Ms Maeve Caraher
Module Housekeeping
• Module Outline on Blackboard – print it out
• No text book but ‘Core Readings’ available for download from Blackboard– START READING NOW! Do not fall behind.
• Additional reading list on the course outline = for those who want to do well • Assumed that you will be reading 6 hours per week (5 ECTS) → timetable some reading time each week NOW!
• Take notes in lecture!
• Welcome to ‘Managing Employee Relations’!
Foxconn – Mass Suicide threat
Employee Relations in the news…….
• Workplace stress: – ‘One in 10 workers too busy to take break’ – ‘Stress will be main cause of workplace illness by 2020’ • ‘Absenteeism spike among HSE doctors and dentists’ • ‘A credit claims clerk has been awarded €24,000 in compensation by the EAT for unfair dismissals from Harvey Norman’ (lack of formal and proper HR management) • ‘Disability service to pay €116,000 to unfairly dismissed manager (genuine redundancy but process was defective) • ‘Applicants to employment tribunal facing long delays’ • ESRI/EA Report 16.01.2013: Black Africans have the highest rate of unemployment and the lowest rate of employment; this group also reports the highest rates of discrimination both in the workplace and when looking for work.
In your future ideal job
• What sort of employment conditions do you want? • What sort of intrinsic rewards do you want? • How do you want to be treated by management and other workers at work?
• Have you considered what elements are essential (i.e. dealbreakers) and what ones are optional?
Different views on people in organisations
• Accounting – Employees are costly factors of production on the balance sheet • Economics – Work is an economic transaction; labour is a commodity with the price set by market forces
• Human Resource Management – Employees are resources to be used to maximise profits • In all these disciplines:
– debates over work issues such as job