Business · Year 12

Active learning ideas

Improving Employer-Employee Relations

Delve into the crucial dynamics of the workplace by examining how businesses manage their most valuable asset: their people.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• AQA AS-Level Business (7131): 3.6.5 Improving employer-employee relations

• 45–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 45 min · Pairs

Conflict Resolution Role-Play

Students work in pairs to role-play a common workplace conflict, such as a dispute over holiday allocation or working hours. One student acts as the manager and the other as the employee, attempting to resolve the issue using different strategies (e.g., negotiation, mediation).

Explain the role of a trade union in representing employee interests.

Facilitation Tip

Provide students with a brief scenario and prompt cards outlining different resolution tactics to guide their interaction.

What to look for

An essay question based on a case study, requiring students to evaluate the most effective strategies a business could use to improve its poor employer-employee relations.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 60 min · Small Groups

Case Study Analysis: A Recent UK Strike

In small groups, students research a recent high-profile industrial dispute in the UK, for example, involving rail workers or NHS staff. They should identify the causes of the dispute, the methods used by the trade union, the employer's response, and the final outcome.

Analyse the benefits to a business of maintaining positive employer-employee relations.

Facilitation Tip

Encourage groups to present their findings, comparing the different disputes to identify common themes and tactics.

What to look for

A 'pros and cons' grid activity where students, in pairs, list the advantages and disadvantages of trade union membership from the perspective of an employee and an employer.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 50 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Are Trade Unions Still Relevant in the 21st Century?

Divide the class into two sides to debate the modern role and relevance of trade unions. Students should prepare arguments considering factors like declining membership, the rise of the gig economy, and new workplace challenges.

Evaluate the different approaches a manager could take to resolve a conflict with an employee.

Facilitation Tip

Act as a neutral moderator, ensuring students support their points with evidence rather than just opinion.

What to look for

Students complete a traffic light self-assessment, rating their confidence in explaining key concepts like conciliation, arbitration, and collective bargaining.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin by establishing the historical context of UK industrial relations, perhaps using a timeline of key legislation and disputes. Use contrasting case studies of conflict (e.g., recent strikes) and collaboration (e.g., partnership agreements) to bring theoretical concepts to life. Throughout, encourage students to consider the perspectives of all stakeholders: managers, employees, unions, and even customers.

Students will be able to analyse the complex relationship between employers and employees and evaluate the strategies used to foster a productive and harmonious work environment.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Trade unions only exist to organise strikes and cause trouble for businesses.

  While organising industrial action is a function, the primary role of unions is to represent and support their members. This includes collective bargaining for better pay and conditions, providing legal advice, ensuring health and safety standards are met, and offering training, often working collaboratively with employers to prevent disputes.

• Good employer-employee relations just means being friendly to staff.

  While a positive atmosphere is helpful, effective employer-employee relations is a strategic function. It involves formal systems like clear communication channels, fair grievance and disciplinary procedures, and structures for employee involvement like works councils, all designed to build mutual trust and align employee efforts with business objectives.

• A works council is the same as a trade union.

  A trade union is an independent organisation of workers that represents its members across many different employers. A works council is an internal body within a single business, composed of representatives from both management and non-management employees, focused on discussing company-specific issues.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Role Play
• Case Study Analysis
• Formal Debate