Recession at Work ─ HRM in the Irish Crisis

How has the recession affected the conduct of human resource management? How have HR departments and managers fared? Have leading firms taken measures to sustain and revive their businesses through innovative HR measures? How have union representation and influence been affected? Is the recession reshaping work and employment practices?

These are among the questions answered in Recession at Work, the first systematic study in Europe to deal with the effects of the economic crisis on people at work. Drawing on survey data for Ireland provided by nearly 500 managers responsible for human resources, on focus groups of HR managers and trade union officials, and on detailed case studies of six major firms, the book provides an unrivalled picture of the effects of the current recession on how people are managed and how they are represented by trade unions. Examining the effects of the Irish recession on work and employment in the context of international experience and commentary, this book provides detailed information and analysis on the ways in which firms have sought to handle the challenges that have arisen since the severe reverse in Ireland’s economic fortunes in 2008.

William K. Roche is Professor of Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the School of Business, University College Dublin and Honorary Professor at the School of Management, Queen's University Belfast. His most recent books are Managing Workplace Conflict in Ireland (with Deborah Hahn and Paul Teague), and Partnership at Work: The Quest for Radical Organizational Change,(with John Geary), Routledge, 2006.

Paul Teague is Professor of Management at the Management School, Queen’s University Belfast. He is author of Employment Standard-Setting and Dispute Resolution in the Republic of Ireland (with Damian Thomas) and Managing Workplace Conflict in Ireland (with Deborah Hahn and Bill Roche).

Anne Coughlan is a part-time lecturer in the Smurfit School of Business, University College Dublin. She worked for the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (IBEC) for more than twenty years, as both Senior Research Executive and as Head of the Research and Survey Unit. Since setting up her own HR research consultancy business in 2006, Sonrai HR Research, she has undertaken work on behalf of a number of multinational and voluntary/community sector organisations.

Majella Fahy is a lecturer in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management at the School of Business, University College Dublin. She is a graduate of the University of Dublin, Trinity College and holds a PhD from University College Dublin. Prior to joining the Industrial Relations and Human Resources Group at UCD she was a Newman Scholar at the Centre for Quality and Service Excellence, and undertook research on commitment-oriented HR strategies. Before pursuing an academic career she worked as a HR manager. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.