Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course covers certain "hard" practices in human resources management, i.e., aspects related to optimizing, controlling, and regulating the human factor within an organization. The unit is structured around three main themes:
- Contract management: legal status and obligations, contract termination processes, contractual clauses, strategic workforce management.
- Compensation: legal obligations, transparency, fixed and variable compensation, extra-legal benefits, payroll processes, and digitization.
- Working time management: regulations, recording and monitoring of working time, issues of flexibility and autonomy, and digitization.
- the hard approach (control, optimization, performance)
- the soft approach (commitment, development, well-being), in order to understand how they interact and the tensions between them in HR practice.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand the distinction between "hard" and "soft" HRM styles and their practical application in the studied HR practices.
- Be familiar with the main legal frameworks and management tools related to contracts, compensation, and working hours.
- Apply basic calculation and analysis methods (reading and comparing contracts, calculating pay slips, drawing up working time schedules in accordance with legal requirements).
- Critically analyze the organizational and human effects of "hard" and "soft" HR practices.
- Collect and analyze the testimonials of HR professionals, distinguishing between the hard and soft dimensions of the practices described.
- Recommend changes based on the analysis and understanding of specific organizational issues.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
/
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
- Theoretical presentations (introduction to concepts, legal frameworks, academic models).
- Case studies and practical exercises: contract analysis, payroll calculation, work schedule development.
- Preparatory scientific readings (academic articles) discussed in class.
- Testimonials from HR professionals (to be confirmed) followed by critical analysis in groups.
- Homework: preparation of reading summaries, hard/soft analysis grids applied to testimonials.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
The course is organized in person. Some additional materials will be available via the LOL@ platform.
In the event of a student's absence, any test organized as part of the continuous assessment will be marked as zero.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- LOL@
Further information:
Course materials (slides) available on LOL@.
Required reading (scientific articles, gray literature) indicated throughout the course.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire ) AND oral exam
Further information:
First session:
The assessment will take the form of a written exam covering all the material covered in class, divided as follows:
- Multiple-choice questions.
- Open-ended case study questions.
The assessment will take the form of a written exam covering all the material covered in class.
During the second session, points earned during the continuous assessment will not be carried over.
The assessment methods for the second session will vary depending on the number of students enrolled:
- If the number of students is less than or equal to 30, the exam will be oral and will cover all of the material.
- If the number of students is greater than 30, the exam will be written and will also cover all of the material.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Before contacting the teacher regarding the content or terms of the course, students are invited to follow the following steps independently:
1. Consult the course materials and their own notes to check if the answer to the question is already there.
2. Exchange with fellow students via the discussion space on the course page (Lola) to benefit from peer collaboration.
3. Ask their question during class sessions so that the entire class can benefit from it and the exchanges can enrich collective learning.
For any individual request by email, a response time of five working days should be expected. If no response is received after this period, students may consider sending a follow-up.
Pr. Frédéric NAEDENOEN,
LENTIC / HEC Liège, Ecole de Gestion de l'Université de Liège,
Bâtiment N1d (HEC) / LENTIC,
Tél.: + 32 4 366 30 70,
E-Mail: FNaedenoen@uliege.be