Modern Technology and Workplace Flexibility - Coursework Example

Specify the key functional areas of Human Resources Management. Explore the manner in which each function contributes to the overall performance of an organization.

The key functional areas of human resource management (HRM) include staffing, Workforce development, employees’ safety and health, employee relations, and compensation and benefits.

• Staffing

The HRM has a duty of identifying the personnel needs of an organization and recruit candidates with the right qualification and skills to help the organization achieve its goals. According to Bechet (2008), the HRM achieves the staffing objectives by carrying out various functions such as conducting a job analysis to determine the specific functions the employees should perform. Job analysis helps in determining the required skills, responsibilities and duties of each job position as well as the exact number of the employees required for each position. The HRM may has also to source for the right number of competent employees to fill the available positions in the organization through advertising the available positions, managing applicants data base, interview the applicants and identify the candidates with relevant skills to fill the available positions (Society for Human Resource Management, 2011). The HRM carries out the selection of competent candidates from the available pool to complete the staffing process. Effective staffing ensures the organization has the right human resources to execute organizational functions that contribute to organization performance.

• Workforce Development/Human resource development

Human Resource Development (HRD) involves building the capacity of the employees to meet the organization requirements. HRM is responsible for identifying areas that require additional skills or knowledge and provide the relevant training to enhance employees’ productivity (Bechet, 2008). The organization should focus on career development to enable its employees to acquire relevant competence and achieve organizational goals. HRM should not only focus on the current needs, but also the future needs of the organization equip the workers with necessary skills to overcome fill the available capacity. The HRM should appraise their employees to improve communication, improve employee’s satisfaction and detect specific areas for improvement. Also, the HRM can provide training to the employees to improve employees’ skills in the organization.

• Safety health

Workplace health and safety can improve the employees’ productivity. Promoting safety of the workplace is crucial for reducing injuries and accidents to the people and property. Furthermore, healthy practices improve employee’s physical and mental wellness as well as preventing ailments. The Occupation Safety and Health Act (OSHA) has enhanced the safety of the workplace and reduced the number of people injured or killed at the workplace (Chambers, 2011). The HRM uses safety guidelines, training, disaster and safety plan, code of conducts, employees training and workplace safety policies to minimize disasters at the workplace.

• Employees Relations

Employee relations is a management strategy which aims at creating a good rapport between workers and the managers. HRM can enhance employee relations by promoting communication between employees and managers and establishing HR policies to enlighten employees and management (Bechet, 2008). The HRM can promote and maintain unified working environment by engaging in collecting bargaining and ensuring the organization expectations coincides with standards of the workplace to achieve rights and prospects of the workers.

e. Compensation and benefits

Compensation involves various incentives and benefits given to the employees as a reward for their performance or completion of the individual task. Apart from the hourly or monthly pay, employees may receive other non-monetary benefits such as paid vacations, education leave, health insurance cover, sick leave, etc. (Society for Human Resource Management, 2011). Compensating employees play the essential role in attracting and retaining competent workers that contribute to improve the performance of the organization and gain competitiveness in the industry. For instance, an organization can offer free health care package to employees to improve employee satisfaction.

Examine four (4) federal equal employment opportunity laws.

EEO laws promote fairness in the organization by eliminating discrimination in employment, promotion or termination. It is illegal for the organization to discriminate any employ by colour, race, language, gender, disability, etc. Employees are issued with employees’ handbook containing the terms of employment to ensure they understand their responsibilities and rights of employments. The HRM should review the terms of employment and adhere to employment laws to avoid legal issues involving employment discrimination.

• Equal Pay Act of 1963

This Act was introduced in the United States to eliminate gender-based discrimination in employment by requiring the payment of uniform wages for all employees performing similar tasks in the same work place. The legislation also protects the employees from retaliatory attack by the employers due to previous complaints raised previously. COSTCO wholesale has inclusion policy that ensures prohibit discrimination and promotes equal pay (COSTCO, 2017).

• America with Disabilities Act of 1990

This legislation protects persons with disabilities from discrimination in public and private sector employment. The Act requires all persons to be given equal employment opportunities as long as they have relevant qualifications. Furthermore, the law requires employees to manage the workplace to accommodate persons with disabilities unless in specific circumstances where employment of persons with disabilities could bring performance drawback. The COSTCO inclusion policy prohibits discrimination of employees with disability.

• Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967

This legislation was intended to protect employees aged 40 years and above from discrimination by their age. The legislation is invoked during hiring, compensation, discharge of employees, issuing of rewards and benefits, etc. Nevertheless, the law does not prohibit the employer from favoring someone at an advanced age over a person of 40 years. COSTCO offer employment for older people through veteran policy that care of the older workers (COSTCO, 2017).

• Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008

This Federal legislation prohibits employers and health insurance from using genetic conditions and particular diseases as a basis for discriminating the employees or job applicants. COSTCO wholesale does not require details of their genetic conditions to get employment.

Three significant trends affecting organizations today

• Aging workforce

The number of workers aged 65 and above continues to increase. According to CDC (2016), the number of full-time workers has risen by about 122% between 1994 and 2014. Overall, the workers aged 65 years and above constitutes about 15% of the total workforce while the number is expected to rise even further as more retirees seek for full-time employment. The increasing population of the workforce can pose several challenges to the organization. The older generation requires retraining to meet organizations expectations. The widening gap between the older and younger workers can cause great challenges to the organization (Byrd & Scott, 2014). However, the HRM has a responsibility of closing the gap through training the older generation, utilizing the expertise of the older generation to improve organization performance and establishing positions for older employees to ensure they become productive and useful in the organization.

• Diversity

Organizations are experiencing great diversity as they attract workers from across the globe. Supervisors must learn to handle diversity in the workplace including gender, race and ethnic differences (Byrd, & Scott, 2014). COSTCO employees workers from a diverse background, though supervisors have inadequate human resource skills which sometimes results in too much employee complaints. However, COSTCO has not diversified its top management positions which are a matter of concern.

• Skills deficiency

The changing technology is creating skills deficiency in the organization. The HRM must chip in to help employees upgrade their skills to match the organization needs (Byrd, & Scott, 2014). The organization should incorporate innovation in training employees to become the competent use of modern technology. This may involve distance learning and use of electronic manuals to train their workers. COSTCO receives numerous emails from clients and suppliers therefore employees. Skilled employees are assigned the responsibility of handling electronic data to ensure the safety of the organization and organization performance.

Workplace Flexibility

Workplace flexibility is an approach that takes into consideration of the welfare of both employers and the employees. If focuses on how, where and when the employees conduct their work.

Most of the large organizations operate in shifts. They may give employees an opportunity to choose the shift that favors the within given. COSTCO wholesale offer flexible part-time and full employment to their employees.

Also, organizations are designing tasks that employees can perform outside the office or from their home. Workers can carry out their tasks effectively while enjoying ample time with their families. COSTCO have tasks designed for their employees to complete outside the office and this enhances flexibility.