Human Resource Management - Essay Example

As an example, there is evidence from a number of countries that a unionized workplace will provide more training to employees than nonunionized workplace. There is also evidence that unions influence formalization in employee recruitment and selection. Workplaces under unions are more likely to employ a formal process to advertise job vacancies and apply more objective tests in selection. Probably, these human resource practices achieve efficiencies foregone by nonunionized companies considering their pursuit of extra objectives such as the desire to stay away from unions.

Moreover, unions seem to boost the quantity and quality of voice environments in the firms (Verma, 2005). Union status has a positive relationship with worker voice and voice increases lower the rate of quitting responsibilities. From these observations, the general picture that comes out is one of unionized companies being more formal in adopting some human resource practices that produce efficiencies for HR management. Such practices include employee training, employee voice, selection and recruitment, group incentive strategies such as gain-sharing plans.

Therefore, evidence from practice and studies supports positive gains for unions in many areas of HR managerial practice. The positive contribution can well be understood when we consider the case of Wal-Mart and union issues. The megastore has fiercely opposed the unionization of its employees across all its stores. But, what has been the result for this opposition? For the last five years, the firm has been incurring great losses due to court cases involving HR practices which are ruled in favor of the employees.

The firm has been accused of its biased practices when recruiting employees. An example of such cases is of an employee in New Jersey who accused a manager of harassing him after realizing his sex-orientation. The store was ordered to pay the employee $2 million. Apparently, the judgments suggest that the HR practices of the company affect the efficiency of management leading to great loses. If the company’s workplace was unionized, it is true that such practices would be improved enabling the firm to counter the issues within individual stores.

The firm would adopt HR policies that would improve the management as it responds to the pressures of unions. Paper two When compared with issues on pay and productivity, occupation health and safety receive secondary attention despite its importance to an organization. This is because the issue has indirect benefits to the organization unlike pay and productivity. Occupation health and safety issue is about promoting and maintain of physical, social and mental health of employees in all occupations as well preventing and protection of health effects resulting from their working conditions (Burke, Cooper & Clarke, 2011).

This suggests that the issue has direct benefits to employees rather than the organization. In addition, organizations are aware that occupation health and safety practices incur high cost either directly or indirectly. Naturally, the firms will not give high priority to issues that incur high costs, yet their benefits are not clearly stated. They would rather pursue those issues that add to profitability. On the other hand, issues like pay and productivity have direct benefits to organizations.

If a company does not address pay problems, it becomes hard for it to attract and retain employees. By having the right people, the company is aware of high overall performance and profitability. Productivity is directly connected to profitability. Since many profit organizations seek to increase profitability, they would consider the issues that satisfy this desire first. Furthermore,