HRM30120 People at Work

Academic Year 2020/2021

This module is an introductory course in human resource management (HRM). Its primary concern is to examine what management do when they manage people. It’s not a techniques course. Rather it is designed to develop an informed and critical understanding of how the management of people at work is undertaken, and with what consequences. The module is intended to introduce students to academic debates in the field of HRM and, in particular, to equip students with the means to critically appraise the normative prescriptive literature which is abundant in this area of management. That there is a gap between prescription and practice may not surprise, but the challenge of understanding why is considerable. Inevitably answers pivot on being sensitive to the context within which employers and employees work. Thus, a key element of this module will be to help students to understand how the national and international contexts of the enterprise influence the management of people at work.

This module is delivered fully online. Students will access pre-recorded mini-lectures covering the core theoretical concepts for the module every week. At the end of each session, the lecturer will provide instructions for a brief self-assessment activity that students can use to test their understanding. Synchronous online interactions will be held in week 2-4-6-8-10 to to offer students the opportunity to apply concepts, ask questions, and engage in small group activities.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students will be expected to be able to:
1. Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of:
• the societal contexts in which work and the organisation of work were and are shaped;
• the key trends and altering patterns of work and employment;
• the key complexities and tensions associated with the management of work within the workplace.
2. Possess and demonstrate the appropriate critical and analytical skills for understanding current and future developments in the nature of work based on a wide reading of the relevant academic literature.


Indicative Module Content:

Lecture 1. ‘People at Work’ in context
• The labour market and its significance for managing people at work
• The meaning of work – key features of the employment relationship

Lecture 2. Understanding the nature of the employment relationship
• The employment contract and the psychological contract
• Alternative frames of reference – unitarism and pluralism

Lecture 3. Flexibility at work

• Flexibility or security: Is there a way out of the dilemma?
• Flexibility: a very flexible term

Lecture 4. The Rise of the Platform Economy - Gig Work and its Management
• What are online labour platforms and what role do they play in the gig economy?
• What are the challenges and opportunities of platform enabled gig work for workers, for organizations, and for society?

Lecture 5. People voice at work
• How are we to understand employee voice?
• Should employees be given a voice, and if so, of what form?
• The management of employee voice

Lecture 7. Conflict at work
• Conflict at work and its different forms
• Explaining trends in conflict at work in Ireland and internationally
• State conflict resolution agencies

Lecture 8. Managing Conflict at work
• Conventional grievance and dispute procedures
• Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practices

Lecture 9. Pay and Performance at work
• Pay systems, structures and levels.
• Pay allocation criteria: pay inequality.
• Performance management.

Lecture 10. Careers and development at work
• Traditional and new careers.
• Managing human resource development.
• What is talent? Identifying learning needs.

Lecture 11. Managing diversity
• Contentious but not optional: Managing diversity in the workplace
• Legislation and the business case for diversity: Which policy strategy?

Lecture 12. End of term coursework



Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Autonomous Student Learning

92
Total

116
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures; critical writing; reflective learning; enquiry & problem-based learning. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
HRM20010 - Managing Employee Relations, HRM20020 - Employment Relations, HRM20030 - People at Work, HRM20050 - Comparative Human Resource Mgt, SMGT10230 - Sports HRM, SMGT20200 - Sports HRM, SMGT30020 - HRM Sports


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Continuous Assessment: Mid-term group presentation and report on HRM in the Platform Economy. Week 7 n/a Graded No

30
Examination: End of Semester Exam Coursework (End of Trimester) Yes Graded No

70

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Dr Maria Belizón Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Maeve Caraher Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor John Geary Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Anne Keegan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Bill Roche Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mr Sid McDonnell Tutor
Ms Mary Naughton Tutor