Employment Relations – Contemporary developments in UK

Contemporary developments in employment relations (DER) assessment brief

This assessment is made up of three parts, assessment activity 1, assessment activity 2 and assessment activity 3.

Assessment activity 1

Employment dispute case study

Writing this case study review will allow you to demonstrate assessment criteria 1.1, 1.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4. Your word count for the case study review is 1950 words (+/- 10%). You must submit assessment activity 1 on the document DER assessment activity 1 template.

Your case study review should include a list of cited references along with a bibliography of sources consulted but not specifically mentioned.

Your references and bibliography as well as all the grey highlighted words in your template are excluded from your word count.

Research a recent employment dispute which resulted in strike action (e.g. Junior Doctors, Southern Rail, London Underground, Post Office) and create a case study review which includes:

Context
• A description of how the dispute came about, the parties involved, what action was taken by both sides and the nature of the dispute. Explain who has been affected by the industrial action and state the outcome of the dispute (if there has been one) (1.1) (1.3)

Analysis
• An explanation of what makes industrial action ‘official’ and comment on the official nature (or not) of your case study (4.1)
• A definition of ‘conflict’ and ‘misbehaviour’ in the context of workplace disputes and identify examples of both in your case study (4.1)
• An assessment of how the conflict and actions taken by the parties involved in your chosen case study differs to high profile industrial disputes of the 1970’s and 1980’s (4.2)

Advice, guidance and further support
• A discussion of how you, as a HR professional, would advise and guide managers to effectively manage and resolve disputes (4.3)
• An explanation of the roles of external conciliation, mediation and arbitration services (4.4)

• Please use the ‘DER assessment activity 1 template’ to submit your report.
• Remember references to back up your findings and recommendations are expected.
• There are a lot of elements to include in this assessment, so be sure to check you have provided evidence for all the assessment criteria before you finalise your work.

Assessment activity 2

Employment relations legislation

Writing this briefing paper will allow you to demonstrate assessment criteria 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4. Your word count for the briefing paper is 1950 words (+/- 10%). You must submit assessment activity 2 on the document DER assessment activity 2 template.

Your briefing paper should include a list of cited references along with a bibliography of sources consulted but not specifically mentioned.

Your references and bibliography as well as all the grey highlighted words in your template are excluded from your word count.

You are required to prepare a briefing paper for newly appointed managers in Globex that provides the key information they need to know about employment relations legislation:

• Briefly introduce why line managers need to understand employment relations legislation
• Explain the main legal requirements around the contract of employment including what the minimum requirements are, what employers may choose to include and wider influences on contractual working arrangements. (2.1)
• Identifies and explain at least two sources (one of which should be the EU) of where UK employment relations legislation originates from (2.2)
• Review two recent developments in individual employment rights and comment on their impact on employers and employees (2.3)
• Explain the statutory trade union recognition and derecognition processes and consider why an employer may or may not want to recognise a trade union (2.4)

• You can base your response around your own organisation or one you know well if you prefer.
• Remember to pitch your note to line managers in terms they will understand.
• Please use the ‘DER assessment activity 2 template’ to submit your report. You can adapt the template to include your organisation’s logo/house style etc. but you should keep to the format as this will help ensure you include all the key elements.
• Remember references to back up your findings are expected so here you will need to cite statute, regulations and case law along with robust sources of your wider reading.
• Gov.uk, Acas and Citizens Advice are all useful websites for simple employment law guidance

Assessment activity 3

Employee voice

Writing this report will allow you to demonstrate assessment criteria 1.2, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3. Your word count for the report is 1950 words (+/- 10%). You must submit assessment activity 3 on the document DER assessment activity 3 template.

Your report should include a list of cited references along with a bibliography of sources consulted but not specifically mentioned.

Your references and bibliography as well as all the grey highlighted words in your template are excluded from your word count.

As part of the employee engagement programme within Globe-X, Philip Benn has been hearing anecdotes about the value of ‘employee voice’ and would like to understand whether there is any substance to the claims. Assess whether investing in employee involvement and participation initiatives will strengthen the employment relationship between Globe-X and its employees.

Write a report to Philip in which you:

• Discuss unitarist and pluralist approaches to employee relations and the implications these have on the employment relationship (1.2)
• Explain what is meant by employee involvement, participation and partnership along with an example of each (3.1)
• Compare and contrast union and non-union forms of employee representation and how these have evolved (3.2)
• Assess evidence linking employee voice and organisational performance referring to research and examples of organisational practice (3.3)

• You can base your response around your own organisation or one you know well if you prefer.
• Please use the ‘DER assessment activity 3 template’ to submit your report. You can adapt the template to include your organisation’s logo/house style etc. but you should keep to the format as this will help ensure you include all the key elements.
• Remember references to back up your findings and recommendations are expected.
• Refer to the programme text book for some useful supporting evidence for employee voice.

CIPD learning outcomes and assessment criteria

The following table sets out the CIPD learning outcomes and associated assessment criteria:

Learning outcomes
The learner will: Assessment criteria
The learner can:
1 Understand the nature and context of employment relations.
1.1 Analyse the indeterminate nature of employment relations.
1.2 Compare and contrast unitarist and pluralist approaches to employment relations.
1.3 Assess a range of factors which impact on employment relations.
2 Know about employment relations legislation.
2.1 Describe and critique the essential features of the contract of employment.
2.2 Identify and analyse the main sources of UK and EU employment relations law-making.
2.3 Explain the main developments in individual employment law.
2.4 Assess and advise on the purpose and scope of statutory trade union recognition.
3 Understand contemporary developments in employee involvement and participation.
3.1 Explain the differences in employee involvement, participation and partnership.
3.2 Compare and contrast union and non-union forms of employee representation.
3.3 Assess the link between employee voice and organisation performance.
4 Know about different forms of conflict behaviour and dispute resolution.
4.1 Distinguish between conflict and misbehaviour, and between official and unofficial industrial action.
4.2 Assess contemporary trends in the type of conflict and industrial sanctions.
4.3 Explain what is required to advise, coach and guide line managers in the skills for effective grievance- and dispute-handling procedures.
4.4 Distinguish between third-party conciliation, mediation and arbitration.