Industrial Relations Essay Topics: Research Guide

About the essay assignment

You will research and complete an essay on a topic that pertains to industrial relations. It should be approximately 1500 words in length, double-spaced, and in 12-point font. You must cite at least four scholarly research sources in your essay and use an acceptable citation method. Such sources include books, journal articles, government websites, and other resources that can be proven to have academic validity

You have access to the York University library system, which includes an enormous amount of good online content:

Here is a list of possible essay topics:

1. Demographic change in non-union or unionized workplaces (or a comparison). This can also be examined within the context of either public or private sector workplaces.

2. Gender in the workplace (this can be approached in many different ways).

3. Race and ethnicity in the workplace (this can also be analyzed from a range of perspectives).

4. Labor and employment law. For example, you could examine the development and impact of a state or federal labor or employment law and its impact. You could then propose how the law in question could be altered to improve its impact.

5. Immigration (this, too, can be approached in many different ways).

6. Technological change. For instance, what is the impact of current technological change on one industry or occupation (health care is always a good place to look)? How has technological change altered the education requirements in that industry or occupation?

7. Companies and/or unions and electoral politics.

8. Companies and/or unions and the policy-making process. For instance, how do companies and/or unions identify issues and formulate policies? How do they implement those policies?

9. Labor and employment policy formation in the public sector vs. the private sector.

10. Political party policy and the workplace. For example, how do the two main parties

approach one or two employment issues? Whose policy seems the most workable?

11. The effect of local, provincial, or federal policy on labor and employment. This is often best handled through a case study.

12. Work/life balance issues. For example, studies shows that many workers are more interested in having time away from work. How will this impact organizational effectiveness? How does it impact recruiting?

13. Youth employment issues (also linked to demographics).

14. Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgendered labor and employment issues.

15. Environmental issues and the workplace (for example, Green Jobs and Green Industries).

16. Globalization (this is another topic that is open to a range of analyses).

17. Job training (and retraining). This is a perenially relevant topic that receives a particular amount of attention during times of economic distress. The main question is: does it work? If so, what type of training works best? How should it be delivered?

18. Workplace privacy. Employers, public and private, want to monitor what their employees are doing at work. Consequently, technology provides a lot of methods for workplace monitoring. Is a lot of monitoring needed? What effect does it have on workplaces?

19. Outsourcing (and insourcing). This is often linked to Globalization, but it is always a relevant topic.

20. The Canadian workplace in an international perspective. This is also often linked to Globalization.

21. Labor and employments issues and policies in other countries. For example, what impact does labor and employment policy in China or India have on workers in those countries and in other countries?

22. Casualization. What is the impact of having more people working part-time or on contract? What does it mean for workers and employers?

23. Retirement plans and the workplace.