HR: Foundations of Employee Relations

Certificate ID: HRC03
Establish work/life balance initiatives and create a more positive workforce. Examine situations from legal, organizational, and cultural perspectives to improve organizational efficiency.

Description

In today’s fast-paced culture, creating an environment in which employees feel valued is an increasingly critical component of success. More than ever, Human Resources professionals must help organizations strike a balance between employees’ work lives and personal lives, while maintaining organizational efficiency.

eCornell has partnered with the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) to develop the Human Resources: Employee Relations certificate. Participants in the certificate series learn strategies for effective communication and investigating and establishing work/life balance initiatives to create a more positive workplace environment.

HR professionals and managers alike will benefit from the skills and suggestions presented in this six-course certificate. Because situations are examined from legal, organizational, and cultural contexts, even the most seasoned professionals will learn something new.

Who Should Take This Certificate?

The Human Resources Employee Relations Certificate is appropriate for Human Resource employees and managers seeking a richer, deeper understanding of policies and practices related to employee relations from a leading Ivy League institution.

Enrollment

To register, contact an Enrollment Counselor at info@ecornell.com or 1-866-326-7635 (+1-607-330-3200 from outside the United States).

Certificate programs are eligible for eCornell Payment Plans. Discounts are available for military personnel, veterans, and Cornell University Alumni. eCornell programs are not eligible for financial aid or federal Pell Grants. Contact an enrollment counselor for more information.

Courses in this Certificate

• Issues and Concepts in Equal Employment Opportunities Law
  • In today's litigious workplace environment, being on top of legal issues that directly affect individual employees and your organization is critical to your success as an HR professional. This course will introduce you to the relationship between Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) laws, Affirmative Action (AA) laws, and the concept of Diversity. With our case study approach, you will not only learn about relevant federal, state, and local laws, but also be able to apply them to daily operations and special situations.
    Course Format

    eCornell takes a problem-based approach to learning, and our courses are built around realistic case studies and scenarios. All courses are self-paced, and are facilitated by an eCornell instructor, who leads the online discussions and is available to answer specific questions about the course content.

    This course contains the following modules:

    • Putting Employment Laws into Context
      • The Layers of Employee Rights
      • Assessing Employee Relations Legal Issues
    • EEO, Affirmative Action, and Diversity
      • Overview of EEO, AA, and Diversity
      • Title VII and the ADEA
      • Disabilities
      • Harassment
      • Common Questions HR Professionals Encounter
    
    
    
    Benefits to the Learner

    After completing this course, participants will be able to:

    • Describe the relationship between laws, court cases, agreements, and policies and procedures related to employment issues
    • Describe EEO, AA, and Diversity as well as some of the key legal aspects of each law or policy
    • Recognize EEO, AA, and Diversity issues within your workplace
    • Conduct investigations into EEO, AA, and Diversity issues by identifying questions and information you will need to gather
    • Organize information needed by legal experts when seeking advice about EEO, AA, and Diversity matters
    • Develop strategies for helping your organization comply proactively with EEO, AA, and Diversity laws and policies
    • Putting Employment Laws into Context
    
    
• Employment Laws for the HR Professional
  • In today's litigious workplace environment, being on top of legal issues that directly affect individual employees and your organization is critical to your success as an HR professional. This course will introduce you to OSHA, FLSA, FMLA, NLRA, and state laws, what they cover, how they apply, and how to recognize and handle issues pertaining to these laws in the workplace. With our case study approach, you will not only grasp relevant federal, state, and local laws, but also be able to apply them to daily operations and special situations.
    Course Format

    eCornell takes a problem-based approach to learning, and our courses are built around realistic case studies and scenarios. All courses are self-paced, and are facilitated by an eCornell instructor, who leads the online discussions and is available to answer any questions about the course content.

    This course contains the following modules:

    • Exploring Individual Laws
      • Key employment laws and theories for FMLA, FLSA, OSHA, NLRA, and related state and local laws
      • Identifying and organizing information needed in order to seek advice from a legal expert on issues surrounding these laws
      • Strategies for helping an organization comply proactively with these laws
    • Exploring Multiple Laws
      • Identifying the legal issues surrounding FMLA, FLSA, OSHA, NLRA, and related state and local laws that may apply to complex workplace situations
      • Asking the right questions to determine which employment laws may apply to complex workplace situations
      • Gathering the necessary information to help in the legal analysis of situations involving multiple laws
    
    
    
    Benefits to the Learner

    After completing this course, participants will be able to:

    • Describe FMLA, FLSA, OSHA, NLRA, and state and local laws, as well as some of the key legal aspects of each law or policy
    • Recognize workplace issues related to FMLA, FLSA, OSHA, NLRA, and state and local laws
    • Conduct investigations into workplace issues involving one or more of these laws by identifying questions and information you will need to gather
    • Organize information needed by legal experts when seeking advice about FMLA, FLSA, OSHA, NLRA, and state and local matters
    • Develop strategies for helping your organization comply proactively with FMLA, FLSA, OSHA, NLRA, and state and local laws and policies
    
    
• Organizational Culture and Work/Life Balance
  • This course covers how to develop a strong employee relations program that inspires people to deliver maximum levels of performance, models the company culture, and carries out your corporate strategy.

    The course uses an interactive case study simulation to address many of these topics.

    Course Format
    eCornell takes a problem-based approach to learning, and builds each course around realistic case studies and scenarios. All courses are self-paced, and are facilitated by an eCornell instructor, who leads the online discussions and is available to answer any questions about the course content.

    This course contains the following modules:

    • The World of Employee Relations
    • The role of the HR practitioner with respect to employee relations
    • Internal and external factors impacting employee relations
    • Sources of employee relations issues and concerns
    • Employee relations programs/strategies in your organization
    • Organizational Culture
    • Organizational culture and its connection to employee relations
    • Strategies to resolve conflicts between personal values and organizational values
    • The role of employee relations in addressing discrepancies between organizational and personal values
    • Work/Life Balance
    • The relationship between employee relations and work/life balance
    • Factors driving the trend toward increased focus on work/life balance issues on the part of both employees and employers
    • Implementing work/life balance programs

    
    
    
    Benefits to the Learner
    After completing this course, you will be able to:

    • Identify and analyze factors within the organization--including behaviors, lack of harmony between organizational and personal values, and others--that may give rise to employee relations issues and concerns
    • Assess the impact of organizational culture on employee relations
    • Identify and implement components of effective ER strategies and practices

    
    
• Communicating and Coaching and Counseling for Improved Performance
  • This course covers the relationship between effective communication and coaching and counseling to employee relations. The course uses an interactive case study simulation to address many of the topics.

    Participants will examine the ways communication occurs in an organization, communication styles, and techniques for gathering information. The second part of the course explores appropriate uses of coaching and counseling, and also addresses workplace violence, a related topic that must be addressed by HR professionals.

    Course Format
    eCornell takes a problem-based approach to learning, and builds each course around realistic case studies and scenarios. All courses are self-paced, and are facilitated by an eCornell instructor, who leads the online discussions and is available to answer specific questions about the course content. This course contains the following modules:

    • Communicating to Enhance Employee Relations
    • Four basic communication styles, and the connection between communication styles and communication problems
    • Using appropriate communication styles to address employee relations issues
    • Effective communication techniques
    • Methods of information gathering
    • The relationship between communication practices and employee relations

    • Coaching and Counseling for Improved Performance
    • The steps involved in coaching and counseling
    • Benefits of coaching and counseling from both an employee's and manager's perspective
    • Coaching and counseling techniques for specific situations

    
    
    
    Benefits to the Learner
    After completing this course, participants will be able to:

    • Utilize effective communication strategies to evaluate and resolve employee concerns and issues
    • Utilize effective coaching and counseling techniques and discipline strategies for improved performance
    • Discuss measures for preventing violence in the workplace

    
    
• The Impact of Personality Styles on Communication
  • Interpersonal communication is one of the most challenging and important aspects of a successful career. It is essential for leaders and managers to understand the basics of communications, their own communication styles, the critical role of emotional intelligence, and the impact of all of this on their co-workers and their organization. In this course, participants will learn why good interpersonal communication skills are so important, how personality styles affect personal communication styles, and how this understanding can improve one’s ability to work with and manage employees.
    Course Format
    eCornell takes a problem-based approach to learning, and builds each course around realistic case studies and scenarios. All courses are self-paced, and are facilitated by an eCornell instructor, who leads the online discussions and is available to answer specific questions about the course content. This course contains the following modules:

    • Effective Communication
    • Competencies of good communication
    • Benefits of improved communication in the workplace and elsewhere
    • Emotional intelligence and how it relates to communication competencies
    • Communication Preferences
    • The impact of the four Myers-Briggs scales
    • Effects of personality type on methods of communication
    • Work preferences for a variety of Myers-Briggs types
    • The effect of various response styles in different work place situations
    • Listening
    • Skills needed to listen actively
    • The role of nonverbal communication in listening

    
    
    
    Benefits to the Learner
    After completing this course, participants will be able to:

    • Increase awareness of, and ability to manage, workplace communication behaviors
    • Understand the influence of personality type on communication
    • Develop strategies for effective listening
    • Sustain positive rapport during difficult discussions
    • Manage nonverbal messages
    • Give constructive feedback

    
    
• Managing Communication Challenges
  • Interpersonal communication is often one of the most challenging aspects of a career. To communicate successfully, professionals need to find a balanced approach to dealing with difficult people or conversations. One must be assertive enough to avoid being taken advantage of, but not so aggressive that he or she alienates or upsets co-workers. In this course, participants will learn how to be assertive and professional when dealing with challenging conversations and people. They will also learn how to analyze and make use of criticism to improve their skills and abilities.
    Course Format
    eCornell takes a problem-based approach to learning, and builds each course around realistic case studies and scenarios. All courses are self-paced, and are facilitated by an eCornell instructor, who leads the online discussions and is available to answer specific questions about the course content. This course contains the following modules:

    • Assertive Communication Skills
    • Optimizing your message and your meaning when it's your turn to speak
    • Assertive communication skills
    • Coping with communication anxiety
    • Managing criticism
    • Communicating with Difficult People
    • Decreasing defensiveness in a challenging situation
    • Remaining assertive during challenging conversations
    • Analyzing difficult people
    • Building rapport
    • Non-verbal factors that influence challenging communication

    
    
    
    Benefits to the Learner
    After completing this course, participants will be able to:

    • Demonstrate the skills needed to communicate in an assertive manner in all situations
    • Identify how to manage and cope with criticism
    • Identify how to manage and cope with communication anxiety
    • Use feedback to improve professionalism
    • Identify skills for clearly communicating ideas, thoughts, and feelings in challenging conversations
    • Create a plan for conducting a challenging conversation
    • Demonstrate an understanding of how non-verbal behavior can be used effectively in a challenging conversation
    • Identify effective methods for dealing with difficult people and situations

    
    

Accreditation

Participants who successfully complete all six courses in this series receive a Human Resources: Employee Relations Certificate from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) will give .6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to each student who successfully completes each course. Students can apply to the ILR school for the CEU units after they have successfully completed the courses.

HRCI Recertification

The courses in this certificate series have each been approved for six (6) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute. Please contact the Human Resource Certificate Institute (HRCI) for further information about certification or recertification.

Technical Requirements

With all eCornell courses, access is easy. Participants only need a computer and an Internet connection. To view specific technology requirements, visit our Technology Requirements page.

 
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