Course Agenda

Course Timings: Registration will be at 08:00 on the first day. The course will start promptly at 08:30 each day and finish at 14:30. There will be two short breaks for refreshments and lunch will be served on completion of each day’s sessions.

Course Overview

How we behave towards our employees is of increasing importance in winning organisations. Globalisation and increased competition has intensified the ‘Talent War’. The relationship between the employer and employee – ‘The Psychological Contract’ – has changed. New definitions of loyalty are emerging. ‘Jobs for life’ appear to have gone. Employees are more discriminating and certainly more mobile.

This practical course to produce ideas and plans for successful Employee Relations (ER) has been designed around your answers to our research into determining what constitutes an effective ER  programme.

The employee/employer relationship will be tracked from initial attraction to departure and beyond. The course is highly interactive, allowing you to express your ideas in a professionally supportive environment. Modern regional ER will be examined in all its elements. On completion of the course, you will be equipped with a set of practical ideas and suggestions to apply profitably in the workplace.

Course Methodology
This course will be conducted in a supportive professional environment. The topics will be presented by the course leader, followed by group or individual work to expand thinking around particular subjects. Delegate groups will then present their conclusions. In this way you will complete a learning cycle which will allow you to expand your thinking with regard to ER and to return to work equipped with ideas about how to implement or expand ER within your organisation.

The course is based upon the latest ER thinking. You will receive references for further enquiry into ER and suggestions to help expand your knowledge and awareness of the subject.

There will be a number of exercises conducted during the course on the following topics:

•	Exercise 'Big Picture’ which will look at how ER fits into the workplace in the region. You will conduct an analysis of the Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) factors which impact on people at work
•	Exercise ‘Contract’ which will examine how the unwritten ‘Psychological Contract’ between employer and employee has changed and continues to change

During the course you will discuss various management models: Atkinson’s ‘Flexible Firm’ and Wilson’s ‘ER Star’.

You will look at styles of leadership and management, particularly the impact of Adair’s ‘Action Centered Leadership’ and how that affects the way we work and the employee/employer relationship.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD-UK) has conducted research into ‘Well-Being’ and its ‘Five Domains of Well-Being’ will be examined in detail.

In addition there will be discussion sessions on your approaches towards programmes for:
• Stress management
• Employee engagement
• Employee ‘voice’
• Work/life balance
• Quality of Working Life (QWL)

The very useful, detailed research completed by CIPD into retention will be the subject of ‘Exercise RDR’: Recruit – Develop – Retain and the Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS) will be used as a recurring reference source.

Course Outline
What Is ER? The Changing Context And Nature Of The Employment Relationship
• The Changed Employee/Employer Relationship
• Change – New Attitudes To Employment – Innovate Or Fail!
• What Does Current Employee Relations Thinking Mean For:
      - Employers?
      - Employees?
• What Is The Value Of ER?
• ER Strategy As Part Of Business Strategy
• Political, Economic, Social And

Technological (PEST) Impact On ER
• Law And The Impact Of Governments On ER
• Defining The Employment Contract
• Psychological Contract
• Corporate Culture/Structure And ER
• Roles Of Power And The Concept Of Fairness
• Competencies Required In ER Managers
• Issues Surrounding:
      - The work task
      - Control of performance/performance management
      - Discipline and grievance
• Atkinson’s ‘Flexible Firm’ Model
• Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS) Study
• Employee Engagement
• Employee Voice
      - Increased employee participation in decision making
      - Work life balance
      - Quality of Working Life (QWL)
      - Motivation
• Reward And ER
     - Financial
     - Non-financial
• Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)
• Well-Being – The Five Domains
     - Physical
     - Emotional
     - Work
     - Personal development
     - Values
• Diversity
• Job Design
     - Job Descriptions (JD) and job sculpting
     - Moving away from being “JD slaves”
     - Person specification
     - Competency definition
• Increased Worker Representation
     - Representative bodies
     - Trade unions
     - What they are
     - How they function
     - Relationships with management
• The Overlap Of ER And HR – Crucial Areas
     - Selection/induction/placement
     - Retention
     - Appraisal
     - Development
• End Of The Employee Relationship
     - Resignation
     - Dismissal
     - Redundancy
     - Retirement
• Building A ‘Way Ahead’ Policy
• Success Through People – ‘Seven Lights’ Of Organisational Success
• Are You Prepared For The ER Change?
• Collating The Elements Of An ER Policy
      - ER model – Wilson 2007
      - New ideas
      - ‘Accounting for People’
      - ‘Investors in People International’
• Building An ER Model To Apply