Labor Relations at the University in the Context of Global Uncertainty

Abstract

The society perceives the universities for centuries as centers of knowledge and education. These days, teachers increasingly become under the press to satisfy their stakeholders’ requirements—students, employers, and public institutions. The paper aims to analyze labor relations at university stemming from the globalized education market accelerated by uncertainty. It illustrates teachers’ labor relations on examples from the Czech University and defines areas for improvement. Research methodology uses a triangular analysis. Based on in-depth desk analysis in secondary sources, focusing on the Web of Science database, it collects primary data by two unstructured interviews, a focus group, and long-term personal observations. The subject is personnel/human resource management applied for managing teachers’ labor relations at one Czech University. Findings show that public and university regulations determine employment contracts and labor relations. The growing pressure of the external factors means that individual labor relations are closer to the characteristics of the private sector and create uncertainty. Employment is fixed term for most teachers, pay depends on individual performance, and career progression depends on visibility in the international scientific community. The retention and work motivation of teachers must use best practices, which have proven themselves in human resource management in high-tech business.