Employee relations: a comprehensive theory based literature review and future research agenda

This study aims to conduct a systematic and integrative literature review to consolidate the extensive information on employee relations accumulated over the past century, thereby offering new insights into domain-specific phenomena. The research followed a four-phase search strategy in accordance with the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews (SPAR-4-SLR) protocol. The keyword search utilized terms such as 'employee relations,' 'employee relation,' 'employment relation,' and 'employment relations' in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. By employing an integrative approach along with specific inclusion-exclusion criteria, the researchers synthesized articles from leading journals in the field of employee relations, categorizing them based on geographical region, article types, prominent authors and their affiliations, and the most cited research articles. In the final stage, the researchers presented new insights through a conceptual framework utilizing the ADO-TCCM approach, which encompasses antecedents, outcomes, theories, context, methodology, mediators, and moderators of employee relations. This study synthesizes findings and reorganizes key themes into innovative frameworks, providing fresh perspectives on various aspects of employee relations. Ultimately, it offers valuable insights into the critical factors that strengthen long-term employee-employer relationships.