Various Aspects of the Key Elements of Personnel Management - Research Paper Example

Various Aspects of the Key Elements of Personnel Management Abstract Human resources or organization employees are increasingly being recognized as the sole basis for distinction between competing rivals in the modern economic environment. As a result, personnel management has become an integral part of management not just in organizations seeking to make profit, but also in governmental organizations that provide services to mainstream society, as well as, in non-profit establishments. Irrespective of the scale and scope of operations, it is imperative for companies to adopt strategic human resource management practices. This paper explores the extent of personnel management evolution, as illustrated by a comparison between the civil service based fire industry and the predominantly private manufacturing industry. Drawing from these industries, the paper further shows the disparities in personnel management and its budgetary allotment between public sector, private sector, and non-profit sector industries. The paper finally outlines potent recommendations that the fire service industry can borrow from the private sector, in order to enhance its performance. Introduction Personnel management, a business concept often applied interchangeably with human resource management, constitutes systems, policies, and practices that influence workers’ attitudes, performance, and relations within an organization. Judging from its constituents, it is discernible that personnel administration is concerned with maintenance of effective and productive work relations among employees through use of relevant management tools. Personnel management is, therefore, a crucial function with far reaching implications for any establishment’s performance. One such sector that principally relies on the performance and actions of its personnel is the fire service industry. In this sector, numerous specialized managerial functions are executed by the fire chief, designated officers, and the local government. Nonetheless, some elements of personnel management form an integral portion of every fireman’s job. This paper seeks to explore best personnel management functions or practices that the fire service sector would adopt, in order to overcome prevailing challenges. Recommendations are a derivative of the critical comparative analysis between the fire service sector, which is a civil service or governmental industry, and the manufacturing industry, whose players are predominantly in the private sector. The analysis is pursuant to the primary assertion that appropriate management and paying adequate attention to personnel needs, can enhance workforce skillfulness and productivity, hence improving overall organizational performance. Personnel Management Fundamental Elements Prior to exploring actual functions of personnel management, it is imperative to gain comprehension of the basic elements that make up this vital business practice. According to Tan and Nasurdin (2011), personnel administration encompasses employment, development and remuneration, as elementary functions. Further, Tan and Nasurdin (2011) emphasize that personnel administration serves as an extension to mainstream organization management. This is ascribable to the fact that it involves promoting and motivating competent employees to make optimal contribution to the firm in question. Overall, an establishment’s personnel management primarily deals with employee matters, ranging from employee selection and work allotment to compensation and incentive plans, effectively making it the staff division. With these basic elements of personnel management in mind, it is relatively easy to determine the distinctive roles played be a personnel manager within most business settings. Edwards (2009) denotes that an individual entrusted with personnel administration in an organization is expected to carry out both operative and managerial functions. These include provision of assistance to executive management, with regard to formulation and implementation of policies concerning human resources. A personnel manager may also be required to act as an advisor to various staff members on diverse personnel matters, while he or she may occasionally serve as a mediator between employees and top management. Given a personnel manager’s direct contact with both workers and managerial staff, this individual acts as an organization’s representative in government appointed committees, as well as, in company organized training and development programs. Personnel Management Functions As can be determined from the discussion thus far, personnel management revolves around employee acquisition, development and maintenance. Carter & Rausch (2007) summarize personnel management functions into three categories, namely routine procedures, labor relations undertakings, and advisory activities. According to the authors, routine practices include recruitment, selection, hiring, placement, and appraisal of exceptional performers, disciplinary actions against wrongdoers, rewards and compensation, as well as, training and development of employees. The second category of functions entails making policy recommendations and carrying out contract negotiations with relevant parties, such as unions. The final class of advisory activities involves provision of advice in regard to policies concerning personnel and procedural or work scheduling concerns. All these tasks can be reclassified into four principal functions, that is, human resource planning, employee recruitment, selection, and training and development. These functions are explored in detail in subsequent subsections. Human Resource Planning Also referred to as manpower planning, human resource organization involves allocating an appropriate number of workers, with proper qualifications, to work responsibilities that suit them best. This form of planning also warrants proper scheduling and physical placement of workers, with the principal aim being to achieve organizational goals and objectives. Manpower planning consists of a specific set of systematic activities with the first being to analyze the prevailing number of workers or workforce inventory. The second step entails making potent predictions of the required number of employees or the possible rate of employee turnover for commensurate replacement. Thirdly, human resource planning constitutes development of suitable employment programs and, finally, creation of highly suitable employee training and development platforms. Human resource planning is pertinent to key management functions such as planning, directing, controlling, and organizing. This is because these functions are all dependent on availability and proper arrangement of human resources. Manpower organization also paves way for efficient utilization of extant human resources, since not a single worker is left unaccounted for. It is also this personnel management function that facilitates creation and maintenance of practical incentive plans, as well as, worker advancement programs thus making motivation an integral component of staffing. Manpower planning also increases chances of an establishment benefiting from heightened productivity. This is because productivity rises when resources are used in the best possible way, which translates to minimized time, money, and energy wastage. Increased productivity is also associated with activities linked to staffing and consequent planning such as remuneration, training and development, and performance appraisal. Employee Recruitment Recruitment, as a function of personnel management, involves amassing potential job candidates from various environments to fill available vacancies. An establishment may opt to recruit individuals either internally or externally. In regard to the former, an organization recruits people through transfers, promotion of current employees, or even recall of former company workers. Externally, a firm can opt to solicit potential workers through advertisement of vacancies, recruitment agencies, and employee exchanges with other firms, as well as, learning institutions, among other sources. Employee Selection Employee selection, unlike common misconception, is not synonymous with recruitment. Rather employee selection refers to the process of choosing specific individuals for certain job responsibilities after extensive screening, to conclusively determine their suitability to the said job positions. Selection, therefore, constitutes a process of matching an establishment’s requirements with people’s expertise and qualifications. This implies that an organization can only achieve effective employee selection, when it follows comprehensive matching. It is through selection of the best candidates for available job slots that a firm will get optimal employee performance. Further, proper employee selection ensures that an organization avoids problems wrought by job mismatch including absenteeism and turnover. Adequate screening of job candidates also saves the organization in question a lot of money and time that would otherwise be used in later recovery. Training and Development Training and development makes up a crucial personnel management function that seeks to benefit both the organization and its workforce. This function involves the process of improving the knowledge, capabilities, and skills of workers in executing certain duties or their respective jobs. Employee training and development, which often takes place after employees have been selected, hired, and properly oriented with the work environment, serves a significant role in enhancing workers’ familiarity with their jobs. Most importantly, training molds employees’ thinking, leading to heightened motivation, elevated quality capability, and overall improvement of firm performance (Tan & Nasurdin, 2011). Comparison between Fire Services Sector and Manufacturing Industry Judging from the discussion on basic elements and functions of personnel management, it is irrefutable that this management aspect is crucial to all firms, irrespective of their size or nature of operation. According to Carter and Rausch (2007), large establishments in both the public and private sectors have distinctive personnel management departments, staffed with professionals in the fields of HRM. The authors are emphatic that even though most small-scale organizations cannot afford specific departments, they still strive to embrace personnel management as an inherent part of daily operations. This is adequately demonstrated by the similarities and differences between the fire service sector and manufacturing industry, discussed further herein. One of the principal differences between fire service and manufacturing industry in regard to personnel management is the scale of operation. For instance, as mentioned by Carter and Rausch (2007), specially designated people management duties within the fire service sector are assigned to the fire chief, local government, and certain fire officers. This is because most fire departments cannot afford creating HRM departments. Further, local government units lack the requisite budgetary allotments to hire staff that specialize in personnel matters. Unlike the limited scale and fiscal capacity of the fire industry, the manufacturing industry is characterized by large scale operations and a broader financial base availed by private investors and other sources of money. This means that, most companies in the manufacturing sector can easily afford to create large personnel management departments, staffed with fully qualified employees that have specialized in matters of human resource management. In addition to the disparity in scale and specialization of personnel management, there are other differences between these two industries. For example, the people management functions, discussed previously are not fully streamlined in the fire service sector, as is the case in the manufacturing sector. In manufacturing, operations are largely dependent on the expertise and specialization of workers, their number at any one point, and consistency of production, in order to keep up with market demand and changing conditions. As a result, most players in this sector are keen on functions like manpower planning, which allows them to constantly monitor the number of employees and whether they should hire more. In addition to stringent human resource planning, manufacturers strive to adopt professional recruitment approaches, in order to attract job candidates likely to wield the requisite level of expertise. Recruitment does not necessarily focus on the potential fire officers’ expertise in various relevant areas. Staffing is largely associated with qualification through physical and aptitude tests. The manufacturing industry is equally keen on the employee selection process, since in most cases, they need to match available job requirements with specific skillsets. Excellent examples include General Motors, a renowned car manufacturer and General Electric, an appliance producer. Such companies are closely linked to industrial design and engineering, hence mainly offer profession specific jobs that require expertise in engineering and other related fields. The same applies to pharmaceutical companies like GlaxoSmithKline, which have to hire highly qualified chemists and pharmacists to develop globally acknowledge products. These companies also recognize that they can only distinguish themselves from competitors through their exceptionally qualified employees, hence consistent focus on training and development, in order to foster workers’ capability and retention. Unlike their manufacturing counterparts, most fire departments lack this comprehensive focus on personnel management functions like selection, and training and development. After initial selection of candidates deemed suitable for service in fire departments, training is not always consistent, as it is restricted to pre-graduation for truck duties and occasional drill exercises that are principally oriented towards physical activities. As a result, most fire officers easily get tired of the job, as the initial desire to help people and serve the community wanes. Failure of fire departments to continuously train their employees also restricts them in terms of career options. The other primary difference between the two industries revolves around the procedural policies adopted in managing workers. For example, while key partisans in the manufacturing industry rely on policies defined by government, external regulatory bodies, as well as, internally formulated guidelines, most fire departments depend on personnel procedures set aside by the civil service commission. Further, department officers bear the mandate to implement these people management policies, even if there is no personnel department to oversee the implementation. This is unlike in manufacturing companies, where the personnel manager and his or her subordinates ensure strict adherence to policies governing HRM by both workers and managerial staff. Overall, both industries strive to adopt personnel management practices for the benefit of both workers and organizations. This is in recognition of changing conditions in their respective environments of operation, continuous calls for enhanced professionalism in the contemporary work environment, and need for fair treatment in work places. Differences in Personnel Management Practices in government/civil service, non-profit, and private sector organizations Different organizations deals differently in managing people since individuals form the focal source of continuing competitive advantage. Therefore, personnel management deals with administrative aspects of an organization like hiring as well as development of employees in order to add value to the an organization. For instance, recruiting, planning employees’ needs, orienting as well as training, and performance appraisal (West Yorkshire, 2011). All these personnel management practices are different in government/civil service, non-profit, and private sector organizations as discussed herein. Government/Civil Service Organizations Personnel management in government/ civil service is different from non-profit and private sectors. This is because it included three different modes of services. Competitive service is one of the methods used where employees are encouraged to go through a staffing process. In this service, people undergo different evaluations to make sure that they are qualified for a particular position or promotion. If an individual is found to posses particulate attributes necessary for good performance, then one is appointed to fill the position. The civil service usually encourages performance by promotions. For instance, if a person is liable for a promotion, then one will get an increase in salary. This is a different method of improving performance compared to non-government and private sectors. Therefore, it is extremely hard for the government/ civil service to have competition among the employees. Non-profit Organizations Non-profit organizations are mainly focused on maintaining and achieving their mission and objectives. This means that employment in such institutions is not necessarily based on education background, competitive nature of an individual as well as performance, but mainly if they are focused towards fulfilling the NGO’s principal purpose. This is why; many NGO’s are unable to fulfill the needs of the beneficiaries (Ott, 2001). Nevertheless, large NGOs have implemented systematic processes for adequate organization, as well as, employed proficient managers, as well as, nurturing pragmatic environs for personnel management. During recruitment, NGOs encourage professionalism as well as orientation of long term relationships with their beneficiaries. The management practices applied in NGOs follows the set national employment practices. This is especially in salary and wage policies and principles. NGOs follow domestic policies and practices of their own which causes a lot of confusion in the job market (West Yorkshire, 2011). Private Sector Organizations The private sector is focused on making profit and fulfilling the needs of the stakeholders. For an individual to be employed in a private sector, one has to be an expert and qualified for the particular position. This is why; some of the private organizations outsource their employees to make sure that productivity is maximized. In the private sector, one has to have objectives to meet and maintain a high level of performance. This is because performance management is a crucial part of the private sector. One is evaluated several times in a year to make sure that they maintain a high level of performance. Therefore, the private sector takes personnel management very strictly especially in training. This is because they want to maintain a well educated, skilled and nurtured work force. Competition is a crucial strategy utilized in management of personnel in a private organization. People are given different incentives to make sure that they remain motivated to perform as expected. However, managers of private sectors do not like conflict because they view this as a negative sign. This is because; they do not believe the results of their strategic action are being followed. In this case, the two industries chosen fall under the government/civil service, and the private sector organizations. As discussed, in the previous sectors, these two industries have different personnel management practices which make them unique in their operations. Budget/funding Variation across Organizations In any organization funding/budgeting form a crucial part of their operations. It is therefore, imperative to identify where these organizations get their funds in order to continue in their daily operations. Government/Civil Service organizations are funded through federal grants to assist them in their operations. The principal focus of Government/Civil Service organizations is serving the public in order to improve the society. For instance, the government provides funds for education, transport and health programs. In order to make sure that these sectors are well maintained, the government usually sets aside money from the national treasury to fund their operations. Non-governmental organizations play a huge role in improving the society at large. In many cases NGOs are usually supported by different sponsors. For instance, some organizations are focused towards maintaining a good relationship with their stakeholders. Therefore, they focus on CSR operations which allow them to become sponsor to some of the NGOs. This means that NGOs receive money from such organizations for their daily operations. Additionally, some organizations like to anonymously provide private support for NGOs. This way they are able to inject money into charitable foundations and trusts to assist in dealing with some of the most prominent global issues like poverty and health issues. Private donors usually hold fundraising campaigns that assist in raising money for NGOs (Stoianova, 2012). Private money therefore, ensures that that the dilemma of constant response to global growing number of issues is catered for. In recent years, non-governmental organizations have been under serious scrutiny for misappropriation of funds. This is why; donors want to have the organizations audited to make sure that they are spending the money in the right way. Some NGOs are government funded. This means that civil society organizations are supposed to define policies that will support some of the major problems in the nation. For instance Red Cross is one of the major NGOs that are funded by the government. This way; the organization is able to deal with different issues like helping people involved in accidents and other major catastrophes without waiting for donors or any other well wishers (Rahman & Sultan, 2012). The private sector controls part of the economy that is under the state and it is usually run by companies and individuals. Therefore, such organizations are not owned or controlled by the government. Most of these companies are hold some of the most valued jobs. Many private sectors are faced by major risks when it comes to funding. This is because; many people and companies in the private sector are funded from bank loans or individual capital. Loans are some of the most used form of financing in the private sectors. In some case where a business is started by partners, they contribute the money to start and maintain their daily operations. Profits are very crucial in such organizations because they assist in running the organization. People are more focused towards making profits because they assist in financing of the private sector business. Significant Personnel Management Functions to Overcome Challenges Challenges Personnel management in the fire service industry is an imperative aspect in their operations. This is because of some of the major challenges that are being faced in the industry. These challenges are discussed hereunder. The first challenge facing the fire industry is lack of planning and manpower management. It is imperative to not that manpower planning is crucial in such a job. Lack of manpower management is rampant because the industry does not have the right population, as well as, the right people working at the right location within a given period of time. The second challenge facing the fire service industry is lack of proper trained and professional personnel. This has been contributed due to lack of proper selection process. The most imperative process of personnel management is selection. The other major challenge is lack of properly trained personnel. Many fire men have graduated from the fire academy but after a while, they lose focus in their jobs and start making mistakes. For instance, many fire men do not remember the basic drills that are supposed to be followed in a fire accident. The above named challenges can be solved by applying the significant personnel management functions discussed herein. Man power planning Man power planning is extremely crucial in the fire service industry. This is because having the right people at the right place during a fire incident is crucial. Therefore, in order to improve their services, the industry should make sure that the firemen are able to forecast manpower needs, as well as, planning their activities to fulfill the forecasted needs. Therefore, the industry should make sure that they hire the right number of individuals that will cover different shifts as well as simultaneous occurrences (ACE, IBM & KPMG, 2007). Absenteeism is factor that should be put into consideration when dealing with man power planning. Therefore, fire stations should make sure that there are people ready to replace individuals that are absent. The fire industry should have a system that can assist them in anticipating the present s well as the future requirements for quality work. By enhancing manpower, the industry will be able to serve the people more effectively. Selection Selection is a major personnel management function that is crucial in dealing with the problem of job allocation. In many cases, an individual is given an option to deal with the hiring and selection processes do not have the knowledge to hire experts. The management should ensure that they select individuals that have the capability t deliver. Being a fireman is not necessarily an issue of being well qualified. It needs an individual that is both qualified and ready to take charge and make personal decisions on issues. Therefore, the selection process should involve more than just mere qualifications. The process should involve practical work which will show that an individual is ualifi9ed both in theory and practical work. It is crucial for the team responsible for selection, to make sure that people are well prepared for the real world since it is very different with the theoretical work (ACE, IBM & KPMG, 2007). Training and development Training and development is essential in the fire service industry. This is because there is need for continuous development of skills, component, and safe, as well as, diverse workforce aspects. Development and training will not improve the skills of the firemen, but will also enhance cost effectiveness. Therefore, the industry should have comprehensive training and development policies as well as frameworks which support strategic development, operational responses and tactics that will help in meeting their goals. It is imperative to note that in fire fighting cohesion between partners is very crucial. This should be a major development element. Fire fighters should have skills as well as knowledge that enhance their performance. Training and development should be done in flexible programs that will support and enhance safety in the community (ACE, IBM & KPMG, 2007). Conclusion The discussion has not highlighted the different challenges facing the fire service industry, but it also indicated some of the personnel management functions that will assist in solving the named challenges. It is extremely imperative for the industry to be altered to have better modes of dealing with problems. Compared to the private sector, there a lot of management strategies that need improving in order to make this industry more appealing. The private sector has better strategies that should not only be adopted by the public sector industry, but will assist in enhancing effectiveness in their operations. The fire service industry should strive to improve their operations in order to serve the people in a more efficient manner. This is because the public sector is more focused towards serving the society and developing the nation. References ACE, IBM & KPMG. (2007). Best Practice in Risk Management. A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit. Retrieved from http://www.acegroup.com/eu-en/assets/best-practice-risk-management-web.pdf Carter, H. & Rausch, E. (2007). Management in the Fire Service. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning. Edwards, S. (2009). Fire Service Personnel Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Ott, S. (2001). The Nature of the Nonprofit Sector. Boulder, Colorado: Westview. Rahman, K., & Sultan, M. (2012). Personnel Management in NGOs of Bangladesh. Contemporary Management Research, 8(4), 275-296. Stoianova, V. (2012). Private Funding: An Emerging Trend in Humanitarian Donorship. Development Initiatives, 1, 1-20. Tan, C., & Nasurdin, A. (2011). Human Resource Management Practices and Organizational Innovation: Assessing the Mediating Role of Knowledge Management Effectiveness. The Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management, 9(2), 155-167. West Yorkshire. (2011). Human Resources Strategy 2011-2015. Retrieved from http://www.wyfs.co.uk/uploads/assets/media/pdfs/publications/adb5f1264fb961fe14ae1ff315f34d53314eb834.pdf Read More