5HR01 Employment Relationship Management Assignment Guideline Task One

Introduction to 5HR01 Employment Relationship Management

The unit identifies the approaches to enhance positive employment relationships. It influences identifying the extent to which professionals champion better working lives to improve employee and organisation performance. The unit differentiates between employee participation, involvement, and the impacts in promoting performance. Essential concepts that the students will learn are employee voice and engagement, conflicts and dispute resolutions, managing performance, grievances, and disciplinary matters, and finally, the concept of employee bodies in employee relations.

Assignment Task One guideline

This section provides the guideline to answering the following assignment questions. The assignment is based on a case study for Evergreen International, a multinational company in the UK with subsidiaries in different countries. The case study showed that local employees were dissatisfied with their work, and ex-pats were discontent and unhappy. Students will assume the role of a senior people practice manager and develop a guidance document for the senior management team on employment relationship issues.

AC 1.1 A review of emerging developments to inform approaches to employee voice and engagement

Guideline

Learners explain the concept of employee voice and define engagement from the CIPD viewpoint. The indicative content explaining the developments to employee voice and engagement focuses on different dimensions of engagement such as drivers of engagement, including leadership, voice and integrity, social media use in driving engagement and use of engagement surveys.

Learners explain the connections between engagements, employee voice, and employee wellbeing to identify alternatives effective to build better working lives for all the employees. Employee voice is a concept that people professionals should use to identify the best methods to address and manage employee issues. Learners also explain the impacts of employee voice and engagement on job quality and employee performance.

When reviewing the connections, learners should link their answers to the case study and explain how local employees should be engaged with the ex-pats for improved job quality and high employee satisfaction levels.

AC 1.2 An explanation and evaluation covering the differences between employee involvement and employee participation, and how it builds relationships.

Guideline

Learners define employee involvement and employee participation. The differences in depth and decision-making when involving employees and creating platforms for participation are explained in this assessment.

Learners link involvement and participation in building employee relationships to utilitarianism and pluralism theories. Other job design theories may also be explained to help provide a comprehensive answer on how involvement and participation build relationships between employees and employers.

AC 1.3 An assessment of a range of employee voice tools and approaches to drive employee engagement

Guideline

The answer to this assessment evaluates either of the following voice tools;-

• Surveys
• Team meetings
• Suggestion schemes
• Joint negotiation committees
• Collective bargaining
• Employee forums
• Social media

Additionally, learners should discuss either of the following engagement drivers;-

• Engaging managers
• Leadership engagement
• Voice and integrity
• Organisation culture
• Rewards and recognition

AC 1.4 A critical evaluation of the interrelationships between employee voice and organisational performance

Guideline

The assessment criteria question whether employee voice is linked to performance, considering the high-performance work practices elements. The practices focus on analysing the role of people professionals in selecting, hiring, developing and retaining employees. Learners explain senior managers’ role in keeping the local employees and ex-pats informed and engaged to perform as expected at Evergreen. Focusing on people in the organisation and allowing them to discuss their plights and challenges improves work performance.

AC 1.5 An explanation of the concept of better working lives and how this can be designed

Guideline

Designing better working lives depends on the management and people’s role in creating good work for the employees. Good work is dependent on how managers and employers provide decent and fair work. Employers design better working lives by focusing on the quality of jobs to employees depending on the terms of employment, the health and safety of the employees, social support and employee wellbeing.

Better working lives depends on the employers’ responsibility in providing flexible work patterns for the employees. Flexibility depends on the employers’ ability to respond to employees’ issues and assess how they improve their wellbeing. Better working lives improve employees’ physical and mental health situations, and learners should link these to the employees’ needs at Evergreen International.

AC 3.1 An explanation of the principles of legislation relating to unfair dismissal in respect of capability and misconduct issues

Guideline

The indicative content to answering this question focus on the concepts of unfair dismissal law, the legislation and the codes of practice that guide people professionals in making the right decisions on dismissals.

Learners explain the differences between capability and misconduct. Capability focuses on an employee’s ability to perform according to expectations. For example, an injured employee and there is no other alternative position for him to work may be dismissed subject to capability. Misconduct explains employees’ unexpected behaviours that negatively affect other people and the organisation. For example, an employee engaged in fraud activities at work is subject to dismissal on the grounds of misconduct.

AC 3.2 An analysis of the key causes of employee grievances

Guideline

Grievances are disagreements and disputes between employers and employees. Causes of grievances include;-

• Poor management
• Lack of workplace flexibility
• Unfair employee treatment
• Unfair work rules
• Poor working conditions
• Bullying and harassment

AC 3.3 An explanation of the skills required for effective grievance and discipline-handling procedures

Guideline

Students explain professionals’ skills when implementing grievance and discipline procedures. Examples of the skills include;-

• Good listening skills
• Good investigation skills
• Good interviewing skills
• Effectiveness in note-taking
• Ability to acknowledge and minimise bias
• Individual capability to be objective

AC 3.4 Advice on the importance of handling grievances effectively

Guideline

Handling grievances is vital to employees and organisations. Advantages of handling grievances effectively are;-

• Minimises legal claims
• Builds positive organisation reputation
• Manages employee frustrations

Additionally, learners explain the consequences of not handling grievances effectively, which include;-

• Low employee morale
• Increased numbers of resignations
• Increased absence at work
• Employee resistance to change
• Employee withdrawal.

ACAS Code of Practice provides guidelines on the procedures that practitioners should follow when handling grievances and discipline issues.

The assessment is a requirement to complete the 5HR01 unit in the Associate Diploma in People Management.