

Write effectively and appropriately

Self-management

The module includes a conceptually orientated assessment where students can develop important attributes of self-management, like:

Managing own time

Effectively manage pressure

Knowledge of

The connection between the discipline of employee relations and key national and global issues

The rights and responsibilities of the different parties in the employment relations

The module was purposefully designed to allow students to develop knowledge and reflect on:

The extent to which power and the balance of power is a key aspect in explaining and making sense of the employment relationship

The interdisciplinary issues which affect global, national and local communities

Social and corporate responsibility issues in the employment relationship

These attributes stand only as examples. Your tutor can give you further indication of the types of skills you may gain from each session and you should personally reflect on your own performance.

By reflecting on the skills and attributes you gain whilst at university, some of which will be developed during this module, you could gain a Hull Employability Award. The Awards recognise a level of success in developing the skills and attributes characteristic of Hull graduates, standing as an endorsement of excellent employability.

Session 1 (w/c 23 September) This is week 4 of the University Timetable Calendar – no class this week, classes start next week

Session 2 (w/c 30 September) This is week 5 of the University Calendar

Dr Jean Kellie

Introducing Employment Relations: Theory & Practice

This session will introduce students to the module addressing the theme of ‘what is employment relations’? It will explore the sometimes competing and conflicting ‘interests’ in the employment relationship, introduce some prevalent ways of making sense of it (unitarist and pluralist; individualist/ collectivist perspectives) and show how the ‘systems’ model can be used as an analytical tool in understanding the relationships of power in the employment relationship.

Reading

Williams, S. (2017) Part 1, ch 1 The nature of employment relations pg 1-31

Dibben, P. (2011) ch 1, Introduction, ch 2 The main players in employment relations and ch 3 Theories of employment relations

Bingham, C. (2016) chs 1 & 2 in Employment Relations: Fairness and Trust in the Workplace

Lewis P. et al (2003) ch 1 What is the employment relationship?

Dundon, T. & Rollinson, D (2011) ch 1 The subject of employment relations & 2 The parties in employment relations

Rose, E. (2008) ch 1 Setting the scene pg 3-43

Session 3 (wc 7/10) This is timetable week 6 of the University Calendar

The Post-war Context and the role of the state : Jean Kellie

A key aspect of the ‘systems’ model of employment relations is the environment in its economic, political and social dimensions. This session will trace some key developments in the post war European period focussing on labour market and occupational trends, changing forms of work and the implications for a more confident and expectant labour force for more democratic treatment and social justice. This provides an historical backdrop to contemporary expectations of human rights and a decent standard of living, expectations that are arguably somewhat threatened by 21st Century developments.

The state (loosely speaking, the government and its key institutions) is a key party in the employment relations scenario. An important aspect of the role it plays concerns its ideological orientation towards, or away from ‘interventionism’ and the specific forms that any interventionism takes. Debates across Europe, the States and Asia very much concern the issue of how much the state should actively manage markets, the economy, labour markets, trade and matters of employment rights and social justice. This session will explore the roles of the state as economic manager, law maker and employer to highlight these issues of ‘interventionism’ vs ‘neo-liberalism’. The legal framework of employment.

Reading

Williams, S (2017), ch 2, 3 and 12

Dibben, P. (2011) ch 5 Local, national and global effects on the practice of employment relations

Lewis, P. (2003) ch 2 The changing nature and context of the employment relationship and ch 6 The role of government in regulating the employment relationship

Dundon, T. & Rollinson, D (2011) the role of the state in employment relationsand ch 3 The changing contexts of employee relations in Great Britain

Rose, E. (2008) ch 1 Setting the scene and 4 Government policy and employment relations

Session 4 (wc 14/10) This is timetable week 7 of the University Calendar

Trade Unions: Jean Kellie

Trade unions, as representatives of employees are a major party in the employment relationship though, as an institution the trade union movement has undergone many shifts and transformations with different meanings attributed to them in different cultures. This session emphasizes the shifting roles and functions of trade unions examining their changing sources of influence across time, geography and in different industry settings. What are their past and present preoccupations and what are their future prospects?

Reading

Williams, S. (2017) ch 6 Trade Unions and Worker Representation

Lewis, P. (2003) ch 5 Role of trade unions and employers associations in the regulating the employment relationship

Bingham, C. (2016) ch 8, Sharing information and decision making in Employment Relations: Fairness and Trust in the Workplace

Dibben, P. (2011) ch 7 Voice

Dundon, T. & Rollinson, D (2011) ch 5 Trade unions and other collective associations of employees

Rose, E. (2008) ch 3 Trade unions and the employment relationship

Session 5 (wc 21/10) This is week 8 of the University Calendar

Involvement and Participation: Jean Kellie

Employee Involvement and participation in work, and in work related decisions about reward, working conditions and practices takes many forms both officially and unofficially. This session will introduce some of the forms and purposes that this may take and fulfil. Communication, information sharing and consultation are some of these forms set against a backdrop of wider European and well as national frameworks and ideologies. This session draws attention to the different parties and stakeholders in the employment relationship.

Reading

S.Williams, (2017) ch 6 Trade Unions and worker representation

Dibben, P. (2011) ch 7 Voice, ch 8 Employee engagement

Wilkinson, A., Donaghey, J., Dundon, T. & Freeman, R. B (2014) Handbook of research on employee voice.

Bingham, C. (2016) chs 7 to 9 in Employment Relations: Fairness and Trust in the Workplace

Lewis, P. (2003) ch 8 Regulating the employment relationship through employee participation and involvement

Dundon, T. & Rollinson, D. (2011) ch 9 Employee voice

Rose, e. (2008) ch 6 Employee participation, partnership and involvement, ch 7 Employee Relations in non-union firms

Session 6 (wc 28/10) This is week 9 of the University Calendar

Organizational / managerial responses to the current pressures in the system: Performance management and increased flexibility: Dr Igor Menezes

Increased competitiveness and globalization puts pressure on management, organizations and workers to be more effective and efficient, what strategies are adopted to achieve this? Many would agree that firms put more and more emphasis on performance management to intensify labour and make it more effective and efficient. What different forms might this take and what are the implications?

On the other hand, increased pressure necessitates the movement of capital across nation states, prompting strategies of outsourcing, closures, downsizing and for some, redundancy and unemployment. What forms might this take and what is the impact for employees and employers?

Reading

Williams, S (2017) Chapter 5 Managing Employment Relations ch 8 Working Time and employment relations

Rose, E. (2008) Part 3 chs 11 & 12 Ending the employment relationship

Dibben, P. (2011) ch 13 Downsizing and redundancy

Rose, E. (2008) Unfair dismissal, redundancy and tribunals

Session 7 (wc 4/11) This is timetable week 10 of the University Calendar

Power, politics and conflict: Igor Menezes

Harmonious and balanced relations between employers and employees can be disrupted by different forces and interests that can influence their behaviour. This session will introduce an organisational psychology approach for the examination of how power and politics in workplace can lead to conflicts, their manifestations and their management.

Reading

McKenna, E. (2012). Ch 13. Business Psychology and Organizational Behaviour.

5th edition. Psychology Press.

Williams, S. (2017) Part 4 Conflict and employment relations, 9 ch and ch 10

Bingham, C. (2016) ch 6 Conflict: reduction, regulation and resolution in Employment Relations: Fairness and Trust in the workplace

Session 8 (wc 11/11) This is week 11 of the University Calendar

A more global overview of the context: Igor Menezes

In the context of globalization and multi-national companies what are the implications for employee relations? This session will further explore employee relations in economies in transition, emerging economies and economies in structural crises. What are the implications for organizations and for workers in these transitionary times? Moreover, how does internationalisation fragment and weaken labour markets in both developed and developing countries?

Reading

Dibben, P. (2011) ch 14 The relevance of employee relations and comparative employee relations

Williams, S (2014) Part 2 Employment relations in context ch 2 and 3, pg 35 - 101

Dundon, T. & Rollinson, D (2011) ch 3 pg 88-100 Comparing employment relations systems

Bamber G, Lansbury R & Wailes N. (2011) International & Comparative Industrial Relations

Morley, M. et al (2006) Global Industrial Relations

Session 9 (wc 18/11) This is week 12 of the University Calendar

Diversity issues in the employment relationship: Igor Menezes

This topic is relevant to employee relations at a number of different levels. On the one hand we consider the patterns of equality and inequality as it relations to different aspects of the employment relationship – jobs, pay, promotion etc. On the other hand such patterns have implications for the wider context where the existence of certain sections of the labour market as ‘secondary’ puts pressure on ‘primary’ labour market sectors into accepting lesser terms and conditions of employment. What structural and behaviours barriers are there to more inclusive working practices and patterns? What actions have the state, employing organisations and trade unions taken? How effective (or not) have these been and why?

Reading

Williams, S. (2017) Introducing Employment Relations, chapter 4 Social Divisions and employment relations

Dibben, P et. al. (2011)

Kirton, G. & Greene, (2010) The Dynamics of Managing Diversity 3rd ed. Oxford

Rubery, J & Grimshaw, D. (2003) The organization of employment. Palgrave

Session 10 (wc 25/11) This is week 13 of the University Calendar

Managerial Approaches : Case study: JK

Increasing ‘industrial relations’ has become ‘employee relations’, and ‘employee relations is becoming subsumed under HRM as individualism (in for example, individualized performance management systems) marginalizes aspects of collectivism especially collective bargaining. More focus is on ‘commitment’ than control but what extent does the managing of a ‘commitment’ culture imply a more subtle form of control. What are the implications of this in the context of restructuring labour markets and reformulated worker expectations?

Reading

Williams, S (2017) ch 2 Employment Relations in the Contemporary Economy, ch 5 Managing Employment Relations

Rose, E. (2008) ch 2 Management and employee relations, ch 7 Employment in non-union firms

Dibben, P. (2011) ch 4 Employment relations and HRM, ch 6 Power and authority

Lewis, P. (2003) ch 3 The role of power, justice and culture in the regulation of the employment relationship, ch 4 Managerial approaches and the role of manager

Session 11 (wc 2/12) This is week 14of the University Calendar

Module overview –

Session 12 (wc 9/12) This is week 15 of the University Calendar.

No Class this week

Assignment e-submission Thursday 12 December before 4pm ( you are advised to submit at least 3 hours in advance of this).

Other important dates in the School Calendar

Christmas Break (3 Weeks): from Friday 13 Dec 2019 to Monday 6 January 2020

Semester 1 - Exam Weeks (2 Weeks): from 6 to 20 Jan, 2020

Semester 2

Week 23: Week Commencing – 27 January 2020

Easter Break (2 Weeks): from 6 - 20 April 2020

Semester 2 - Exam Weeks (3 Weeks): from 4 May to 25 May 2020

Internationalisation

The module considers the impact of global development on the management of the employment relationship and the implications for workers. Some of this concerns legislation but more significantly is the extents to which employment practices become replicable around the world as multinational companies export/import management practices as well as goods and services.

Assessment tasks, assessment criteria and grading descriptors

There is no assessed group work in this module

You will receive feedback on your progress in the following ways:

· Discussions with your Module Leader

· Questions during lectures and tutorials

· Coursework feedback

Coursework feedback will be made available within four weeks of the assessment deadline and should allow you to identify how you can improve and develop your work for future assessments. We appreciate your patience and would like to reassure you that the four week timeline:

· Ensures that your work is read thoroughly and that constructive feedback is provided.

· Allows for second marking which is a quality assurance process whereby a member of the teaching team ensures the consistency and standards of first-marking

It is possible that some Module Leaders may provide feedback before the four week timeline depending on various factors including module size and teaching and research workloads.

Last year the students found the single piece of assessment a challenging but rewarding opportunity to research an aspect of employee relations.

The module staff hope that you enjoy studying this module and that it makes a valuable educational contribution to your chosen programme

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Hull University Business School 19/20 Module Handbook