Discrimination in Different Stages of Human Resource Management - Essay Example

Discrimination” in different stages of HRM and the importance of “Training and Development” to understanding HRM [Institute] Contents Introduction 3 Concept of Discrimination 3 Discrimination in different stages of HRM 4 The concept of “Training and Development” 6 Importance of “training and development” in HRM 7 Benefits of Training 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction Human resource management is the organisational function that forms a strategic approach to the effective administration and management of an organisation’s employees so that they can help the business achieve a competitive advantage (Lawler, 2005). It aims to hire capable, committed and flexible people, monitoring, controlling and providing reward for their performance and building up their key talents for the benefit of the business (Farnham, 2010). Modern human resource management has been created not only in response to the increasing legal controls regarding how employees are treated, but also as an appreciation of the fact that a truly competitive and successful business depends on motivation and efficiency of one of its most significant assets-the employees who work there (Armstrong, 2010). The central function of human resource management is to employ, train and make use of the employees of an organisation in the most efficient and productive manner to help the organisation in achieving its goals (Farnham, 2010). HRM has a wide scope of responsibilities which includes; workforce planning, recruitment and selection of staff, performance appraisals, training and development of employees as well as measuring and monitoring staff performance (Farnham, 2010). Human resource is in charge of proposing and establishing strategies for the employees and the company that promote the attainment of the company’s strategic goals. When an organisation is changing direction, mission or goals it is the HR that must guide the employees (Lawler, 2005). Concept of Discrimination Discrimination is when a person or a crowd of people are being treated less favourably than others. This can be done on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation, also known as direct discrimination (Erickson et al., 2009). Discrimination can also be practiced when an apparently neutral provision is liable to disadvantage a group of people, unless objectively justified also known as indirect discrimination (Erickson et al., 2009). Hence with respect to organisations, discrimination is prejudice or bias which leads to denial of opportunity regarding selection, transfer or promotion (OHRC, 2008). In theory measures have been taken to eliminate discrimination in organisations and all organisations have some anti-discrimination policies and procedures, however in actual practice discrimination is very much a part of HR activities. Discrimination in different stages of HRM Discrimination is practiced in human resource management primarily in three stages; recruitment and selection, promotion and remuneration (Shen et al., 2009). Discrimination in the recruitment process occurs when the employer chooses an applicant based on criteria in addition to the candidates qualifications. Gender or sex discrimination is very common when applying for a job (Daniels & MacDonald, 2005). There still exist organisations with stereotypical ideas about how men and women are supposed to do different jobs at work. For instance, it is assumed that only women can be nurses or that bus drivers are supposed to be men. Similarly it is presumed that women with families have a lot of responsibilities and thus are unreliable. Likewise people believe men do not want to work at part time jobs. The purpose of any hiring process should therefore be to find the person who suits the job the best in terms of skills, experience, qualifications and aptitude (Shen et al., 2009). Gender based discrimination in the recruitment department can take place in several forms. An example of direct gender discrimination is when a woman is refused a bus driver’s job because of her gender. Similarly an example of indirect gender discrimination is when an employer of the Armed Forces applies the condition that the applicant should have previous experience; few women are hence eligible to work as most women do not have the required experience. Likewise direct marriage discrimination is when organisations have a policy of not hiring married women (Parker et al., 2007). Next, discrimination is also done against the disabled when looking for a job. For instance the disabled are indirectly discriminated against when some of the organisation’s rules, practices or policies which seem to apply equally to all the applicants but actually put the disabled individuals at an unfair disadvantage as compared to normal people (Parker et al., 2007). Any kind of workplace discrimination is intolerable and illegal; but promotion discrimination is particularly harmful as it affects an employee’s career prospects in the company as well their income (Pager & Shepherd, 2008). Like any other form of workplace discrimination, denying a qualified worker a promotion because of prejudice is against the law. Promotional discrimination is mostly either race or gender based (Pager & Shepherd, 2008). Quoting the findings of a survey Schiller (2004) reported that twenty percent of Asians and Hispanics and around one third of blacks stated that they had been deliberately “passed over” for a promotion because of their ethnicity or race. Pager and Shepherd (2008) observed that although discrimination is largely viewed as the actions and attitudes of majority groups towards the minority groups, however when it comes to successes at workplace, the present system of opportunities and restraints supports the success of one group over the other. The participation rate of women is lower in the labour force and most working women give up their jobs after marriage. Due to this men are comparatively more stable than women when it comes to job (Parker et al., 2007). When it comes to promotions and trainings, organisations give preference to their male employees to keep them motivated and retain them. This attitude has made women’s access to status and power somewhat weak. In other words, the glass-ceiling effect is very much present in organisations as women and people of colour and those belonging to ethnic minorities face barriers that prohibit their progress in an organisation. Besides stereotypical assumptions such as inadequate experience and lack of abilities, women of colour come across more barriers than white women because they find themselves competing with men of colour for the limited positions available organisations (Bell, MacLaughlin, & Sequeira, 2002) As pay is extremely important for an employee, it can be considered as a major indicator of discrimination in an organisation (Dipboye & Colella, 2013). Pay discrimination can occur in an organisation in many ways. For instance workers with part-time jobs are not entitled to paid leaves or holidays. In the same way individual contracts might be assigned to the staff members who are not allowed to talk about their wage rate. Age base pay discrimination is also prevalent in organisations as young employees are discriminated against on the basis of not having enough experience and thus are paid less for doing the same work (Sims, 2007). Pay discrimination may also occur on the basis of gender or race. Women are allotted a lower pay-rate than that received by men working in the same organisation. Those on maternity leave are not given the bonus received by other employees (Bell, MacLaughlin, & Sequeira, 2002). Similarly, employees belonging to minority groups are often paid less or are given less employment benefits for doing the some work as their colleagues. They are often not given the bonus they deserve and when pay is based on commission the wage rate is lower than others. To overcome pay discrimination the HRM should introduce and promote uniform pay (Dipboye & Colella, 2013). . The concept of “Training and Development” Training and development is the process of imparting particular knowledge and teaching specific abilities and skills to the employees. It aims to improve the existing as well as future performance of the employee by improving his or her ability to work and perform tasks through learning, usually by altering the worker’s attitude or adding on to the knowledge and skills of the employee (Nischitha & Rao, 2014). Whether or not an employee needs training and development is determined by the deficiency in employee performance. It is computed by finding the difference between standard and actual performance (Brown, 2002). The fundamental objective of training is to assist the organisation in achieving its objective by increasing workforce skills and efficiency (Brown, 2002). Development however is not skill-oriented and focuses on providing learning opportunities that would help in growth of the employees and provides attitude and knowledge needed to support employees working at a higher position. Moreover, training and development not only aims to develop the worker’s potential but is also an efficient way for attracting and retaining talented employees (Nischitha & Rao, 2014). Importance of “training and development” in HRM Large companies with human resource departments in general have training and development specialists on staff. The HR department is led by a director or a vice president under whose command there may work the training and development experts and managers. Senior human resource executives collaborate with these managers to decide what role training plays in the human resource department’s strategic decision and overall organisation’s performance. Training experts are the ones who decide what kind of training the employees should receive; on the job training, off the job training or induction training. Training and development managers are experts on employee learning methods, theory and application and also have an insight on steps needed for organisational growth. Human resource managers use training and development to fulfil particular objectives. Their main aim is to develop employees’ competencies and improve their current performance. Secondly it allows employees to grow within the firm and hence provides capable candidates for future use of the business. Lastly, it reduces the amount of time taken by employees to learn about their new workplace or about their designated jobs when being transferred or promoted and makes sure that these employees become fully competent and skilled as economically and quickly as possible (York, 2009). Training and development is essential in three functions of the human resource; orientation, monitoring performance and developing succession plans (York, 2009). Before the function of orientation however, the HR department is responsible for and engaged in the most important job in an organisation which is that of recruiting and selecting the candidates who are most capable of performing the required job (Armstrong, 2010). HR training and development has to focus on the right procedures for hiring new employees. This training should include ways through which an HR professional learns to go about and find the right and most deserving candidate for every post in the firm (Armstrong, 2010). A major step in building a strong relationship between the employer and employee is based on the orientation provided for the newly recruited employees (Coyle, Jacqueline & Shore, 2007). Training specialists are given the responsibility for conducting orientation for the recently hired employees. On the job training (instructions are given at the workplace regarding how a job is to be carried out) and helping the new recruits to familiarise with the workplace are tasks undertaken by the training specialists. In the absence of training specialists, department supervisors are in charge of conducting the orientation and training the new employees. While they can train the employees very well when it comes to their department, it is nearly impossible for them to provide the employees with a well-rounded orientation and a clear insight of how the organisation runs (Coyle, Jacqueline & Shore, 2007). The training and development specialists are particularly experts at measuring and monitoring the employee’s performance. Employee skills are identified to train them to work at their full potential and help the organisation reach its goals. Performance evaluations are important for organisation when it is in its growth phase because its helps to identify how well the employees are doing or where they lack (Halim & Ali, 1997). Training the present workforce helps the organisation save money that would otherwise be spent on hiring new workers at relatively higher pay rates (Halim & Ali, 1997). The HR’s function of succession planning aims at identifying employees who have the ability to undertake higher-level responsibilities and prepares them to be ready to take over their future roles as leaders (Halim & Ali, 1997). Training and development specialists play a further crucial role in managing the organisation’s function of succession planning. They come up with ‘professional development activities’ on the basis of succession plans in order to provide the employees with a smooth transition from their current position to one up the corporate ladder (Nischitha & Rao, 2014). Apart from these three functions, another important task of the human resource department is to implement policies and regulations. For this purpose the HR department itself has to be thoroughly trained. The training and development of HR has to be such that all policies and regulations they form should not only be relevant to the organisation but should also be easily accepted by the employees and support the firm’s vision (Armstrong, 2010). Although the HR makes all rules and policies with the consultation of the company’s top management; it must make sure that these rules and regulations are employee friendly and do not go against the organisation’s culture. These measures are necessary because they eliminate any resistance from the employees in the implementation of rules and regulations (Armstrong, 2010). Benefits of Training An organisation can benefit by providing training to its employees. As mentioned above by providing adequate training to its employees, the organisation can improve its profitability. The employees also gain useful knowledge and skills related to job at all levels of the organisation. It improves the morale of the employees and helps them to develop a positive attitude. Through training the employees develop team spirit openness and trust and it also improves the work relation between the employers and the employees. It also reduces the running cost of the organisation. Conclusion In a nutshell, Human Resource management is of extreme importance to an organisation as it is directly related to the workforce that can make or break a firm by either helping it to achieve its goals or driving it far away from its objectives. Discrimination if practiced by the HRM can prove to be very harmful for the company because it will reduce staff morale, create job insecurity among them and decrease their motivation. This may in fact lead to lower productivity and an increase in labour turnover and absenteeism rate which at the end of the day would only prove to be a drawback for the organisation. Moreover the firm will be driving away some very talented applicants who can prove to beneficial for the form on the basis of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, age and sexual orientation (OHRC, 2008). Another important aspect of HRM is the training and development which aims at imparting key knowledge and skills to the employees in an organisation. HR professionals themselves require training and development due to the constant need of upgrading their skills and attitude. Only a well-trained human resource manager will be able to handle, guide and lead the employees of his company towards achievement of the company’s objectives (Brown, 2002). Training and development when provided to the employees by the HR is to ensure optimal performance from the firm’s workforce. It aims at the development on every individual’s skills and increase in productivity of the overall staff leading to a more profitable organisation. Not only does it create a healthy work environment but also helps to boost staff morale and keep them motivated thus increasing the efficiency of the workforce. References Armstrong, M. (2010). Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 11th edn. UK. Kogan Page Publishers. Bell, M., McLaughlin, M. E., & Sequeira, J. M. (2002). Discrimination, Harassment, and the Glass Ceiling: Women Executives as Change Agents. Journal of Business Ethics 37: 65–76. Brown, J. (2002). Training Needs Assessment: A Must for Developing an Effective Training Program. Public Personnel Management 31 (4): 569-578. Coyle, S., Jacqueline, J. A., & Shore, L. M. (2007). The employee-organisation relationship: where do we go from here? Human Resource Management Review, 17 (2): 166-179. Daniels, K., & MacDonald, L. (2005). 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