What Is an Industrial Relations Practitioner?
An industrial relations practitioner is a trained professional in the field of industrial relations. These professionals act as consultants for both industry management and employee organizations (like unions) during negotiations and day-to-day interactions or communications.
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Industrial Relations
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Industrial relations describes the complex (and sometimes fragile) relationship between industry management and their employees. This term is similar to public relations, but refers specifically to the interactions between employers and employees.
Duties of an industrial relations practitioner
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A practitioner of industrial relations researches industry-specific relationships between employers and employees to best advise either party on how to proceed in negotiations or communications. These individuals often advise management on how to handle employee strikes or other forms of protest.
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Training for an industrial relations practictioner
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While the concept of industrial relations is relatively easy to grasp, successfully implementing this knowledge is no simple task. An industrial relations practitioner must understand the impact of top-level management's decisions on all employees (like pay-cuts or a decrease in benefit). These practitioners are trained in communication (similar to public relations practitioners), human resources (theory and policy) as well as research methodology.
Context of an industrial relations practitioner
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Industrial relations practitioners may work with top-level industry management, or they may consult local or low-level management. These practitioners may be in-house employees, within a human resources department, or temporary consultants hired from an outside firm.
How to become an industrial relations practitioner
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The vast majority of industrial relations practitioners possess at least an undergraduate degree. Many accredited universities and colleges offer courses (or even complete programs) to students who wish to pursue this field of study. Like many careers, any one specific degree is not required to succeed in this field (a public relations professional has many of the same skills that are required of an industrial relations professional).
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