human resources practices essay

Essay on Human Resource Management Practices

Executive Summary

This paper looks to examine the role of a robust Human Resource department in the development of the organization. We examine the importance of the Human Resource department, Human Resource practice, and its influencing factors. The paper also provides an elaboration about the upcoming challenges encountered by Human Resource managers in their line of duty in the 21 st  century. The literature analysis digs deeper into the issues that energy various challenging factors and practices of the H.R. management discipline within the 21 st  century. The implications of the Human Resource managers are also discussed mainly with the arrival of a new breed of highly skilled workers who are younger, well educated, have the knowledge, are extremely confident, and are not entirely interested in the paycheck but their welfare in their job as they check not only what they can do for the company but also what the company can do for them. In the paper, we will look at the crucial challenges pertaining to human resource management. The challenges discussed in the paper include work arrangements, gaining maximum market share, demographic shift, and enhancement in creativity and innovation, employee-employer relationship, managing the cost, reward, and compensation system.

Introduction

Human Resource plays a vital role in the development, reinforcement, and changing an organization’s culture. Training and development, pay, onboarding, and performance management are all essential elements of the business culture covered by Human Resource. Human Resources (H.R.) is the division of a business that has the responsibility to find, screen, recruit, and train job applicants, as well as administering employee-benefit programs. Without Human Resources management, companies will not be able to recruit and retain employees effectively. The Human Resource department extracted its roots from the discipline of organizational psychology and has proven to be an integral practice in the management of organizations. In modern businesses, the Human Resource department has evolved to become strategic and has grown to become a vital force. Chatzoglou & Diamantidis (2019) elaborates that in the world of business, as time passes, competition keeps increasing, and the sole factor that anchors the competitive edge of an organization is Human Resource management.

Human Resource plays a significant role in helping companies deal with the fast-changing business environment and the ever-increasing demand for quality employees in the 21 st  century. Additional roles of H.R. include compensation and benefits, firing, recruitment, and keeping up to date with laws that may affect the company and its employees. Today, companies are shifting away from the traditional in-house human resource administrative tasks and outsourcing duties such as benefits and payroll to vendors situated outdoors. The main task of H.R. department is the maximization of the productive capacity of employees and protection of the company from any issues arising within the workforce. Research conducted by Hafez (2018) found crucial activities related to people that the Human Resource has to do effectively for value addition to the organization. Their findings concluded that these factors include applying new approaches in designing the work process, effective management and use of people, and tying performance appraisal and compensation to competency. The researchers also emphasized increasing flexibility, creativity, and innovation for the enhancement of competitiveness and managing the implementation and integration of technology through training and communicating with workers. Human Resource departments adopting Human Resource Management (HRM) practices play the role of thecompany’s workforce improvement more actively. Such HR departments are able to offer process recommendations, approaches, and business solutions to the process of managing the organization. One such example is theGoogle’s parent company, Alphabet that embraces the adoption of proactive approaches to employee relations. The company motivates its employees at Google by offering lucrative compensation and a wide range of employee facilities at thecompany’s headquarters, horseshoe pits, and roller hockey rinks as they understand that employee productivity is directly linked to a happy workforce.

The human Resource must be considered for every company regardless of size, and the question should not be whether H.R. is necessary but should be reframed to how effectively Human resources can be delivered by a company. Most organizations find it cost-effective and convenient to outsource transactional services such as payroll, benefits administration, taxes, and partnering with strategic Human Resource partners. Reasonable employee compensation increases productivity since happy employees feel valued, thus increasing their loyalty and motivation. They tend to work harder knowing their efforts are recognized, which brings job satisfaction that would benefit the company as they would likely retain such employees for longer. Organizational profitability is significantly increased when a company can attract top talent through lucrative pay perks and benefits as they would beat the competition through their benefits packages.

Another HRM practice that raises organizational profitability and productivity is employee involvement in decision-making. Through this combined effort, employees can share different views that might help the organization move forward. They can share challenges whose implementation might be what the company misses for its boom and bust.

Importance of Human Resource department in organizations

Human Resource plays critical roles in the development, motivation, and retaining of employees. Some of the roles are stated herein. To begin with, the H.R. department sustains business in an organization through succession planning. Dany and Torchy, (2017) argue that it is the duty of the H.R. department to develop the succession plan. The succession plan enables the organization to identify employees with requisite responsibilities and the promise for transitioning thecompany’s leadership to the next phase. The human Resource department also plays a crucial role in safety and risk management as employers are tasked with maintaining safe working conditions as required by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations via the maintenance of accurate work logs and development of programs with the aim of workplace injuries and fatality reduction. Specialists in workplace safety also raise awareness about the safe handling of dangerous equipment and hazardous chemicals. The Human Resources department coordinates the training and development activities by assessing which areas are lacking and require training and development. This is also a crucial step to forge the good relationship between the employee and the employer, all in effort to prepare aspiring employees for leadership roles in the future.

Human Resource plays a vital role in the recruitment and onboarding practices in an organization. They screen resumes and schedule interviews to process potential employees. In typical terms, the H.R. determines the best employees that fit into the needs of the organization. The H.R. staff who specialize in employee relations enable the organization to achieve high performance, boost their morale and their levels of satisfaction. They minimize the exposure of the company to allegations about liability and unfair employment practices. Workplace issues are identified, investigated, and resolved by the H.R. department to avoid embroiling the organization into legal matters that pertain to state and federal anti-harassment and discrimination laws and regulations. The benefits specialists in the Human Resource department are tasked with reducing the costs of the company that relates to attrition, turnover, and hiring replacement workers.

Six significant forces influencing human behavior at work

There are internal or external forces or factors influencing human behavior at work, and they all depend on the situation and have the potential to cause either negative or positive impacts.

Organizational Culture

Organizational factors refer to the underlying values, assumptions, beliefs, and other interactive means adding to the social and psychological environment in the workplace. According to Chatzoglou and Diamantidis (2019), individuals in the workplace develop meaning and stability through the organizational culture, affecting employee morale. Each company has its different culture and negative organizational culture results in low morale promotes engagement in unwanted behavior, and employee fraud. The productivity of the employee is thus affected, and organizational performance reduces. The management needs to encourage positive culture by enhancing diversity and clear communication structures. A positive organizational culture would promote innovation since employees would feel part of the organization.

Workplace diversity

Workplace diversity which is the understanding and acceptance of varied individual characteristics, has an influence on employee behavior at the workplace. These include race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and different ideologies individuals may hold. Organizations that embrace diversity tend to benefit through increased performance since employees communicate and collaborate. Bias and stereotypes may be a considerable hindrance to proper interaction, especially among different genders and ethnicities. For instance, race bias against blacks may see whites get better positions in an organization and vice versa. Since the situation lowers the esteem of affected parties, it is prudent that organizations condemn bias and stereotyping. The organization should enact stringent measures to counter harassment and establish mitigation strategies.

Supervisory Management Influence

This is the act of employee management and oversight. Most organizations depend on this aspect to organize human resources into units that can help in the achievement of organizational objectives. Employees will be guided through tasks by these units. They will also be rewarded or punished fairly to articulate the goals of the organization and foster cooperation. The supervisory behavior of the manager is emphasized since it could affect employee motivation, performance, communication, and attitude. An abrasive and loud manager may inspire negative characteristics amongst employees and hinder workplace relationships. Likewise, when employees are micromanaged, they tend to feel equally demotivated despite them being skilled. Therefore, it is recommended that proper channels of communication be put in place, especially those that promote respect and dignity to views of the employees (Martin, 2014). Human resource managers are urged to provide employee autonomy.

Work Group Influence

The workplace environment consists of individuals typically existing in groups within the organization. Some of the factors that contribute to the success or failure of such groups include processes, group structure, and resources. The roles of individual employees and group size are captured in the group structure. Processes deal with communication aspects, power dynamics, and decision-making. Consequently, positive group behavior influences individual behavior positively. When there is negative group behavior and feelings of being sidelined, negative behavior is encouraged, which results in lower outputs and increase employee turnover. It is recommended that team leaders step upfront to reinforce positive behavior in the team, and members will likely emulate their leader. Every group is prone to conflict; thus, sound problem-solving techniques should be employed.

Job satisfaction

Ob satisfaction is the feeling of fulfillment that employees derive from their work. This can influence the behavior of employees in the workplace. Job satisfaction affectsemployees’ commitment levels, work turnover rate, and absenteeism. Dissatisfied employees will likely be absent from work or take their organizational duties lightly, which affects performance negatively. Satisfied employees will be highly motivated and engage in corporate duties wholeheartedly. Organizations can create incentive programs to reward employees appropriately.

Personal characteristics and Family Influence

Besides the workplace, employees have a social support system for their friends and families. Since each person comes from a different background from the rest, the experiences they go through before joining the workforce shape their characteristics. Essentially, a person brings those personal characteristics and family influences to the workplace. This may have a positive or a negative influence on the behavior of employees at the workplace. For example, personality traits like openness enhance curiosity, creativity, and welcoming new ideas. Employees who are introverts conversely, may keep essential things to themselves even if they may be of help in providing solutions to a problem. The organization, however needs not compel employees to change if their characteristics do not affect the workplace behavior negatively. The organization should create an environment that encourages participation and mold the growth of desirable characteristics.

Employee Performance, Development and Reward & Factors that Influence H.R. Decision Making

HRM refers to the policies and systems that influence the behavior, attitudes, and performance of the members of the organization, intending to increasing the organization’s competitiveness and learning capacity. HRM practices are outlined by organizational models in which different inherent factors interact. These practices are translated into policies for an organization, which is defined as a set of principles and rules, which guide decisions and conduct the different activities of the company in relation to HRM. For most companies, there are five types of policies: supply, application, maintenance, development, and control policies.

• Supply policies are about supplying needs organizational aspects at the H.R. level; it implies the practices of H.R. research, recruitment, selection, and integration;
• The application policies correspond to the analysis and description practices functions, H.R. planning, career plans, and job evaluation unemployment;
• Maintenance policies are the practices of retaining workers, management of salaries, social benefit plans and hygiene and safety at work;
• Development policies aim at the development of the worker and organization through training;
• Control policies refer to databases, information systems H.R. information, and audits.

Reward system within the organization is one of the other H.R. practices, which serves to provide better management of workers, and it is essential to understand that they cannot be seen as an isolated component. Before defining the remuneration, it is necessary to plan the labor, that is, planning the type of labor to be selected and recruited for the execution of the function. After this planning comes the function analysis phase, which by the job description to consider the payment to the worker for the execution, and also, the Evaluation of the functions that goes through its classification to understand what are the requirements that each function requires.

The analysis of functions can be defined as a structured process of collecting and organizing information about tasks and operations that a person or group must carry out in the context of their work and still, the identification of the essential requirements to perform its function, that is, understand what the know-how is, skills and competencies needed, even before defining the value to be attributed to the function. After the job definition phase and determining the salary to be paid by their execution, there are a series of adjacent and consequent H.R. activities, namely, Recruitment and Selection, which goes through the process of choosing the candidate indicated for that function, taking into account the salary offered and the skills that the individual has. Al Mamun and Hasan (2017) define recruitment for an organization as a”set of techniques and procedures with the objective of attracting potential candidates, duly qualified and able to occupy a specific position in the organization whose aim is to identify the worker indicated for that function able to achieve the proposed objectives.

After recruitment is done, the time to select the worker is the process by which an organization chooses the people who seem most suited to the specific and available functions. The explanation continues with the practices of Evaluation, training, and career management, where the HRM identifies the”most efficient and greatest potentia” and to value them, monitoring and professional development. Performance evaluation is an essential practice of HRM, namely for the rewards system, that is, it is a tool that allows understanding if the worker is reaching the proposed objectives or not, if he is achieving these goals should be rewarded; otherwise, it is necessary corrective measures, such as training.

Performance evaluation is defined as a system of formal and systematic ways to assess the work done by workers. The objective of this Evaluation is to understand if the objectives were achieved or not, and how performance can be improved,”how to increase goals and results to be achieve”, and also communicate feedback to the worker so that he can be guided and understood where he needs to improve. Performance evaluation should be extended to the entire organization, without exceptions. Organizations should understand the know-how, skills, and competencies needed, even before defining the value to be attributed to the function.

After the job definition phase and determining the salary to be paid by their execution, there are a series of adjacent and consequent H.R. activities, namely, Recruitment and Selection, which goes through the process of choosing the candidate indicated for that function, taking into account the salary offered and the skills that the individual has. Recruitment requires a set of techniques and procedures with the objective of attracting potential candidates, duly qualified and able to occupy a specific position in the company whose objective is to identify the worker indicated for that function, able to achieve the proposed objectives.

Once recruited and selected, people join organizations, seeking the exercise of their functions and personal fulfillment, in addition to the objectives and obligations relevant to each position. It is up to the company to socialize the individual based on their organizational culture, thus ensuring that these assumptions are achieved. With socialization, the new employee renounces a portion of his freedom of action when he joins the organization: he agrees to obey working hours, perform a certain activity, follow the guidance of his superior, meet certain internal rules and regulations, etc. Thus, the organization seeks to induce the adaptation of the individual’s behavior to his needs and goals, strongly marking his fingerprints. On the other hand, the new participant will be seeking to influence the organization and its manager to create a work situation that will provide them with satisfaction and the achievement of their personal goals.

Socializing the individual in the organization, is a process that does not occur only when he is hired, but, throughout his permanence in the position, when there is a change of function, after some transfer, of department, sector, or geographic region, as well as when there is professional growth within the corporate hierarchy. This process must take place through capacity building and training. Also, information is the critical factor in this process as the critical factor of success in organizational socialization is associated with the level and amount of information that an employee receives at the beginning of his activities because the more information pertinent to his permanence obtain, the greater your performance and interest in your job. Human development, in the organizational context, goes beyond the simple training of the individual, while the latter has its focus on the short term and the execution of the tasks of the current position, the latter has on the motivation, on the long term, and new tasks or functions its focus aiming at the growth of the individual, also guaranteeing the valorization of the staff, enabling the professional to assume new and future positions in the organization.

Development is the long-term process for enhancing employees’ skills and motivations to make them future valuable members of the organization. The development includes not only training but also career and/or other experiences. Training is just one component of the development process, which includes all the experiences that strengthen and consolidate the characteristics of desirable employees in terms of their functional roles. The greatest challenge for contemporary organizations is to introduce feedback into their daily routine, and that this is a powerful tool for the development of people and consequently of the organization. This resistance can be broken through training, seminars, or lectures, which explain and encourage the use of feedback in the work environment. To be successful in the practice of feedback, it is important to know exactly what was the result achieved within what was expected, and, for this to happen, there are many tools available for the performance assessment to be as appropriate as possible (Carroll et al., 1999).

It is worth mentioning that there is no successful recipe for performance evaluation and that each company tends to build its way of evaluating its collaborators.

Each system meets certain specific objectives, according to the level and areas of allocation of the personnel involved. It is possible to either use several performance evaluation systems or structure each one of them in an evaluation method that is appropriate to the type and characteristics of the system. People should be evaluated independently; no matter how basic their functions, their performance should be evaluated according to the position held, according to the guidelines and training received, and the opportunities received from your immediate manager. Although performance evaluation is defined as a professional improvement technique, it is usually loaded with other objectives, such as justifying salaries, eliminating bad employees, and the correlation between the result obtained and the employee’s performance. This can produce serious problems and obstacles so that the information is kept up to date, that it is used in an ethical manner and that the evaluation interviews are conducted in such a way as to produce an effective result, and not just a mere routine task.

The method we used in the research to gather information about Human Resource effectiveness to increase organizational productivity and profitability is the interview. I conducted in-person interviews with former job applicants for the H.R. positions in top U.S. companies, most of whom became runners up and were not selected for the positions they applied for. I booked an appointment for a 1 hour interview 2 weeks beforehand, and my aim was to understand the criteria the company uses to ensure the best fit employees are employed and how they motivate their employees. I also wanted to get their view by providing them with a questionnaire with questions that pointed out what could be the best strategies for the Human Resource department. The method used discusses the effectiveness of such HRM practices as compensation management, staff development, employee involvement in decision making, and performance management. I divided the interview conduct into two groups having 189 members each. Some of the questions I asked during the interview include:

Competency-Based Questions for the Interview

• When starting work for a new client, what are a few things you like to do to get to know the person and make them feel comfortable with you around?
• What is the most challenging task you have completed as a personal assistant?
• Do you understand the role of this position? Why do you think you will excel as an assistant?
• Tell me about a time you had to multi-task. How comfortable are you handling more than one task at a time?
• What personal assisting tasks do you feel you are exceptionally good at?
• Are you a patient person? When has your patience shown in the workplace?

From the questionnaire, the first group that comprised 189 members averaged almost similar responses, although not identical in their responses. Most of the participants (102) we’re good at employee development strategies as personal assisting tasks that they felt they are good at. Notably, participants in both groups were not comfortable with multi-tasking and felt they should handle a task at a time. When asked why 56 respondents stated that work efficiency reduces with multi-tasking as there is divided attention. The participants also shunned multi-tasking for fear of poor rating at work. The second question in the questionnaire that asked about the most challenging tasks ever handled by the participants in their role as personal assistants elicited mixed reactions. Each member had experienced different challenges they termed as challenging, with the challenging aspect being subjective and varied from one person to another. What seemed challenging to one participant was not challenging to another.

From the first question in the questionnaire that asked, ‘When starting work for a new client, what are a few things you like to do to get to know the person and make them feel comfortable with you around?’, I noticed a striking resemblance in the responses of participants from group B. Forty of them wanted a new client to feel as comfortable as possible being around them. This was a coincidence since it must be noted that the questionnaire was given and answered in private.

To arrive at the sample size of 278 used in this research, I used a formula called the Cochran Formula. I selected the sample size from 1000 individuals spread across various organizations spanning different retail, manufacturing, and banking industries. However, most participants came from the finance industry as they were more willing to participate in the research. The population I was studying in this research is regarded as small hence the reason for using Cochran Formula. The Cochran formula is:

N 0 = Z 2 PQ/e 2

The desired precision level, also known as the margin of error, is e.

The approximate proportion of the population that is attributed to this research is P

Q = 1 – P

This equation that was used in reaching the Cochran formula is:

n = n 0  / [ 1 + {(n 0  – 1)/ N}]

Where n 0  is the recommended sample size in Cochran, the population size is N, and the new adjusted sample size is n. Hence I calculated

385 / [ 1 + {384/ 1000}] = 278 participants in the research which is relatively small.

In this paper, we analyze a Human Resource department summary starting with the departmental function, which is selection, recruitment, negotiation for employees’ benefits and administering them, and retention. Some of these benefits frequently discussed in this research, include Employee assistance programs, dental life, vision, health insurance, and employee compensation. The H.R. department also coordinates tea building training for senior management and middle management personnel for consideration of optional direction the organization can take to develop in the future. In the budget goals, the H.R. department should come up with, say, a 5 year budget that ensures employees’ skillsets are enough to deal with the ever-evolving technological topography in the 21 st  century coupled with the progress of the business marketplace in today’s world. The budget goals should also include employees’ benefits package that states all the benefits the employees are entitled to and distributed across the financial year.

The Human Resource programs entail the management of the employment system in the organization, which includes employee counseling and training, recruiting process, administering benefits, employee compensation, personnel recordkeeping, legislation compliance, and performance appraisals. Some of the performance objectives of H.R. departments. Although they differ from one organization to another, they include re-certification of full-time staff for First Aid and CPR and recruiting and hiring new staff as fast as possible. The H.R. department is also tasked with conducting administrative audits and investigations

The rationale for the Answers

Part A: The person specification is necessary for shortlisting of the applicants, and having the key skills in bullet points allows you to match it with applicants’ set of skills. It saves time, and the right candidate is selected.

Part B: the first job applicant is selected because he has the most matched set of skills with P.A.’s responsibilities required to be fulfilled at the organization.

Part C: Each of the six questions aims to assess the response of the applicant in different situations that are likely to determine if the applicant can handle the job pressure or not and whether he has suitable set of skills.

Critical Evaluation of the use of a Person Specification

Companies that understand the relevance of person specification in the recruitment and selection process reap important benefits in short and medium, and long terms. The purpose of using person specification is to take into consideration the skills, qualifications and experience a candidate must possess to apply for a certain position. Its use allows the companies to recruit individuals who are the most appropriate individuals for the position. Not only is this, but the person specification also allows a company to conduct competency-based interviews where the most eligible candidate is selected. Following are the benefits of using person specification and competency-based interviews:

Cost reduction: Cost reduction is always one of the goals of any entrepreneur. The use of the appropriate tools and procedures means that HRM spends less time and effort in filling vacancies. Analysts are able to manage the routine better and increase their productivity (Collings et al., 2018). By adding each small gain, the difference becomes even more visible.

Strengthening the business strategy: The hiring of people needs to be aligned with the guidelines outlined in the company’s strategic planning (Chungyalpa & Karishma, 2016). This involves issues such as cultural fit, skills, competencies, and technical capabilities of the teams that are formed. A well-structured recruitment and selection process based on personal specification can find the right professionals for the challenges that the organization set out to overcome.

Strengthening the organizational culture: Characteristics such as salary and practice area are no longer the main decision points, and the organizational culture has gained an increasing weight. All of this starts with the selection, which needs to be more careful and adopt specific methodologies to provide this differential. Turnover reduction: In an era where young people tend not to stay in the same company for many years, retention has become one of HRM’s greatest difficulties. The best way to mitigate the turnover problem is to tackle one of the root causes: selection failure.

In conclusion, the need for Human Resource practices cannot be brushed off in the modern business world. Through this research paper, we have delved into the roles and responsibilities played by the Human Resource department in the performance of organizations. A company could be having great products, but unless its staff rally behind it supportively, it is less likely to be successful. The new competitive advantage in most of today’s organizations has a satisfied workforce as it assures the best performance from the employees, which reflects on the organization’s performance. Generating more Human Resource professionals has come as a requirement in most business sectors, especially industrial sectors. It is worth noting that with the increasing knowledge work, the role of the H.R. is changing with time, with managers spending most of their time in communications, making decisions, and analysis. For sustainable business and financial stability of an organization, it is important that H.R. departments enhance tax benefits and funds opportunities. H.R. professionals need to assume more responsibility beyond just employees but also focus on the need to understand and aid in driving the economic environment and strategic direction of the organization.

Recommendations

I recommend that H.R. departments seek the involvement of donors to improve their operations. Beyond that, the organizations and groups providing donations to H.R. department should focus beyond the monetary assistance. The capabilities of H.R. can be built by active knowledge utilization. For instance, as part of Corporate Social Responsibility, a donor can help the H.R. department in the development and operationalization of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), a contribution that goes a long way in assisting the H.R. department increase its efficiency. Secondly, I would also recommend that organizations build the institutional capacity to provide H.R. services. This can be done by establishing national and regional frameworks to develop infrastructure and services addressing a wide array of common needs, which includes training, compensation, financial management, and governance, all in support of the capacity building of H.R. departments.

Developing talent from within the organization is another essential recommendation that will be of great help to H.R. departments. Most companies struggle to find the right personnel skilled and matching specific roles and often overlook the potential that exists within their organization. Companies need to target employees who bear leadership potential by identifying them early and honing their skills. The company should then provide them with a vision for how they can make a contribution to the organization and their personal career goals. This can be done by providing such employees with mentors, training opportunities to acquire new skills or update their skills. Implementation of wellness initiatives is another strategy I would recommend. Promoting employee wellness plays a critical role in the organization’s financial health, considering the rising costs of healthcare. A workforce that is down due to illnesses greatly affectss the organization’s productivity, hence the need to implement a a holistic wellness program as mitigation efforts against the risks of premiums escalation.

Technology and analytics continue to increase the operations in many organizations in the world. It is a new development that is gaining traction and is becoming unavoidable in today’s business world, lest you be left behind. The senior management in organizations needs to relook at the tremendous opportunities of integrating a broad range of experiences in the organization, such as leveraging a Human Capital Management System (HCM). Most Human Resource (H.R.) departments use software for the management of payroll, platforms that often have inadequacies with regards to tax forms management, OSHA logs, employee records, and other information. Embracing the latest technology and analytics will provide security to the portal. It will be possible to manage time-off requests amongst other criteria, and the personal information records will be more visible.

Carroll, M., Marchington, M., Earnshaw, J., & Taylor, S. (1999). Recruitment in small firms.  Employee relations .

Chatzoglou, P. & Diamantidis, A. D. (2019). Factors Affecting Employee Performance: an empirical approach.  International Journal of Productivity and Performance management, 68 (1), 171-193.

Chungyalpa, W., & Karishma, T. (2016). Best practices and emerging trends in recruitment and selection.  Journal of Entrepreneurship & Organization Management ,  5 (2), 1-5.

Collings, D.G., Wood, G.T. and Szamosi, L.T., 2018. Human resource management: A critical approach. In Human resource management (pp. 1-23). Routledge.

Dany, F. and Torchy, V., 2017. Recruitment and selection in Europe Policies, practices and methods 1. In Policy and practice in European human resource management (pp. 68-88). Routledge.

Farndale, E., Nikandrou, I. and Panayotopoulou, L., 2018. Recruitment and selection in context. In Handbook of Research on Comparative Human Resource Management. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Hafez, H. M. H. (2018). The participation of staff in decision making and its impact on performance A case study of Saudi Telecom Company (STC) 2016–2012.

Martin, G. C. (2014). The Effects of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace.  Journal of Diversity Management, 9 (2), 89-93.

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Human Resource Management Practices

Introduction, employee satisfaction and development, performance of the organization, works cited.

One of the primary roles of the human resource management (HRM) function is to ensure that human assets are highly motivated to assume the required productivity levels. This role is actualized through the application of various motivational programs and ensuring that the management is always committed to enhancing the quality of life for the employees and their families. Employee motivation is an integral part of enhancing organizational performance, especially in a competitive market, where organizations require enhanced performance on the part of the human assets regularly. This implies that the human resource management function must be actively associated with the development of various practices that foster motivation, satisfaction, and commitment in employees to achieve elevated levels of success for an organization. This paper looks into the human resource management practices that influence the motivation of employees and the higher performance of an organization.

Increasing the motivation level of employees requires the HRM function to engage employees in practices that help in pinpointing areas that need improvements. This is normally achieved through the application of appraisal programs. The programs are conducted by the HRM through the development of questionnaires focusing on specific areas of individual performance (Armstrong and Taylor 30). The information collected from the appraisals highlights areas that require training and development programs. Once the necessary programs have been implemented, the skills and knowledge of employees are increased, which highlights the commitment of the organization to enhancing the competence level of human resources. The practice of providing training and development opportunities translates to a higher level of satisfaction for the employees.

Human resource management functions are also always involved in internal recruitment processes. The exercise entails harnessing talents within an organization and using them to enhance the performance of different departments. This is the typical process that takes place when the top management is looking to promote some of the employees to higher levels in an organizational hierarchy. The HRM enhances the satisfaction of employees by ensuring that they are provided with professional growth opportunities through promotions. Instead of recruiting new employees to fill vacant positions at the top levels of the organizational hierarchical structure, the HRM identifies employees with the skills required to handle specific tasks effectively. Studies have revealed that organizations that do not have any opportunities for career growth have a higher turnover rate because the employees are not satisfied.

The compensation and benefits program in an organization is run by the HRM through the top management, and it is apparent that the HRM is always in charge of reviewing salaries and benefits for the employees (Armstrong and Taylor 60). Financial liberation is one of the most effective approaches to enhancing employee satisfaction. Whenever the HRM proposes compensation increment for the employees or the development of new reward systems in the benefits program, their performance is bound to increase, especially if performance is the merit that warrants being a beneficiary to the program. Companies that pay their employees adequately and provide benefits that enhance the quality of their lives have a more satisfied workforce, which is revealed by the commitment of employees to attaining the organizational goals.

HRM functions also show concern for the requirements of the employees as a practice aimed at enhancing their satisfaction. For instance, whenever there are internal issues involving employee motivation, the HRM represents their grievances to the top management, and after the relevant changes have been implemented, the employees feel appreciated, and their satisfaction with the employer increases. The HRM must always play the role of facilitating communication channels between the employees and the employer to ensure that the conflicts between the two entities are solved amicably (Armstrong and Taylor 21). Moreover, the HRM function is directly involved in compelling the top management and leadership functions to improve the quality of the work environment. This is attained by proposing the enhancement of safety measures, developing an accommodative working environment that supports a diverse workforce, and ensuring the regulations that must be followed by the employer are met adequately.

The HRM increases the performance of an organization by fostering a higher level of motivation and satisfaction in the employees (Sheehan 566). The major practice that improves the performance of human assets is aligning their skills and knowledge with the tasks defined by the leadership and management functions (Armstrong and Taylor 116). Once the management has delegated various tasks, the HRM analyzes the talents required for effective delivery of the objectives, and if the current workforce lacks in skills and knowledge, the department organizes programs to instill the relevant competencies.

The HRM also enhances organizational performance when it proposes the enhancement of the quality of the workplace. For instance, when human resource management responds to the ergonomic requirements of the workers, it is bound to increase their productivity because the physical and mental capacity of the employees is enhanced. Additionally, the HRM is also commonly associated with change management (Armstrong and Taylor 56). For instance, if an organization shifts from the traditional platforms to a technological platform in various operations, the HRM assumes the role of ensuring that the employees adapt to the changes that influence enhanced organizational performance.

Appraisals and reward systems are also commonly used by the HRM to enhance organizational performance. Appraisals highlight the capacity of the current human asset base to deliver the required goals, and if the results reveal gaps in skills, the HRM is directly charged with implementing the necessary actions (Alfes et al. 333). Additionally, whenever there are employees who portray repetitive lack of compliance with the codes of conduct that influence organizational performance the HRM deals with the situation by either training or replacing the employees (Armstrong and Taylor 116). The HRM is always in consultation with the top management because its main purpose is to ensure that the relevant talents are present in the human resource base to handle various organizational projects.

The human resource management function engages in various practices meant to satisfy the needs of the employees and to facilitate the attainment of the goals set by the leaders and the managers. These practices are normally meant to motivate the employees and enhance their satisfaction with the employer while compelling them to increase productivity to deliver organizational objectives efficiently. Such practices include training and development, appraisal programs, reward programs, and recruitment processes. The HRM is the link between the employer and the employees; hence, most of its practices incline toward the attainment of the mutual interests of the management and human assets. Conflict solving between employers and employees is a major role played by the HRM.

Alfes, Kerstin, et al. “The Link between Perceived Human Resource Management Practices, Engagement and Employee Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model.” The International Journal of Human Resource Management , vol. 24, no. 2, 2013, pp. 330-351.

Armstrong, Michael, and Stephen Taylor. Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice . Kogan Page Publishers, 2014.

Sheehan, Maura. “Human Resource Management and Performance: Evidence from Small and Medium-Sized Firms.” International Small Business Journal , vol. 32, no. 5, 2014, pp. 545-570.

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Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice, Essay Example

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Introduction

Human resources management (HRM) emerged together with the need to operate large numbers of workforce and fit the demands of the most valuable corporate assets, the employees, with the company objectives, and to ensure adequate conditions for workers of various kinds, types and categories. The HRM field reflects the major part of people management, i.e. coordination of all policies, processes and practices connected with managing people currently employed in a certain organization. The HRM has faced much criticism currently, and is even considered to be the barrier in building the flexible and supportive environment in an organization, acting as a restrictive tool for reducing payroll and contributing to the employee turnover (Mathis and Jackson 4).

Indeed, at times the activities of HRM executives seem to be more directed at activities than results; nonetheless, the importance of human resources and effective management thereof has long ago been recognized as a vital element of successful competition in the market. More than that, HRM is fairly considered to be one of the companies’ core competencies, under the condition of good coordination and organization (Mathis and Jackson 4). HRM also helps the company find the proper balance in the realm of legal requirements restraining  the work of organizations and protecting employees; it ensures compensation reconsiderations according to the employee performance, and serves as a driving force for employee motivation in performance increases.

The significance of HRM has been recognized as soon as the inner processes governing the activity of any organization have been detected. It is obvious that any organization has a set of assets it manages in the process of its activity: they include physical, financial, intangible, and human resources. Nonetheless, even being equal in row with other resources, the human resources really make the activity of any company work; they represent the ‘glue’ that combines and coordinates the resources, making them bring profit for the company. Logically, one should realize that there is no way to keep the company functioning without human resources, and even under the condition of poor functioning thereof (Mathis and Jackson 4). Proper HRM can help the company save considerable costs for recruiting and retraining, talent detection may help it educate its own leaders and managers etc. – there are numerous examples of the way HRM may benefit a company. They explain the current close attention to HRM and outline the main areas of research in the field of its improvement and successful implementation.

The modern focus on HRM and its implementation in business structures is explained by the wish to establish fast and responsive organizations that can quickly handle the changes in the external and internal environment. The HRM provides the company with the ability to recruit, train and retain employees, and to align their activities with corporate objectives. The traditional, isolated approach to HRM is no longer used, with the organization giving additional responsibilities and powers to HR managers in the overall struggle for better performance of the whole business unit.

Before defining the concept of ‘human resources management’, one has to track its evolution from the term ‘personnel management’ that emerged in the 20 th century to denote the response of employees to public policies and union activities and changed gradually under the pressure of the global change, socio-economic changes and tendencies etc. (Bratton and Gold 6). The full definition of the HRM concept looks as follows:

“That part of the management process that specializes in the management of people in work organizations. HRM emphasizes that employees are critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, that human resources practices need to be integrated with the corporate strategy, and that human resource specialists help organizational controllers to meet both efficiency and equity objectives” (Bratton and Gold 11).

However, even upon seeing the definition, one still may not have a clear idea of what management really stands for in the described situation, and what human resources mean in the given context. The human resources actually mean the human capital that represents one of the company’s assets (alongside with the physical, financial and intangible ones) (Mathis and Jackson 5). The human capital is viewed in the collection of all capabilities, knowledge, skills, life experience, motivation etc. that employees of a certain organization possess. Hence, management thereof refers to the proper distribution of positions, adequate rewards corresponding to the employee performance, training and staffing etc. Consequently, one may understand the definition as a way to manage the human capital in the most productive and efficient way so that the company could enhance its core competencies and ensure a firmer position in the marketplace.

Features and Characteristics of HRM

There is a set of features defining the nature of HRM and its place within the organizational framework. The first feature refers to knowledge management; it pertains to any aspect of creating, obtaining, sharing and utilizing knowledge of any kind (Armstrong 9). The key role of HRM concerning knowledge is to conduct activities to develop, generate, and preserve any knowledge specific for the needs of the company. It is also essential to note that knowledge in the focus of HRM derives from organizational learning processes (Armstrong 9).

The next feature is reward management; it results directly from the incentive of HRM professionals to increase motivation, job management, and commitment of employees towards their company. These practices can be achieved by introducing policies of showing that employees are valued and rewarded according to their performance (Armstrong 9). It is essential to implement various reward instruments and schemes so that they would suit the whole range of competencies and skills of the company’s staff. In addition, the successful HRM strategy should not focus on restrictive sanctions for employees who fall behind in their performance; instead, it should emphasize strengths and promote potentially creative and committed individuals.

Fostering constructive and supportive employee relations is another feature of HRM. Promoting the working climate with productive and harmonious relationships is made possible through positive partnership between management and workplace (Armstrong 9). Trade unions are also involved in the employee relations to ensure the comprehensive effect of HRM in building the coherent and mutually satisfied employee structure. The main challenge of this process is in the next feature of HRM: meeting diverse needs of all company stakeholders (Armstrong 10). Individual and group needs have to be taken into account to design equal opportunities for all employees disregarding the peculiarities of their working style, aspirations, and capabilities.

Finally, the HRM feature is bridging the gap between rhetoric and reality. The company’s mission and vision, HR strategy and corporate responsibility are laid down in all written codes and regulations of the company, annual reports and presentations for shareholders. However, as soon as the planned HR practices are implemented, a number of barriers (including limited support, inadequate infrastructure, lack of resources etc.) preclude those strategies from being successfully introduced. Hence, the ability of HRM nowadays is in identifying such gaps and allocating proper resources for making HR strategies a commonplace organizational reality (Armstrong 10).

Drawing certain conclusions from the discussed HRM features, one can come to understanding the key HRM characteristics shaping its modern image and structure. They are as follows:

diverse (it is essential to encourage diversity in HRM practices because of the integrated, comprehensive and over-grasping focus of HRM aimed at creating a harmonious, homogeneous, and at the same time individually tailored structure of employee relationships with management) (Armstrong 9):

• strategically focused, with emphasis on integration (there is no place for an isolated approach anymore; HRM is embedded in all aspects of corporate functioning, striving to the creation of a coherent, interlinked employee system) (Armstrong 9);
• oriented on commitment (only under the condition of employee trust and loyalty towards the company, HRM can achieve the stipulated corporate goals and make the human resources act as a unifying and enacting force for other company assets) (Armstrong 9);
• HRM is based on the belief that working individuals should be treated as assets, i.e. the human capital (in other way common HRM strategies and assessment tools would not work) (Armstrong 9);
• unitarist and individualistic approach towards employee relations (the workforce should act as a unified, congruent force, but at the same time individual needs, wants, aspirations and ambitions should be taken into account and encouraged to ensure corporate growth and accumulation of intelligence and knowledge) (Armstrong 9);
• management-driven (HRM is seen as a line management responsibility, changing the nature of HRM delivery) (Armstrong 10);
• focused on business values (human resources are nurtured, developed and managed, but always with the proper respect to the company objectives; the HRM should always be consistent with business objectives) (Armstrong 10).

There are a large number of specific and general goals pursued by modern HRM, but considerable research and review have allowed to focus on the twelve dominant policy goals proposed by Caldwell (2004) and cited in Armstrong:

• People constituting an organizational workforce should be treated as the asset crucial for the creation of the competitive advantage for the company in the marketplace. The essence of the goal is to gain the competitive level of performance for the company to become a strong contender with a firm position in the market; it is vital to realize that even under the condition of having plentiful resources of other kind, the company will never achieve success because of the inability to utilize the resources. Without the workforce, there will be no tools for operating and manipulating the company’s resources for the sake of economic profit. Hence, the human capital is the most essential asset possessed by the company, and it has to be treated accordingly (Armstrong 10).
• The HRM policies have to be aligned with the business policies and corporate strategy of every given company. This goal explains the very purpose of HRM existence – through the effective and thoughtful management of the company’s human capital, the HRM department assists the company in gaining the competitive advantage in the market and increasing the employee performance through commitment and encouragement of creativity (Armstrong 10).
• The HRM system is aimed at developing a close fit of HR policies, procedures and systems with one another. Only under the condition of the close connection and alignment of all HR elements within the organizational structure, the successful implementation of HRM principles becomes possible and potentially profitable for the company (Armstrong 10).
• The HRM is responsible for creating a flatter and more flexible organization. The ultimate goal of that effort is to make the company more responsive to the changes of the internal and external business environment. The modern business world is characterized by a high level of turbulence and uncertainty, crises in all spheres of human activity, hence only the affluent and flexible business entities can survive in the harsh atmosphere of making business. The HRM effort can make the company stronger from the inside and reinforce its outer strengths (Armstrong 10).
• The HRM should encourage teamwork and cooperation inside the organization. The specific advantage of such efforts can be seen in the strengthening of the employee interconnection, mutual support and emotional intelligence (Armstrong 10).
• The creation of a strong customer-first philosophy throughout the organization is another policy goal of HRM; the main focus of HRM is driven on the individually correct but still corporately shaped system of employee management, training and rewarding. The employees have to realize their value for the company to be able to provide their respect and commitment to the customer in turn (Armstrong 10).
• Employees have to be empowered for self-management, learning and development. HRM creates the basis for corporate leadership programs to educate the company’s leaders, professionals and inspirers instead of hiring them from outside (Armstrong 10).
• HRM should develop rewarding strategies directly tied to employee performance. Despite the commonly known criticism of the approach, financial incentives still remain a powerful driving force in the increase of performance and commitment (Armstrong 11).
• Internal communication improvement is the goal for HRM effort because of its importance for employee involvement in the company issues. The better the employees are informed about the internal matters of their company, the more trusting their relationships with the employer are, and the higher the commitment is (Armstrong 11).
• A more general HRM is in building the greater employee commitment; it can be achieved by additional means other than financial ones, including strengthening the corporate culture, involving employees in extra-work events and promoting various activities exploring the employees’ talents, ambitions and abilities (Armstrong 11).
• Increasing line management responsibility for the HR policies is another major goal of HRM; as it has been already mentioned, HRM is growing in its importance and grasps others areas of company functioning. Therefore, HRM is equal in responsibilities with line management, providing more ties and interconnections between the internal aspects of management (Armstrong 11).
• Finally, HRM should empower managers in the role of enablers. This refers both to the allocation of financial resources for solving some urgent business matters, and to the empowerment of capable employees offering their potential and creativity to the company (Armstrong 11).

Strategic HRM

Strategic HRM is substantially different from the RHM process itself because it focuses mainly on the activities affecting the behavior of individuals in an effort to formulate and introduce strategic needs of the business (Armstrong and Baron 41). Hence, one can understand that the strategic HRM reflects not the real-time, but the future intentions of the organization regarding the HRM organization, procedures and policies. It includes the long-term people issues, defining the HR strategies that have to be identified for the future effort of the HRM department. In addition, the strategic HRM peculiarity is that it concerns the macro-concerns at the organizational level, including the structure, values, culture, performance, rewards, motivation etc. The aim of strategic HRM deriving from its features consists in the creation of the strategic capability for the company to possess the highly committed, skilled and motivated employees to enhance the company’s competitive advantage in terms of human assets. In order to achieve that aim, the strategic HRM needs to fulfill the individual and collective needs of the employees to further on implement coherent and practical HR policies and programs (Armstrong and Baron 41-42).

Before proceeding to the practical discussion of existing HRM strategies, one has to identify the modern approaches to HRM strategy; they include the classical, processual and systemic ones, having many proponents and followers in the global theoretical HRM thought. The classical approach defends the ‘cold’ analysis of organizational environment and the company’s internal resources, with the further identification of strategic options and final implementation of the chosen strategy (Wilczek 2). It is vital to remember that there is a clear distinction between the authorities responsible for strategy generation and implementation thereof. According to the classical approach, strategies are created by top management and implemented by operational managers (Wilczek 2).

The processual approach promotes the strategic flexibility of the company; it argues that strategies are formulated and implemented in an integrated, non-disruptive manner at all levels of an organization. The approach is more viable for the company in a turbulent environment, with the clear need for expertise and creativity at all levels of the organizational structure (Wilczek 3). The third approach, however, includes the socio-cultural and economic context of the countries in which the strategy is formulated into the strategic HRM process. The proponents of the systemic approach argue that cultural and geographical differences seriously affect the process of strategy formation as well as its outcomes (Wilczek 3).

Consequently, proceeding to the models of strategic HRM, one has to identify its nature as a search of the ‘best fit’ within the organizational structure. The strategic fit is the central concept of strategic HRM, also called the matching model. The essence of the model is in making the HR strategy aligned with business strategies of the company (representing the vertical fit) (Armstrong and Baron 44). The vertical fit is the integral part contributing to the business planning process in an organization; it has to match the life cycle stages of the company and be individually tailored to the dynamics of its development (Armstrong and Baron 46).

The horizontal fit is nevertheless as important as the vertical one, as the HR strategies have to be aligned from the inside, i.e. there should be a high level of coherence between the different elements of people strategies (Armstrong and Baron 44). The logical interconnection among the mutually supportive practices of the HR strategy can ensure the success of the horizontal fit, making the HR strategy the ‘best fit’, the chief objective of the overall corporate strategy. The resource-based approach to HRM strategy also provides a sound foundation for the development and implementation of strategic HRM within the organization; it dictates the resource-based approach to all tangible and intangible assets possessed by the company, and utilization thereof with the purpose of being competitive in the market (Armstrong and Baron 53).

Functions Reflected in Business Practices

The success of any organization depends on the allocation of proper human resources in proper positions to ensure their full engagement, job satisfaction and adequate rewards for the performance; however, the current review of staffing practices has shown much incongruence with the ideal objectives stipulated in each HRM department. The wrongdoings include hoarding professionals at the expense of the organization, fostering promotions on biased principles without consideration of organization-wide options, limiting individual opportunities and depriving them from feedback, promoting decrease of confidence etc. (Fombrun, Tichy, and Devanna 58). All of them lead to employee turnover and loss of intelligence, knowledge and expertise.

Introducing the strategic HRM practices in staffing now plays the crucial role in the success of the organization in the accomplishment of its business objectives. The key processes are the specification of qualification, identification of people possessing those skills, and relocating the employees to the positions that fit them the most (Fombrun et al. 58). The staffing policies are affected by the dominant corporate culture and the stage of business development (the start-up business will conduct recruiting activities to form the staff, while the business at a stage of decline can relocate the existing staff or even involve professionals from external resources to revitalize the organization). Some constructive modern HRM practices regarding staffing within an organization include job posting, management development, and succession planning for the sake of HRM integration in all fields of organizational functioning (Fombrun et al. 65).

Performance Appraisal

Performance appraisal is another central element of successful HRM because it provides the assessment and identification of critical job behaviors of the management, specifying the objectives of each manage, and agreeing on the steps and resources necessary for the achievement of those objectives (Fombrun et al. 87). There is a high risk of selective focusing in the performance appraisal, especially concerning the top management, because of lack of subjectivity and absence of anonymity. Hence, the innovative HRM practices in appraisal have to be introduced to ensure the successful accomplishment of business goals and strategies.

There are several categories of measures that can be used for performance appraisal; outcome measures are a strong indicator, but they fail to support the appraisal system in full because of the focus on results depriving managers of the opportunity to assess the process of achieving results. This approach may cause the deterioration of the system instead of its improvement, so the behavioral measures should complement the outcome ones (Fombrun et al. 91). Behavioral measures help identify the critical behavior that may aid employees in completing the objectives stipulated for their position, and the critical incident technique may be implemented for the assessment of the employee correspondence to their positions. Behavior measures are also highly helpful in selecting employees and establishing monetary rewards (Fombrun et al. 94).

The job behavioral analysis is utilized to identify the activities top managers have to conduct to implement the strategic plan. Here two types of training programs have proven to assist in objective achievement: accurate recording of what is seen, and giving feedback as well as setting the performance goals. These programs ensure objectivity and enhance the development of self-management capabilities to promote business strategies on the organization-wide level (Fombrun et al. 100).

Compensation and Benefit

The reward system in any organization may play both functional and dysfunctional roles because of the motivation or discouragement that it may bring to the employees. However, it is essential to note that the compensation system, in case it is properly designed, may become the key contributor to the effectiveness of the HR strategy and employee commitment increase. The strategic role of the reward system lies within the behavioral effect it may produce on employees, hence it has to be thoroughly considered in order to estimate the drives and incentives to be used in the effective HRM system design (Fombrun et al. 127).

The first outcome a successful reward system may offer to the company is the attraction and retention of employees. It is widely known that the companies offering the highest monetary rewards still attract the largest numbers of employees and retain them stronger and longer than other companies do. Hence, the monetary motivation turns out to be fairly strong nowadays (Fombrun et al. 128). In addition, the motivation outcome is also the direct consequence of the properly designed reward system – employees who earn more are more committed to their company, they possess a higher level of loyalty and resourcefulness towards their employer.

The organizational culture is also affected by the reward system; the way rewards are developed, administered and managed affect the culture and shape its type, e.g. participant, entrepreneurial or other ones (Fombrun et al. 128). Reinforcement and definition of the company structure are also affected by the reward system – as usual, the hierarchical structure of corresponding rewarding systems for different levels of management (Fombrun et al. 128). Finally, the compensation to employees affects the cost structure of the company. The salaries to employees traditionally constitute a large share of the company’s operating costs; hence, the thoughtful design of rewards and appraisals may save the company a considerable sum of money and help it allocate resources more productively.

HRM now plays an increasingly important role in building the business strategy and achieving the competitive advantage in the marketplace. With the emergence of the innovative approach to human resources as the strongest company asset, a variety of HRM approaches has been developed to assist the company in aligning people management with the business objectives and strategies. Therefore, it is totally possible to state that the modern organizational structure welcomes an integrated HRM system having equal opportunities and responsibilities with line management and operating in a wide range of areas to sustain the company’s consistence with its strategies.

The basis of the HRM processes is successful staffing, planning, management, identification of reward systems, identification of the company’s internal resources etc. All these activities are called to enhance the company’s competitive position and to reinforce its human capital potential. Strategic HRM is focused on the future perspectives pursued by the company, so it is directed at the macro-environment of the organization. The key processes and functions of strategic HRM constitute effective staffing (that is, proper allocation of employees according to their potential and skills), performance appraisal (both according to the behavioral patterns and outcome measures), and design of effective reward systems that would assist the company in accomplishing its business strategy.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Michael. A handbook of human resource management practice . 10 th ed. London: Kogan Page Publishers, 2006. Print.

Armstrong, Michael, and Angela Baron. Strategic HRM: the key to improved business performance . London: CIPD Publishing, 2002. Print.

Bratton, John, and Jeffrey Gold. Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice . 2 nd ed. New Jersey: Routledge, 2001. Print.

Fombrun, J. Charles, Tichy, M. Noel, and Mary Anne Devanna. Strategic human resource management. San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons, 1984. Print.

Mathis, L. Robert, and John H. Jackson. Human resource management . 12 th ed. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2008.  Print.

Wilczek, Tim. The “Classical Model” for Practising Human Resource Management: …or is There a Need for an Integrated Approach Including Specialised Human Resource Strategies? Norderstedt, Germany: GRIN Verlag, 2008. Print.

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Human Resource Management Practices

Introduction.

Human resource management (HRM) is a critical component of a business. Since it involves the management of people and meeting the business standards, the human resources (HR) function calls for HR managers to be proactive in dealing with managerial problems. The rapid change, technological innovations, and increased competition necessitate HR professionals embrace change and adopt a mechanism that will enable them to strike a balance between employees and business. This paper aims to appraise the effectiveness of HR planning and international recruitment and selection measures, with a reference to the case study: “Ethnography: An effective tool to Business Solution.”

Analysis of Advantages of ‘Proper Training’ as Applied in the Case

The lack of proper training for the employees raises several managerial issues in the workplace. Some of the human resource management problems that arise due to lack of proper training are balancing between the management and the employees, recruitment and selection, and training, development, and compensation. In Das, the owner of Das Services Pvt. ltd, these HR Management issues are clearly evident. He is faced with balancing between delivering quality services and meeting the institution’s management requirements, and handling his delivery boys. His delivery boys do not have proper training as they receive training from their colleagues or Mr. Das during the official meetings. This is a critical issue in human resource management, particularly relationship with external stakeholders.

As a result, Mr. Iyer finds himself in a difficult situation that requires him to decide whether to terminate the water supply contract with Mr. Das, the general manager of the subcontracting firm or retain him for avoiding exacerbating the current financial strain on the institution. On the other hand, the institution also struggles with the managerial problem of recruitment and selection. Presented with the high number of applicants who needed the tender, they were confronted with the dilemma of giving the job, hence gave Mr. Das underperforming. Mr. Iyer finds himself in a challenging situation as he has to answer a call and decide whether to fire Mr. Das or give him the last warning. Proper training in such a situation will help solve managerial problems in the following ways:

Improved Employee Performance

With proper training, employees will understand the sensitivity of the work they are doing, and as a result, they will be able to improve their performance. Training gives an employee a greater understanding of their responsibility within their specific job, and in turn, this builds their confidence. With confidence, an employee can enhance the overall performance, which is an advantage to the company. With Das and his delivery boys, lack of proper training is the source of poor performance and dirty work. The delivery people do not clearly understand their role and the importance of the hygiene required.

As a result, Das Services ends up underperforming and delivering substandard work to their client. Esteban-Lloret et al. (2018) observes that role ambiguity and conflict are one of the major determinants of employee training. Upscaling the knowledge and skills of workers through training enables them to understand their responsibilities and expectations, improve their morale, and enhance their job performance (Ahmad & Manzoor, 2017). Therefore, if delivered effectively, training can be a sound solution to the managerial problems facing the company.

Improved Employee Satisfaction and Morale

Proper training creates a supportive workplace and creates an impression to the employees that they are valued. It makes the employees understand whatever they are doing and helps them gain the proper training they would never seek independently. Employees who feel valued tend to take their work seriously, feel motivated, and improves their performance. In the case of Das Company, providing the delivery staff with the relevant training they needed in packing, rinsing, and capping the water bottles could have increased their morale, job satisfaction, and loyalty to the organization.

Consistent with Ahmad (2017), this strategy could have helped them recognize and understand the importance of packing and recapping bottles the right way to comply with hygiene standards and regulations. Washing their hands would not be a problem too, since they know the tangible benefits of hand hygiene in packaging and other business operations.

Improved Productivity and Adherence to Quality Standards

Proper training improves productivity, which in turn increases efficiency. Effective training also means employees understand the standards expected from them and the company they are working for. In the process, this will result in the company’s success and an increase in the market share. If Das had given satisfactory training to his delivery staff, he would not have compromised quality standards, and there will be been no issues between him and the management. Also, this would solve the management issues arising, such as the ones that Iyer is facing.

Emotional and Physical Stability of Employees

Remunerations, salaries, and wages are not enough to make employees stable, happy, and loyal in the contemporary world. Maintaining a proper emotional balance is a critical part of human resource management. They should try to understand the feelings, requirements, and attitudes of the employees. Also, encouraging the employees whenever they require motivation is a vital part of human resource management.

Human resource managers can only achieve these issues through proper training of employees. In return, this training leads to employees’ emotional and physical stability, cohesion, performance improvement, and productivity. If all employees had proper training in the case of Das, there would be no argument whenever he addressed the issue of delivery staff acting appropriately. He would also not be worried about his employees getting employed to the food outlets on campus as no employee wants to leave when they are emotionally and physically stable. All the issues they were having could not be here if the employees had received formal training.

Comparison and Contrast of Actions taken by Nair and Sharma

The actions of serving Mr. Das with a warning letter done by Nair are fair. A warning letter served to an employee is a part of the human resource formal processes which facilitate the recording of misconduct, poor performance, or a disciplinary issue. It serves as an HR way of discussing the issue with the employee formally. The letter is also a critical HR part of setting expectations to the employee for future behavior, and it can also act as a precursor for termination. For HR managers, a warning letter is vital. It formally communicates a mechanism for them to control the situations and take necessary actions about the company policy.

When verbal communication between supervisors and employees does not yield fruit, the warning letter is the best way to record the gaps and highlight the situation. In the case of Mr. Das, Iyer had a meeting with him, and they had talked verbally concerning the water issues on several occasions. However, the verbal communication did not provide any desired results.

Nair had executed his HR-related tasks correctly, and he formally communicated to Mr. Das through a warning letter. This would also act as a precursor to the termination in case Das failed to improve his performance. Moreover, Mrs. Sharma also performed her HR-related task as compliance management is part of human resource activities. Her actions are utterly justifiable as she brought to the limelight complaints about Mr. Das’ Performance. It served to make people aware of the products they were being served with and their hygiene standards. However, Mrs. Sharma did not do it the right way by putting it on the notice board. She could be more sensitive to other people and the company’s reputation and address the issue through direct communication with the management and directors before writing an email to the public notice.

Appropriate Human Resource Management Practices

Human beings are complex, and having to manage them every day can be tricky. Due to the complexity of humans and the digital era, human resource management is a complex task that involves constant identification and overcoming of human resources challenges. This also means considerable effort, time, and money since employees are the greatest assets that a business or company can boast about. Therefore, with this in mind, human resource managers need to adopt and apply appropriate human resource practices to solve the managerial problems they face. Here are some practices that human resource managers should adopt.

Embracing Change with Grace and Ease

Change is inevitable, and it influences our competitors, workplace, and customers too. However, humans are always afraid of change due to the unknown and the anxiety that comes with change. These are the most frequent challenges that HR faces since they are tasked with managing employee morale, happiness, cooperation, and upskilling them and meeting the constant demand of the business.

However, to keep your business competitive and performing, human resource managers need to embrace change and deal with it. At Arumalai research institute, human resource management needs to embrace change and employ another company that can deliver water on the campus with the standards needed. Having talked with Mr. Das on several occasions and served him with a warning letter without getting the desired results, it would be better for them to accept it is time for a change and issue the contract to another dealer who would supply the water from the RO plant with the standards required.

Looking after Health and Safety

Health and safety are some of the significant challenges of human resource management in almost every business. These concerns are governed by labor law and are critical for employees’ wellbeing since they are not only about hygiene. Due to high demand, employee burnout, and limited time, the employees’ physiological wellbeing can highly deteriorate. This implies that the human resource managers need to keep a check on the stress levels and the escalating workload on the employees.

They should also adopt an open door policy for discussing employee working hours, unfair expectations, and anxiety. In the case of the Arumalai research institute, looking after the health, safety, and hygiene of the drinking water would help solve managerial problems since they would give the contract to the best person who will deliver the required standards.

Attracting and Retaining Good Talent

Competition is one of the most critical factors in business and human resource management. Attracting the right individuals needs a proper understanding of the job and the organization. Since jobs and roles keep changing while the organization’s culture keeps adapting, HR jobs become very challenging. Therefore, the human resource needs to focus on people who fit their organization, look for evidence that they employ likes learning, and are flexible. They also need to recruit a person who is adaptable to change and is up to the challenge. By focusing on such qualities, they will be able to recruit employees who will achieve business development and training goals while meeting customers’ standards.

Creating a Quality Employee Experience

Maintaining employees is one of the greatest human resource challenges. As a result, there is a very high turnover rate in fast-paced companies. Human resource managers need to create a quality employee experience through flex-time, work-from-home arrangements, arranging engaging online training, and other incentives to avoid this situation. This will lead to a culture that is welcoming and inspiring.

Recommendations

Based on the specific issues and challenges evident in the case study, the HR department should consider the following recommendations to manage and mitigate the current managerial issues:

• Evaluate which training is essential and offer to their employees.
• Employ various mechanisms and tools to access the capabilities of their employees.
• Be proactive to get ahead of their competitors.
• Align the business strategies with internal and external factors.
• Embrace change and deal with it when it occurs.

In conclusion, this case study demonstrates that HR plays an integral role in the overall performance and success of any business enterprise. However, HR managers face complex challenges in the macro and micro business environment. As a consequence, organizations need to strike a proper balance between the employees and the company’s expectations. Organizations expect their workers to deliver consistent and higher productivity. These expectations are valid only if HR managers become more proactive in relation to addressing employees’ needs. Most importantly, they ought to ensure that their employees have the right skills and training to perform to their expectations.

Ahmad, I., & Manzoor, S. R. (2017). Effect of teamwork, employee empowerment and training on employee performance. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences , 7 (11), 380-394. Web.

Esteban-Lloret, N. N., Aragón-Sánchez, A., & Carrasco-Hernández, A. (2018). Determinants of employee training: impact on organizational legitimacy and organizational performance. The International Journal of Human Resource Management , 29 (6), 1208-1229. Web.

Obeidat, S. M., Al Bakri, A. A., & Elbanna, S. (2020). Leveraging “green” human resource practices to enable environmental and organizational performance: Evidence from the Qatari oil and gas industry. Journal of Business Ethics , 164 (2), 371-388. Web.

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Human Resources essay samples, topics and guides

16 February, 2022

30 minutes read

Author:  Elizabeth Brown

If you study at a Management department, you will receive a Human Resources essay as a home assignment sooner or later. What is this type of task? How can you write it to impress your supervisor? Here we uncover all the fundamentals of HR writing to help you jumpstart the writing process and get a […]

If you study at a Management department, you will receive a Human Resources essay as a home assignment sooner or later. What is this type of task? How can you write it to impress your supervisor? Here we uncover all the fundamentals of HR writing to help you jumpstart the writing process and get a high grade for the academic paper.

Let’s start with a definition. A Human Resources essay is a type of academic work that approaches some subject related to managing a company’s staff, either public or private, and resolving issues arising in the process.

Thus, when you are tasked with writing an essay about HR, you can choose among various topics, such as hiring and retaining staff, resolving interpersonal conflict, organizing teamwork, and deciding on the proper staff rewards to keep them motivated and engaged. You can also choose among different approaches to analysis; it may be either a purely theoretical piece that examines various theories and methods or an applied case study considering an example of a specific company.

When you proceed to Human Resources essay writing, it’s vital to understand the principles and peculiarities distinguishing this piece of homework from other assignments you might face at the HR department. Here are the basics of competent and professional composition on HR-related topics:

• To sound competent and knowledgeable about the topic, you need to include practical examples and statistics to argue your point.
• Choose a theme to your liking and focus on something of personal interest; it will be much easier to write a paper on the topic you like.
• Study a couple of Human Resources school essay examples available online to see how others have approached this subject.

If you’re still unsure how to complete your home assignment, and the time of its submission is already coming, you can always hire a professional Human Resources essay writer from our team. We’ve here 24/7, always on standby to help you out with any academic task. Thus, you will always stay on top of the class in terms of grades and timeliness without overstretching yourself or draining your resources.

Human Resources Essay Format

Now let’s proceed to discuss the Human Resources essay format. It has some specifics to consider for the sake of meeting your professor’s expectations and getting a high grade for the assignment. First, we want to note that a Human Resources school essay has the same components as other essays possess, so you don’t need to invent the wheel when approaching this task.

All you need to do is compose an introduction of your paper, a body, and a conclusion.

H3: Introduction

In this part of your Human Resources plan essay, you need to indicate the overall topic of your study and the problem you’re going to examine. You should end this part with a detailed and concise thesis statement showing how you will approach the problem and from which angles you will explore it.

This is the central part of your Human Resources essay in which you present your arguments on a chapter-by-chapter basis. Keep in mind that every paragraph should deal with only one subject, which is typically reflected in the topic sentence. In this way, your essay will have a proper structure and will be readable.

This part of your essay should focus on summarizing the main points you’ve discussed in the paper’s body, restating the thesis statement, and drawing the readers’ attention to broader implications of the subject.

Write Human Resources essay in 5 Steps

Stumbling upon how to write a Human Resources management essay? Here is a simple algorithm that will help you cope with any assignment at hand, including HR writing:

• Study your course materials in detail to see what a professor wants from this assignment.
• Pick a topic from the list of available options based on your interest in the subject and the materials’ availability.
• Conduct in-depth research on Google and across several academic databases to identify credible, fresh literary evidence supporting your arguments and standpoint.
• Find a couple of real-life examples to illustrate your points and prove the applicability of your ideas in HR practice.
• Complete the writing piece according to all academic conventions (e.g., paragraph structure, essay format, grammar and style, originality, etc.).

Human Resources Essay Topics (250)

Choosing a topic is always the most challenging part of the essay composition process. You can’t move further until you’re clear with what to look for and in which direction to move. Thus, we’ve created a list of Human Resources essay topics to help you out and speed up your homework process:

• Does organizational success depend solely on the efficiency of HRM?
• Differences between HR management in public and private organizations.
• Personnel management and transition methods in HRM.
• Strategic HR planning: the essentials.
• HRM principles in healthcare organizations.
• Statistical methods of analysis in HRM.
• The Michigan model of HRM.
• The most significant barriers to effective HRM.
• Job evaluation techniques for HR managers.
• The HRIS technique in HRM.
• Four competencies necessary for career management.
• The variety of career planning techniques.
• The most important managerial competencies in the global HR marketplace.
• Staff competency development models of large corporations.
• Megatrends in the executive development via HRM.
• HRM and online training.
• Primary tenets of performance management practices.
• Approaches to employee recognition.
• What mentoring practices work in the period of COVID-19 distance work?
• Principles of Quality of Work Life (QWL) and HR managers’ role in staff’s work-life balance.
• How can HR managers recognize and promote charismatic leaders in the workplace?

How to Start a Human Resources Essay

Starting a Human Resources essay is not always simple, as you might have a clear plan and roadmap in mind. Otherwise, the process of working on this home task may transform into an unexpected challenge taking too much time and energy from you.

Here are some tips and recommendations from our pros on how to start an HR essay quicker:

• Find a topic that you like and know much about. This will be an excellent start for your essay writing process, as you will have enough background information at hand and will know what to look for online.
• Find a suitable Human Resources essay example in Google or your college library to see how other people have studied the subject of your interest. It may be a good idea to compare several essay samples and develop your own, authentic argumentation on that topic.
• Develop a detailed outline to guide your writing. If you have that roadmap for the whole process of composition, you won’t need to waste time consulting the prompt and double-checking whether you’re on-topic.
• Always opt for the argumentative Human Resources essay topics as they are debatable and offer a freedom of choice. You can study the available sources discussing that topic and choose your standpoint. Argumentative subjects also offer rich evidence on both sides of the debate.

As you can see, starting an HR task is not that hard. But anyway, if you don’t feel like spending another evening over books, maybe it’s time to contact our managers and get professional assistance with the assignment? You can take a rest and relax, dedicating some vital time to yourself and your needs, knowing that your HR home task is in good hands.

We provide all kinds of assistance with essay writing, Human Resources included, so you will never feel shortchanged when working with our experts.

The paper ‘The Recruitment, Selection and Induction Process ” is a great example of a human resources research proposal. This is a working document to focus on the purpose and structure of student essays, which reflects the intent and outlook of their research. It is quite likely and permissible that as students progress with their essays, several aspects of content, direction or emphasis of their essay will change.  It is vitally important that students keep their academic supervisor informed of any such changes – as such changes may require students to reconsider any or all of the content of this proposal form.

Section 1: Briefly describe your research topic for Essay 1

The research topic is to identify the recruitment, selection and induction process which organizations need to adopt so that they are able to determine the mechanism through which correct hiring of people takes place. The research concentrates on indentifying the basic things which need to be included in all the process and also stresses on the need of having different process based on the different needs of the organization. The research brings forward the different methods of recruitment, selection and induction process which forms part of every organization. This has helped to identify the different core factors which are part of the recruitment, selection and induction process and the manner in which business effectiveness and changes are witnessed in the hiring process. The research will help organizations to improve their recruitment, selection and induction process as it will garner a path through which different aspect will be included and will help to improve the overall mechanism of hiring people.

Section 2:  Briefly outline any frameworks, theories or models you anticipate using:

The research has looked to identify the different patterns which are globally accepted and the research is based on secondary sources. The findings from different research are bring used to find out the manner in which the recruitment, selection and induction process can be improved and changes can be made and moulded based on the different needs and requirements of the organization. The framework which has been followed is one where linkage has been developed between recruitment, selection and induction process so that one process leads to the other and provides a basis through which the different dimensions which impact the hiring process can be understood. The overall impetus of the research is thereby towards finding out the different areas and dimensions which will help to facilitate and improve the process of achieving better results and multiplying the overall effectiveness of hiring people.

Section 3:  Briefly provide the main authors and themes relevant to your topic. 

Some of the different sources which have been used and are relevant to the area of research are

Arnold, J. (2005). Work Psychology: Understanding human behaviour in the workplace 4th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.

Cable, D. & Judge, T. (2006). Person-organization fit, job choice decisions, and organizational entry. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 67 (3), 294–311

Dipboye, R. (2002). Selection interviews: Process perspectives . Human Resource Selection (3rd ed.). Orlando, FL: Dryden Press

Hogan, R. (2001). Personality and personality measurement. In M.D. Dunnette & L.M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 2 (2nd ed.) 873–919

Ryan, A. & Schmit, M. (2003). Assessing organizational fit in employee selection. Paper presented at the 8th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology, San Francisco, CA

Thompson, P. and McHugh, D. (2009). Work Organizations: A critical approach , 4 th ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

The different themes which the different authors and work provided are related to the manner in which overall changes and dimensions are being witnessed in the hiring process. This will help to understand the core areas which the different research has identified and will help to come to a conclusive conclusion regarding the manner in which different factors and aspect has an impact on the hiring process and different things which need to be included so that the mechanism which has been adopted improves and provides a better understanding of the different business environment.

Section 4:   Identify opportunities for further study in Essay 2 and/or gaps in research understanding that will refine your research questions.

The research has been carried outlooks to provides a general perspective of the different factors and areas which needs to be included while designing the recruitment, selection and induction process. The research provides a general idea of the different things which have to be included. This provides an opportunity where future research can be carried out by looking towards an organization or an industry where a specific process of recruitment, selection and induction process is being used. This is an area that can be further researched as it will provide useful information pertaining to a particular industry or organization and will show the different dimensions and aspects which needs to be included in the recruitment, selection and induction process. This will help to understand the application of the different methods in a real organization and will provide useful impetus regarding the manner in which the organization is able to gain due to it. This will thereby help to improve the understanding and having applicability in the real organization will magnify the overall value of the research.

The paper  “Performance and Reward Management” is a comprehensive example of human resources case study. Performance management in human resources refers to a holistic process whereby many elements are brought together to successfully manage people, enabling them to meet their goals and targets. It can focus on the performance of a Company, a section, or even an employee (Armstrong 2000).

TPL has a very traditional command and control approach to management across its manufacturing function, employees are not given an opportunity to demonstrate their ability and explore their talent and potential fully. The Management has an old type of leadership known as autocratic. According to Cameron and Green (2012), he described authoritarian is a style of leadership used by leaders who want to make decisions alone, having total authority. Negotiation and consultation are highly discouraged by these leaders. Whatever they say is final. This leadership style is good for employees that need close supervision to perform certain tasks. This simply indicates the organization applying theory X whereby the management feels and assumes that there are lazy and must be supervised closely. This theory has been proven to be counter-effective in modern practice. The management of TPL needs to change its style of leadership and management and come up with a more democratic approach. This will help the Company in giving the employees confidence and therefore increase productivity (Cameron & Green 2012).

Poor performance appraisal and review process can also be witnessed in TPL, where it is done so casually biannually as a chat between a supervisor and a subordinate. TPL should improve on the way it conducts the performance appraisal and review process, all the parties should be involved by aligning performance with the strategic goals of the organization (Armstrong 2000). For example, TPL supervisors should provide more specific feedback that will help them describe the gap that exists between actual performance and what is expected of the employees.

Reward Management

Reward management in human resources also referred to as a reward system means any financial reward that an organization gives to employees in return for their labor. The reward must not only be a material reward but also non-material rewards. The financial reward consists of basic pay and any other benefit to employees.  Non- financial rewards include promotions, recognition, and personal growth (Price 2011).

TPL has a very poor reward system; the pay system is very simple that technical, senior management, and employees earn flat salaries on a single payment. There is also a yearly salary increment regardless of their performance. This pay system is very unprofessional as it forgets the core reason for working. People work to be paid and if your system does not reward employees according to the effort they make.

TPL should adopt a reward system that is linked to performance; the payment should vary depending on the quality and quantity of work done by an employee. Attention should be given to employees’ achievement or success-oriented individual bonuses (Price 2011). For example, in a sales department, the salespeople should be paid on the basis of turnover. The salesperson who moves a large stock should be rewarded more than the one who moves little stock. TPL should also seize from using a profit-related bonuses element paid shortly before Christmas. This method can easily demotivate the members of staff if no payment is to be made at the end of the year as in the case when the organization does not make any profit.

Employee turnover in TPL is really high; this is due to a poor reward system and low morale. The organization is wasting a lot of money on recruiting new employees as well as training them to be conversant with the work to be done. David McClelland’s theory of motivation involving three basic needs: achievement, power, and affiliation. When employees achieve their target they are motivated, organizations should give power to employees to make independent decisions. TPL should employ theory Z that focuses on increasing employee loyalty to the Organization when treated well (Cameron & Green 2012).

Human Resource Development

Human resource development in the area of human resources can be termed as a curriculum used to help employees develop their careers by improving personal and organizational skills, abilities, and knowledge. It includes training employees, employee career development, and mentoring when planning for succession (Joy-Matthews, Megginson & Surtees 2004).

TPL staff training in terms of how to carry out the functions of their role is generally very thorough but surprisingly many employees are injured in accidents. What could be the reason for accidents occurring despite employees’ training? The main reason is that on-the-job training is not done appropriately; the reason being that it is provided by consultants off-site which is very expensive.

TPL should make training compulsory to the entire employee workforce in all the departments and it should be done on a quarterly basis. Re-training is very important as it refreshes the employee’s minds and improves their skills in their field (Joy-Matthews, Megginson & Surtees 2004).

Equality and Diversity

Equality in human resources refers to a situation whereby employees have an equal right to employment, payment, and equal access to training and development. The organization should put in place measures that will allow equality. Diversity is a situation whereby an organization encourages a diverse workgroup helping the Company to be more effective (Cornelius 2002).

TPL claims to be an equal opportunities employer but it is ironic that people from ethnic minorities are very few in the organization. This tarnishes the organization’s name as it is an indicator of discrimination leading to inequality. Gender imbalance can also be observed in TPL, fewer women are employed in the organization and therefore a form of discrimination. TPL should come up with a policy that will encourage people of all gender, tribe, and color to be employed.

TPL does not employ people with disabilities or those who are physically challenged. This is a very serious form of discrimination. The organization should come up with policies that will allow a certain percentage of employees to be disabled. It is so unfortunate that the organization does not cater to the dietary need of its employees, there is only one locker room and the TPL canteen does not appear to cater to any variety of dietary needs.

#3 Top Paints Limited- Human Resource Development and Reward Management

The paper  “Top Paints Limited- Human Resource Development and Reward Management” is a persuasive example of human resources case study. Top Paints Limited is continuously facing problems related to human resources and the matter has complicated to such an extent that the business has witnessed loss, increase in the number of casualties, increase in staff turnover, and problems that need to be addressed at the earliest. This report identifies the problems faced by Top Paints Limited and looks towards providing alternatives to deal with those.

Top Paints Limited is facing serious issues which have complicated the manner in which business was conducted and needs to be addressed so that a solution to those can be found out as it will help the organization to perform effectively. The issues are

• Top Paints Limited looks to compensate their employees through a model which is outdated. The employees have compensated a fixed salary and the perks are defined beforehand which the employees receive at the end of the year irrespective of the performance which has reduced the efforts made by the employees
• The hierarchical model of the passing of responsibility from the top management to the bottom has restricted the employees from taking initiative in completing the task as they have to follow the ways that have been prescribed to them is another problem that is making it difficult for Top Paints Limited to sustain
• An increase in the accidents rates which are consistent and similar accidents occur shows that lack of training and awareness has made it difficult to deal with the complex issue
• The organization has a dominance of male employees and fewer females and people from the backward class highlighting the fact that despite preaching that there has to be equality and diversity in the workforce the organization has resorted to differentiation making it difficult to conduct business smoothly

Performance Management

Top Paints Limited need to look towards moving away from the traditional system where employees have compensated a fixed salary to a flexible one where the performance of the employees acts as a major force in deciding the salary. Productivity should be measured and based on it employees should be compensated.

The performance-based approach should look towards identifying the performance measures, quality measures, and objectives and look towards control monitoring so that the actual performance is gauged which will facilitate in determining a performance-based pay for its employees.

This will also help Top Paints Limited to ensure that measuring the performance based on the manner the employees have achieved their task will help to understand the manner in which the business will be able to identify the future talent and will guide the management to deal with the future requirements better and have a pool to talent which are able to carry out their responsibilities in the most efficient manner

This is an aspect that Top Paints Limited needs to consider and needs to design the compensation package in such a manner that performance acts as a major point in securing a sound compensation. This would mean moving away from the traditional system where employees have compensated a fixed salary to a flexible one where the performance of the employees acts as a major force in deciding the salary. This would mean using the performance pay approach in compensating the employees. Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory will help to design a compensation package where the organization understand the needs and requirements of the employees and based on its look towards package

While designing the reward package special care should be given to ensure that the compensation package has both fixed and flexible pay. Further, through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory Top Paints Limited needs to look towards ensuring that intrinsic reward is provided to the employees through recognition, promotion, and other ways so that the employees are able to associate themselves with the organization. Using the Herzberg theory of motivation and hygiene will also act as a mechanism through which accidents reduce and the organization is able to gain efficiency in gaining the maximum from the employees and will help to reduce the high turnover that the business is facing and will make the employees work for longer period

Top Paints Limited needs to identify the training tools and methods which will help to reduce the number of casualties that the business is witnessing. Top Paints Limited needs to identify the training requirements both on and off the job so that the employees understand the manner in which they should deal with different situations. They should look towards a processual approach that relies less on top-down strategy as it will help to reduce accidents and ensure better working conditions

Top Paints Limited through their process of training will also be able to motivate the workforce and ensure that all employees are able to come together and work towards a common purpose. They should look towards rating scales and surveillance to ensure that the workforce is able to learn during the training and don’t repeat the mistakes again. This will help the business to ensure that the inter-personal relationship between the employees improves and they are able to work as a team.

Equality & Diversity

Top Paints Limited needs to look towards having a mix of people from different cultures and backgrounds so that they are able to demonstrate diversity in the workforce. While recruiting and selecting employees they should look towards using informal contacts, formal contacts, notice boards, advertising, and external sources so that people from all backgrounds are picked in the organization. This will make the employees feel that the organization is looking towards all and will help Top Paints Limited to find new recruits easily.

Having equality and diversity in the workforce will ensure that the employees are able to associate with the company and will help to reduce the turnover rate. Special care should be taken through monitoring which will help to reduce discrimination through stereotyping, marginalization, and invisibilization. This will thereby help Top Paints Limited to prepare properly in the manner they will deal in the future and ensure that a strategy is developed through which the business can be developed.

Recommendations

Top Paints Limited needs to look towards bringing a change in which the compensation is provided by ensuring that performance is a key in determining the manner in which the employees will be compensated. Further, steps should be taken to ensure that turnover rates and accidents are reduced by taking steps where the business is able to ensure better results. Further, Top Paints Limited needs to look towards ensuring a restructuring in the manner the business is done by ensuring equality and diversity so that the business is able to ensure a strategy where they are able to work in all direction and ensure growth for the business

Top Paints Limited needs to work on different aspects of the business so that they are able to improve the manner in which business is conducted. This will help Top Paints Limited to ensure major changes in the manner work is done and will help to reduce the number of casualties and ensure better turnover rates which will help Top Paints Limited to ensure that the business is able to earn profits over a longer period of time.

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Human Resource Policies in Organizations Essay

Introduction, shrm concept, roles of hrm, strategic management, employee motivation.

In any organization that is keen on achieving success, human resource is a precious commodity that must be guarded and protected jealously because it is to a large extent the major component of the organization’s brand name, which is the key to its success because personnel forms the backbone of the firm.

For this reason, quality of employee is closely correlated with the quality of work output which is all the more reason why the company should adopt best practices in HR management.

Because this paper intends to analyze and discuss the concept of human resource policies in general especially in the organizational context, our main focus will be on one of the most recently advanced human resource model and its subsets that is proving effective and reliable in human resource management; this is the Strategic Human resource management (SHRM).

SHRM is a concept that had been advanced more recently by human resource specialist that recognize employee as key factor to the success of the organization (Pinnington and Edwards, 2000). SHRM is different from traditional personnel management in that it recognizes the need to incorporate and align employee work procedures with the organization’s long term business operations strategic objectives.

Thus, SHRM is concerned with attainment of two main objectives, that is best utilization of the human personnel which is achievement of the organizations strategic business and operational objectives as outlined in the organization’s mission statement as well as ensuring that the human resource achieves job satisfaction in the process (Stone, 2006).

Unlike ordinary personnel management strategies, SHRM goes beyond the routine activities of human resource such as recruitment, training, personnel development, and salary processing.

The key concept of a SHRM is to achieve an efficient human resource that complement the organizational business goals and visions which also build on a framework that integrates the external factors of the organization as well (Fernado, 2005).

The SHRM model is based on seven groups of characteristics that have been designed to highlight the core values of a framework which should be incorporated in any form of employee management that is designed to be effective.

There are four models of SHRM which have so far been advanced: Harvard, Soft or Hard, Unitarist or Pluralist and Relationship to IR (Butod, 2009). The Harvard model concept is build around employee efficiency that it identifies to be of crucial value that an organization must invest in order to achieve organization desired goals effectively.

Hard or Soft HRM model is a two part approach to employee management where the Hard element of the model focuses on strategic employee management to achieve personnel efficiency, and Soft engages employee in workplace through consultation, communication and cultivates personnel commitment (Stone, 2006).

Unitarist or Pluralist is also a two part model where Unitarist strives for commitment through development of mutual objectives between the organization and employee that are aligned together, Pluralist anticipate conflict with employee and therefore develops contingencies.

Finally the HRM and Industrial Relationship model argues that organization leaders must factor in complications in personnel management due to interference from employee union organizations (Butod, 2009).

The core SHRM characteristics can be summarized in seven groups of practises that defines the way that organizational should ideally interact with their employees.

Time and Planning Perspective is one of the characteristics; under this characteristic an organizational has three objectives to deliver as far as human resource are concerned. One, a company applies long term measures towards solving employee problems and therefore promotes employee retention (SouthPacific.edu, 2010).

Two, an organization should anticipate, design and implement policies that are in the best interest of the company and employee welfare long before employee start agitating for them, this way employee feels contented at all times with their jobs.

Finally an organization develops employee policy reforms that are consistent with it future strategic goals and objectives, which is notably one of the core features of SHRM.

The second characteristic that an organization has to its employee under the frameworks of SHRM is referred as Psychological Contract, towards this end an organization approach to human resource management aims to achieve commitment from personnel rather than enforce compliance (SouthPacific.edu, 2010).

This way high compliance rate is achieved as well as favourable working condition and the organization gets to save on costs associated with enforcement of organizations policies in the process.

A third characteristic of SHRM is Control System which requires an organization to implement systems that promote employee self control as a strategy for personnel management rather than internal or external control systems.

Fourth, Employee Relations Perspective requires organizations to apply Unitarist theory towards employee management and therefore cultivate a culture of trust between personnel and organizations management (SouthPacific.edu, 2010). The fifth characteristic is the need for organizations to have Proffered organizational theory which should ideally be a devolved structure with flexible employee roles.

Closely related to this characteristic is the organizations role in creating personnel jobs; as such employee job responsibilities according to SHRM should be integrated with organizational operational and business strategies. Finally, SHRM requires organization to redefine the way it undertakes it evaluation criteria which should involve engaging with employees for purposes of maximum utilization (SouthPacific.edu, 2010).

Collectively these seven characteristics as well as the various SHRM models defines the concepts of SHRM that organizations are ideally expected to implement when designing a human resource policy and is very different from traditional human resource management approaches.

A core feature of HRM involves personnel management duties as well as management of systems within the work systems. Thus, because HRM is a process that involves personnel and systems management there are two possible approaches that HRM can adopt which include instrumental (hard) and humanistic (soft) (Stone, 2006).

Under Instrumental approach the HRM recognizes the need to strategic and qualitative management of human resource under a framework that is oriented towards improving employee performance and increasing the competitive advantage.

In humanistic approach the HRM strives towards integrating the organizations policies in employee job responsibilities without compromising on employee development, trust, collaboration, informed choice and active participation.

It is from this background that the roles of a human resource manager can be comprehensively understood because they are based on these two approaches and core duties that we have so far discussed.

In this section we are going to discuss the major roles of a human resource manager based on the SHRM model and concepts. There are four major roles that an effective HR manager must consistently strive to perform in order to achieve ideal employee work output in an organization.

The major roles of a HR manager according to Stone involve strategic management, administrative expert, employee championship and catalyst for change agent (2006). One of the unique features of SHRM that sets it apart from other human resource management approaches such as Clerks of works or even Contracts negotiator is its strategic management aspect.

As a result, strategic management is arguably one of the core duties that HR manager is expected to deliver under the SHRM model; the essence of strategic management is based on five components.

These are organizational mission and objectives, industry environmental analysis, SWOT analysis, strategy implementation, performance evaluation and a component for feedback (Stone, 2006).

These five components are essential to designing the types of strategies that HR manager needs to develop for the organization. Some of the types of strategies undertaken by HR manager include retrenchment, stability, growth and international strategies among others (Stone, 2006).

Ultimately the objective of strategic management by the HR department is undertaken for several reasons some of which include integration of HR functions with organizational business operations, focus on empowerment and utilizations of organizations human resource, management of organizations culture, behaviour change and work environment among others.

The importance of HR managers role of strategic management cannot be more emphasized if one was to consider the fact that good employee management skills is crucial in enabling an organization attain high level of employee retention which is key to its competitive advantage.

Examples of strategic management activities in organizations include harmonizing employee career objectives and that of the organization to ensure that employees and organization achievements feed on each other which is consistent with SHRM hard model framework.

Another example of strategic management role of HR includes focus on employee skill building and adoption of policies that recognize employee as a core resource for the company.

It is also through strategic management that HR manager is able to work toward strengthening the overall employee teamwork relationship in a way that employee workforce is efficiently directed towards meeting organizational objectives.

The following is a representation of the Havard model that illustrates the necessary interventions needed by the HR in order to align employee’s objectives with the organization’s goals which can be used as an ideal framework of employee management.

The Harvard Model

Source: University of South Pacific 2010

Because motivation is a central feature in any ideal employee management program, let us briefly discuss its place in a well designed human resource policy. Motivation refers to the desired positive mental attitude in an employee that emanates from activities done by the employer or that comes from within the employee that serves to promote job satisfaction and over achievement (Reeves, 2008).

Therefore motivation is in two parts, that which an organization undertakes through such activities as motivational talks, salary increase and improved work environment, or through personal motivation that comes from within the employee.

Motivation of employees in work environment has several benefits; it benefits the employee through job satisfaction which usually results to the employee being more creative at work place (Kouzes and Bulker, 2007). This is besides the direct benefit that motivation has to the organization (Erez, Earley and Hulin, 2004).

An innovative employee is more proactive in tackling job related issues with little if no guidance from the management; in addition, they are creative in developing and providing solutions for job related problems since they have interest in their job and therefore are well versed with their job procedure thoroughly (Kouzes and Bulker).

An employee is able to achieve personal motivation if the job description matches with their skill which makes it easier and enjoyable to do; other reasons are personal happiness, financial security and perceived value (Marlock, 2007).

The perception of an internal management system that rewards productivity and which detects nonperformance is both deterrence and a motivator to employees (Pearce and Robinson, 2008) that prevents employees from lapsing and at the same time serves as a motivation to work hard and perform in order to progress rapidly through the organization defined career path.

Pfeffer has identified seven key areas in organization that build on employee efficiency and directly contribute to the company performance. These key areas are: employment security, self-managed teamwork, pay rise pegged on personnel performance, selective recruitment process, regular personnel training, communication facilitation in organization and reduction employee differentials (cited in McCourt and Edridge, 2004).

A good motivation system should be integrated in any effective personnel management plan (Michie, and Sheehan-Quinn, 2001). Its benefits to employees include suitable job environment, health and job satisfaction all of which contributes to the success of an organization and advertently the reason why an organization should strive to ensure employees are always motivated at work place (Michie, and Sheehan-Quinn, 2001).

An effective employee management system must address all this areas and every other area that personnel are assessed against; it should therefore have components of ethics, job procedures, targets, teamwork, motivation, disciplinary procedures and performance evaluation (Andries and Inge, 2005).

Ethics will define the working relationship between employees themselves including senior management, behavior at work place and elsewhere. Job procedures will include defined process of work, problem solving skills, work innovation among others that enables the organization to increase production.

Employees will be expected therefore to abide to work guidelines and continuously acquire new skills that will improve and make their work more efficient. In problem solving an employee can learn a lot from team work activities and senior management personnel through mentoring which enable them learn to use acquired skill to solve work related problems (Andries and Inge, 2005).

Employees should be expected to continuously meet certain levels of job targets that will ensure both the company and employee remain productive. This is because additional skills and team work in job environment usually increases job efficiency which translates to high job targets (Andries and Inge, 2005).

Teamwork therefore should be emphasized as an integral part of employee work process that should be viewed as an opportunity to learn from others and improve interpersonal skills. Motivation is another area that the company should commit resources in order to help employees achieve them.

For example in forms of salary raise, bonus, improved working condition and motivation talks. This will motivate employees to achieve high targets which are central component in the performance evaluation process that determines if an employee is ready to be promoted to the next career level.

Andries, G., and Inge, S. 2005. The Effects of Human Resource Management on SmallFirms Productivity and Employee Wages, Journal of Applied economics , 37.1: pp 1047-1054.

Butod, M., 2009. SHRM/HRM Models and Theories . [Online] (Updated 2009) Web.

Erez, M., Earley, P. C., & Hulin, C. L. 2004. The impact of participation on goal acceptance and performance: A two-step model. Academy of Management Journal 28 .1: pp 50–66.

Fernado, M., Pedro, R., and Gonzalo, S. 2005. Strategic Human Resource Management: Integrating the Univerlistic, Contingent, Configurational and Contextual Perspectives, International Journal of Human Resource Management , 16(5): pp 633-659.

Kouzes, J. and Bulker, P. 2007. The Leadership Challenge . California, CA: Jossey Bass Publishers.

Marlock J. 2007. Emotions and leadership: The role of emotional intelligence, Human Relations . Washington, DC: McGraw Hill Publishers.

McCourt, W., and Edridge, D. 2004. Global Human Resource Management: Managing People Developing and Transitional Countries . California, Edward Elgar Pub.

Michie, J., and Sheehan-Quinn, M. 2001. Labor Market Flexibility, Human Resource Management and Corporate Performance. British Journal of Management 12.4 : pp 287-306.

Pearce, J. A., & Robinson, K. 2008. Strategic Management. (11th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Pinnington, A., and Edwards, T. 2000. Introduction to Human Resource Management. Washington, DC: Oxford University Press.

Reeves, J. 2008. Understanding Motivation and Emotion . New York, NY: Wiley.

Stone, R. 2006. Human resource management (5th ed.). Milton: John Wiley & Sons Australia.

SouthPacific.edu. 2010. Introduction to Human Resource Management . [Online] (Updated 2009) Web.

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11.1 An Introduction to Human Resource Management

• What has been the evolution of human resource management (HRM) over the years, and what is the current value it provides to an organization?

Human resource management over the years has served many purposes within an organization. From its earliest inception as a primarily compliance-type function, it has further expanded and evolved into its current state as a key driver of human capital development. In the book HR From the Outside In (Ulrich, Younger, Brockbank, Younger, 2012), the authors describe the evolution of HR work in “waves”. 1 Wave 1 focused on the administrative work of HR personnel, such as the terms and conditions of work, delivery of HR services, and regulatory compliance. This administrative side still exists in HR today, but it is often accomplished differently via technology and outsourcing solutions. The quality of HR services and HR’s credibility came from the ability to run administrative processes and solve administrative issues effectively. Wave 2 focused on the design of innovative HR practice areas such as compensation, learning, communication, and sourcing. The HR professionals in these practice areas began to interact and share with each other to build a consistent approach to human resource management. The HR credibility in Wave 2 came from the delivery of best-practice HR solutions.

Wave 3 HR, over the last 15–20 years or so, has focused on the integration of HR strategy with the overall business strategy. Human resources appropriately began to look at the business strategy to determine what HR priorities to work on and how to best use resources. HR began to be a true partner to the business, and the credibility of HR was dependent upon HR having a seat at the table when the business was having strategic discussions. In Wave 4, HR continues to be a partner to the business, but has also become a competitive practice for responding to external business conditions. HR looks outside their organizations to customers, investors, and communities to define success—in the form of customer share, investor confidence, and community reputation. HR’s credibility is thus defined in terms of its ability to support and drive these external metrics. Although each “wave” of HR’s evolution is important and must be managed effectively, it is the “outside in” perspective that allows the human resource management function to shine via the external reputation and successes of the organization.

Catching the Entrepreneurial Spirit

Human resources outsourcing—entrepreneurial ventures.

Human resources is a key function within any company, but not all companies are able to afford or justify full-time HR staff. Over the last decade, HR outsourcing has become a good business decision for many small companies whose current staff doesn’t have the bandwidth or expertise to take on the risks of employee relations issues, benefits and payroll, or HR compliance responsibilities. This has led many HR practitioners to try out their entrepreneurial skills in the areas of HR outsourcing and “fractional HR.”

Human resources outsourcing is very commonly used by smaller companies (and often large companies too) to cover such tasks as benefits and payroll management. This is an area that has been outsourced to third parties for many years. More recent is the trend to have “fractional HR” resources to help with the daily/weekly/monthly HR compliance, employee relations, and talent management issues that companies need to address. Fractional HR is a growing industry, and it has become the service offering of many entrepreneurial HR ventures. Fractional HR is essentially as it sounds—it is the offering of HR services to a company on a part-time or intermittent basis when the company may not be able to justify the cost of a full-time HR resource. An HR professional can be available onsite for a specified number of hours or days weekly or monthly, depending on the company’s needs and budget. The HR professional handles everything from HR compliance issues and training to employee issues support. Also, for companies that are keen on development of employees, the HR resource can drive the talent management processes—such as performance management, succession planning, training, and development—for companies who require more than just basic HR compliance services.

How does a business leader decide whether HR outsourcing is needed? There are generally two factors that drive a leader to consider fractional HR or HR outsourcing—time and risk. If a leader is spending too much time on HR issues and employee relations, he may decide that it is a smart tradeoff to outsource these tasks to a professional. In addition, the risk inherent in some HR issues can be very great, so the threat of having a lawsuit or feeling that the company is exposed can lead the company to seek help from a fractional HR professional.

HR entrepreneurs have taken full advantage of this important trend, which many say will likely continue as small companies grow and large companies decide to off-load HR work to third parties. Some HR companies offer fractional HR as part of their stated HR services, in addition to payroll and benefits support, compensation, and other HR programmatic support. Having a fractional HR resource in place will often illuminate the need for other HR services and program builds, which are generally supported by those same companies. Whether you are an individual HR practitioner or have a small company of HR practitioners and consultants, fractional HR and HR outsourcing can be a very viable and financially rewarding business model. It can also be very personally rewarding, as the HR professional enables smaller companies to grow and thrive, knowing that its HR compliance and processes are covered.

• What do you believe is contributing to the growth of the fractional HR and HR outsourcing trend? Do you expect this trend to continue?
• At what point should a company consider bringing on a full-time HR resource instead of using a fractional HR resource? What questions should the company ask itself?

Human resource management provides value to an organization, to a large extent, via its management of the overall employee life cycle that employees follow—from hiring and onboarding, to performance management and talent development, all the way through to transitions such as job change and promotion, to retirement and exit. Human capital is a key competitive advantage to companies, and those who utilize their human resource partners effectively to drive their human capital strategy will reap the benefits.

Human resource management includes the leadership and facilitation of the following key life cycle process areas:

• Human resources compliance
• Employee selection, hiring, and onboarding
• Performance management
• Compensation rewards and benefits
• Talent development and succession planning

Human resources is responsible for driving the strategy and policies in these areas to be in accordance with and in support of the overall business strategy. Each of these areas provides a key benefit to the organization and impacts the organization’s value proposition to its employees.

Concept Check

• How has the function of human resource management evolved over the years?
• In what way do you usually interact with human resources?

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• Essay on Organization

Human Resource Management Practices Essay

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Organization , Safety , Family , Management , Workplace , Human Resource Management , Employee , Company

Words: 3000

Published: 11/14/2019

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HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Introduction

Human resource management involves the supervision and directing of the staff of an organization. The great emphasis on the establishment of this department in most organizations came about during the period when the humanistic approach was the main management style in use by organizations. This approach recognized the fact that an organization is not only made of the machinery element nor the production process but also the human resource (Elwood & Swanson, 2009, p. 7). This approach laid a great emphasis on the human resource in a way making it appear as the main component of an organization. Other approaches however discounted this over emphasis on the human resource though the role played by the component in ensuring success of an organization remains undisputed.

Human Resource Management from a Strategic Perspective

Proper management involves strategically managing components of an organization one of which is the human resource. Strategic human resource management involves personnel administration, industrial management, management of the manpower, and organizational management. This aspect of managing the human resource of an organization ensures that this component of the organization aligns its objectives to be the same as those for the organization (Stredwick, 2005, p. 99). In such an instance the line manager is responsible for equipping themselves with the relevant knowledge and skills on how to ensure that this alignment is done. In a nutshell, the employees should ensure that they give the line manager full corporation when it comes to implementation of the company’s objectives. The alignment of the human resource discussed above as a component of SHRM involves decisions made by the employees with those made for the organization. This helps to ensure that both categories of people achieve their objectives without any of these being completely overlooked. However the greater emphasis when it comes to these objectives is on those for the organization. The integration discussed above involves laying an emphasis on the human resource supporting the planning process, creating a good relationship with the management, and also being accountable for its actions. Strategic human resource management promotes accountability by teaching to the employees how their efforts are useful in making the organization’s objectives a reality. As pointed out earlier, the concept of human resource has been existent for the last couple of decades. The question that one might then be forced to ask is why there is a sudden emphasis on aligning the objectives of the organization with those of the employee. This can best be explained by looking at the evolution of the human resource function. At one particular moment this function was mainly focused on ensuring that rules and regulations stipulated by an organization were followed- this was mainly done by the classical time managers. However the emphasis on alignment has been brought about by a shift in focus from ensuring laws are followed to ensuring that human resource delivers results. Strategic human resource management comes at a time when most companies acknowledge the fact that technological and financial capital combined are not enough capital to give a company the much needed competitive advantage. This is why it is necessary for these companies to factor in their human capital as what is required to give them a cutting edge against their competitors. An organization that lays little emphasis on acquisition and retention of skilled personnel is one that is plotting its own downfall. This is because the human resource department of most organizations is one of the largest overheads and hence any organization needs to ensure that it demands results and quality from this investment. It is important to point out that the employees of an organization are an integral part to an organization being able to achieve its objectives. This is because it is these employees that will do the actual work to bring the mission and objectives of an organization to actualize. Hence the integration of the human resource function into the process of strategy formulation is critical in ensuring that the employees’ objectives are aligned with that of the organization. Line managers carry this alignment responsibility as they are the ones responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the employees. It should be noted that though strategic plans may be for five years or more, their actualization is made possible by the operations of the company on a daily basis. This means that for the actual alignment to take place the line managers must ensure that it is slowly incorporated into the routine operations. The employees on their part are responsible for ensuring that this actualization takes place by giving it their full support and taking it positively.

Performance Management

Performance management is a concept in human resource that is aimed to ensure that the objectives of an organization are being met effectively. It should be noted that performance management may be done on different levels in an organization, for example it may be done on an employee, an organization, or even on a brand. This process relates to strategic human resource management in that the latter focuses on alignment of individual goals to organizational goals while performance management seeks to ensure that these goals are met. It is through performance management that a line manager can ask employees in their department what they have done to achieve organizational goals while at the same time giving the employees an opportunity to evaluate how far the organization has gone in helping them achieve their personal goals. It is through performance management that elements such as sub-optimality are noted. These elements are those that impede on the success of strategic human resource management. According to Snell and Bohlander (2009, p. 103), performance management is one of the best ways of increasing effectiveness of a company as it focuses on capacity building for the staff. Performance analysis can be described as the step that comes after strategic human resource management. However before this analysis is done a commitment analysis is needed to establish just how much the employees are committed to ensuring that organizational goals are met. The commitment analysis also helps in establishing the standards for measuring the actual performance in each department, or job position. This means that performance management is initiated it must first be established what each person or department is supposed to do. In other words performance management can only be done where there is a comprehensive job analysis (Brache & Rummler, 1995, p. 78). Performance management is important to an organization as it helps in increasing sales for the company. This is because this type of management is specifically concerned with results hence it can be seen as a goal oriented concept of management. It also helps to ensure that the employees are aligned to the organizational goals and that they are working to achieve them. Performance management is relevant to human resource management as it mainly focuses on results and not the underlying behavior. For example, this concept is not keen on knowing who looks like they are working more but on the employee who is the most productive. This is one benefit of performance management as it ensures that behaviors that can be misleading in terms of analyzing productivity are overlooked to ensure effectiveness in performance analysis. Ensuring objectives of an organization are met efficiently is also beneficial to the organization as it gives it the opportunity to analyze issues from a long-term perspective. This creates a sort of systems approach for the organization where it gets to know what to expect in case anything happens. It gives an organization the opportunity to analyze various performance levels and to know what causes them and how to react to them. Performance management is also used to come up with measurements for various analyses to be conducted on an organization. These measurements are used in setting standards for the business to operate on, and also those for the business to compete with its competitors on. These measurements are also necessary for benchmarking to be done by the organization. These measurements may also be used for internal activities such as training of employees where they will be used as training guides. In this instance the use of these measurements for training also helps in ensuring all employees are treated fairly within an organization.

Various Human Resource Practices in the Workplace

a) Counseling and Employee Welfare Since the classical period, management has well been aware that it cannot ignore the emotional condition of employees if it is to ensure optimum employee productivity. This is because the emotional state of the employee determines the latter’s concentration and ability to make rational decisions at the work place. Two decades ago this concern on the employees’ emotional state was done by management through welfare organizations but currently there has been a shift to employee counseling. However the concept of employee welfare practiced earlier has not been forgotten but has been integrated together with counseling to ensure that the human resource department is aware how of how to deal with emotional problems faced by employees. The application of employee welfare begun in the 19th century in Britain and was led by a team of industrialists. The purpose of this was because these industrialists had noted the significance of their employees’ quality of life. After a few years in practice the concept was later turned into law and now employers were required to take care of various aspects of their employees’ welfare such as paying their medical bills and also insuring them against loss of employment (Walton & Caroll, 1997, p. 154). In this decade, employers are not only ensuring employee welfare because it is a requirement by law but also because they know it would help in improving their productivity. Companies that lack a well defined welfare and counseling team in most instances will acquire these services from companies specializing in counseling. A proper understanding of the importance of employee counseling and welfare is best gained by taking a practical example of an employee faced by emotional problems. Take for example, Chloe, a supervisor working at a fast food restaurant. Her managers have noticed that her quality of work and rationality of decisions has been on a general decline for the last two weeks. Her managers decide to summon her for a meeting to discuss this issue with her. Before the meeting, there are two ways proposed that the management can use to go about dealing with Chloe’s behavior. One is to induce punitive measures or to consult with her on what is exactly wrong. The second idea is based on the fact that several of Chloe’s colleagues have reported that of late she seems reserved. The human resources manager proposes the second option and after a small discussion the managers decide to use it. Later the managers are able to establish that Chloe is having troubles with her husband and this is what is reducing her productivity at work. In this example a punitive action may seem necessary to deal with the employee but the counseling would be a better option. The first option may serve in teaching other employees not to bring their home issues to work but the second option will ensure that the employees feel that the company is concerned with issues affecting them. This concern is necessary as issues such as the ones Chloe is undergoing are normal. This is why employee welfare and counseling is an important component of the human resource function. b) Health and Safety at Work Employees’ safety and health schemes are concerned with protecting the well being and welfare of individuals engaging in a particular job. The main aim of this is to ensure a safe working environment. It is a core obligation for employers to provide a safe and healthful workplace environment for their employees. This is also a law that is enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and agency of the United States Department of Labor. Ensuring that safety and health measures are firmly in place in an organization helps save money in the long run. The organization adds value to itself by addressing the safety and health issue in the workplace. Recent estimates place the cost incurred on work related injuries at the workplace at close to $170billion (Mathis & Jackson, 2009, p 468). This is a huge loss of value to the company as it gets these costs from the profits accrued. Ideally employers should endorse programs and schemes that best suit the needs of the workplace in addressing the safety issue. For example, safety training classes help create a safety norm in which employees themselves help uphold better safety procedures while on duty. So protecting individuals on duty at the workplace is for the good of all stakeholders, including the community, economy and families. Safety and health measures help create and add value to our workplaces and lives.

Most of the organizations in Canada are advising their staff to get regular exercises when they are at home like taking a walk. Another way is to have them eating a balanced diet to reduce inflammation. Also the staffs are advised to take a small break from work and roll their neck and shoulder and take some water. Maintaining the proper posture when working; for those in the kitchen and restaurant having the right type of shoes is highly recommended (Anderson, 2002). Therapies like massages, acupuncture or a chiropractic help to keep the body in shape. A work place massage is what many companies are adopting to minimize the effect of RSI’s. Providing comfortable chairs for the ones in the office also is being adopted. One benefit of this service is that it will improve the morale of the employees. c) Stress and Stress Management in the Workplace Stress in the workplace is harmful emotional and physical response that happens when the demands of a job and the capabilities of the person supposed to do it do not match up. Stress at the workplace may result in psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. Due to this stress a person may also be fatigued, tense or fatigued while at the work place. These outcomes of stress consequently result in reduced productivity on the part of the employee. This is why it is imperative that the organization comes up with a stress management policy at the workplace. This policy is used to help employees reduce their stress levels. Some of the activities that are involved in this policy include having breaks, team building activities, and performance contracts. d) Work-Life Balance Studies have shown that the main drive for employees to push for a work-life balance is the family. This is because there has been a shift in the roles each parent has in the family. In the 1980s and before, it was the duty of the husband to provide for the family while the wife was relatively comfortable to taking care of the family even as they worked (Chatzky, 2009). This has changed as both genders have equal opportunities to employment and it is not always a guarantee that the husband earns more. This change has led to both genders wanting to spend with their families and hence their pushes for work-life balance (Gambles, Lewis & Rapoport, 2006, p. 90). The family is also important on ensuring a work-life balance as most companies have recognized the importance of the family on the productivity of the employee. Hence companies are now emphasizing that their employees get adequate time to spend with their families.

The human resource function at its inception was a simple concept of recognizing the significant role played by employees in an organization. However with time this concept has evolved into a complex one as has been seen above. The incorporation of strategic management into the human resource function is one such thing that has made the concept complex. This integration is done by aligning the organization’s goals with those of the staff members. Performance management on its part helps to ensure that the human resource function is being productive. This is done by focusing human resource management on results rather than on the behavior of workers- as long as the latter remains within ethical boundaries. Human resource practices that are currently being applied at the work place include health and safety at work, employee counseling and welfare, stress and stress management at the work place, and work life balance. These practices are used by managers to ensure that the employees in an organization are well taken care off and nothing that can be controlled can reduce their productivity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MacDonald, B. (2004). Organizations strain to retain high performers: tips for motivating employees. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article Anderson, B. (2002). Stretching in the Office. California: Shelter Publications. Gambles, R., Lewis, S. & Rapoport, R. (2006). The Myth of Work-Life Balance: The Challenge of Our Time for Men, Women and Societies. New Jersey: Wiley Chatzky, J. (2009). Work/life issues are a family affair. Daily News. Retrieved from http://www http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/05/01/2009-05 01_worklife_issues_are_a_family_affair.html Mathis, R. & Jackson, H. (2009). Human Resource Management. Ohio: South-Western College Publishers. Stredwick, J. (2005). Introduction to Human Resource Management, 2nd ed. London: Butterworth-Heinemann Walton, M. & Carroll, M. (1997). Handbook of Counseling in Organizations. London: Sage Publications Elwood, F. H. & Swanson, R. (2009). Foundations of Human Resource Development. New Jersey: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Brache, A. & Rummler, G. (1995). Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space in the Organization Chart. New Jersey: Jossey-Bass. Snell, S. & Bohlander, G. (2009). Managing Human Resources. Illinois: South Western College Publisher.

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• Agile Project Management Sample Exam Paper

Prepare for your exam. Find sample questions, answers and study tips for your Agile Project Management exam below.

Certification in Agile Project Management has become increasingly important for professionals in this field. Recognised certifications like APMG’s Agile Project Management Certification provide a structured framework for people to validate their knowledge and skills in Agile practices and principles. They demonstrate a commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of Agile methodologies, making certified practitioners more valuable assets to organisations.

Using our official sample exam , ensures you are using a reliable and up to date resource in your examination preparation.

Agile Project Management Exam Overview

APMG Agile Project Management (AgilePM) offers two distinct qualification levels: Foundation and Practitioner, each serving a specific purpose. The Foundation qualification assesses candidates' knowledge and comprehension of AgilePM's fundamental principles, ensuring they can identify and distinguish its key components. This qualification acts as a prerequisite for the Practitioner level.

Targeted at both practising project managers and Agile team members aspiring to become Agile Project Managers, a successful Foundation candidate should grasp the underpinning philosophy and principles of Agile methodologies, understand Agile project lifecycles, recognise Agile products and their purposes, comprehend Agile techniques and their advantages and limitations, and be familiar with the roles and responsibilities within Agile projects.

The Practitioner qualification, on the other hand, evaluates whether candidates possess the knowledge and understanding of AgilePM to apply and customise it effectively in real-world scenarios. To be eligible for this level, candidates must hold either an AgilePM Foundation certificate, a DSDM Foundation certificate, or a DSDM Advanced Practitioner certificate.

Like the Foundation qualification, it is aimed at practising project managers and Agile team members aspiring to transition into Agile Project Managers. Successful Practitioner candidates should demonstrate their ability to apply Agile philosophy and principles in project situations, configure Agile project lifecycles accordingly, produce and assess Agile project products, apply various Agile techniques, identify appropriate techniques for specific scenarios, understand Agile project control mechanisms, outline testing and measurement in Agile projects, and manage requirements in an Agile context.

This qualification focuses more on tracking profit for projects, communicating with stakeholders, conflict resolution, communication, and analysis of specific situations, allowing for more detailed, practical application.

Exam Styles and Structures

The AgilePM Foundation exam comprises multiple-choice questions with 50 questions per paper, and candidates need to secure 25 marks (50%) out of the available 50 to pass. The exam is closed-book and candidates are allowed 40 minutes to complete it.

On the other hand, the AgilePM Practitioner exam is an objective examination featuring four questions, each worth 20 points, requiring a total of 40 out of 80 points (50%) to pass. This exam allows open-book access, but candidates are limited to using only the official AgilePM Handbook . A longer duration of 2.5 hours is allowed, providing candidates with the opportunity to apply their Agile knowledge to complex scenarios.

Agile Project Management Practice Exam Questions

Practice questions: agile project management foundation.

These practice questions offer a glimpse into the type of topics and concepts you'll encounter in the Agile Project Management Foundation exam, helping you assess your skills and determine your readiness to take the exam.

1. Which of the following is NOT stated as a benefit of using DSDM?

a) User training becomes unnecessary

b) The business is more likely to feel ownership of the solution as it evolves

c) Deployment is more likely to go smoothly due to the cooperation of all parties

d) The risk of building the wrong solution is greatly reduced

2. Which approach correctly reflects the use of MoSCoW prioritisation?

a) Relates to a specific timeframe

b) Applied and fixed during Foundations

c) Only applied at a project level

d) Is Optional

3. During Iterative Development, which testing activity is the responsibility of the Solution Tester?

a) Business acceptance testing

b) Unit testing of a feature

c) Ensuring that testing is sufficiently comprehensive

d) Providing testing knowledge and expertise

The sample questions are from the official sample exam . Once you have selected an answer for each question above, you can view the correct responses defined below.

Practice Answers: Agile Project Management Foundation

Below are the answers to the above questions with a short explanation where appropriate. You can use these answers to assess your current knowledge, familiarise yourself with the concepts, improve your performance and prepare for the real project management exam. Wrong answers provide an opportunity to progress and evaluate mistakes.

a) Correct. This is not stated as a benefit.  

b) Incorrect.

c) Incorrect.

d) Incorrect.

2. Which approach correctly reflects the use of MoSCoW prioritisation?

a) Correct . The primary focus initially is to create MoSCoW priorities for the project. However, when deciding what to deliver as part of the Project Increment, MoSCoW priorities are also used to prioritise for that Increment. At this point, a requirement may have two priorities: MoSCoW for the project and MoSCoW for the Increment. Finally, when planning a specific Timebox (at the start of each Timebox), the Solution Development Team will allocate a specific priority for the requirements for this Timebox.

3. Iterative Development and how it adds quality throughout an Agile project

a) Incorrect. This is the responsibility of the Business Ambassador(s).

b) Incorrect. This is the responsibility of the Solution Developer.

c) Incorrect. The Technical Coordinator needs to ensure that appropriate technical reviews are carried out and that testing is sufficiently comprehensive and rigorous to provide confidence that the solution created is fit for purpose.

d) Correct . As part of a collaborative team, the Solution Tester will be supporting other roles to fulfil their testing responsibilities by providing testing knowledge and expertise.

Study Tips and Exam Preparation Resources

Practice questions: agile project management practitioner.

Unlike the Foundation exam, this exam is scenario-based and each exam includes 4 questions. You will need to answer questions based on practical scenarios, for example a fictional project and how it uses time boxes could be described. This official sample exam provides detailed examples of both the scenarios and questions you will face during this examination.

Embarking on the path of continuous learning and professional development is not just a commitment to yourself but also an investment in your business needs. Taking your project management qualification seriously can open doors to new opportunities, increased communication, and enhanced leadership abilities.

To help you along this rewarding journey, we've compiled a list of study tips.

• Register for an agile project management training course with an approved trainer.
• Create a study schedule to manage your time effectively.
• Use the official Agile PM study guide and textbook
• Use mock exams and sample questions to gauge your readiness.
• Join online forums or discussion groups to connect with fellow aspirants and seek advice.
• Review case studies and real-world project examples to apply theory to practice.
• Seek guidance from an experienced project manager or mentors in your network.
• Stay updated with the latest industry trends and best practices through blogs, podcasts, and webinars.

Often, a lack of motivation can make studying challenging. Book your training course or exam via our online portal to give yourself a firm deadline and help make studying a top priority.

Watch - Exam Tips for Candidates

Melanie Franklin, Chief Examiner and Agile Change Agent, shares valuable insights for successful APMG Foundation and Practitioner exam preparation. Gain clarity on the distinction between Foundation and Practitioner questions, discover effective revision techniques, and master the art of tackling exam questions with Melanie's expert guidance.

Practitioner Exam Tips for Candidates [2020]

Achieve your goals with expert support.

Taking regular practice tests is an invaluable tool on your journey to becoming a better project manager. By consistently testing your knowledge and honing your skills, you not only enhance your chances of success but also build confidence and familiarity with the material.

For project managers who want to take Agile approaches to the next level and is serious about attaining project management certifications, practice questions are hugely beneficially for being thoroughly prepared for the upcoming exam. APMG also offers a free practice exam simulator and provide a list of accredited training providers for people looking to join the Agile Project Management (AgilePM) course .

When it comes to preparing for Agile exams, APMG has all the support and resources you need. Get in touch today to start taking your Agile qualifications seriously.  

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Welsh leads equity-centered research practice partnership to reduce racial disparities in school discipline

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May 13, 2024, 11:51 AM

By Jenna Somers

Last year, Richard Welsh reported findings on the persistence of racial disparities in exclusionary school discipline practices. Despite suspensions declining over the past decade as schools reformed their policies, exclusionary disciplinary rates remained higher for African American students. Across the South, in-school suspensions (ISS) are particularly prevalent and disruptive to the education of racially minoritized students. Given these facts, Welsh has embarked on a new co-design process of ISS that leverages an existing research-practice partnership with a school district in Georgia to crack the code on truly resolving racial inequities in school discipline policies and practices.

Supported by a $474,178 grant from the William T. Grant Foundation and a $125,000 grant from the American Institutes of Research Equity Initiative, Welsh is leading a three-year project with the school district to understand the role of race and power in equity-centered research-practice partnerships, how the dynamics of the partnership affect partnership activities, and how these activities influence research use by school administrators, district leaders, and school board members.

“These are the three key decisionmakers who can advance racial equity in school districts through policies, programs, and personnel. They make decisions about codes of conduct, which disciplinary programs to implement, and who to hire, including behavioral specialists to support students’ social-emotional development,” said Welsh, associate professor of education and public policy at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development.

“Improving the use of research evidence among education leaders via equity-centered research-practice partnerships can possibly lead to disruptive decisions necessary to addressing persistent racial inequities in school discipline. Also, turning the analytical lens on ourselves to examine how inequities might manifest in the partnership has implications for partnership and student outcomes,” Welsh added.

The research team will analyze their interviews with key decision makers, research-practice partnership primary investigators, and co-design team members. They will also observe school board meetings, school discipline committee meetings, and partnership meetings, as well as co-design workshops, district- and school-level documents, and materials to record the partnering process as well as the use of research evidence and disruptive decision-making. By engaging in cycles of disciplined inquiry to improve ISS processes, the partnership aims to reach its goal of improving youth outcomes.

The co-design process includes working with a team of school leaders and school personnel at three middle schools to analyze and reimagine their ISS process and infrastructure.

Keep Reading

Welsh’s study reveals persistent racial disparities in school exclusionary discipline, recommends promising reforms

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iGCSE 0610 Biology Practice Questions + May/June 2024 QP & MS (C & Ext.) Papers

Subject: Biology

Age range: 14-16

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This resource material contains preparatory resources for the iGCSE 0610 Paper Biology (Core, Extended and Practical) Questions for the May/June 2024 Examination, plus the February/March 2024 0610 Papers with Mark Scheme

This resource is suitable for both teachers and students preparing for the May/June 2024 iGCSE.

This resource also contains the iGCSE May/June 2024 Question Papers & Mark Schemes for Core and Extended papers - 0610 31/32/33 & 41/42/43 including the Alternative to Practicals - Paper 6

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