Employee Relations Course

Lesson 1 • Defining Social Dialogue

Clarifies what social dialogue means, distinguishing it from informal communication and negotiation. Anchors the chapter by establishing shared vocabulary for all subsequent topics.

Lesson 2 • Historical Development of Labour Relations

Traces the evolution from early labour conflicts to institutionalised dialogue systems. Provides context for understanding why current frameworks exist.

Lesson 3 • Key Actors in Social Dialogue

Identifies employers, trade unions, and government bodies as the three primary actors. Explains each actor's interests, mandates, and typical behaviours.

Lesson 4 • International Standards and Frameworks

Surveys globally recognised standards that shape national dialogue systems. Connects international norms to practical workplace obligations.

Lesson 1 • Psychological Contract in the Workplace

Explores unwritten mutual expectations between employer and employee. Explains how breach of the psychological contract drives disengagement and conflict.

Lesson 2 • Regulatory Framework for Employment

Surveys the functional categories of employment regulation: minimum standards, anti-discrimination, and termination rules. Prepares students to navigate compliance in dialogue contexts.

Lesson 3 • Power Dynamics and Workplace Authority

Analyses how power imbalances shape employee relations and influence dialogue quality. Connects power theory to practical management behaviour.

Lesson 4 • Employee Engagement and Commitment

Examines drivers of engagement and their link to organisational performance. Demonstrates why engagement is a strategic employee relations outcome.

Lesson 1 • Concession Strategy and Closing

Teaches how to make, receive, and sequence concessions to reach durable agreements. Explains closing techniques that lock in gains without damaging relationships.

Lesson 2 • Preparing a Negotiation Strategy

Guides students through interest mapping, priority ranking, and scenario planning before entering talks. Strong preparation is shown to be the primary predictor of negotiation success.

Lesson 3 • Communication Tactics at the Table

Covers questioning, active listening, framing, and persuasion techniques used during live negotiations. Develops tactical communication skills for high-stakes dialogue.

Lesson 4 • Cross-Cultural Negotiation Dynamics

Examines how cultural values affect negotiation style, trust-building, and decision-making. Prepares students for negotiations in diverse or multinational settings.

Lesson 1 • Bargaining Impasse and Dispute Resolution

Addresses what happens when bargaining fails and the options available to both parties. Links impasse management to broader conflict resolution skills.

Lesson 2 • Preparing for Bargaining

Covers mandate development, data gathering, and team formation before negotiations begin. Effective preparation directly determines bargaining effectiveness.

Lesson 3 • The Bargaining Process

Walks through opening, exploration, proposal exchange, and closing stages of bargaining. Connects process stages to tactical decision-making.

Lesson 4 • Collective Agreement Content

Examines the standard clauses found in collective agreements and their practical implications. Prepares students to draft and interpret agreement language.

Lesson 1 • Mediation and Facilitated Dialogue

Introduces mediation as a structured, neutral process for resolving interpersonal and collective disputes. Develops facilitation skills applicable across conflict contexts.

Lesson 2 • Individual Grievance Handling

Teaches the step-by-step process for receiving, investigating, and resolving individual employee grievances. Connects fair grievance handling to trust and retention.

Lesson 3 • Collective Dispute Resolution

Examines mechanisms for resolving disputes that involve groups of workers or union-management disagreements. Bridges individual conflict skills to collective contexts.

Lesson 4 • Disciplinary Processes and Due Process

Covers the design and administration of fair disciplinary procedures. Emphasises procedural fairness as a legal and ethical requirement.

Lesson 1 • Designing Effective Voice Systems

Synthesises voice mechanisms into an integrated system design process. Students apply design criteria to evaluate and improve existing voice arrangements.

Lesson 2 • Concepts of Employee Voice

Distinguishes direct, representative, and collective voice mechanisms and their organisational effects. Establishes the theoretical base for the chapter.

Lesson 3 • Financial and Ownership Participation

Explores profit-sharing, gain-sharing, and employee ownership as deeper participation forms. Analyses their motivational and governance implications.

Lesson 4 • Works Councils and Joint Committees

Examines statutory and voluntary joint bodies that give employees a formal consultative role. Explains their composition, powers, and limitations.

Lesson 1 • Linking HR Strategy to Labour Relations

Shows how business strategy choices drive HR architecture and labour relations approaches. Establishes the strategic rationale for labour relations investment.

Lesson 2 • Union Relations Strategy

Examines employer approaches to union recognition, avoidance, and partnership. Analyses the long-term consequences of each strategic choice.

Lesson 3 • Building a Labour Relations Policy Framework

Guides students through designing a coherent set of labour relations policies. Policies are evaluated against legal compliance, fairness, and strategic fit.

Lesson 4 • Measuring Labour Relations Effectiveness

Introduces metrics and evaluation methods for assessing labour relations outcomes. Connects measurement to continuous improvement and strategic reporting.

Lesson 1 • Social Dialogue in Crisis Situations

Examines how dialogue systems function under economic shocks, pandemics, and organisational crises. Develops skills for maintaining constructive dialogue under extreme pressure.

Lesson 2 • Dialogue on Equality and Inclusion

Addresses how social dialogue can advance gender equality, diversity, and non-discrimination at work. Connects equity goals to bargaining and consultation agendas.

Lesson 3 • Evaluating and Reforming Dialogue Systems

Synthesises the course by teaching students to assess and redesign national or organisational dialogue systems. Applies diagnostic and design skills to real-world reform scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Technology, AI, and Social Dialogue

Explores the implications of digital transformation and AI deployment for worker rights and dialogue. Prepares students to negotiate technology-related workplace changes.