Employment Relations (ER) is closely related to two other fields of practitioner and academic endeavour, namely Industrial Relations (IR) and Human Resource Management (HRM).

ER provides a new paradigm which is better placed to consider the dynamic relationship within workplace settings between participants and other stakeholders.

The study and practice of IR has tended to concentrate on the conflict arising from the contract of employment, and been predominately concerned with systemic issues, although the nature of IR study and practice itself has undergone significant change in line with a movement towards enterprise based, rather than industry based agreements.

HRM, having not evolved until the 1970s, is less clearly defined. However it is generally considered to incorporate a more strategic approach than the operational and administrative approach of Personnel Management.

IR considers collective efforts and responses, and HRM focuses on individual employees and organisations. ER is best able to examine the employment relationship in the context of a range of complex internal and external environments, and offers an umbrella concept to the worker focused IR and the employer focused HRM, and provides the best means of incorporating the concerns and interests of other stakeholder groups.

Source: adapted from Fastenau, M. and Pullin, L. (1995), 'Employment Relations: An Emerging Paradigm', in Fastenau, M. and Pullin, L. (eds.), Employment Relations Theory and Practice: Current Research. Proceedings of the Second Annual Conference of the International Employment Relations Association, Gippsland School of Business, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University.