Industrial Relations

An industrial relation is a combination of various disciplines that aims to study the employment relationships. The use of the words ‘employee relations’ and ‘employment relations’ to refer to industrial relations is increasing due to the relevancy of work of in non-industrial sector. The continued use of these words interchangeable is a way to expanding the scope in the trend of human resource management. Industrial relations have three important faces that include problem-solving, science building and ethical. From the science building phase, it's social science that seeks to understand the institutions and the employment relationships by use of high-quality research. We can see the scope of industrial relations as labor relations as a connection between the labor union and the management or can be like the relationship between the employees and management. Industrial relations play a significant role in bringing in the state, employers and employees in ensuring that the state of the nation industrial relations is maintained. In the case of conflicts arising between various parties in the employment circle, it acts as the conflict handling mechanisms.

Objectives of industrial relations

The primary goal of industrial relations is ensuring that a healthy and proper relation between employers and employees or management and various operatives is maintained. The industrial relations establish that there is a satisfying relationship in the industry by protecting the interests of both parties. Industrial relations ensure there are no industrial conflicts and strikes by creating mutuality between the parties involved. It provides the economic status of the workers is enhanced which helps in keeping off possible lockouts and strikes. It provides the worker with an opportunity to be involved in decision-making and management process. Industrial relations helps an organization raise its productivity by curbing issues of absenteeism and employee turnover. Another objective is that it helps establish an industrial democracy that is based on labor partnerships.

Industrial relations today

Industrial relations today seem to be in crisis. Its old position looks like is being completely overhauled by the continued dominance of economics and the behavior of organizations together with the postmodernism. In the policy making circle, its emphasis on institutional intervention is degraded by a neoliberal emphasis. In practice, the labor union is decreasingly having less, and lesser impact and a minimal number of companies are having industrial relations functions. Lately, the number of academic research based on industrial relations is shrinking meaning that scholars prefer other fields. What seems to be working today are the lessons in industrial relations that remain to be of significance in the business field.