Human Resources Management Functions Shape Employee Behaviour - Research Paper Example

?HRM functions shape employee behavior and number Introduction The primary function of human resource management is to increase the effectiveness and contribution of employees in the attainment of organizational goals and objectives. To bring about effective changes in motivation and contribution of employees, several areas of HRM have been altered. Reading through all the different functions of the human resource department suggests that each function is important. At the same time, all the functions are inter-related and inter-dependent. The recruitment and selection of an organization might be very scientific and fair but unless the organization knows how to retain the employees, the long-term benefit of the recruitment and selection process is not achieved. Employee retention depends upon effective human resource planning which would include assessing the human resource requirements, their compensation and benefits, labor relations, their career growth and progression. Thus, the most important human resources department function becomes employee retention, for which all the other functions have to be scientifically designed and implemented. EEO and Affirmative Action The federal government has been making efforts for freedom from discrimination on the basis of sex, age, color, religion, nationality and disability through its Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) mission. Affirmative action plans are deemed moral and social obligations to amend wrongs done in the past while also eliminating the present effect of past discrimination. Computer technology is increasingly being used to eliminate or reduce discriminatory practices. The same technology increases discrimination against the disabled. In certain organizations only computer-based employment selection tools are used but the visually impaired are at a disadvantage if applications are accepted only through computer systems. It is hence absolutely essential that applicants with such disabilities are provided with alternate solution and methods to submit applications. Companies claim to have policies in place which encourages them to contact the HR department in case they have been wronged but when the application procedure itself has flaws, the question of contacting the HR department does not arise. The visually impaired may have talent that goes untapped. Coates Field Service, Inc has a provision that the contractor is obliged to read out the notice to the visually disabled (Sachs, 2007). To some extent this sounds as an affirmative action because the hiring agent would be having applications from the disabled. However, in such cases, the responsibility is passed on to the hiring agent and the organization absolves itself of accountability against discrimination. It really is difficult to ascertain the efficacy of such a method as it depends upon the selfish interests of the agent now instead of the organization. If the organization is not supportive, retention of disabled staff becomes a critical issue. Planning, recruitment and selection It has become essential to keep abreast of changes in the labor market so that recruitment efforts are not wasted or misaligned. Planning entails assessing the future needs, aligning training with requirements, avoiding redundancies, developing a flexible workforce, and controlling staff costs. However, organizations engage in both internal and external recruitment. As far as internal recruitment is concerned, it saves costs but it also stifles creativity (Gros & Sonntag, n.d.). The same resources are shifted from one department to another. Moreover, conflicts among the employees can be expected as promotions are denied based on seniority if they are found to be lacking in skills. Now in this case the employee may be lacking in skills possibly because adequate training has not been provided, perhaps due to discrimination. Work-life balance and flexibility are essential to get the best out of the employees. Organizations that offer such benefits are preferred; the organization too benefits as it results in enhanced productivity. P&G (Proctor & Gamble) is known to be one of the best employers as far as work-life balance is concerned and hence becomes a benchmark for other organizations. Work-life balance has greater significance for the women employees and for single parents or people with old parents living with them. Aptitude tests are conducted online based on which the candidates are selected for interviews. These are followed by structured interviews where job-specific questions are asked (Barclay, 1999). However, an applicant may not have job-specific knowledge but if he has the aptitude to learn he can cope with the responsibilities. Thus, an organization should not select people purely based on job-specific knowledge. If the individual as well as the organization have a learning culture the employee can cope with the job requirements. If not, retaining staff becomes difficult. Human Resource Development Every organization must have a human resource development (HRD) framework which should help employees develop personal and organizational skills. This usually includes various functions such as mentoring, training, succession planning and career development. Today employees have become career conscious and they seek job profiles that are challenging. They may opt for lower pay packages if they find the assignment challenging and growth prospects in the long-run. Organizations too realize how the new generation seeks challenges and career progression. Hence, they have started investing in training and growth opportunities as they view human resources as assets. However, much of such claims appear to be only for the purpose of creating employer branding. Not many organizations practice such principles. Nevertheless, organizations such as IBM that have invested in the growth and development of its people have reaped benefits. Organizations also try to ensure that the growth and development of people is integrated with organizational goals. Integration can ensure that the right people are not neglected and their talents not wasted. With this strategy the organization would be able to obtain organizational competence and competitive advantage (Lengnick-Hall & Lengnick-Hall, 1988). At the same time, the organization also ensures the development of its human resources. Open communication is an essential part of such a relationship where the organization and the employee benefit. These strategies are essential to lower employee turnover and retain staff. Compensation and benefits Organizations usually claim that they have fair compensation plans and provide equal benefits to all. Cash compensation is essential to fulfill the basic needs but thereafter the productivity depends on the efficacy of benefits. People may not be willing to work at high compensation packages if they do not attain job satisfaction. To enhance employee contribution and performance attractive benefits package have become essential. These benefits are not necessarily in cash. In fact words of praise or encouragement can be considered a benefit, if benefit is a form of value given to an employee in exchange for his contribution to the organization. Such words of praise or recognition can further enhance performance and contribution of the employees. This is what theorists call intrinsic motivation because such words of recognition enhance the self-esteem of an individual. It was observed during the discussion session that a participant who always kept away from active discussion uttered a few words which were of immense value to the team. The team leader expressed amazement and encouraged the participant to contribute more. These few words were enough to bring that individual out of the shell and take an active participation in all projects. This is a benefit that this individual received and such benefits can fetch better contribution than monetary benefits such as vacation or stock ownership. In fact the stock options given to the CEOs and the scandals that emerged have been eye-openers. Recognition, praise and words of encouragement are the biggest motivators. Motivation enhances employee commitment and involvement thereby helps in retaining staff. Safety and health Organizational safety and health plans are formulated based on the legal regulations. Organizations usually ensure that they comply with all the legal requirements. In the US, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are responsible for ensuring safety and health of all workers. If an organization abides by the regulations they not only save money but they add value for the employees. It helps in creating the right image of the employer thereby equipping it to attract the right talent. Four basic elements are important for a good safety and health program – management commitment and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, and training for supervisors and managers (SmallBusinessNotes, n.d.). Even if an organization has the right safety and health program in place, unless it is supported by each of these elements, the organization may fail to protect the employees against accidents and injuries. Thus Johnson & Johnson extends the health and safety program to the family members of the employee too (Johnson & Johnson, 2011). They recognize that if the family encounters harm in any way, the employee’s attention is bound to be diverted. In offering such service to the family, the organization is adding value to its offering. This can be called an added incentive or benefit to the employees. Here the benefit to the employee cannot be calculated in monetary terms but in terms of comfort and convenience, which ultimately count in retaining staff. Employee and labor relations Labor Relations in the US gained a huge boost after the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935. This incorporated the labor rights including the rights to strike and the right to bargain as a union. This legislation stipulates the minimum wages and the fair-practice rules. However, companies such as Wal-mart and Nike have been constantly violating the norms. Wal-mart has been constantly facing lawsuits and issues with regard to its workforce (Wikipedia, 2011). They pay lower than minimum wages and the working conditions are extremely poor. They may be the biggest retailers employing the largest number of people in the US but if the labor relations are poor, productivity and performance is not optimum. Nevertheless such organizations continue to thrive amidst high employee turnover, by offering the lowest prices to its customers. Since they open in remote locations they exploit the local labor as well as the immigrant labor. Wal-mart is also against labor unions so the voice of employees is never heard. Thus, it is fairly easy to ignore the regulations especially when all decisions are taken through nexus between the management and the staff. When unemployment is high the staff has no option but to accept the conditions. This function of the human resource department also has an impact on all other functions. Wal-mart has not been able to retain staff and they are well known for high employee turnover. Conclusion Pursuing a strategy of employee retention would entail taking into account all other HR functions such as recruitment and selection, training and development, labor relations, taking care of safety and health, and ensuring the right compensation and benefits. To retain employees and reduce costs in repetitive recruitment and training, the right selection is critical. People today seek challenging assignments even at the cost of a lower pay package. To retain such talent they need to be provided with constant and adequate training. To retain them requires effective human resources planning, which entails that employees should be integrated with the organizational goals. Employees can be well integrated if they are adequately taken care of by way of fair compensation and benefits. The benefits are not always measurable in monetary terms. Intrinsic motivation can enhance employee involvement which indicates that chances of retention become higher. Providing other benefits such as health and safety programs for extended members of the family too serves as incentive to enhance performance and employee commitment. When communication between staff and management is not effective, employees have no platform to express their concerns and grievances. Disgruntled employees are the first to leave an organization. Even if an organization does not support unionism workers must be heard and their concerns addressed. Only when an employee feels that his concerns are being paid attention to, he feels recognized and valued. This is intrinsic motivation which helps in reducing staff turnover. This it can be seen that staff retention is the most critical function for the human resources department and staff retention is possible when all other functions are scientifically designed and implemented. If a motivated staff can be retained with necessary incentives the effectiveness and contribution of employees in the attainment of organizational goals and objectives is automatically achieved. References Barclay, J.M. (1999). Employee selection: a question of structure. Personnel Review, 28 (1/2), 134-151. Gros, M., & Sonntag, P. (n.d.). Article: Internal vs. External Recruiting. Retrieved September 4, 2011 from http://www.bsad.uvm.edu/Research/inProgress/Resources/HRMGuide/Staffing/Recruitment/In tVsExt.htm Johnson & Johnson. (2011). Protecting Our People. Retrieved September 4, 2011 from http://www.jnj.com/connect/caring/employee-health/ Lengnick-Hall, C.A., & Lengnick-Hall, M.L. (1988). Strategic Human Resources Management: A Review of the Literature and a Proposed Typology. The Academy of Management Review, 13 (3), 454-470 Sachs, A. (2007). AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMPLIANCE PLAN. Retrieved September 4, 2011 from http://www.coatesfieldservice.com/images/AAPDIS%20Coates.pdf SmallBusinessNotes. (n.d.). Employee Health and Safety. Retrieved September 4, 2011 from http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/managing-your-business/employee-health-and-safety.html#b OLPC Criticism of Walmart. (n.d.). Retrieved September 4, 2011 from the OLPC Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Walmart#Employee_and_labor_relations Read More