Employment Relations

Traditional approaches in the wide field of employment relations focused on a small and clearly delineated set of actors, such as trade unions and employers’ organizations, operating within the constraints given by formal, nationally confined institutions. It is becoming increasingly clear that traditional approaches are insufficiently able to account for employment relations processes and outcomes in a world wherein formal institutions are being rapidly transformed and partially dissolved, national boundaries become porous, and the sheer number of actors involved is increasing substantially. A shift in perspective is necessary, past the nationally bounded actor-institution dichotomy, towards an understanding of employment relations as fundamentally mediated by complex and emergent networks that connect a multitude of actors within and between countries. ? This volume provides a seminal starting point for such a paradigm shift by applying theories and methodologies from social network analysis to the study of employment relations. It develops a theoretical toolkit of mechanisms that operate within networks and shape employment relations processes and outcomes, such as wages, labour market policies and labour conflicts. It brings together insights from various projects that investigate the structure, functioning and impact of networks in employment relations through quantitative and qualitative methods. It will be of particular interest to students and scholars of employment relations across business and management, economics, political science, and sociology disciplines, as well as those interested in social networks. Managers, trade unions, employers’ organizations and state authorities at national and international levels will find it helpful in understanding how networks shape their world.

Drawing on the latest research, Employment Relations is a key text for anyone studying the CIPD Level 7 Advanced module Managing Employment Relations as well as all those looking to expand their knowledge and understanding in this area. Covering both the conceptual debates and contextual factors relating to employment relations as well as key management interventions, this is invaluable reading for anyone looking to understand both the theory and practice of employment relations. With coverage of the main players in employment relations - Trade Unions, Employers and the State - and critical discussion of the local, national and global effects on employment relations, Employment Relations provides a thorough grounding in the international context of employment relations. With comprehensive consideration of key workplace issues including employee engagement, discrimination, conflict, downsizing and redundancies, this is ideal reading for students and practitioners alike. Packed with exercises, examples and case studies, this book allows readers to take a critical approach to this crucial topic. Online supporting resources include an instructor's manual, lecture slides, additional cases, annotated web links and further reading.

Suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the areas of industrial and employment relations, personnel and human resource management, this work offers an original, accessible, and critical approach to understanding employment relations.

Comprising five thematic sections, this volume provides a critical, international and interdisciplinary exploration of employment relations. It examines the major subjects and emerging areas within the field, including essays on institutional theory, voice, new actors, precarious work and employment. Led by a well-respected team of editors, the contributors examine current knowledge and debates within each topic, offering cutting-edge analysis and reflection. The Routledge Companion to Employment Relations is an extensive reference work that offers students and researchers an introduction to current scholarship in the longstanding discipline of employment relations. It will be an essential addition to library collections in business and management, law, economics, sociology and political economy.

This exciting new text is different from many of the employee relations textbooks currently available because it takes as its central theme the employment relationship between the employer and the employee. This reflects one of the major changes in employee relations over recent years: the increasing extent to which the individual relationship each of us has with our employer is central in shaping our working lives.

Employment relations is concerned with the relationship between employees and their employers - one of the most important aspects of an HR role. Managing Employment Relations will give students a thorough grounding in the processes, context and practical application of employment relations and the skills they need for a successful career in HR. Covering everything from the legal aspects of employment relations, essential policies, strategies and the changing social context to conflict resolution, mediation, employee engagement and workplace discipline, Managing Employment Relations is an indispensable guide. With brand new content on gig economy workers, supporting diversity in the workplace, individual and group policies and the need for greater transparency in the employer-employee relationship, this book is a comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of employment relations. Mapped to the CIPD Level 7 module in employment relations and full of case studies and exercises to help students understand the practical application of the core topics, this is an essential textbook for postgraduate HR students and practitioners in an employment relations role. Online resources include a lecturer guide, lecture slides, sample essay questions and additional case studies for students and lecturers as well as annotated weblinks.

'Besides a well-written introduction by the two editors, the book presents seventeen other chapters, some by well-known writers on the subject or related social sciences. . . This is a substantial resource book for scholars and students of comparative ER, especially for those who look towards the evolution of ER in the new economic world that is in formation, and in a comparative perspective. . . the book contains intellectually stimulating analyses of employee relations realities across the globe. . . Scholars belonging to different disciplinary perspectives, from which ER has been studied in the past, will also find in it a good reference material of comparative analyses. . . The publishers too deserve accolades for their professionalism and first rate copy-editing and production.' – Debi S. Saini, Vision – the Journal of Business Perspectives 'The book is a comprehensive volume of studies on employment relations in a wide variety of settings. . .an enriching compendium.' – Silvia Florea, Management of Sustainable Development The Research Handbook of Comparative Employment Relations is an essential resource for those seeking to understand contemporary developments in the world of work, and the way in which employment relations systems are evolving around the world. Special consideration is given to the impact of globalisation and the role of multinational corporations, including their consequences for the fate of workers' rights under existing national systems of employment relations (ER) regulation. This Handbook is unique in taking an explicitly comparative approach by discussing ER developments through a series of paired country comparisons. These chapters include a wide selection of countries from all regions, looking beyond those that are frequently discussed. The expert contributors also examine comparative issues from a range of perspectives, including industrial and employment relations, political economy, comparative politics, and cross-cultural studies. These impressive features make this important reference tool the most comprehensive of its kind. Academics and students in final-year undergraduate and postgraduate courses interested in employment relations will find this compendium enriching and insightful.

Employee relations in national contexts are significantly influenced not only by material forces but also by cultural and linguistic factors that are often highly nationally specific. In this innovative book, culture and language are analysed in terms of how they affect employee relations internationally, demonstrating the importance of recognising and understanding these elements in the face of increasing globalisation.