LABOR JURISPRUDENCE ANALYSIS: STRENGTHENING THE HUMAN RESOURCE POLICY

This study employed a Descriptive-Interpretive Qualitative Research design to examine 108 Philippine Supreme Court labor jurisprudence decisions from 2016 to 2020 with the aim of informing and strengthening human resource (HR) policy frameworks. Anchored in Jaap Paauwe’s Contextually Based Human Resource Theory and aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), the analysis utilized Braun and Clarke’s thematic approach and Krippendorff’s content analysis method. The findings revealed five core themes defining employee-employer relationships: (1) Selection and Engagement, (2) Capacity to Dismiss, (3) Employer\'s Authority Over Work Methods and Practices, (4) Payment of Wages, and (5) Economic Dependence. Likewise, three themes emerged under employment practices: (1) Termination Practices, (2) Discipline Practices, and (3) Evaluation Practices. Further, the study evaluated the political and philosophical orientations of judicial decision-makers, revealing a spectrum from legal realism to textualism and constructionism. These orientations influenced court rulings and legal interpretations. Using Dedoose software, coding reliability was validated via Cohen’s Kappa. The study culminated in the development of the ECJ (Evidence-Informed, Contextualized, and Justice-Oriented) HR Policy Framework, offering strategic, jurisprudence-based HR policies designed to foster fairness, compliance, and resilience in organizations. The study holds implications for HR professionals, policy-makers, decision-making software developers, and labor rights advocates aiming to enhance industrial peace and organizational justice. Keywords: Labor jurisprudence; HR policy; employee-employer relationship; employment practices; thematic-content analysis