Students undergoing a program in industrial relations are learning a variety of skills and acquiring vast amounts of knowledge in many specific subjects. In general, industrial relations refer to problem solving within industrial society. Increasingly, industrial relations is either paired with or referred to as employment relations, because these relationships affect many issues that industrial relations experts address. Industrial relations experts are directly responsible for researching, managing and crafting regulations and policies that govern employee and corporate relations.

Industrial relations always address the relationship between employers, managers and higher organizational figures in the workplace. This means an expert in this field only addresses relationships within the industry itself. How workers and their employers interact both personally and through institutionary means is a significant focus for industrial relations experts. The main functions of an industrial relations expert are as follows:

• Relations management. There are many diverse types of relationships in the workplace. There are the relationships between employees, between the union and company, between the employees and their bosses, and between the industry and the government. It is the role of an industrial relations expert or manager to mediate in these areas, resolve conflicts and uphold negotiations. This extends into legal matters. Lawsuits or labor strikes require industrial relations experts to extend their skills to come to reasonable compromises or solutions. Many times, industrial relations experts are chosen to represent companies or individuals.
• Policy implementation. Industrial relations experts need to uphold and create policies that will positively affect relations in the workplace. This requires extensive research and study into past policies, updating or deleting of ineffective policies, and the implementation of new regulations. Industrial relations experts must be ethical and non-discriminatory, implementing only fair and non-oppressive rules. They must also be able to support and create rules that respect individual rights in the workplace.
• Support organization and morale. Another, lesser-known function of industrial relations experts is to maintain an orderly and efficient workplace, while boosting employee morale. These experts should inspire cooperation, hard work and enthusiasm in their employees while making the workplace easy to navigate, systems easy to operate and procedures easy to understand.

Industrial relations can either be upheld by educated individuals or by committees created by the company. Industrial relations experts are widely needed in the world today to maintain positive employee/employer relationships and other business relationships. Many times, such relationships can determine the course and success of many industrial decisions.