Differences in Staffing of Human Resource - Research Paper Example

The main areas that human resource management is concerned with are staffing, employee, and labor relations. In this report, the similarities and differences in the major human resource functions as practiced in Nigeria and the United Kingdom will be discussed. Human Resource – Nigeria Since the transition to democracy, there have been several factors that have helped in shaping Nigerian Human Resources Management Policy. Some of these factors include: ~ Reorienting civil services ~ The system of government, democratic, the civil services should be exposed to them ~ The new techniques of management and skills required to run a bureaucracy should be applied so the services can be cost-friendly Human Resource – United Kingdom Human Resources Management Policy in the United Kingdom is long and complicated compared to Nigeria. It is necessary for the human resource department of any company in United Kingdom to assess candidates before they are selected. The department needs to keep in mind the competency frameworks for excellent customer services. Employees are given contracts, handbooks, and satisfaction surveys as well. Development of skills, culture, and teambuilding are also an important part of the process. Staffing – Nigeria Internal recruitment is favored in Nigeria among established firms due to the tremendous benefits involved with choosing someone who is used human resource policy. Strong support from a human resources department is required so that ethics are enhanced and productivity is promoted; otherwise it only leads to disappointment and unhappy employees. The human resources process includes effective planning for succession and consistency in the management performance. This is done to make sure that internal staffing succeeds. Even though no new skills, fresh blood, or competencies are brought through internal staffing in Nigeria, it helps build strong loyalty within the organization. It happens because the employees get to change their positions after some time and don’t have to look for opportunities in other companies. Fajana et al. describe Nigeria as the number one country in Africa that faces trouble due to an abundance of labor yet a lack of qualified employees (2011). The development of best talents in the country, attracting, retaining, and deploying them became a challenge. Because of this, the need for effective management was emphasized (Fajana et al., 2011). Staffing – United Kingdom Staffing in United Kingdom mostly focuses on external recruitment due to the growing diversity in the country. In the hiring process, an organization goes through the applications that arrive for vacancies that they marketed for and then selects the candidates that they see the first, regardless of gender. Men and women both have the right to apply for the same job with the same pay and without any differences. For equal employment issues, the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service (Acas) provides services to people to help them solve their problems and gain their rights. A job analysis is usually conducted; this allows the employer to collect information about the duties, responsibilities, and work environment of a particular job. Knowing the details of the job analysis will help enable the future employee for success. Also, tests and interviews are taken to assess a candidate to see whether he or she is appropriate for the job at hand; if the candidate passes the test, he or she then goes through some form of training program. This training depicts if the skills and knowledge of that candidate are helpful enough for the organization and other such processes. In 2010, part-time employment increased dramatically in the United Kingdom, but growth in full time employment is what will help the country over the long term. This is worrisome due to the growing unemployment rate in long-term vacancies. This is proving to be most disadvantageous for Governments Work Program of the country. Similarities and Differences in Staffing Both the countries basically go through the same processes when it comes to staffing of employees. But, due to increasing diversity in United Kingdom, the country prefers external recruitment; Nigeria chooses internal recruitment because they prefer to keep people who they trust. Nigerians favor trust and look for loyalty, while United Kingdom looks for development, even if it’s from a new recruit. Tradition and culture are very important to Nigerians..It makes them prefer families or people they know over new recruits. On the other hand, due to the constant development of ideas in United Kingdom, they don’t pay attention to such things and move alongside the increasing globalization in their country. Human Resource Development – Nigeria The human resource development in Nigeria primarily focuses on training and organizational career planning. A new trend has started whereby many organizations understand the importance of retraining their employees. The benefits of retraining are numerous; employees are able to be enthused from creating new ideas and employers receive greater output from their workers (Fajana et al., 2011). It is the responsibility of human resources departments to make sure that existing employees receive enough training so that they can become more productive in their work. It is now common for organizations to subsidize training programs for their employees because they understand the benefits that training can bring to the workplace (Fajana et al., 2011). On the downside, employees can only be trained in the type of work that they are currently doing, so there is little chance for career progression. Human Resource Development – United Kingdom The government of the United Kingdom has been concentrating on improving the skills of its workforce for the last ten years and on the development of lifelong learning. The most important human resource development for the UK is the performance appraisal process. Again, UK is very serious about developing employees and being on the top when it comes to employee growth. Close to four out of every five companies in the United Kingdom have some form of performance appraisal system; this shows that they are a popular tool for employers and employees alike. However, close to half of those who have experience a performance appraisal system say that that do not feel motivated by them and they have no positive effect on the workplace. The employee consultants Saville & Holdsworth (SHL) were in charge of the survey to test how effective performance appraisals are in the United Kingdom (Management Today, 1998). The communications manager at SHL, Roy Davis, commented that the respondents of the survey said that employee motivation should be the main objective of a performance appraisal (Management Today, 1998). Further than this, Tom Raftery, the senior manager of Arthur Andersen’s Human Capital Services, commented that the main objectives of a performance appraisal are: (1) giving feedback and direction to employees; (2) defining future objectives; (3) identifying training needs and career development; (4) improving communication between employers and their employees; and (5) finding reasons to promote or compensate deserving workers (Management Today, 1998). On the employees’ part, they should not feel that they have to feel motivated from performance appraisals but only use it as a means to improve their future work. Similarities and Differences in Human Resources Development Human resources development in both countries appears to be at different stages of effectiveness. Nigeria is good in the areas of training, development, and organizational career planning, but still must improve on performance appraisal. On the other hand, the United Kingdom has used training programs and career development as a means to motivate and encourage its employees for years. In Nigeria, the development of human resources is still very new, although it is improving quickly due to foreign involvement. The United Kingdom has developed human resources to the point where it has become a key part of business organizations. Compensation – Nigeria Compensation in Nigeria has come a long way over the last few years. The Workmen’s Compensation Act of 2004 was replaced in 2010 by the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA). This new act provides more rights for workers who are either injured or killing while working on the job. In the case of death, provisions have been made to provide the appropriate compensation for the dependents of the deceased employee. The reason why the government signed this new act into law is that it had promised voters that improving the welfare and compensation of Nigerian employees would be a priority. The ECA intends to adopt a compensation system for employees that measure up to global standards and trends (Gbenga Biobaku & Co., 2011). At the moment, only those who work in either the public or private sector will be eligible to receive the benefits of the new act. In time, self-employed workers will be added to the scheme. There is one group, however, that is excluded from the ECA: members of the Armed forces (Gbenga Biobaku & Co., 2011).  Compensation – United Kingdom Just as in Nigeria, there is an act that adequately covers compensation for workers in the United Kingdom; it is known as the Employment Rights Act of 1996. The act is very broad, covering conditions of worker dismissal, wages, holiday pay, childcare services, and redundancy payments. This act was an improvement on previous acts, such as the Employment Protection Act of 1975. The ERA improves on the original act by adding an employee’s right to request flexible working hours to suit their personal needs. For redundancy payments, employees are entitled to receive some form of payment if they have worked in the same job for a period of two years. The amount of redundancy pay is calculated based on a number of factors, such as length of employment and age of employee. Similarities and Differences in Compensation Employees in the United Kingdom are much more handsomely compensated than Nigerian workers. However, Nigeria is bridging the gap with the introduction of new reforms that attempt to give workers more security in the event of an accident. The United Kingdom has compensation policies that protect the rights of employees and allow them to be appropriately compensated for their work efforts. Health and Safety – Nigeria The primary focus of Health and Safety in Nigeria is compliance with the National Health Bill, which was introduced in 2009. The bill was passed to ensure safety and care of health of industrial workers would be a priority for all departments. This bill was passed after the second reading on the Senate floor. In the bill, it was stated that it is to be made sure that any and every worker should be given a safe environment to work in. There is specific safety and precautionary measures to be taught as well as basic training (Koyi and Nzeako, 2011). Occupational health and safety is something that needs more improvement in Nigeria. Many organizations are not transparent in terms of the number of accidents or deaths that occur on the job. This is mostly out of fear of having to spend extra money to ensure worker safety and pay compensation for any injury suffered while working on the job. One positive about health and safety in Nigeria is that union membership has been made compulsory by the Nigerian government (Fajana et al., 2011). Because of this, Nigeria has a unionization rate of close to 60 percent, which is much higher than neighboring countries. Unions are grouped by occupation; white-collar workers come under the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and production workers similarly have the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) (Fajana et al., 2011). In contrast, union participation among private organizations has been particularly low, with informal meetings taking place between employers and employees to find some common ground. Safety and Health – United Kingdom In 1974, the Health and Safety at Work Act was passed and stated that all workers have a right to work in an environment where risks to their health or safety are in proper control. The act also defines the duties of every employee, their employer, suppliers, and contractors and also rules and regulations of being safe in the work environment. A breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act is a serious offence in the United Kingdom, as it is considered a crime. The maximum fine for such an offence is £20,000. Also, the individual or organization that broke the act could be further punished. The main organization is charge of health and safety issues is Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is an independent organization that works to reduce serious and fatal accidents from occurring in workplaces across the United Kingdom. Also, labor unions across the United Kingdom have fought hard to for greater health and safety regulations. The Trades Union Congress is perhaps the most noteworthy union that helps employees to work in safer working environments. Similarities and Differences in Safety and Health Nigeria, as a developing state, has just started paying attention to the necessity of safety measures. Even though the human resources department is not responsible for providing any technical aspects of health but the department in every country should be aware of how to respond if any situation is to come up and that is why the safety and health of workers fall in human resources hands. It is the rule in international human resource to understand and establish a system of rules which will make the worker’s health and their safety, a first priority. Instead of taking them as mere tools of getting the work done, it is the department’s responsibility to implement policies and be sure that the employees are not lacking in these aspects as well. Employee and Labor Relations – Nigeria  In Nigeria, labor relations usually suffer a lot due to constant interference from the government. The government, the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC), takes control over every aspect that goes on and has the right of restricting unions from selecting their own leaders. The Nigeria Labor Congress also, at times, merges unions together or proscribes them entirely. The Nigeria Labor Congress has also used tactics to divide and intimidate labor unions (Yehuda, 2006). This absolute power of government over labor relations in Nigeria is becoming a hurdle to economic development. As such, employee rights are not the number one priority. Labor unions are restricted in what they can do because of the harsh regulations prescribed by the Nigerian government. Collective bargaining agreements are common between labor unions and employer association to establish sufficient wages and benefits for Nigerian workers. Employee and Labor Relations – United Kingdom  Employee and labor relations in United Kingdom have a long history, but in the past few decades there has been an increase in the number of workers who are unionized as well as there being more unions. These unions let employees know their rights and present them with a solution for any problem they might be facing in accordance with the law. For example; the Communication Workers Union is for people working in all sorts of communication departments, telecom, mail, courier etc. What is likable about CWU is it focuses on the requirements of everyone, from young employees to retired ones. It also provides a few free services and aims to get everyone working together as a team. Industrial Workers of the World, an international labor union, also focuses on teamwork for their success. They aim towards eliminating the wage system, which will be helpful in workers having something to their own credit and wanting the worker classes to be equal and have no differences. Employers usually must follow some policies to build better relations with their workers and some laws set forth by the government that they have to follow if a dispute takes place. The employers of good companies are mostly restricted by the law because of their better name in doing any harm to their workers or not letting them have their full rights as there are several programs that take place only for the purpose of educating employee of their rights. On the other hand there are some responsibilities that the workers also have to follow, being in strict schedule with the employer is often observed and friendly relations are not in a majority. It is common for the relationship between an employer and employee to remain strictly professional. Similarities and Differences in Employee and Labor Relations A huge difference between the two states can be observed in labor relations. While the United Kingdom is trying to give the best to its employees and workforce, at the same time Nigeria is lagging by not investing in its workforce. If employees are not satisfied with the people they work for, the workforce will never exert its best efforts. They will do the minimum instead of thinking about the development and success of their department. Workers will only think about their own advantages and will have a capitalistic view instead of motivating themselves to do something for their own community. It should be taken in consideration of the Nigerian government the steps that can be taken to help the labor force of the country and also the hiring force, the government should know better than taking an interest in the small matters of the labor society and interfering in every matter. If the government will not think for their workforce, they should not expect from them to think about the country. Instead of playing a blame game, they should learn to work together. If the country has decided to take the road of development, the government needs to understand the importance of pleasing their people. Due to lack of resources and being new in the industrial department it is important for the Nigerian government to have all the support from their people as possible so they can at least take a firm stand and start off on their beginning as a developed state. This will include the application of every benefit from and for both sides so that there can be a contented environment for everyone, the hiring force and as well as the working force. References Fajana, S., Owoyemi, O., Elegbede, T., & Gbajumom, M. (2011, April 18). Human Resource Management Practices in Nigeria. The Institute for International Research (IIR) Middle East. Retrieved July 26, 2012, from http://www.iirme.com/Global/IIRME/Conferences/AY2003/PDF/Human-Resource-Management-Practices-in-Nigeria-Publication.pdf This report by the mentioned authors really helped in understanding how the Human Resources work in Nigeria. It was able to let us know of the perspective of Nigerian people. As Nigeria still is a developing state and needs to go through many reforms to get in line with the leading countries of the world, this report was also able to put across and the problems that people and organizations of Nigeria have to go through as a developing state. Gbenga Biobaku & Co. (2011). The New Employees’ Compensation Act. Retrieved August 8, 2012, from http://www.gbc-law.com/Employees%20Compensation%20Act%202010.pdf This newsletter by Barristers and Solicitors Gbenga Biobaki & Co. details the Employees’ Compensation Act that was recently passed into law. The act replaces the old Workmen’s Compensation Act and attempts to improve compensation for Nigerian workers, who now have more rights when it comes to being compensated for their work efforts. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. (1974). The National Archives. Retrieved July 31, 2012, from http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37 This reference contained statement from the mentioned act. Because the act was published online it was made easier to interpret the meaning and intentions for the act and made it possible for me to write it down here. It holds the original statements from the act to let us know the consideration people were given in those times. Koyi, A. F., & Nzeako, I. (2011, May 19). Nigeria: Senate Passes National Health Bill. All Africa. Retrieved July 31, 2012, from http://allafrica.com/stories/201105200570.html This story was more like a news review and showed the views of Africa’s own people about this national bill. It contained statements from African officials and the reaction of people to the bill. This source mentioned how the people were outraged as their rights were delayed and represented the relation that the Nigerian people have with their government. Lee, M. (2004, August). National Human Resource Development in the United Kingdom. Northumbria Research Link. Retrieved July 26, 2012, from http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/3592/1/National%20Human%20Resource%20Development%20in%20the%20United%20Kingdom.pdf Monica Lee’s report was able to present almost all the aspects practiced in HR departments across United Kingdom easily and comprehensively in one place. She uses very easy language and summarize about all practices and rules that any organization in United Kingdom has to follow in context with the Human Resource Department. She also presented ways for the working class in which it is possible to make Human Resource work well and concentrate on the development of the Human Resource Department. The best part about this report was the easy language and to the point style she used which made it easier to understand how things work in United Kingdom. Management Today. (1998, April 1). UK: Performance appraisal systems could do better. Retrieved August 8, 2012, from http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/411404/UK-Performance-appraisal-systems-better/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH In this article, a survey by employee assessment consultants Saville & Holdsworth show how effective performance appraisals are in the United Kingdom. The results of the survey showed that performance appraisals do not have the desired effect, improving employee motivation, in most organizations. Effective performance appraisals are those that focus working one-on-one with individual employees about how their productivity can improve instead of focusing on past results. Yehuda, Y. B. (2006, December). Major Issues in Nigerian Labor-Management Relations: Perceptions of Representatives of Unions and Employers. SAGE Journals. Retrieved July 26, 2012, from http://cbr.sagepub.com/content/38/6/42.full.pdf+html Yehuda’s article helped in letting me come across the problems that Nigerian workforce faces. It tells how almost every problem of theirs turns into a suffering due to lack of support for them. It also showed the working of Nigerian government and the poor performance it has for its peoples, by interfering in the smallest of matters and only thinking about their own selves, the government is most likely to develop a rebellion instead of a workforce. It also helped in knowing what Nigerian workforce has to go through in their lives as they devote themselves lives in making an earning to support their families and themselves. Read More