Employee Relations
Duration
- One Semester or equivalent
Contact hours
- 36 hours
On-campus unit delivery combines face-to-face and digital learning.
2023 teaching periods
| Hawthorn Higher Ed. Semester 2 |
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|---|---|---|
Dates: Results: Last self enrolment: Census: Last withdraw without fail: |
Aims and objectives
This unit aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the legal, political and industrial framework of Employee Relations in Australia and within a selected group of our international trading partners. The unit develops the student’s appreciation of both the academic and practical application of the influences that govern the employment relationship and examines the roles of employees, employers, trade unions and governments in the employment process. It discusses the impact of economics conditions and of social, political and structural business transformation on rapidly changing contemporary workplace environments, using relevant theoretical approaches and historical analysis.
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
1 Demonstrate advanced and coherent knowledge of the legislation related to Human Resource Management and its application in interpretation.
2 Critically evaluate a range of workplace situations with regards to the industrial relations implications and make recommendations for how they may be resolved.
3 Critically analyse both sides of an industrial relations dispute giving clear rationale for the justifications of each side of the argument.
Unit information in detail
- Teaching methods, assessment, general skills outcomes and content.
Teaching methods
Face to Face scheduled hours: Lectures/workshop (12 x 2 hours), Online lectures and discussion boards (12 x 1 hour per week)
Student workload:
This includes all:
• Scheduled teaching and learning events and activities (contact hours timetabled in a face-to-face teaching space) and scheduled online learning events (contact hours scheduled in an online teaching space), and
• Non-scheduled learning events and activities (including directed online learning activities, assessments, independent study, student group meetings, and research)
To be successful, students should:
• Attend and engage in all scheduled classes (face to face or online)
• Start assessment tasks well ahead of the due date, and submit assessments promptly
• Read / listen to all feedback carefully, and consider it for future assessment
• Engage with fellow students and teaching staff (don’t hesitate to ask questions)
Assessment
1. Report and Presentation (Group) 30 - 40%
2. Assignment 1 (Individual) 40 - 60%
3. Assignment 2 (Individual) 10 – 20%
2. Assignment 1 (Individual) 40 - 60%
3. Assignment 2 (Individual) 10 – 20%
General skills outcomes
During this unit students will receive feedback on the following key generic skills:
• Problem solving skills
• Analysis skills
• Communication skills
• Ability to tackle unfamiliar problems
• Ability to work independently
Content
• Comparative Analysis of work in developed OECD countries, and emerging Asia Pacific countries
• Industrial relations changes that have occurred at both the macro level and micro level
• Current legislation related to Australian workplaces in particular the Fair Work Act 2009, Equal Opportunity Act (Vic) 2010, Gender Equalty Act, 2012. OH&S Legislation
• Privacy and other relevant pieces of legislation
• Problem solving approaches to Enterprise Bargaining: distributive, integrative and intra-organisational bargaining
• Models of flexibility: functional, numerical, temporal locational, financial and the impact on key stakeholders
• Alternative industrial relations theoretical approaches to understanding and problem solving in industrial relations
Study resources
- Reading materials.
Reading materials
Students are advised to check the unit outline in the relevant teaching period for appropriate textbooks and further reading.