COMM_V 203 - Managing the Employment Relationship

Course Description

People are among an organization’s most valuable resources, and effectively managing the employment relationship is critical to organizational success. This course examines how organizations attract, develop, motivate, and retain employees throughout the employment relationship. Students explore the employee lifecycle, including workforce planning, recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, compensation, labour relations, and global human resource management. Through cases, discussions, and applied activities, students develop the analytical skills needed to evaluate people management decisions and their implications for organizational performance, employee well-being, and legal compliance.

Responsible Business Content

This course addresses responsible business by examining how organizations create workplaces that are legally compliant, ethical, inclusive, and supportive of employee well-being. Students consider the role of human resource management in promoting healthy and safe workplaces (Health and Well-being), fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout the employment relationship (Indigenous + Equity, Diversity and Inclusion), and making ethical people management decisions that contribute to responsible organizations (Responsible Business and Ethics).

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand how strategic HRM practices can affect a business organization’s competitiveness.
• Explain the importance that HRM planning plays in the success of an organization.
• Understand the core HR functions: HR planning, recruitment and selection, performance management, compensation and benefits, and health and safety.
• Explain the connection between adopting “strategic” human resource practices, and their relationship to improving business outcomes for organizations.
• Understand the impact of the legal environment on decisions regarding basic HR functions.
• Develop the skills necessary for recruiting, selecting, training, developing, evaluating, and retaining employees in business organizations.
• Identify and evaluate HRM problems and develop strategic solutions to problems in business organizations using critical thinking skills.

Prerequisite: One of COMM_V 192, COMM_V 292, and either (a) ECON_V 101 or ECON_O 101 and ECON_V 102 or ECON_O 102 or (b) ECON_V 100.