The Evolving Workforce and Implications for Organizations - Assignment Example

THE EVOLVING WORKFORCE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS Organizational Behavior d THE EVOLVING WORKFORCE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS The human resources of an organization are a key asset that can drive the business to success for otherwise(Becker and Gerhart 1996). Clear communication of organizational vision enables the workforce to act upon given instructions and facilitate the fulfillment of the said goals. That being said the dynamics of workforce worldwide have changes drastically in the past few decades or so. Previously regarded as a means to get to the end result, the workforce is now represented as an important part of the aimed objective itself with the top managers striving to devise strategies and policies that can attract, motivate and retains its human resources in the long run. This part of the paper will highlight the workforce changes of the recent time and the possible implications for organizational policies to cater to these trends. TRENDS IN WORKFORCES: DIVERSITY: Increased globalization and the minority population in the key developing world bring us to the first trend of diversity. Skilled labor from different parts of the world isattractedtowards thedeveloped world for employment as they offer a better environment for them to grow professionally as well as financially. With greater workforce equality and empowered employees, it has become almost necessary to take into account workplace diversity, whether it is females, blacks, handicapped or other ethnocentric groups, at the time of employment. A healthy organization boasts of a diverse workforce that treats all its employees equally(Dol.gov 2014). With trends like feminism, racial equality and minority rights groups, organizations have to keep an out for possible accusations that may lead to a bad name. Narrowing gaps between minorities and an increase in the number of female employees stepping into the professional world has made it imperative that they are made to feel equally welcome and acknowledged. FAMILY AND FLEXIBILITY: Gone are the days when men were the sole bread earners in the family and women were responsible about family. With women stepping out and equally contributing to the financials of a family, it has become a responsibility of both the men and the women to take care of the family and kids. Thus, it has become important for both the sexes to have job flexibility that allows them to give reasonable time at home and meet family challenges that are now equally shared by the parents. TECHNOLOGY: With the advent of technology, workplaces have become more automated. Thus, the most sought after skill is web and computer orientation, making manual labor obsolete. In order to keep up with the pace of change in technology, employees are expected to be open to becoming accustomed to newer technologies that can make their job easier and faster. Technological orientation also as implications on the kind of jobs that are being sought now. The previous trends of data entry jobs, typists, key operators are now replaced with specialized ones like software designers, LAN operators, webmasters etc.This trend has also cut down on many layers of an organization as manual work is replaced by computers and machines that do a more accurate and faster job. OTHER TRENDS: Trends like social responsibility and green marketing are changing the ways business is done. With a focus on doing a clean job instead of a profitable one, employees are made to feel a part of a good cause that increases their innate desire to be associated with something that contributes positively to the community and environment. Businesses are becoming more transparent in terms of revealing their practices to authenticate their greening practices(Bauer and Erdogan 2009). Use of energy savers, water conservation programs, recyclable papers etc. is some of the ways employers make greening a part of their business. With rapid globalization, the pools of prospective candidates haveexpanded from being just the local ones to ones that constitute of prospective employee from all over the world. Outsourcing jobs for more motivated personnel that can even help in cost savings have increased the challenges in the workplace for organizations and individuals alike. Aging workforce is also a phenomenon that is prevalent in most developed countries of the world. It is seen as an opportunity for hospital, pharmaceutical and hoteling business. It also gives way to the influx of the millennia generation that consists of people born between 1980-2000, who are challenge-seekers, motivated, tech-savvy and value team work. Thus, it will not be worn got say that any of the future trends are impossible to even consider at this point in time as they are expected to evolve in the near future. ORGANIZATIONAL IMPLICATIONS: Considering the above mentioned trends, one can ascertain that the preferences of employees and employers have changes drastically over time. This can be attributed to changing cultures, globalizationand technology. Thus, organizations need to mold themselves in order to be able to attract qualified employees and retain them. Periodic HR reviews and auditing helps in maintain a balance to ascertain workplace diversity. The HR managers need to be strategic in their hiring so that they can determine a fit between the employee suitability and the organizational policy for diverse hiring. Since a business has to have efficient employees at every level, diversity should not hamper the selection of an able applicant(Jackson and Ruderman 1995). This is challenge for HR managers worldwide. Offering job flexibility options like flexi-times, job-sharing, and work-from-home and other leaves like sick leaves, vacations and maternity leaves etc. are important for the power couples of today who seek a balance between work and home. Offering on-job facilities like recreation room and day-care increase the chances of having a happy workforce that is motivated due to the organization’sconsideration for their personal lives as well. HR managers need to sit down with employees and clarify a job schedule that best suits them in order to hamper the chances of it disrupting the work efficiency and productivity levels. Technology is becoming deeply entrenched in the organizational functions at all levels. The growing importance of employees being tech-savvy and open to training determines the level of competency of the overall organization. Since use of smart technologies and cost savingsoft wares help in gain a strategicadvantage over the competition. Employers need to make sure that their employees are in a good position to make efficient use of the available technology. The information technology department in most organizations collaborates with the HR to conduct employee training sessions where they become oriented with the different soft wares employed. If the workforce is given adequate training and made to realize how the use of technology can make their jobs easier and faster, they are bound to be more motivated to learn and adopt the practice. Organizational transparency, decentralized leadership, associating with one’s business with social causes and making the workforce feel valued at workplace; play a significant role in keeping them motivated and at their productive best. It also helps organizationsto be seen as fair and equal employers that value their workers as much as the business itself. EMOTIONAL LABOR Emotional labor refers to the forgoing of particular attitudes in order to present one desirable one. In the services industry, employees play a key role in the success of the business as they are the ambassadors and providers of the service. Since the customer touch point or encounter in the services business greatly impacts the motivation level of the customer. Businessesfocus on training their employees so that they are able to translate the values that the organizations stand for, effectively when imparting the service. According to Hochschild, emotional labor could require either of the two types of acting: surface acting and deep acting. Surface acting refers to hiding negative emotions like anger, exhaustions or sadness and replacing them with positive attitudes like happiness, excitement and enthusiasm. Deep acting refers to depicting the actual emotion that one feels as a result of the real-life experience that they go through(Hochschild 1989). The right behaviors, however, differs from business to business. The attitude of the personnel at the bank would be far more different to that of a fast food chain for example McDonalds. McDonalds require their workforce to be sincere, enthusiastic and with a sense of humor(Mann and i 2004). This blends in with the overall business model and concept however, the same attitude would not be sought by a bank whose business is serious in nature and would most likely do well with individuals who are sophisticated, smart and quick with reasoning. The right behavior, hence, is a phenomenon that differs from company to company. But every business requires their employees to act upon the ideal set of attributes that make a perfect behavior. Emotional labor requires one to suppress their real emotions to give way to the ideal ones. This is a negative process as one is unable to express and let out aggression, leading to related problems like stress and anxiety. Employers suffer from pressure to make their employees adhere to an ideal set of behaviors that could complement the whole business philosophy. HRM AND EMOTIONAL LABOR Surface acting is the kind of emotional labor that requires a certain level of sacrifice from the employee. It can also lead to undue stress and health issues. For example doctors are expected to be emotionally strong and impersonal to their patient outcomes. This may lead to the end of their ability to care generally, altogether. On the other hand, emotional labor like deep acting can be deemed positive as it is a natural feeling of a person. Organizations in today’s world strive to motivate their employees so that they areinternally happy which shows outwardly and please the other stakeholders like the customers(Yee, Yeung and Cheng 2008). One such example is that of southwest airlines. Being low cost airlines, it does not offer a long list of facilities that other airlines do. However, their low fares and pleasant customers help maintain their market share in today’s competitive world. TheHR model of southwest airlines focuses on accepting the employees as the first customers. Thus, employee motivation through non-monetary means like verbal appreciation, awards, decentralized parties and personalizedgreetings for birthdays and anniversaries enable it to not only motivate but also retain its employees. Giving employees a certain level of power also helps in making them feel motivated and positively driven to give their best at work(Steers and Porter 1975). Thus, according to the latest trends in human resources management, the focus is on providing incentives to employees to stay motivated at work and be internally satisfied so that this is reflected in their behavior and ultimately the service they are offering. REFERENCES: Bauer, Talya, and BerrinErdogan. 2009. Organizational Behavior. 1st ed. [Nyack, NY]: Flat World Knowledge. Becker, Brian, and Barry Gerhart. 1996. The Impact Of Human Resource Management On Organizational Performance: Progress And Prospects. Academy Of Management Journal 39 (4): 779--801. Dol.gov,. 2014. Futurework - Trends And Challenges For Work In The 21St Century - U.S. DOL. Accessed May 8 2014.http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/herman/reports/futurework/execsum.htm. Hochschild, Arlie. 1989. Reply To CasWouterss Review Essay On The Managed Heart. Theory, Culture \& Society 6 (3): 439--445. Jackson, Susan E, and Marian N Ruderman. 1995. Diversity In Work Teams. 1st ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Mann, S, and i. 2004. ‘People-Work’: Emotion Management, Stress And Coping. British Journal Of Guidance \&Counselling 32 (2): 205--221. Steers, Richard M, and Lyman W Porter. 1975. Motivation And Work Behavior. 1st ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Yee, Rachel WY, Andy CL Yeung, and TC Cheng. 2008. The Impact Of Employee Satisfaction On Quality And Profitability In High-Contact Service Industries. Journal Of Operations Management 26 (5): 651--668. Read More