Dynamism of Human Resource Management - Coursework Example

• Introduction

According to Carolyn M. Youssef- Morgan (2015), the main task of the Human Resource Management (HRM) is to ensure that a company has sufficient skill and expertise which can be utilized to get the desired result in favor of the organization’s growth targets. The size or the type of a company has nothing do to do with the working of its HRM. For example, Microsoft has its own HRM that is responsible for hiring, selecting and management of its employees. On the other hand, the HRM of a start-up company also needs to think of the ways how they are going to attract job seekers towards themselves and need to devise strategies to keep their turn-over rates low (Kaufman, 2014). We can see that all the companies including non-profit organizations offer attractive compensation benefits so that they are able to employ the best of the available workforce of the economy.

According to my understanding, HRM is also responsible for planning and formulation of strategies which can help an organization to retain its employees and save turn-over cost. They are also required to keep a check up on the working environment of a company so that there is no duality in the organizational culture. I would prefer a business environment endowed with transparency and strong interpersonal relation between the top management and the subordinates and HRM playing the role of a mediator in bridging their gap. Managers and supervisors are significant in maintaining the harmonious working coordination and have been found in many instances executing responsibilities of recruitment, performance evaluation and skill development training.

The purpose of this paper is to represent the diversity associated with HRM and their effectiveness in shaping the organizational culture.

• • Research Statement

This paper deals with the diverse field of HRM. The HR professionals are engaged in formulating ways through which they can increase the efficiency and productivity of the workforce and secure organizational goals. There are several methods that HR applies like, strict screening of candidates during their selection but the actual challenge is regarding retainment of the employees. If HR is able to improve the organizational culture, then companies are in no fear of high turn-over cost. This object offers the scope for further research because each company owns a different culture and thus requires continuous change in policies to ensure cultural betterment.

• Various Aspects of HRM and Their Contribution

Figure 1: HRM Functions

(Source: Mathis, Jackson and Valentine, 2013)

After going through all the sessions I can say that HRM is the channel through which the pleas and concerns of the employees can be brought to the knowledge of the senior management while the latter uses HRM as their representatives when it comes to conveyance of the organizational policies. An HR is expected to practice the principles of Equal Employment Opportunities during hiring as well as during performance appraisals. Any employee expects that when he or she is putting 100 percent in the tasks assigned then there will be expectations that their effort will be recognized. However, if there had been instances of malpractices in the past regarding any aspect of the organization like, selection of new employees, promotions, performance appraisals, etc. then it requires affirmative action on part of the HR, in order to make necessary amends to the situation. I find that partiality in the workplace can result in serious consequences. Firstly, the employees will feel demotivated and depressed affecting their performance that has direct implication on the productivity of the organization. Secondly, some employees may choose to quit their jobs and search for placement in companies providing all its employees equal opportunities of growth (Jackson, 2012). This directly affects the image of the firm by sending negative message to the job seekers.

The selection procedures need to be free from favoritism such as I should get a job based on my qualification, skill and experience not because I am friends with one of the senior management employees. As per my understanding, there are two commonly known procedures; firstly, resume and application form where the company issues job application forms describing the job role and the employees reply to that with their resumes. These resumes form the first source of information for the company about the job applicants and help the HR to select most suitable applicant. Secondly, the interview processes to select candidates where individuals may be asked to have a face-to-face or a telephonic question-answer round (Dipboye & Johnson, 2013).

We need effective HRM is essential for development of skilled labor force. Learning by doing has been advocated to be the best form of training by many scholars ( Lamoreaux, Raff and Temin, 2007). It is also HR’s responsibility to bring the areas of concern to the knowledge of the entrepreneur so that he or she can make arrangements for training. Trainings help to improve existing skills of individuals and also cultivate new skills among them (Wilson, 2006). For example, training can help me to learn new software that will increase my productivity. Evaluative tests are placed at the end of these training modules so that the management has a better idea of the potential of employees. This becomes a decisive factor for promotions.

We work because we need money to sustain our lives and the payrolls are decided by the entrepreneur in consultation with the HR where the latter needs to be well aware of the conditions prevailing in the labour market. Companies provide various benefits based on the strategies of the HR such as, retirement savings plan and dry cleaning pickup and deliveries done at the company premises. However, compensation and benefits cannot help to retain employees for long because other companies in the industry will follow suit. Workers need to be healthy to carry out responsibilities. We also need a safe working environment which is conducive to their skill development. The HR policies reflect that a company is not associated with illegal practices like child labor.

• • Which aspects are more important than others and why?

All the above mentioned aspects have their own significance; however, we need to understand that the goal of the organization and that of the employees may be different and it is the task of the HRM to reconcile the two. I find the relation between the employer and worker plays an important role in determining the performance of the company. An employee wants a working environment which is transparent in communication and decision-making.

We have witnessed that the growing complexities of the business world have popularized transformational leadership because it incorporates workers in decision making. Bill Gates success needs no introduction and he is a believer of employee empowerment (Robinson, 2010). When employees are involved in decision-making, they feel more engaged to the organization which motives them to exert more commitment towards their job. This in turn improves the performance of the company because it has willing productive workforce making the production process more efficient. The employees find comfort if their working environment ensures safety and security even with a less pay. For example, the BPO sector offers quick growth opportunities for the English speaking population of the developing nations but experiences high attrition because of the stress and odd working hours (Business Today, 2011).

• Effectiveness of HRM to an organization

After going through the various aspects of HRM I can safely say that an organization can work without an effective and well knit HRM. They act as the bridge between the management and the workers. The transparency of an organization can be understood by observing HR policies in a company. They play the key role when it comes to development of human capital in an organization (Mathis, Jackson and Valentine, 2013). Training forms an integral part of any organization that wishes to keep updated with the technological advancements occurring in the economy. Companies have been engaged in research and development in order to produce new products and innovative technologies that can help them to secure better market position. This requires the employees to learn about them so that they can apply the same in the production process to increase its efficiency. HRM of a company arranges such training activities so that workers can generate more value through the execution of their responsibilities.

We need an HR who can work in strengthening the interpersonal relation between the employer and the employees which in turn can help in reducing the attrition rate of the organization and improve the image of the company. HR policies determine the level of transparency and their affirmative action can develop an effective organizational culture.

Learning experience

There were many areas in the HRM that attracted my attention specifically their need to keep the goals of an organization and the requirements of employees aligned. It is definitely not an easy task. If they are not vigilant enough, the company can lose valuable employees. This we learnt from our second discussion where we analyzed the SWOT evaluation of the Cashiers at The Home Depot is the evidence to that because, there can be situations where HRs are required to alienate the threats and weaknesses from the strengths of the employees. An HR is also required to formulate strategies with a sound knowledge of prevailing market condition to shape the organizational culture. The presence of duality can make serious damage because like any other aspirant employee, I would also like to see myself in a respectable position through hard work and dedication. However, if my efforts are not recognized by my superiors and they simply makes decision on vague assumptions then that workplace is not for any hard working employee such as myself.

In one of the sessions we were notified that managers who are responsible for sending the appraisal reports at the end of every month in company realize their responsibility only when they get the reminder regarding the same from the HR department. They are only able to provide correct data regarding each employee because of time constraints. Hence, the result is an appraisal report based on assumptions which is neither desirable nor has any contribution to portray the true working condition.

• Shaping My Career

In future, I would like to choose an organization to work that provides ample scope and opportunities to their employees. It will not only improve my productivity, but also will ensure that I can have a successful career. The companies’ HR policies will help to understand the work culture of the concerned organization. Compensation and benefits will definitely affect my choice but I would need a workplace where I can express my concern in a particular aspect and expect that it would be considered and I would get a meaningful reply. It is a fact that without getting into an organization, it is very difficult to obtain knowledge about the true nature of the work culture in a department. So, if I find a company that has high attrition rate and instances of malpractices reported in the social media then I will certainly avoid getting into such an organization. I would need a working environment where my manager will not make reports based on assumptions. Each position holder should be responsible enough to execute their assigned tasks with accountability and dedication.

HRMs of many Multinational Companies (MNCs) have developed portals which are regularly updated and employees can see where they stand even by using their smart phones. Social media helps the HR to get better idea of a prospective employees’ potential (Fujimoto, et al., 2007). If an employee is involved in malicious practices such as, sharing of company’s secrets or speaking badly about the company in public forums; the HR can bring that to the knowledge of the top management so that termination of such employees can be done with immediate effect. If my company trusts me with valuable information then I should remain dedicated to the organization. I would like to see myself in an organization that has a responsive as well as reactive HRM.

• Conclusion

This paper has provided with a glimpse of the goals that are of primary importance to the HRM of an organization and how they help in formulating strategies to combat the issues of selection of skilled employees and retainment of those valued employees. This task requires the HRs to enable a working environment which can facilitate transparency and unbiased organizational culture.

I would like to be employed where there is no duality in terms of culture because it will demoralize me. The HRM of an organization needs to be more vigilant and responsive so that information sharing between the senior management and subordinate level can be done without conflicts. Mangers need to coordinate with HR professionals so that promotions, performance appraisals and fresh hiring can be executed without ambiguity and favoritism.