Human Resources: Employee and Labor Relations is a practical, application‑focused course that helps you navigate the real dynamics between employees and employers—not just formal policies, but the daily interactions that shape trust, engagement, performance, and retention. Across five modules, you’ll examine employee relations (ER) through its contractual, practical, emotional, and physical dimensions, and see how organizations translate these principles into consistent policies, communication strategies, and supportive people practices.
You’ll learn how to build trust operationally through clear expectations, regular check‑ins, psychologically safe communication, and avoidance of micromanagement—especially in remote environments where professionalism and availability must be clarified without eroding autonomy. The course also explores fairness, consistency, and inclusion, emphasizing how HR can prevent issues like favoritism and guide the employee relationship from onboarding to dispute resolution.
You’ll dig into the psychological (social) contract and learn how unwritten expectations shape commitment and turnover. You’ll practice preventing contract breaches, identifying reneging vs. incongruence, communicating realistic expectations, and repairing trust when obligations can’t be fully met. The course also develops your ability to diagnose ER problems early by recognizing warning signs such as disrespect, conflict, rumor‑spreading, safety concerns, hygiene issues, suspected substance misuse, and remote work performance problems.
The final module introduces labor relations fundamentals, including collective bargaining, union roles, and dispute procedures. By the end, you’ll be prepared to strengthen workplace culture, reduce costly turnover, handle ER challenges with dignity and structure, and maintain organizational readiness when pressure or change intensifies.
1. Introduction to Employee Relations and Its Business Impact
2. Communication and Engagement as ER Fundamentals
3. Trust, Fairness, and the Psychological Contract
4.Diagnosing and Resolving Employee and Labor Relations Issues
5. Summary
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Foundations of Employee Relations
Define employee relations and distinguish its contractual, practical, emotional, and physical dimensions.
Explain how organizations convert ER principles into consistent policies, processes, and people-support systems.
Communication, Trust & Workplace Culture
Apply communication practices that keep employees informed, promote healthy voice, and link everyday work to organizational mission and goals.
Demonstrate how to build and maintain trust through expectation-setting, supportive check-ins, and autonomy-respecting management—especially in remote or hybrid environments.
Fairness, Inclusion & HR Partnership
Identify behaviors and situations that compromise fairness or create perceptions of favoritism, and implement strategies to support equitable treatment.
Describe HR’s role across the employee lifecycle—including onboarding, employee support, documentation, and dispute resolution.
Psychological Contract & Retention
Explain the psychological contract and analyze how unwritten expectations influence engagement and retention.
Recognize pathways of psychological contract breach (reneging vs. incongruence), prevent them through clear communication, and apply techniques for repairing trust when expectations shift.
Diagnosing & Addressing ER Issues
Identify early warning signs of employee relations issues, including behavioral, interpersonal, safety, or professionalism concerns.
Intervene with structured, dignified approaches that protect wellbeing, uphold standards, and sustain workplace culture.
Labor Relations Essentials
Describe the role of unions, collective bargaining processes, and agreed dispute-handling procedures.
Compare employee relations and labor relations, clarifying how both support organizational stability and worker voice.
Certificate of completion
Human Resources: Employee and Labor Relations is a practical course that focuses on the real day‑to‑day dynamics between employees and employers. You’ll learn how to build trust through clear expectations, consistent communication, and fair, inclusive practices, especially in remote and hybrid settings. The course covers the psychological contract, how to prevent and repair breaches, how to spot early warning signs of employee relations issues, and how to address them with structure and dignity. It also introduces labor relations essentials, including unions, collective bargaining, and dispute processes, preparing you to strengthen workplace culture, reduce turnover, and support organizational stability.