Collective bargaining: the term collective bargaining is used to describe the negotiation process between the employer and employee representatives on the terms and conditions of employment in a particular business.
Work to rule: this occurs when workers do not carry out any duties that are not in their employment contract. In other words, the staff only carries out tasks explicitly stated in their contract, which results in the tasks not being carried out efficiently.
Go slow: this approach involves workers deliberately slowing down production while still working within the terms of their contract.
Overtime ban: this ban limits workers’ hours to the agreed contract of employment for normal hours. It is usually used by employee representatives to demonstrate to management that the workforce is determined to take further collective action, such as strikes, if their demands are not met.
Strike action: this is the ultimate sanction used by the workforce, involving a stoppage in the production process, which can prove disastrous for a business.
Walkout: a type of strike action where employees collectively or independently leave the workplace as a disapproval to something.
Frequently Asked Questions: Industrial Relations vs. Employee Relations
What is the difference between Industrial Relations and Employee Relations?
While related, Industrial Relations (IR) and Employee Relations (ER) differ primarily in their scope, focus, and historical context:
- Industrial Relations (IR): Traditionally focuses on the collective relationship between employers, employees, and trade unions, often involving formal processes like collective bargaining, arbitration, and dispute resolution related to terms and conditions of employment. Its scope is broader, sometimes including the role of government and employer associations.
- Employee Relations (ER): Tends to focus more on the direct, individual relationship between an employer and its employees. It emphasizes communication, employee engagement, managing individual performance, handling grievances at an individual level, and fostering a positive workplace culture, regardless of union membership.
Think of IR as dealing with the 'rules of the game' often set collectively, while ER deals with the 'day-to-day interactions' and the employer's direct management of its workforce.
Are Industrial Relations the same as Employee Relations?
No, they are not the same, though they are closely related and often used interchangeably in casual conversation. Industrial Relations is a broader field that includes the study and management of relationships between employers, employees, and their collective organizations (like unions). Employee Relations is a more modern term that often represents a shift in focus towards managing the individual employment relationship and workplace culture, particularly in non-union settings.
What is Industrial Relations (IR)?
Industrial Relations (IR) is the study and practice of managing the relationships between employers, employees, and their collective representatives, such as trade unions. It traditionally deals with collective issues like union recognition, collective bargaining over wages and conditions, industrial disputes, strikes, lockouts, and the legal framework governing these interactions.
What is Employee Relations (ER)?
Employee Relations (ER) focuses on the relationship between individual employees and the employer. It involves managing daily interactions, addressing individual grievances, ensuring fair treatment, promoting employee engagement, maintaining positive morale, handling disciplinary issues, and fostering a productive and harmonious work environment through direct employer-employee communication and management practices.
Are Employee Relations part of Dunlop's Industrial Relations model?
Dunlop's Industrial Relations System model (developed by John Dunlop in the 1950s) is primarily concerned with the broader system of Industrial Relations, specifically how "actors" (workers/unions, employers/associations, government) interact within a specific "context" (market, technology, power) and subject to an "ideology" to create a set of "rules" that govern the workplace. While Employee Relations practices exist within the system Dunlop described, his model's core focus is on the system as a whole and the collective rule-making process, less on the individual employer-employee relationship emphasis characteristic of modern ER.
Why did the focus sometimes shift from Industrial Relations to Employee Relations?
The shift reflects changes in the labor market and management philosophy. Declining union density in many countries, changes in the structure of work (e.g., rise of service industries), and a greater emphasis on human resource management principles led organizations to focus more on managing relationships directly with individual employees and fostering specific workplace cultures rather than solely relying on formal collective bargaining processes.