A Scholarly Review of Employee Relations through a Learning and Development Lens
Introduction Employee relations (ER) traditionally centred on managing conflicts through trade unions and collective bargaining; however, it has increasingly shifted toward direct communication, employee engagement, and talent development (CIPD, 2005). From a Learning and Development (L&D) perspective, this evolution presents opportunities for enhancing organisational capabilities through intentional learning structures, cultivating psychological contracts, and supporting employee voice. This analysis aims to deconstruct core concepts outlined in the lecture and map their implications and applications to L&D, offering a developmental blueprint for HR strategists and scholars. Employee Relations as a Foundation for Learning Culture The lecture defines employee relations as “the approaches and methods adopted by employers to deal with employees either collectively through their trade unions or individually” (Armstrong, 2017). From an L&D standpoint, emp...