Week 1 - What Is ER?

Question 1

What is employment relations?

Answer 1

ER requires an
1. employer (ideally with a HR manager) and
2. an employee
3. The government (who can also be an employer)
It is the study of the relationship that exists between these parties and how they are regulated and controlled by rules, regulations and the law.

Question 2

Who are the main actors in the employment relationship?

Answer 2

1. The state
2. The government
3. Employee and trade unions
4. Employers and employer associations

Question 3

What are the two types of rule marking that regulate ER?

Answer 3

1. Substantive rules - directly regulate the terms and conditions of the employment relationship e.g. Annual leave, sick leave working hours, wages etc.
2. Procedural rules - govern the processes (e.g. Bargaining, lobbying, and other means of dispute resolution) and the power structures and status of the parties involved (especially unions and employer associations)

Question 4

What is Industrial Relations?

Answer 4

Concerns collective processes engaged in by employees, control over the employment relationship and who holds it and recognition that conflict is a normal part of the employment relationship but that it can be resolved. It has a role for communication and cooperation and recognises different views at the workplace, different objectives

Question 5

What are the IR Theoretical Foundations?

Answer 5

Pluralism - denotes individuals and groups with diverse goals and opinions which means that conflict is a normal part of the employment relationship; neither good nor bad, and that it can be solved through a number of processes
Marxism or Radicalism - objective of restructuring capitalist society to put the means of production in the hands of the workers

Question 6

What is Employee Relations?

Answer 6

The direct positive relationship between an employee, a manager that operates daily. In Australia this concept arose in the 1980s as a means of building positive and conflict free workplaces

Question 7

What is HRM?

Answer 7

Consists of various practices used to manage people in organisations. HRM can be

• hard with employees treated as commodities easily replicated and therefore easily replaced
• soft with employees treated as valuable resources
• strategic which is a pattern of planning hr deployments and activities intended to enable an organisation to achieve its goals and may combine hard and soft hrm
• is management and organisation focussed and based on Unitarist

Question 8

What are the characteristics of the employment relationship?

Answer 8

• multifaceted and continuous
• complex and involves many dimensions
• involves mutual responsibilities
• includes tangible (money, conditions) and intangible (motivation, satisfaction) elements
• changes over time
• denotes the importance of cooperation and conflict
• about balancing power between the employer and employees

Question 9

What should Employment Relations allow for?

Answer 9

• increased employment opportunities and job security without impinging on existing employee’s rights and welfare
• productivity improvement
• protecting and increasing living standards through improved terms and conditions of employment
• having adequate employee representation and employee voice in a range of forums including trade unions and direct voice
• minimising conflict