HR Strategies to Be Implemented for Delivery of the HR Services - Report Example

Executive Summary This report identifies various Hr strategies that can be implemented in the XYZ Company in the delivery of Hr services. The strategies include; human capital management strategy, creating a suitable working environment, developing an effective reward and recognition strategy and leadership and management development.On the basis of the current situation of the organization the report also identified how the Hr services will be delivered. The report a proposed the crucial need for the adoption of a code of ethics as a way of integrating ethics in Hr Service delivery. Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 References 17 Appendices 18 Introduction Human resource services are fundamental in any particular organization with an objective of maintaining its competitive advantage within the industry it operates. As argued by one of the renowned human resource specialists, Armstrong (2008), the human resource is the most valuable resource in an organization. This is because it is the human resource that gets things done within the organization. Therefore having a human resource unit is important. In addition, there is need to have an effective system of delivering human resource services. It is also essential to take note of the fact that managing human resource services is a key element of leadership as a result if effectively undertaken the organization will be greatly transformed. This particular report therefore seeks to present a plan and delivery of HR Functions and service delivery that can be used to develop significant changes in the Company. HR strategies to be implemented for the Delivery of HR Services Human capital management strategy Ingham (2007) highlights that one essential component of any enterprise is the skills, the experience, the insight and the innovativeness of the workforce. Thus the success of an organization is influenced by its ability to utilize its human capital in order to enhance the performance and also increase the assets or wealth of the organization. The human capital management strategy focuses on responding to the needs of the organization by focusing on employee’s potential abilities and skills as a source of organizational transformation and as a source of capital. Human capital management goes beyond just inputting value to the organization through attaining the objectives of the organization but rather it aims at developing the capabilities of the employees which can further transform and sustain the organization. According to Ingham (2007) human capital management begins with recruiting the right people into the organization. In order to implement the human capital strategy one of the critical HR services will be that of attracting, recruitment and retaining of skilled and talented employees who are able to execute the strategies of the organization. The XYZ Company has over the years been expanding through the adoption of the business expansion strategy or the external growth strategy. In order for the strategy of external expansion to continue effectively, there is need to attract, recruit and retain capable employees. Based on the fact that the organizations mission is to provide quality services and due to the fact that the company also relies on young apprentices there is need for the company to attract suitable young apprentices who can be able to spearhead the mission of the organization. Human capital development can also be implemented through training and development. Ingham (2007) highlights that training and development is typically the most neglected areas of staff welfare. The Hr service of training and development is therefore effective in building the capabilities of the workforce. In addition training and development facilitates the effective utilization of the employees which assists the employees to attain the objectives and strategies of the organization. For instance; if the Hr department undertakes training and development effectively the company will attain the business strategy of offering unique services and products. The Hr service of training and development will also enhance the personal growth of the employees. This is because through training and development, the staff is given an opportunity to advance their behavioral and also their technical skills. In addition the two aspects also facilitate the expansion the overall individual personality and human intellect. In the context of the XYZ Company, we also use young apprentices, who still require a lot of training, training will enhance their personal growth. Training and development is therefore a crucial service for implementing the strategy of human capital development. Creating a suitable working Environment Snell and Bohlander (2012) highlight that; a good working environment is important for every employee. In order to retain the workforce the creation of a suitable working environment is important. In addition in order to improve the productivity of the employees there is need for developing a suitable working environment. A suitable working environment will also facilitate proper execution of the business strategies of the organization. For instance the strategy of external business expansion can be attained if the workplace environment is suitable enough for the employees to perform and enhance the expansion of the business. One of the attributes of a suitable working environment is job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is an aspect that is directly connected to the working environment. It is therefore important for the HR unit to ensure that the working environment is suitable especially for the young apprentices. In the context of the organization there is need to change the traditional culture of autocratic leadership that results to a scenario whereby the working environment becomes un -conducive for the employees. This report does acknowledge that the working environment of the XYZ Company has been merged with harassment and bullying. What is evident is that this culture has got to change. The role of the HR unit is therefore to ensure that this culture changes. A good working environment also enables the staff to grow not only intellectually but professionally. Employees value an environment where their ideas can be accepted well. The XYZ Company has also not sufficiently giving an opportunity to young employees to experience growth in their careers. What is evident is that the old management is still in existence and most of the young employees have not been given an opportunity of professional growth. There is therefore need for the Hr unit to initiate career growth opportunities for the young employees. Developing an effective Reward and Recognition strategy Reward and recognition is an essential aspect of motivating employees. As propagated by the expectancy theory, employees behave in a particular manner based on the expected results that are linked to a certain behavior. Consequently the rewards provided to employees influence the behavior or performance in the work place. The path goals theory of motivation is another prominent theory that explains the fact that employee performance is influenced by rewards they receive. According to the path goal theory, what goes through the minds of every employee is the question ‘’what do I gain or benefit out of this task?’’ As a result if the benefits associated to a certain task are good or in line with the preference of the employees, then employees are bound to work hard in order to get the benefits associated to the task (Miner, 2007). Motivating the workforce through the adoption of a good reward and recognition strategy is therefore important. This is based on the fact that most of the strategies adopted by the business require a workforce that is productive. The role of the Hr is therefore to design a suitable reward and recognition system. Employee Engagement Strategy The company urgently needs to change its culture of having an autocratic leadership where employees are not in any way engaged to the organization. Employee engagement involves making the employees committed to their work, involved and satisfied with their work (Schneider, 2008). Making the workforce engaged is a crucial element in attaining the strategic objectives of the organization. The company has been opening subsidiary companies across various states and territories with the objective of ensuring that the company increases its customer base. Therefore, if employees in the various subsidiary companies are fully committed to their work, what is evident is that no branch at all will be closed due to poor performance. Leadership and Management Development Leadership and management are crucial aspects in the attainment of the objective and strategies of an organization. If effective leadership is not adopted by the management, then the services provided by the Hr unit will not be effective. The objective of the Hr Strategy is to implement a system whereby high quality leadership exists in all departments of the organization. The strategy involves having a succession planning framework whereby the Hr unit will play the role of identifying and also developing leaders out the young apprentices and employees that exist in the company. These young individuals will also be given the opportunity to take up the roles of middle and the senior management functions or roles. Therefore the implementation of a career succession and progression policy will be one of the greatest roles to be performed by the Hr Unit. This report acknowledges the fact that change is an integral part of people management and leadership. The Hr departments will provide an opportunity for management development and leadership however there is need to link these aspects to the strategic objectives of the organization for instance the strategic objective of business process reengineering can be attained through the utilization of technologies that improve business processes. Consequently managers will need to be well acquainted with these technologies. 2.0 How these services should be delivered Attracting, Recruiting and retaining staff In order to attract recruit and retain staff in the organization, the following services will be provided by the HR department ; Searching for New Staff to hire; When initiating a search for new staff the HR unit should first of all inquire from the current or existing employee in order for them to give their recommendations . For instance Hacker, (2011) highlights that Nike one of the leading shoe manufacturing company’s uses the strategy of recommendation from existing staff. This particular strategy has enabled the organization to retain young and qualified staff. Nike also found this strategy as cost effective and also appealing. In the search of new employees for hire, former employees can also be useful in giving recommendations of experienced workers. In addition the organization should also consider hiring students in their work study programs. In the pursuit for suitable staff, the HR unit should also find out what the state and federal agencies provide as benefits and pay for the same positions. This will enable the company to provide competitive pay for the new staff. Adverting: The Company can also change its recruiting methods. Many adverts for posts have usually been done through the use of newspapers, however in order to attract a lager pool of audience and also young apprentices the use of the internet would be an effective strategy. Recruiting: In every recruitment practice the HR unit is supposed to organize formal interviews. Only applicants with good attributes and with credentials that fit the job descriptions should be recruited. Retaining the Staff; In order to retain staff within the organization, the Hr department will work towards changing the autocratic culture that exists in the organization. This will be done through holding meetings with members of senior management and informing them on the need to transform their approach to leadership. The Hr unit will also work towards the development of a suitable working environment for employees at all levels. Training and Development of staff Training and development are two different aspects. Development is a continuous process while training takes place at a specified period of time. The organization has been using apprentices whereby unskilled young people endeavor to understudy a skilled employee. This sort of training is bound to continue in order to ascertain that the young apprentices attain the required skills to attain the objective and strategies of the organization. Training on leadership is also a vital element. What is evident is that the management of the organization requires leadership training in order to eliminate the bad leadership culture of autocratic leadership that exists in the organization. The training on leadership will be undertaken through the adoption of the on the job training which entails training for employees while they still perform their regular jobs. Creating a suitable working Environment Some of the functions that will be undertaken by the HR unit in the creation of a suitable working environment include handling the staff in a human manner, appreciating of the efforts of the employees, giving promotion to capable employees, thanking the employees when their performance is good, providing a chance to employees to air their views and holding frequent meetings with employees in order to discuss issues that affect them. Developing and implementing an effective Reward and Recognition strategy The total rewards framework is basically one of the most suitable reward strategies that the organization should adopt. According to Kaplan (2007) the total rewards approach offers a process that ascertains that the needs of all the employees and of the organization are served. The approach is structured in a way to ensure that employees give their talent, time , results and efforts , in turn the employer offers total rewards that are in most cases valued by the employees.. The elements of the total rewards structure entails; Compensation, benefits, performance, recognition and work life balance. Table 1.0 below highlights the components of the total rewards approach. Compensation Benefits Learning and Development Service provided to the Work Environment Base salary Health care Career Planning Flexible working weeks Long-term cash incentives Disability Professional membership Modification of job designs Annual incentives Life insurance Succession planning Telecommuting Project incentives Fitness center Mentioning programs Opportunities for community volunteers Spot awards Resources for child care Annual conference Recognition programs Equity (restricted stock , stock options) Retirement Training programs work stations that are comfortable The total rewards approach covers everything that employee’s value. It is basically a holistic rewards service that aligns the people’s strategies and the strategies of the organization. The approach is therefore grounded on the premise that a rewards program is best implemented and designed after the strategies of the business are aligned to the strategies of the people. For instance the business strategy of providing superior services to the customers can be linked to the people’s strategy through providing the employees with reward services such as flexible work arrangements, incentives that are based on team performance and employee benefits. Furthermore providing the service of effective rewards to employees through the total rewards approach will also require transparency, equity and fairness. This will be undertaken by making regular equal pay reviews in order to ensure that employees are rightly rewarded, in addition the rewards are to be aligned to their job positions Employee Engagement Services The Hr service that is required in order to advance employee engagement involves establishing an effective communication system, developing trust, career development and shared decision making. 3.0 How these services will be evaluated and performance measured Benchmarking One of the approaches of evaluating and also measuring the performance of the services offered by the Hr unit is through benchmarking. Benchmarking is a suitable approach of performance monitoring within the human resource department. Benchmarking can basically be described as the process making comparison of performance indicators of organizations within a similar industry or with organizations that are categorized as the best in a certain area (Jangla, 2008). In order to successfully evaluate and also measure the performance of the services offered a careful selection and also manipulation of the aspects to be measured or compared will be done. For instance when benchmarking an aspect such as employee engagement , performance evaluation will be undertaken on the following measures; how the employees demonstrate interest to their performance and the goals of the organizations and how involved they are to the affairs of the organization. The use of a HR Balanced Scorecard The balanced scorecard will be used to evaluate the services offered by the Hr unit against the strategies and the visions of the organization (Kaplan& Norton, 2000). For instance an evaluation of how training and development of the staff will enhance the production of superior services and products for our customers. The scorecard will also be devolved to the individual employee levels and the departmental levels. At the level of the employees the aspects that will be evaluated include what is achieved, how the results were attained or achieved. On the departmental level, services evaluation and performance will be undertaken as highlighted by the Service Level Agreement attached on appendix 1. How HR must be integrate ethical practices into the deliver and management of these Hr functions Adoption of a Code of Ethics Human resource should embrace ethics at all times in the delivery and the management of the various Hr services. One of the strategies in which the Hr unit will integrate ethics in the organization is by developing a code of ethics for the unit. Nevertheless a code of ethics is basically the beginning or the start of enhancing organizational ethics within the organization. The Hr department will therefore initiate a training program in order to educate the staff in every department concerning the code of conduct and its relevance to the organization. Based on the fact that a code of conduct has the objective of implementing right actions within the organization, if the reasons for the right actions are not precise, then the objective of the code of conduct will not be attained. The most suitable way of integrating the code of conduct in the provision of Hr services is through a training program (Köster, 2007). Conclusion From the report presented, what is evident is that the XYZ Company needs to have the Hr Unit. This is because the unit will be able to provide the following services as outlined by the report; attracting, recruiting and retaining staff , training and development of staff , creating a suitable working environment, reward and recognition and employee engagement Services. This report therefore proposes that the management of the organization should endorse the implementation of these services. References Armstrong, M, 2008, Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action, Kogan Page Publishers. Gildea, C, Human Resource strategies, Electronic Recruiting News Hacker, C, 2011, Recruiting and Retaining "Generation Y and X" Employees, International Business Consultants Ingham, J, 2007, Developing a Human Capital Management Strategy, Learning Light. Jangla, I, 2008, Hr Benchmarking , Hr folks. Kaplan R.S. and Norton D.P. (2000). The Strategy Focused Organization, HBS Press, Köster,M,2007, Ethics in Human Resource Management, GRIN Verlag Kaplan , S, 2007, Business Strategy people strategy and Total Rewards , International foundation of Employee Benefits plan ,44(9);p 13-18. Miner, B, 2007, Organizational behavior: From theory to practice, Sharpe publishers. Snell, A and Bohlander, G, 2012, Managing Human Resources, Cengage Learning. Schneider, M, 2008, The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial Organizational Psychology. Appendix 1 Service Level Agreement for Human Resource Services Objectives of the Agreement The intention of this particular Service Level Agreement is to highlight the main services that are offered and the quality standards that the organization has consented with the users of the services in terms of the delivery of services. This Agreement therefore identifies The services that will be offered by the Hr Unit The generally standards that the agreement intends to attain in the provision of the services A method of solving any problems that may arise due to service delivery Future amendments and reviews on the Service Level Agreement Annual review of the agreement will be undertaken beginning 2012 /7. Any changes that will be made on the on the agreement has to be verified by all the parties Service objectives The Hr unit aims to provide services that will assist in attaining the company’s strategies and mission statement. The services include the following areas; Attracting, Recruiting and retaining staff Training and development of staff Creating a suitable working Environment Reward and Recognition Employee Engagement Services Service Users Top management Departmental heads and assistants Staff Hr department Main Services Attracting, Recruiting and retaining staff Objective To ensure that the organizations attracts recruits and retains staff with the capability of attaining the objectives and strategies of the organization Main Services 1. Attracting, Recruiting and retaining staff Objective: Attract, recruit and retain staff that is able to attain the objectives of the organizations and execute the company’s strategies . General Enquiries In case of any inquiries the Hr department should be contacted What is the service intends to attain Recruit the right people The use of the right mechanisms in attracting staff to the organization Ensure that the apprentices used are useful to the organization Retaining the recruited employees What is required from the managers? Make certain that consultation with the Hr department is done before any changes are made on job descriptions, responsibilities and titles Consultations should be done on a timely manner in order for the Hr to be aware of any vacancies. Provision of enough funding for recruitment and selection 2. Training and development of staff Objective: Improve the skills, knowledge and experiences of the staff . General Enquiries In case of any inquiries the Hr department should be contacted What is the service intends to attain Improve employees skills knowledge and experiences Enhance employee development Facilitate career growth What is required from the managers? Provide funding to organize training programs 3. Creating a suitable working Environment Objective: Develop a suitable working environment where employees can effectively perform their duties General Enquiries In case of any inquiries the Hr department should be contacted What is the service intends to attain Eliminate the autocratic leadership style Eliminate the harassment and bullying culture Ensure that every employee has adequate resources to execute their roles What is required from the managers? Work in coordination with the Hr department to ensure that the working environment is conducive 4. Reward and Recognition Objective: Ensure that the employees are effectively rewarded for what they bring into the organization General Enquiries In case of any inquiries the Hr department should be contacted What is the service intends to attain Implement a new an efficient reward system Motivate employees in order to improve performance What is required from the managers? Provide adequate funding 4. Employee Engagement Services Objective: Enhance employee involvement and commitment to the organization . General Enquiries In case of any inquiries the Hr department should be contacted What is the service intends to attain Provide a conducive working environment Develop an effective communication system Resolves conflicts arising What is required from the managers? Work in coordination with the Hr department to ensure that the employees are more engaged Read More