Industrial relations training for line managers builds the people-handling skills plant and operations managers need: resolving grievances early, managing discipline fairly, talking constructively with unions and worker representatives, leading mixed permanent, fixed-term and contract workforces, and preventing disputes. Bodhih designs it with the ADDIE model, aligned to each company's policies. It is training, not legal advice.
- Recommended: 2 days in person, or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, plus shop-floor application
- Level: Intermediate · In person · Live virtual · Blended
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: IR training for line managers, employee relations training for supervisors, industrial relations management program, union management skills training
Where and how: industrial relations training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why line managers are the front line of industrial relations
Most industrial relations issues start small on the shop floor: a shift allocation, an unexplained deduction or a remark in front of the crew. How the line manager responds in the first hour often decides whether it becomes a formal dispute.
India's four labour codes, in force since 21 November 2025, have changed how employers work with fixed-term and contract workers and how disputes are resolved. HR and legal teams handle compliance; industrial relations training prepares line managers to handle the people side well.
India's four labour codes became effective on 21 November 2025, consolidating 29 central labour laws.
Under the codes, fixed-term employees receive benefits equal to permanent workers, with gratuity eligibility after one year.
What participants will be able to do
Resolve grievances early
Listen, investigate and respond to worker concerns quickly, within company procedures, before they escalate.
Manage discipline fairly
Handle misconduct through consistent, documented steps that follow the company's standing orders and principles of natural justice.
Work constructively with unions
Hold respectful, prepared conversations with union and worker representatives while staying within their authority.
Lead a mixed workforce
Manage permanent, fixed-term and contract workers fairly on the same floor and escalate contractor issues correctly.
Spot early warning signs
Recognise signals of unrest, such as absenteeism spikes or informal gatherings, and act through the right channels.
Communicate change on the floor
Explain new policies, shift patterns or labour-code-related changes clearly and handle questions honestly.
Who should attend
- Plant heads, production managers and shift in-charges in manufacturing
- Supervisors and team leaders managing workmen and contract workers
- Warehouse, logistics and facility managers with large frontline teams
- IR and HR business partners who support line managers on the floor
- Engineers and managers newly posted to unionised plants
- Operations leaders in mining, construction, utilities and process industries
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01Industrial relations and the line managerModule 1 · 90 min+
- What industrial relations covers and why it starts on the floor
- Roles of line managers, HR, IR and legal
- How the new labour codes shift expectations of managers
- Self-assessment of current IR habits and risks
02Grievance handlingModule 2 · 2 hours+
- Listening fully before responding
- Fact-finding without taking sides
- Using the company grievance procedure and timelines
- Role-play: a disputed overtime and shift allocation complaint
03Discipline with fairnessModule 3 · 2 hours+
- Standing orders, code of conduct and consistency
- Principles of natural justice in everyday discipline
- Documenting incidents and show-cause steps correctly
- When and how to involve HR and IR
04Working with unions and worker representativesModule 4 · 2 hours+
- Understanding the union's role and pressures
- Preparing for a floor-level discussion
- Staying within your authority and avoiding verbal commitments
- Practice: a tense conversation with a union representative
05Managing permanent, fixed-term and contract workersModule 5 · 90 min+
- Fair treatment on a mixed shop floor
- Working with contractors and their supervisors
- Escalating contractor compliance concerns
- Avoiding practices that create IR risk
06Preventing disputes and communicating changeModule 6 · 90 min+
- Early warning signals and the right response
- Communicating policy and shift changes to workers
- Building trust through daily presence and follow-through
- Personal IR action plan
Sample training plan: 2-day hands-on design
This two-day design prepares line managers to handle the people side of industrial relations before small issues become formal disputes. Participants work on real cases from their own plant or site: a disputed overtime claim, a misconduct incident, a tense union representation. They practise grievance interviews in trios, draft show-cause notes, prepare for a floor-level union meeting and brief a shift on a change. It is skills training aligned to company policy, not legal advice.
Participants can handle a grievance on the floor calmly and run a fair, well-documented disciplinary step.
- 09:30–10:00Opening: the shift that nearly stoppedEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Whose job is this?Diagnostic
- 11:15–11:45Listen, fact-find, respondConcept burst
- 11:45–13:00Overtime and shift allocation complaintRole-play
- 13:45–14:45Consistent or not?Case clinic
- 14:45–15:30Write it down rightSkill drill
- 15:45–16:45My real case, replayedReal-play
- 16:45–17:30Tomorrow on the floorReflection
Participants can prepare for a union discussion, manage a mixed workforce fairly and communicate a change on the floor.
- 09:30–10:00Rumour relayEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Seeing the union's sideGroup challenge
- 11:15–12:30The tense representationRole-play
- 12:30–13:00One floor, three contractsConcept burst
- 13:45–14:30Warning signs dashboardCase clinic
- 14:30–15:30Brief the shiftPresentation
- 15:45–16:45Capstone: Monday at Gate 2Simulation
- 16:45–17:30My 90-day IR planAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 2 days in person (09:30–17:30), or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, plus 60 days of shop-floor application with IR partner reviews. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is industrial relations training for line managers?
The recommended design is two days in person, from 09:30 to 17:30, followed by 60 days of shop-floor application with IR partner reviews. It also runs as four live virtual sessions of three hours each. A one-day supervisor version covers grievances, fair treatment and when to escalate.
What activities are included in industrial relations training?
Most of the time goes on practice with shop-floor cases. Participants role-play an overtime grievance in trios, rewrite incident reports and draft show-cause notes, face a facilitator playing a forceful union representative with pause and rewind, brief a shift on a change, and handle a rolling Monday-morning simulation at the plant gate.
How we deliver it
Aligned with your policies
The ADDIE analysis phase reviews your standing orders, grievance procedure and IR context so guidance matches how your company works.
Realistic shop-floor scenarios
Role-plays reflect common situations such as absenteeism, shift disputes, misconduct and union representations.
HR and IR partnership
Your IR team can co-facilitate the policy segments, so managers hear one consistent message.
Not legal advice
The program builds people-handling skills and awareness. Specific legal questions are referred to your legal and compliance advisers.
Tailored versions
For unionised manufacturing plants
Focus on union dialogue, settlement implementation on the floor, shift disputes and discipline in long-tenured workforces.
For contract-heavy operations
Cases centre on warehouses, facilities, construction and logistics where contractors supply much of the workforce.
Supervisor essentials
A one-day practical version for frontline supervisors on grievances, fair treatment and when to escalate.
How we measure impact
We apply the ADDIE Evaluate stage. Managers complete a pre and post assessment on AssessAll covering grievance handling, fair discipline and communication. At 30, 60 and 90 days, HR or IR partners review how managers handled real cases using a short checklist. With your team we track agreed indicators, such as grievance resolution time, the share of issues resolved at floor level and the quality of disciplinary documentation.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What is industrial relations in a factory?
Industrial relations in a factory is the relationship between management, workers and their representatives, including how grievances, discipline, wages, working conditions and disputes are handled. Much of it happens informally on the shop floor through daily interactions between supervisors and workers, which is why line managers play such an important role.
How should a supervisor handle a worker grievance?
Listen fully and privately, avoid arguing or promising outcomes, gather the facts and check the relevant policy. Respond within an agreed time, and involve HR or IR if the issue is beyond your authority. Record what was discussed. Industrial relations training gives supervisors a simple structure and practice for this.
How do line managers deal with trade unions?
Treat union representatives with respect, prepare facts before meetings, listen to concerns and stay within your authority. Avoid verbal commitments that only senior management or HR can make, and keep your IR team informed. Consistent, fair treatment of workers day to day is a strong foundation for good union relations.
What is the role of a line manager in discipline?
The line manager observes and documents conduct, raises concerns early and consistently, follows the company's standing orders and disciplinary procedure, and involves HR at the right stage. They must apply rules fairly across workers. The program covers these steps and the principles of natural justice at a practical level.
How do the new labour codes affect line managers?
The codes, effective 21 November 2025, changed several rules on fixed-term and contract workers, working conditions and dispute resolution. Line managers need to understand how their company's updated policies apply on the floor. Our separate labour codes compliance program covers the details; this program focuses on handling people well.
Is this program legal advice?
No. This is training on people-handling skills and awareness of industrial relations principles. It is not legal advice and does not replace guidance from your legal, HR or compliance teams. We align content with your company's own policies and refer specific legal questions to your advisers.
Can the training be delivered at our plant?
Yes. Bodhih's master trainers travel from Bengaluru to plants across India and other regions. We schedule sessions around shifts and production plans. For multi-plant companies, live virtual sessions can bring managers together, followed by site-level practice with local HR or IR partners.