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WORK1003
Foundations of Work &
Employment
Week 1 Lecture:
Introduction
Lecturer / Unit Coordinator
A/Prof Chris F Wright
Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies
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We acknowledge the tradition of custodianship and law of
the Country on which the University of Sydney campuses
stand. We pay our respects to those who have cared and
continue to care for Country.
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Introducing WORK1003
3
1. Introductions
2. Explain what this Unit is about
3. Overview of Unit structure
4. Teaching, learning and assessments
5. Housekeeping
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Introductions
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Introducing the WORK1003 teaching staff
– Lecturer / Unit coordinator
– Chris F Wright, chris.f.wright@sydney.edu.au
– Tutors
– Emma Lees, emma.lees@sydney.edu.au
– Joseph McIvor, joseph.mcivor@sydney.edu.au
– Vivian Sun, jiayi.sun@sydney.edu.au
Please note that tutorials commence in Week 2 (next week)
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What is this Unit about?
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What is the commonality?
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What is work?
WORK IS:
• A source of income
• A simple economic exchange – or is it?
BUT IT’S MORE. Work is (or can be) . . .
• A social relation
• Personal fulfilment
• A service
• Freedom
• An economic, social and cultural contribution
• A source of identity . . .
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Work as a source of identity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THNPmhBl-8I
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What is work? (Budd, 2011)
• Work is (paid) employment and formal jobs
• Work is (unpaid) care for others, household duties and tasks for family business
• But work isn’t everything, e.g. work does not encompass leisure
• Work can be defined as a “purposeful human activity involving physical or mental
exertion that is not undertaken solely for pleasure and that has economic or
symbolic value” (Budd, 2011: 2)
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Different conceptualisations of work (Budd, 2011: 14)
Work as Definition
A curse An unquestioned burden necessary for human survival or maintenance of the social order
Freedom A way to achieve independence from nature or other humans and to express human creativity
A commodity An abstract quantity of productive effort that has tradable economic value
Occupational citizenship An activity pursued by human members of a community entitled to certain rights
Disutility A lousy activity tolerated to obtain goods and services that provide pleasure
Personal fulfillment Physical and psychological functioning that (ideally) satisfies individual needs
A social relation Human interaction embedded in social norms, institutions, and power structures
Caring for others The physical, cognitive, and emotional effort required to attend to and maintain others
Identity A method for understanding who you are and where you stand in the social structure
Service The devotion of effort to others, such as God, household, community, or country
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“While the specific nature of work has changed significantly throughout
history, work has always been a central feature of human existence”
(Budd, 2011: 18)
“The tremendous debates over capitalism, socialism, and communism over the
past 150 years are not about politics or property, but are about work”
(Budd, 2011: 11)
The importance of work – to society
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Importance of work – to you
 We all work!
 We might manage workers one day
 We might represent/advise workers/managers one day, e.g. career in employment
relations/human resource management
 Work/employment relations has been a lead issue many federal elections in Australia in the
last 20+ years – and it is central to current policy issues
 Work/employment relations issues are in the news every day . . .
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Work issues in the news just last week
 What’s in Labor’s new workplace laws
Australian Financial Review, 8 February 2024
 Smartphones mean we’re always available to our bosses. ‘Right to disconnect’ laws are a necessary fix
The Conversation, 8 February 2024
 Bankers, lawyers and tech workers most likely to be in AI firing line
Sydney Morning Herald, 11 February 2024
 We’re all guessing on WFH, but firms may soon need to pick a side
Australian Financial Review, 12 February 2024
 Five tips to manage your Gen Z workers
Australian Financial Review, 15 February 2024
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What is Employment Relations?
 Definitions of the employment relationship
 “An employment relationship is created whenever one person sells his/her labour to
another person or organisation and thereby works on behalf of that other person
or organisation” (Bray et al., 2018: 15).
 Market transaction: the wages and conditions of work
 Production relation: expectations about how the work will be performed
(Bray et al., 2018: 14-15)
 Definitions of Employment Relations (ER) as a field of scholarship
 “The study of the formal and informal rules which regulate the employment
relationship and the social processes which create and enforce these rules” (Bray et
al., 2018: 19)
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Putting our definition of (and approach to)
Employment Relations in context
 Our approach to ‘employment relations’ encompasses ‘industrial relations’ and ‘human
resource management’
 It explores the practices which are usually associated with each
 It asks about how the two are related to each other
 It focuses on both business and labour (and the state)
 It implies that many institutions, processes and ideas shape the nature of paid work
and the employment relationship
 Changes in employment relationships may also affect organisations and society itself
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What is the employment relationship?
 An economic exchange in the labour market
 But:
 Labour is not (necessarily) a commodity in the same way as other commodities
 Employees bring their ‘labour power’ or capacity to work in return for wages
 Employers hire this capacity to work, not actual work effort
 The management process is crucial to turning ‘labour power’ into labour effort
and productivity – or commitment, effort and compliance
 Employment is a power relationship – employee submits to authority
 Thus the employment relationship is an open ended and an inter-dependent relationship
The employment relationship is:
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The employment relations as ‘contracts of employment’
Legal
contract
Psychological
contract
Social
contract
 A legal relationship or contract between an employee and
employer;
 A psychological contract between an employee and employer;
 "The perceptions of both parties to the employment
relationship, organisation and individual, of the reciprocal
promises and obligations implied in that relationship"
(Guest, 2007)
 A social contract that sits within a range of
 contextual factors (society, economy, ideas)
 and institutions (organisations themselves, employer
associations, governments, courts, unions etc)
 that regulate the employment relationship and some of the
many issues that arise in that relationship (e.g. recruitment,
pay, performance etc).
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WORK1003 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
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Unit structure
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Core issues and concepts
 Work, workplaces, the labour market
 The employment relationship (and contract)
 The parties in employment relations (actors and institutions)
 Regulation of employment relations
 The management of people
To understand these, we first need to understand the context in which issues and concepts occur, the
ideologies and theories that can help us explain them and the rules that govern the behaviour of key
actors (the state, employers, workers and their representatives)
We start big (context, theory and actors) then narrow focus to workplace issues (pay, performance etc)
and conclude by looking forward
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Recruitment &
Selection
Training &
Development
Pay &
Performance
Contexts
Ideologies/
theories
Rules
Employers &
Employer Associations
Workers & Unions
The State
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Weekly topics
Week Topic
1 Introduction: What is work? What is employment relations?
2 The changing context of work and employment relations
3 Ideologies in work and employment relations
4 Interrogating work and employment relations ideologies
5 Writing convincing critical essays
6 The state and the regulatory framework
7 Employers and employer associations
8 Workers and trade unions
9 No classes - reading week (Critical essay due Friday 26 April)
10 Recruitment, selection and development
11 Pay and performance
12 Contemporary challenges in work and employment
13 Conclusion, unit overview and exam preparation
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Teaching, learning and
assessments
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Canvas – the online learning system
 You can access the WORK1003 Canvas site by logging in directly at
canvas.sydney.edu.au.
WORK1003 is on Canvas
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How this Unit will be taught
1. Online prerecorded lectures
– Covering core content
– Watch these on Canvas in ‘Modules’ tab no later than Monday 8.00am
each week
2. On-campus lecture – Monday 3.00pm each week
– Explain and apply core content, opportunity to discuss and ask questions
3. Tutorials
– Covering core readings and discussion questions in smaller group setting
– Tutorials start in Week 2 (next week)
– Please attend your timetabled tutorial
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Advice from recent students
“Learning in the lecture session and tutorials will be greatly facilitated by making time to listen to the
modules and doing the readings. Make sure this is done in advance”
“Stay on top of the online modules from the beginning - when you fall behind it is very difficult to catch
up. Don't spend too much time trying to take notes on every single thing said in the online modules, as it is
important you understand the content first, the videos don't go anywhere so you can always go back”
“It is great - take advantage of it. You save so much time doing notes before the On-Campus Lecture
which is great because you go into the lecture AND tutorials ready! Great way to get participation
marks and you actually know what the teacher is talking about”
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Core resources
 Read the Unit of Study Outline and the Tutorial Guide
 Required readings and discussion questions
 Available via the WORK1003 Canvas site
 Get / Access the textbook
 Bray, M., Waring, P., Cooper, R. and MacNeil, J. (2018) Employment Relations: Theory and Practice (4e),
McGraw-Hill: Sydney, Australia.
 Available for purchase online. Make sure to use the 4th edition and not any earlier version of the book.
 http://sydney.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?&context=L&vid=61USYD_INST:sydney&sear
ch_scope=MyInst_and_CI&isFrbr=true&tab=Everything&docid=alma991031501116105106
 Complete the Week 2 Online Module before next week’s On-Campus Lecture, available on Canvas
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Assessment Structure
Assessment Name Work Type Word length Weight Due Date
Quiz Individual N/A 10% Week 3 Lecture –
Monday 4 March 3pm
Tutorial participation Individual N/A 10% Weeks 3-13
Tutorial
Presentation/facilitation
Group N/A 10% Weeks 6-8 and 10-12
Critical essay response
development
Individual 300 10% Thursday 28 March
Critical essay Individual 1,100 30% Friday 26 April
Final Exam Individual N/A 30% Final Exam Period
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Housekeeping
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Tutorials
 Only attend the tutorial in your timetable
 ED discussion board created to discuss tutorial content and support each other (peer-learning)
Need to change your class, you need to it yourself
https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/timetables.html
Special Consideration
 UoS Coordinator and Tutors do not grant extensions
 All requests for special consideration for any assessment in this unit must be made via Sydney Student
 However, there are provisions for ‘simple extensions’
 NB - time limits apply so don’t delay applying
 NB - this includes for tutorials
 https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/special-consideration.html
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Use of AI is not permitted in assessments
– You are not permitted to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT etc.
to generate material that will be submitted for your WORK1003 assessments.
– AI tools cannot be relied upon to generate responses that will adequately
address the requirements of the assessments. Their undeclared use will be
reported as a major breach of policy for investigation.
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How do you ask for help overall?
• Student Support
• Counselling & Psychological Services (CAPS)
• Peer-assisted study sessions
• Library workshops and support
• Learning Hub workshops
How do you ask for help in this Unit?
1. Ask your tutor during tutorials
2. Make an appointment to see me (chris.f.wright@sydney.edu.au)
Do ask for help if you think you need it!
Getting help
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Welcome to Canvas
The University is using Canvas as a
blackboard service to support your
learning
 Access Canvas at
canvas.sydney.edu.au or
the Current students website
 Login with your Unikey and password
 Download the Canvas Student app to
access your learning content
anywhere, any time!
Dashbo
ard
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Set up your notifications
 Set up your Notifications
appropriately to receive important
announcements and alerts
 Add you mobile number to receive
SMS alerts
 Choose when you want to receive
notifications
 Do NOT completely turn off your
notifications! You may receive
assessment and other important
information through this channel.
student@uni.sydney.ed.au
+ 61 123 456 789
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Find your units
 All units you are currently enrolled in
can be found in your Dashboard
 Units of study are called “Courses”
in Canvas
 Use the Calendar to view important
dates including assessment due
dates
 You will be able to access your units
of study in Canvas for the entire
time that you are a student at the
University.
Dashbo
ard
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Access your unit of study content
 View Announcements from your unit
coordinator and other teachers
 Unit content may be organised under
Modules
 Submit and view Assignments
 View your grades and feedback under
Marks
 Contribute to Discussions with your peers
and teachers
 Each coordinator will organise their content
differently, so the items you see in this menu
will differ across your units of study.
Announcem
ents
Modules
Assignm
ents
Marks
Discussi
ons
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Visit the Student Canvas Guide
When you are ready to get started, head to
the Student Canvas Guide:
 Learn how to navigate Canvas
 Get answers to FAQs from other
students
 Find information on tools
such as Echo360 (lecture recordings)
Studio (videos)
and Turnitin (assignment submission)
 Access solutions to common
IT issues
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Still have questions?
 For unit-specific help
(e.g. questions about learning resources, assessments,
classes; issues with study):
 Talk to your tutor or unit coordinator
 Email: chris.f.wright@sydney.edu.au
 For IT help
(e.g. issues using Canvas; login problems):
 Visit our Student Canvas Guide
 Live Chat with Canvas Support under the
“Help” menu in your Canvas site
 Call the IT Helpdesk
02 9351 2000 / +61 2 9351 2000
(option 2 then option 3)
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Do you have a disability that impacts on your
studies?
You may not think of yourself as having a ‘disability’ but the
definition under the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) is
broad and includes temporary or chronic medical conditions,
physical or sensory disabilities, psychological conditions and
learning disabilities.
The types of disabilities we see include:
Anxiety // Arthritis // Asthma // Autism // ADHD
Bipolar disorder // Broken bones // Cancer
Cerebral palsy // Chronic fatigue syndrome
Crohn’s disease // Cystic fibrosis // Depression Diabetes //
Dyslexia // Epilepsy // Hearing impairment // Learning
disability // Mobility impairment // Multiple sclerosis //
Post-traumatic stress // Schizophrenia // Vision impairment
and much more.
In order to get assistance, students need to register with
Inclusion and Disability Services. It is advisable to do this as
early as possible. Please contact us or review our website to
find out more.
Inclusion and Disability
Services Office
sydney.edu.au/disability
02-8627-8422
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- Core value of the University of Sydney, in both education and research.
- Doing the 'right thing' even when things seem difficult
- Contributing your own original work to group work and properly acknowledging the
work of other people
- Committing fully to participating in group discussions and meeting agreed deadlines
- Legitimate cooperation that is open and transparent
- Understanding the integrity expectations for online exams
- More information: https://sydney.edu.au/students/academic-integrity.html
Academic integrity
Get the
most out of
your degree
studies!
Strategies to act with academic integrity
– Know your
strengths and
understand
what skills
you need to
develop
– Quoting,
paraphrasing
and
referencing;
Using citations
and references
– Planning
and time
manage
ment
Knowing when
and who to
ask for help
– Citations and
reference
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Learning resources
• Learning Centre:
https://sydney.edu.au/st
udents/learning-
centre.html
• Study skills at the
University:
https://sydney.edu.au/st
udents/browse.html?cat
egory=your-
studies&topic=study-
skills
• Library:
https://library.sydney.ed
u.au/
• Special
consideration
and
arrangement:
https://sydney.edu.au/st
udents/special-
consideration.html
• Disability
support:
https://sydney.edu.au/st
udents/disability-
support.html
• Counselling and
mental health support:
https://sydney.edu.au/st
udents/counselling-and-
mental-health-
support.html
• Student
Representatives
Council:
http://srcusyd.net.au/src
-help/
• Peer-assisted study
sessions
https://sydney.edu.au/st
udents/pass.html
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Get a head start on finding
information for your
assignments!
Check out the library’s free online course
Make a Strong Start to develop searching
skills on how to find academic research!
Self-enrol via: bit.ly/MASScourse
The Library is also running a series of free
zoom workshops. Some classes are offered
in Mandarin. For more details and to
register, go to: bit.ly/BUSLIB