Organization of Work of Company Employees - Assignment Example

Human Resource Management University’s Name: Submitted by Names: Tutor: Date: Introduction Human resource management is one of the key departments that determine the success of both small and large organizations. No organization can succeed in achieving its objectives and maximizing the productivity of its employees because it will not be able to hire the best expertise in the industry and be able to motivate the same expertise to give their best in whatever they are doing. Increased competition in all industries requires that the organization provide a high quality of goods and services for them to have a competitive advantage. However, organizations are only able to achieve this through proper human resource management. Royal Dutch Shell Plc, commonly known as Shell is one of the leading oil and gas companies in the world. Shell is a multinational oil company based in Netherland, and it was formed as a result of the merger between Royal Dutch Petroleum Shell Transport and Trading (Kwee et al., 2011). According to the Fortune Global 500, Shell topped the list of the top 500 largest companies in the world in 2013. Some of the activities that the company is involved in include oil exploration, refining of oil, trading of petrochemicals, and power generation. Shell has about 3,300 employees, which makes it one of the multinational companies with the largest human resource function (Kwee et al., 2011). Initially, the human resource at Shell was purely administrative, but that changed, and it is now catering for the specific needs of its employees in various countries. The company's HR department realized that for it to be effective, efficient and professional, it was necessary to invest in IT in the HR department. The move ensured that HR department offers online self-service to all the employees in the company. The HR system in the organization changed from generalist to a specialist, decentralized to centralized, and from hand holding users to self-service users. Therefore, Shell is going to be used in this report to illustrate questions related to the human resource management. Question 1 Human resource management plays an important role in the strategic management of any organization across the globe in enhancing its performance (Buller and McEvoy, 2012). Any company that has a strategic planning in its human resource department is most likely to optimize its performance in whatever field it ventures in. Human resource management ensures strategic planning that leads to enhanced employees morale, motivated employees and well-trained and skilled employees that optimize the performance at the organization. For instance, Shell is employing the grassroots strategy in its human resource management. The company is combining the thoughts, ideas and contribution of those in the top management positions with those in a relatively junior position in order to optimize the performance and productivity of its employees (Kwee et al., 2011). Shell, therefore, has a competitive advantage over other players in the oil and gas industry. The strategic management of the company has led long-term performance in the company. The strategic management of human resource is put in place by companies to ensure that employees efficient in meeting the demand of customers. Customer satisfaction leads to the success of a company because customers are the major determinant of the success of a company. Highly trained and motivated customers are likely to understand the emerging issue and the trends in the industry. At the same time, motivated clients are likely to give their best in their work, and they are likely to work longer with the company (Buller and McEvoy, 2012). As a result, the company will optimize its performance, which in return will lead to more returns and more profits at the end. The strategic management of human resource at Shell has made it the largest player in the oil industry because the company has been experiencing increased productivity and performance. The company has elaborate strategic planning for its human resource. Question 2 Human resource management can enable an organization to achieve its strategic targets through human resource planning. The world is going through certain changes that call for human resource planning if organizations are to achieve their strategic objectives. There are some emerging issues that have transformed the nature of employment and workforce and the workplaces. The main emerging issues in human resource management include increased globalization and the changing demographics (Mayrhofer et al., 2011). Therefore, human resource management is only able to achieve its strategic objectives by knowing how to hand the emerging issues and changes taking place in the workplaces. Organizations are only able to achieve the objectives through human resource planning through planning, policies, practices and job design. The world has become a global village due to increased globalization and improvement of information technology. Consequently, the labor market has transformed; there are emerging types of employments that never existed before, the emergence of totally different workplaces, and increased innovation in the human resource management. Global economy and global pressure now call for human resource planning and HRM should now develop new mindset, find ways of dealing with international labor, and embracing the new technology in HRM systems (Mayrhofer et al., 2011). In order to achieve their strategic objectives, human resource management should embrace global concepts like the Strategic International Human Resource Management (SIHRM), especially among the multinational corporations like Shell. HRM should incorporate factors like cross-cultural, development of international teamwork, exchange programs among employees from various countries, and international compensation programs (Snell, Morris and Bohlander, 2015). Organizations must, therefore, embrace the above aspects in the global economy if they intent to achieve their strategic objectives. HRM is also facing changes in the workplaces and the nature of employment. The most affected continent is Europe due to the aging and the shrinking workforce. To remain competitive in the market, HRM must be able to deal with this challenge. HRM must come up with appropriate policies like intensive training and development programs, meeting the social and psychological needs of the aging population, and new motivation systems. The well-planned policies and practices will ensure that the organization meets their strategic objectives. Other demographic changes include gender, ethnicity, level of salary, marital status and the status of the families of employees (Snell, Morris and Bohlander, 2015). All the above demographic changes affect the performance of organizations and organizations must find ways of dealing with them if they have to meet their objectives. More women are entering the labor force; there is increased the number of single people, and people with diverse ethnicity and culture working together. Organizations should come up with policies, new job designs, practices embrace diversity, and that maximizes the productivity of the above group of employees. Question 3 For any company to survive in this era of stiff competition, it should employ the best recruitment and selection process of their employees (Mahmood, 2014). Employment and selection process should be entrenched in the best philosophies, structure and well laid down strategies. Shell respect human rights, and it uses competitive terms of employment and it aims at promoting the development of its employees by utilizing individual talents. Its employment decisions are based on qualification and the merit of the candidates. The company does not entertain any form of discrimination in its recruitment and selection process. The company also employs people from all the sources, and it does not discriminate any candidate based on the region because it is a multinational company. Before any interview, it is important that the potential candidates are appraised, especially when the number is large (Mahmood, 2014). Shell appraises any position that attracts more than 80 potential candidates to ensure that it comes out with the best candidate at the end of the process. The best way to appraise the applicant is to ask them pertinent questions on the phone regarding their qualifications and experience. The company can also use the information they have about the applicants to appraise the best candidate. Shell sometimes appraises the applicants through phone or social media chat. The process ensures that no one is discriminated. The interview is one of the most common methods of selecting the candidates and many organizations, including Shell apply it. However, interview is not always the best method of predicting the performance of the potential employees does not like the interviewing process and sometimes they have a negative perception about the process (Blankstein and Stack, 2015). In order to ensure that it enhances the chances of coming up with the best candidate, Shell creates a conducive environment for the candidates during the interview. Psychometric test is also important during the recruitment and selection because it helps in determining the relevant knowledge and personality of the candidates, including their skills. This is always done before the actual interview and it majorly done online. The most common psychometric tests are personality and aptitude test, and Shell takes its candidate through the two tests. The personality test is carried out to determine the candidate's interests, values and attitude and how these relate to the job. On the other hand, an aptitude test is aimed at testing the reasoning capacity of the potential candidate. Induction also plays a key role in the future performance of the selected candidates. After the selection, a candidate should be able to relate effectively to the co-workers, understand both written unwritten rules of the company and be able to do the job with ease (Blankstein and Stack, 2015). These entire if a proper induction is carried out. Shell ensures that the induction is formal, and there is a formal timetable for the induction. This ensures that the new recruits fully understand the company. Question 4 Assessing training needs and development in an organization is important because it helps in achieving the goals and the objectives of an organization. It also helps in bridging the gap between the employees' skills, thereby enhancing performance and productivity of the organization. Shell constantly engages in needs analysis in order to identify problem areas, to gain the support of the management and employees, and to determine the gains and the cost of the training employees (Cummings and Worley, 2014). Also, the assessment ensures that the company identifies the management potential of its management team. Shell assesses the needs for training through questionnaires, managerial observation, and through personal interviews. The three methods are preferred by Shell because they least interrupt the normal operation of the company. Shell also has various training and development programs. The company has a continuous coaching and mentorship programs from various experienced leaders from different fields. It also has group training and one-on-one training among its management team, which ensure that it fully exploits the potential of its employees. It goes further to assess the progress of its employees in its various assessment centers, which is important for individual career development. The principal reason the company values training and development programs is because it helps it in coming up with knowledgeable, skilled, and productive employees who are willing to work to enhance the performance of the company. The training and development programs in the company also ensure that it has ethical employees who are also responsible to the larger society (Cummings and Worley, 2014). Training and development ensure individual effectives of all the employees in the company, leading to increased productivity. Question 5 Performance appraisal is important in improving the relationship between the management and the staff. It creates a mutual, honest relationship between the management, supervisors and staff in an organization. Therefore, it is important that organizations come up with effective employee appraisal approach. Appraisal techniques performance review is very important in any employee appraisal process (Bernardin and Wiatrowski, 2013). It is important for companies to come up with a legal appraisal process that obeys laws of the land, company values, and the rights of the employees. Then, it is important for the company to come up with standard employee appraisal forms that include all the details and the information that is needed. The appraisal should take place at least twice a year, especially after every six months. It is also important to involve employees in the appraisal process because employees fear appraisal. Employees are likely to have confidence in the appraisal process if they are involved. Companies should also organize appraisal meetings to discuss the outcome, take corrective actions, and to plan for the way forward. It is important for any organization to have a balance evaluation of the performance of employees (Bernardin and Wiatrowski, 2013). The evaluation team should consider both sides of the coin by considering both the positive and the negative things that employees have done. The company should also take the consideration of its key values, which enables a company to maintain its core cultures. The evaluation process should also involve employees to avoid a backlash in an organization. The evaluation should be fair and nondiscriminatory. The best way to accelerate the performance of employees is to motivate them and to boost their morale at the workplace (Gruman and Saks, 2011). Employees should be appreciated and their efforts recognized by the organization. The remuneration should be fair and just among all the employees and the company should strive to take care of the economical, social and psychological needs of employees. At the same time, an organization should develop the skills of employees because this helps in boosting their self-esteem at the workplace. A company can enhance the performance of its employees by taking care of all their needs. Final Question The main problem that has faced the company lately is the workers strike that almost paralyzed the operation of the largest oil company in the world. The contentious issues were the safety of employees, the fatigue due to long working hours and the demand to replace the routine maintenance contractors with the USW representatives. The main HRM problem, therefore, involves the welfare of employees. In order to solve the problem, Shell should review the general welfare of its employees. First, there should be a pay rise to confirm to the employees that the company cares for their needs. The company should also ensure the safety of employees by ensuring that it reviews the working hours to reduce the fatigue that can lead to an accident. The company should also ensure regular maintenance of its machines and equipment to avoid accidents because petroleum products are dangerous Conclusion HRM plays a significant role in the in the performance and operations of an organization because it touches on the key factor of production, human resource. The success of any organization depends on the success of its employees. Effective HR strategies improve the performance of the organization because it improves the productivity of employees. HRM is also facing various challenges that need proper strategies like the increased globalization and the changing trends in the demographics. Companies should, therefore, come with better recruitment and selection process that reflect the changing trends in the HRM, including training and developing the skills of the employees. Also, the appraisal of the employees should be fair and inclusive for it to help in improving the performance of employees. Even though challenges are inevitable, organizations should find better ways of dealing with them. Reference List Bernardin, H. J., & Wiatrowski, M. 2013. Performance appraisal. Psychology and Policing, 257. Blankstein, L. E., & Stack, S. 2015. U.S. Patent No. 8,965,868. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Buller, P. F., & McEvoy, G. M. 2012. Strategy, human resource management and performance: Sharpening line of sight. Human resource management review, 22(1), 43-56. Cummings, T., & Worley, C. 2014. Organization development and change. Cengage learning. Gruman, J. A., & Saks, A. M. 2011. Performance management and employee engagement. Human Resource Management Review, 21(2), 123-136. Kwee, Z., Van Den Bosch, F. A., & Volberda, H. W. (2011). The influence of top management team's corporate governance orientation on strategic renewal trajectories: a longitudinal analysis of Royal Dutch Shell plc, 1907–2004. Journal of Management Studies, 48(5), 984-1014. Mahmood, M. 2014. Strategy, structure, and HRM policy orientation: Employee recruitment and selection practices in multinational subsidiaries. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources. Mayrhofer, W., Brewster, C., Morley, M. J., & Ledolter, J. 2011. Hearing a different drummer? Convergence of human resource management in Europe—A longitudinal analysis. Human Resource Management Review, 21(1), 50-67. Snell, S., Morris, S., & Bohlander, G. (2015). Managing human resources. Cengage Learning. Read More