Human Resource Policies and Procedures - Essay Example

Human resource policies and procedures al Affiliation The formulation and implementation of human resource policies and procedures has been a major challenge to most small sized organizations. From the foregoing, this activity has, however, proved worthwhile and a necessity in almost all the organization regardless of their sizes. Some of these policies have been converted into legislation requirements while others have been brought into existence for the purpose of managing organization effectively The paper has brought fourth some of the benefits and functions of these policies in organizations. It illustrates that having an establishment of clear, well-developed HR policies not only enhance communication between managers and employees and assist in the clarification of expectations but also helps in ensuring that all employees are treated equitably. They also assist in the protection of organizations against grievances and lawsuits that may arise in the course of meeting their objectives. Human resource policies, drafted and derived from several inferences, should always work in bringing out the best in people by guiding and protecting them The diversity of the several organizations however, and their significant differences in structures has brought variances to the standards often applied in the drafting and implementation of these policies. Each organization thus needs to consider how most of the standards in place could be adopted to reflect their organization’s available resources. Small business owners in particular, should be able to recognize the potential impacts and benefits the HR policies and procedures could have in their businesses. They should take into account these facts, from the different sources, to enable them run their businesses more effectively with more success. Introduction Policies refer to formal statements of principles or rules, addressing important issues of an organization’s mission and/or operations which members of organizations are required to follow while procedures are meant to inform the members of how to implement these policies already set out by the organizations. Policies are written as statements or rules while procedures are written as instructions and in logical steps (Barbeito, 2004). Human resource policies in a company setting refers to the systems of codified decisions and rules, laid down by a firm or organization, to support the functions of administrative personnel, performance management and the relations by the firm’s employees and the planning of resources. Companies are run under different set of circumstances hence have to each develop individual set of human resource policies and procedures (Barbeito, 2004). The establishment of such policies within an organization often help in demonstrating, both to the internal and external audiences of the organization, that it satisfies the requirements needed for diversity, ethics and training and also its commitments in relation to regulation and corporate governance of its employees. In the instance of firing an employee as a case in point, an organization needs to demonstrate that it acts according to the employment law requirements, and that it considers the provisions given in the employment contracts and the collective bargaining agreements. Establishing of an HR Policy within an organization helps in setting out rules and obligations, the accepted standards of behavior among the employees and in documenting disciplinary procedures which offers a standard approach to the different issues. It also proves effective in supporting and helping to build a desired organizational culture (McConnell, 2005). Businesses put in place some of these policies to help in hiring, training, assessing, and rewarding the members of their workforce. When organized and disseminated in a form that is easy to use, the policies could help in preempting the several misunderstandings that usually exists between employees and their employers about rights and obligations in the business environment. It is always advisable for small business owners consisting of a small number of employees to write down its human resource policies on paper even if it would seem inconsistent. Doing this helps in making it clear to everyone the policies of the company and what is required of each and every employee at any instant. These would also assist the organizations in establishing a standard practice of making these policies a part of an employment contract with its employees, just in case issues concerning the employee rights and company policies are challenged in federal and state courts. Without the policies, the organizations would be left at a risk of manipulation (McConnell, 2005). Smaller businesses, especially those on their startups should take this into account in order to avoid the risk of spending more of its resources to potentially expensive lawsuits. Introducing and having an operational human resource policy and procedures in place from the start of a business can help to avoid such situations. The owners of the businesses should establish sound and comprehensive human resource policies that would enable them to succeed both in the short and the long terms. Such policies make the policy decisions taken to be consistent, uniform and legally acceptable. Many small business setups with inconsistent, biased and/or faulty human resource policies usually result in the decline of worker morale, increased vulnerability of potential legal penalties and deterioration in the employee loyalty. These are thus encouraged to produce and maintain well written records of Human resource policies to avert such occurrences (Barbeito, 2004). In companies having these numbers of employees, policies are usually meant to serve several important functions including among them; Communicating values and expectations for how things are done at the organization Keeping the organization in compliance with legislation and providing protection against employment claims Documenting and implementing the best practices appropriate to the organization Supporting consistent treatment of staff, fairness and the overall transparency of the organization Helping the management to make decisions that are consistent, uniform and predictable Protecting individuals and the organization from the pressures of expediency It is argued that relatively smaller business should also be able to form, document and implement policies regarding human resource issues. The number of employees and data to be dealt with always increases with time in a business set up and to avoid the complexities that come with this, it is important to establish the relevant personnel policies as early as possible. Such issues become important guides in all areas relating to the employees, from their recruitment and selection, compensation plans and their benefits, their training and promotions to their job terminations (Deb, 2006). In developing Human Resource management policies, organizations usually have those practices that are often reviewed converted into policies. All employers, regardless of the size of the firm or the nature of business of the organization, are required to comply with both federal and provincial legislation relating to employment and workplaces, thus the management has to make sure that its human resource policies take into account the relevant laws and legislations. These policies have to take too some of the biblical standpoints relating to fairness and equity when being put in place (Deb, 2006). The general steps normally taken in the formation of the HR policies by most organizations in consideration of all the potential factors usually involve; Establishing the need for a policy for the organization; At this point, it should be ensured that policies brought into an organization are able to address its real needs and are in line with the organization’s values and objectives. It should also be ensured that managers within the organization are able to implement and monitor these policies (McConnell, 2005). Developing the policy content; this should be done through appropriate consultations with all the relevant stakeholders including the employees. It would help in ensuring that the policies formulated address the right issues with a full perspective taking into account the legal and the operating conditions of the organization (Barbeito, 2004). Drafting the policy; this involves setting out the purposes the policy is meant to achieve and/or the goal of the policy. It includes such aspects as the policy statement, the scope, responsibilities of the different company actors, definitions of terms and the other details needed for the policy (Barbeito, 2004). Writing the procedure; the procedures are meant to give a step-by-step instruction for carrying out the policy, which may be written as a section of the policy or a separate document that the policy refers to. Specific regulations often require procedures to be developed in absolute awareness to the guiding legislative requirements that govern the organization (McConnell, 2005). Reviewing of the policy by key parties; the policy drafted should be reviewed by the relevant stakeholders including the managers and the employees. The policy should be subjected to a legal review to ensure that it complies with employment the standards and other federal and provincial legislation and also that it is consistent with the terms of any collective agreements (Deb, 2006). Approval of the policy; the body mandated to approve the policy drafted should be presented with the document with all the required details and this should also be noted in the policy (Deb, 2006). Implementation of the policy; several ways have been proposed for adequate implementation of the human resource policies and these include; Involvement of the staff and the employees by giving them a voice in the development of the policies and getting their input and/or feedback Dissemination of the policy information by printing the employee handbook and distributing it to all employees. This could also be done by making copies of the handbook available in central places in the offices or posting it on computers that are readily and easily accessible to staff. Notifying the employees usually in writing, of key policy changes Creating orientation programs for the employees to get an overview of the provided HR policies and procedures Carrying out a periodic assessment of the policies, procedures and practices of the organization in order to determine if they are being followed and are also useful. Should there be some that aren’t working, they should be changed or adjusted to conform to the normal business operations. Review and update of the policy; organization policies should be reviewed and updated regularly, as need arises and in some cases as provided for by legislations. Those that are affected by changes in the legislations of the government should be changed as per the changes in the laws. These however must go through the organization approval process (Armstrong, 2007) Communication of changes to the policy to the employees; It is often critical to provide the employees of the organization with sufficient notice of any fundamental change to the human resource policies of the company, especially on those that affects them directly(Armstrong, 2007). When drafting the organization’s human resource policy manuals, basic issues and key elements must be considered and taken into account. Some of these of these issues given fundamental considerations involve: Employee development and training; this should be accorded great emphasis on the human resource personnel policies. The HR department should be mandated to research for all organizations training needs, and the initiation and evaluation of employee development programs designed to address those needs. Training programs should range from orientation programs, designed to acclimate new employees to the company, to ambitious education programs intended to familiarize the workers with new technological systems. The policy manuals should focus on aligning the workforce provided with the business plans put in place. The human resource team should be able to monitor training and development programs that would be able to benefit both the individual employees and the overall organization. Several benefits can be accrued from this policy exercise especially in small organizations including the increase in productivity, an increase in efficiency of the employees giving rise to more financial gains, a decreased need for supervision and a decrease in employee turnover (Barbeito, 2004). Performance appraisal; the content of the policy manuals should include the various methods of appraisals accorded to the employees of the organization. This refers to the practice of assessing employee job performance and providing feedback based on these performances, whether positive or negative. These measurements are usually very important both to the organization and the individual employees of the company. They form the primary data used by the organizations to accord promotions, salary increases and/or dismissal of their employees (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2012). Job analysis; the policy manuals should consist of the various ways to be used in determining the nature and responsibilities of various employment positions. This should entail the determination of the required skills and experiences that would guarantee adequate performance in a position, identification of job and the trends in the industry and anticipation of future levels of employment and the requirements of skills. These job analysis or work flow policy manuals within the organization are also important in providing valid information about jobs that is used to either hire and/or promote people, establishment of wages, determination of training needs and in making other pivotal HR decisions. It lays down the staffing, job postings, interviews and testing procedures to be applied in the organization (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2012). Reward systems; reward systems should also be covered by the human resource policy manuals and should be carried out solely by the HR department of the organizations. They are important as they provide the mechanisms organizations can use to provide their employees with rewards for achievements of the past and incentives for higher performances in the foreseeable future. Employees should be given an employment relationship that motivates then to owning the organization’s business plan in order to maximize gains (Deb, 2006). The other aspects often covered by these policy manuals include: The employee work conditions and hours; the relevant sections of the policy manuals should set the working conditions and hours to standards for the work schedule/office hours, flextime and overtime. The set conditions in the policies should acknowledge too the time set aside for different religions to attend to spiritual matters without discrimination. In the bible too, a day was set aside by God for spiritual functions in which he never carried out any other work activity other than praying. The other conditions extend to the use of office equipment and Internet, safety, transportation, telecommuting, business meals or entertaining clients (International Labour Office, 2007). Employee Conduct and Disciplinary Action; the HR policies relating to the conduct of the employees and the disciplinary actions should be drafted to cover a wide range of areas from the dress codes expected from employees to the organization’s policy toward whistle blowers. This should also be made to include such policies as the drug-free workplace policy, the policies regarding HIV/AIDS and those of child protection, sexual harassments, payoffs and their disciplinary action procedures. The bible does not allow discriminations of any kind as well as many government regulations. When formulating these policies, such aspects should not be disregarded and must be taken into account to prevent discrimination and exclusion (International Labour Office, 2007). Reference Barbeito, C. L. (2004). Human resources policies and procedures for nonprofit organizations. Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley. McConnell, J. H. (2005). How to develop essential HR policies and procedures. New York: Amacom. Deb, T. (2006). Strategic approach to human resource management: Concept, tools and application. New Delhi: Atlantic. Armstrong, M. (2007). A handbook of human resource management practice. London [u.a.: Kogan Page. Jackson, S. E., Schuler, R. S., & Werner, S. (2012). Managing human resources. Mason, Ohio: South Western cengage learning. International Labour Office. (2007). Equality at work: Tackling the challenges : global report under the follow up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Geneva: International Labour Office. Read More