Critical perspectives on employee relations

Thomas Höge and Severin Hornung

Chapter 12 in Handbook of Critical Work and Organizational Psychology, 2026, pp 210-227 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter critically examines how neoliberal ideology has shaped the field of psychological research on the employment relationship. It traces a terminological and conceptual shift from “industrial relations” to “employee relations,” signaling a deeper ideological transformation in the understanding of the employee–employer relationship. We identify three ideologically driven processes that characterize this shift: the psychologization, individualization, and harmonization of research on employee relations. This ideological distortion is illustrated with regard to the predominant underlying theoretical framework in the field, Social Exchange Theory, and three key constructs: organizational commitment, psychological contract, idiosyncratic deals. We advocate for de-ideologizing neoliberal contaminations and re-focusing on perspectives that acknowledge, rather than obscure or negate, fundamental conflicts of interest and antagonisms inherent in the employee–employer relationship. Therefore, we propose a stronger consideration of neo-Marxist Labor Process Theory and suggest a critical repositioning of theorizing and empirical research through conceptual neo-materialization, neo-collectivization, and neo-pluralization.

Keywords: Employment Relationship; Neoliberalism; Psychologization; Individualization; Harmonization; Labor Process Theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035331055
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