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Employee Relations, Performance and Employment Law

Module description

This module covers the four key HR topics that comprise the HR pathway for the Senior People Professional apprenticeship. Effective human resource management practitioners have a thorough understanding of the mechanics of the employment relationship.  Part of this involves contractual and legal issues, and part of this is connected with understanding the relationship between an organisation and its employees.  Within this module we explore areas of the employment relationship, including employee well-being, performance and reward, and develop your knowledge of managing both employee relations and employment law in practice.  You will develop the skills to support and establish effective HR principles and practices that embed employee well-being and engagement. You will evaluate performance management approaches and the creation of remuneration and benefit approaches that are aligned to current and future organisation needs market conditions, and that drive performance. Additionally we will explore the subject of employment law through a practical lens, explaining its purpose, the way it is made and enforced, and how managers should act in the workplace so as to ensure compliance and to reduce the risks associated with litigation from existing and former employees.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to introduce you to a diverse range of theory and practice within the fields of employment law, well-being, engagement, reward and performance management.  Successfully completing this module will therefore enhance your understanding regarding the evolving nature of employment in the UK, whilst also developing your ability to effectively manage employee performace policy and practice within an organisational setting.  From a legal perspective our goal is that this module will enable you to provide accurate and timely advice regarding HR decisions which have potential legal consequences.  This will better position you to be able to manage complex casework within your organisation, and develop HR policies and practices which are compliant with the relevant legal frameworks.

Skill Acquisition

Our focus within this module is practical from the outset.  We aim to develop a number of skills that are directly relevant to the workplace practice of HRM, these include: the management of employee performance, employee well-being, reward management, employee engagement, policy development, developing legally compliant contractual arrangements, and the ability to identify and resolve legal consequences that arise as a result of HR decisions.

Research in Teaching

Drawing from contemporary research this module introduces students to key theoretical concepts relating to employee well-being, performance and reward.  When examining employment law and legal concepts extensive use will be made of historical and contemporary cases, helping us to critically examine the application of employment law in practice.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Critically discuss how to create remuneration and benefit approaches that are aligned to current and future organisation needs and market conditions such as equal pay.
• 2. Assess the impact of a variety of approaches to performance management and how performance management data can be used to drive improvement.
• 3. Provide advice regarding employment law, (including associated case law), different theories and perspectives on employee relations and employee body relationships, and the implications on people policies and practices.
• 4. Identify legal risks arising from human resource management decisions, providing advice to ensure organisations remain legally compliant in their human resource management activities.
• 5. Identify the strategies and drivers of employee well-being and engagement and how to integrate these into wider approaches to people management.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Critically discuss how the relationship between an organisation and its people is managed through transparent practices and relevant law whilst taking account of different theories and perspectives on employee relations.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Select and apply a range of consulting processes, styles and diagnostic tools appropriate to the role of the HR professional.

Syllabus plan

• Employment relations practice
• The parties to the employment relationship and their perspectives
• The psychological contract
• The role of power and control in the employment relationship
• Conflict and conflict resolution
• An introduction to employment law and sources of employment law
• Employment status
• Discrimination law
• Dismissal law
• The law of contract
• Hours and wages
• Family-friendly employment law
• Employee well-being
• Performance management
• Reward management strategy and practice

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

All passed components of the module will be rolled forward and will not be reassessed in the event of module failure.

 Defer – as first time

Refer – capped at 50%

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Bennett, T., Saundry, R. & Fisher, V. (2020) Managing Employment Relations.  7^th Edition.  Kogan Page: London.
• Bingham, C. (2016) Employment Relations: Fairness and Trust in the Workplace.  Sage: London.
• Lewis, D. & Sargeant, M. (2019) Employment Law: The Essentials.  15^th Edition.  Kogan Page: London.
• Taylor, S. & Emir, A. (2019) Employment Law: An Introduction.  5^th Edition.  Oxford University Press: Oxford.
• Williams, S. (2020) Introducing Employment Relations: A Critical Approach. 5^th Edition.  Oxford University Press: Oxford.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• The module will have a dedicated page available on ELE.

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• As an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development you will also have access to the entirety of the Institute's website, including all published research reports, archived articles from 'People Management', fact sheets, discussion papers and briefings.

Key words search

Employee relations, employment law, well-being, performance management, reward management