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Departmental Notes
Subject Code for Employment Relations: EMPR
Subject Code for Industrial Relations (Graduate Studies): MIR
World Wide Web Address: https://www.queensu.ca/employment-studies/
Professor and Director, Employment Relations Programs: Robert Hickey
Departmental Office: Robert Sutherland Hall 209
Departmental Telephone: 613-533-3105
Departmental Fax: 613-533-2933
Undergraduate Office E-Mail Address: empr@queensu.ca
Employment Relations Undergraduate Chair: Glenda Fisk
Coordinator of Graduate Studies: Bradley Weinberg
Overview
The study of employment relations has a long tradition at Queen’s. Programs offered at both the graduate and undergraduate levels provide a broad foundation for students entering the world of work and include courses in labour-management relations, labour and employment law, conflict management and negotiations, economics, human resources management, organizational behaviour, and labour policy.
There are two undergraduate level programs in Employment Relations: a Certificate in Employment Relations and the Employment Relations BA General/Minor. The two programs differ primarily in the number of credits required, the resulting credential, and who is eligible.
The Certificate in Employment Relations requires completing 15.00 units and can be completed fully online (by completing five (5) online courses) or through a combination of online and in-class courses (to total five (5) courses). It is open to current undergraduate degree students at Queen’s University as well as to current and new part-time students.
The BA General/Minor in Employment Relations requires completing 30.00 units and is open to current undergraduate degree students at Queen’s University. The Minor Plan in Employment Relations, in combination with a Major Plan in another subject, and with sufficient electives, will lead to an Honours Bachelor Degree. The Employment Relations General Plan, with sufficient electives to total 90.00 units will lead to a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Advice for Students
The Certificate and the BA General/Minor in Employment Relations open a number of possible career paths in both the public and private sectors and compliment a wide range of careers in other disciplines such as business, policy, and labour law. Below are some considerations when choosing which program to pursue.
The Certificate in Employment Relations program can be taken either in conjunction with a degree program, in which case the Arts and Science regulations concerning limited double counting of courses apply; or the Certificate can be earned as a stand-alone credential. New part-time students for the Certificate need to meet existing admission criteria for certificates. New part-time student applicants can also enter the Faculty of Arts and Science as non-degree students and, if they meet Arts and Science eligibility criteria for progression to a degree program, can enrol in the Certificate program at a later date. All students enrolled in the Certificate in Employment Relations program need to meet the Faculty of Arts and Science progression criteria.
Whether the BA General/Minor in Employment Relations is taken in conjunction with a Major degree program or the General plan, the appropriate Arts and Science regulations concerning completion of degree plans apply. The BA in EMPR will normally be completed in three years of full-time study. All students enrolled in the BA General/Minor in Employment Relations program need to meet the Faculty of Arts and Science progression criteria.
Note: Students wishing to take a course at the 200- or 300-level, for which they lack the stated prerequisites, may appeal to the Course Instructor to have the prerequisites waived.
Faculty
For more information, please visit: https://www.queensu.ca/employment-studies/people-directory/all-faculty
- Richard Chaykowski
- Glenda Fisk
- Robert Hickey
- Jacoba Lilius
- Dan Samosh
- Bradley Weinberg
Courses
This is a survey course designed to introduce students to contemporary challenges and the primary academic fields in the study and practice of employment relations: Human Resource Management, Organizational Behaviour, Labour Relations, Negotiations and Conflict Resolution, Labour and Employment Law, and Workplace and Labour Market Policies.
This first year course introduces students to the critical interpersonal competencies and communication skills required in contemporary workplaces. Students will gain and apply knowledge of foundational theories in communication and organizational behaviour to develop their professional written, oral, and interpersonal skills.
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
This is an introductory course which focuses on the key factors which shape work and employment relations in Canada. Topics covered include aspects of labour and employment law, labour relations, human resources management, human behaviour in organizations, and labour markets and labour policies that govern workplace relations.
NOTE Only offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online.
This introductory course will provide students a foundation to understand employment law in Canada. The course will examine the principles of employment law with a primary focus on current provincial and federal legislation affecting human resource management in a non-unionized setting.
NOTE Only offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online.
This course provides an overview of conflict, with a focus on developing the analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills necessary to manage conflict in the workplace. Specifically, it examines the reasons that conflict arises, and how to productively manage conflict across levels (between people, within groups, and between groups).
NOTE Only offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online.
This course will provide an overview of the key components of an effective organizational human resource management system, running the spectrum from recruitment and selection practices that ensure that an organization is staffed appropriately, to management approaches aimed at bringing out the best in employees once hired.
NOTE Only offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
The accelerating pace of market, economic, and technological change present many challenges to modern Canadian workplaces. This course examines how employers, employees, and governments seek to resolve workplace problems. By enacting workplace policies, it is hoped that workplaces maximize productivity while delivering fairness to its workforce.
NOTE Only offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
This course introduces students to employment relations practices and legislative frameworks related to workplace health and wellness. The course examines roles and responsibilities of employers, employees, and unions in occupational health and safety. Students will explore efforts to address stress and promote wellness, including mental health.
The course considers the workplace policies, laws, and human resource management and labour relations practices that advance equity and diversity in the workplace. This course examines the nature and extent of diversity in the Canadian labour force and the implications for establishing and supporting equitable, diverse and productive workforces.
NOTE Only offered online, consult Arts and Science Online.
This in an introductory survey course of theory and research on individual and group processes (including personality, motivation, communication, and leadership), as well as structural and economic forces (including organizational design, power relations, inter-organizational ties, social norms, and laws) that shape the contemporary workplace.
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
This course focuses on the fundamentals of accounting in the operations of the business, the type of information presented in financial statements, and the importance of accounting in relation to HR and employment relations. The course is designed to provide a foundation for HR professionals and other non-financial managers.
The content of this seminar will vary across term and instructor. Topic areas will address issues central to the nature of unionization and may include one of the following: union organizing, collective agreement administration, and the role of labour within the larger social, political, and environmental context. Through course readings, case studies, group work, and independent exercises, students will learn about the role unions play in shaping work-related policies, legislation, and the nature of work itself.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE Commerce and Law students should consult their home faculty before registering in this course.
Topics in Labour and Employment law will provide students with insight into contemporary issues relevant to the study and practice of labour and employment law. Topics and content will vary across terms and instructors. Potential subjects to be covered may include human rights and workplace discrimination, legal aspects of occupational health and safety, and legislation around workplace disability and accommodation.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE Commerce and Law students should consult their home faculty before registering in this course.
This course introduces students to the various models of mediation used in the modern workplace to resolve conflicts, as well as a variety of other emerging alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes. Students are introduced to the theory, process, and practice of workplace mediation.
High performance work systems (HPWS) refer to a series of interrelated practices in the management of human resources. In this course, students will learn how to design, implement, and manage a variety of high performance work practices in accordance with organizational strategy and culture.
Compensation, including direct wages, indirect payments, and employee benefits, is studied in the context of economic and motivational theory, and from the point of view of practice. Topics include strategic perspectives on pay, pay equity legislation, internal equity and alignment of pay structures, external competitiveness, pay for performance.
Human resource (HR) management is an increasingly strategic, evidence-based profession. This topics seminar explores evidence-based HR practice as it relates to functions throughout the HR lifecycle. Subject matter will vary depending on semester and instructor and may include topics such as: workforce planning, employee recruitment, selection, onboarding, training, performance management, and compensation. Students will also have an opportunity to learn about the role human resource management plays in rapidly changing and increasingly diverse workplaces.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE Commerce and Law students should consult their home faculty before registering in this course.
There is increasing recognition of the critical role of managers in shaping key employee attitudes (job satisfaction, motivation, and engagement), with important effects for organizational performance. Students will explore a range of theories and practices that are demonstrated drivers of employee attitudes and organizational success.
This special topics course focuses on issues central to equity, diversity, inclusion and indigeneity (EDII) in the workplace. Students will learn about contemporary demographic trends influencing organizations, evidence-based strategies for promoting EDII goals, and the impact equitable and diverse working conditions have on both individual and organizational outcomes. Course content will vary across terms but may cover such topics as: structural racism and employment relations, disability, accommodations and human rights, Indigenous knowledge, identity, reconciliation and work, and managing identity at work.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE Commerce and Law students should consult their home faculty before registering in this course.
This course introduces students to the foundational logic, metrics, analysis, and interpretation needed to link human resource practices to broader indicators of business strategy and organizational performance. Students will learn to gather, analyze, and interpret HR metrics to make better decisions about managing people in organizations.
Organizational behavior is the study of human behavior in organizational settings, including the interaction between people, the organization, and the environment. Students will learn about the issues that influence people at work, including but not limited to: the theory and practice of leading and managing teams, organizational change and development, drivers of various work attitudes, and employee health and well-being. The specific topic and content of this course will change depending on term and instructor.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE Commerce and Law students should consult their home faculty before registering in this course.