An analysis of the changes and underlying continuities occurring in employee relations. The authors draw extensively on a wide range of case studies to produce a well informed, critical account.

The past four decades have seen unprecedented social and economic changes that have demanded a transformation in existing employee relation practices. Shifts in demographics, gender diversity, and an increased mobility of the workforce across the board has changed the landscape in which organizations operate. Against this backdrop, attitudes towards work and careers have changed, leading to different expectations of the workplace. These and other contextual changes mean that existing strategies of employee relation may no longer be effective. Critical Issues on Changing Dynamics in Employee Relations and Workforce Diversity is a collection of pioneering research that addresses the challenges and issues pertaining to the changing dynamics of employee relations and provides additional support to better deal with critical issues related to people management. While highlighting topics including employee engagement, workplace culture, and diversified workforce, this book is ideally designed for human resource managers, managers, executives, researchers, business professionals, academicians, and students seeking current studies on critical matters in employee relation techniques and practices.

This text takes a critical approach to both contemporary issues and trends, and to the core areas and concepts of employee relations. Case studies from a diversity of settings are integrated into the text, which is based on extensive research and teaching experience.

It cannot be denied that in recent decades, for many if not most people, work has become unstable and insecure, with serious risk and few benefits for workers. As this reality spills over into political and social life, it is crucial to interrogate the transformations affecting employment relations, shape research agendas, and influence the policies of national and international institutions. This single volume brings together thirty-nine scholars (both academics and experienced industrial relations actors) in the fields of employment relations and labour law in a forthright discussion of new approaches, theories, and methods aimed at ameliorating the world of work. Focusing on why and how work is changing, how collective actors deal with it, and the future of work from different disciplinary angles and at an international level, the contributors describe and analyse such issues and topics as the following: new forms of social protection and representation; differences in the power relations of workers and political dynamics; balancing protection of workers’ dignity and promotion of productivity; intersection of information technology and workplace regulation; how the gig economy undermines legal protections; role of professional and trade associations; workplace conflict management; lay judges in labour courts; undeclared work in the informal sector of the labour market; work incapacity and disability; (in)coherence of the work-related case law of the European Court of Justice; and business restructurings. Derived from a major conference held in Leuven in September 2018, the book offers an in-depth understanding of the changing world of work, its main transformations, and the challenges posed to classical employment relations theories and methods as well as to labour law. With its wide range of insights, analysis, and reflection, this unique contribution to the study of industrial relations offers an authoritative reference guide to scholars, policymakers, trade unions and business associations, human resources professionals, and practitioners who need to deal with the future of work challenges.

. Contributor details. . . Preface. . . Plan of the book. . Pt. I. Introduction. . 1. Introduction to Employee Relations. 3. 2. Context and Theory in Employee Relations. 11. Pt. II. Parties. . 3. Management. 57. 4. Multinationals and Employee Relations. 93. 5. Trade Unions. 132. 6. The State in Employee Relations. 179. Pt. III. Europe and the Changing Regulations. . 7. The European Union. 211. 8. Legal Regulation of Employment. 268. Pt. IV. Patterns and Practices. . 9. Collective Bargaining. 301. 10. Pay. 332. 11. Employee Participation and Involvement. 378. 12. Discrimination. 408. 13. Flexible Labour Markets, Firms and Workers. 457. 14. Public Sector Employment. 505. 15. Values and their Impact on the Changing Employment Relationship. 535. . Afterword. 567. . Index. 569.

Exploring Employee Relations is a straightforward and accessible text that is aimed at students who are taking the subject for the first time. The structure is clear and logical, leading the newcomer through the topics in a way to maximise comprehension. Key issues are highlighted and supported by a small case or example from business. Chapters are structured to enable progressive learning with a logical development of the content. Each chapter ends with a summary of the key points met in the text and these are further reinforced by review and discussion questions, with answers and feedback on the activities included at the end of the book. The chapters are grouped thematically into parts and longer case studies are included that are suitable for assignment and seminar work. This new edition is thoroughly revised with a new international approach which provides new material on the European Union and the role of Government and Demography, bargaining power and securing employee commitment. The text has also been written to cover the new CIPD employee relations syllabus

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.