Human Resource Management Issues - Essay Example

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT NAME: INSTITUTION: COURSE: LECTURER: DATE: Introduction Human Resource Management (HRM) is an arm of an organization that is designed to help the employees maximize their performance thus achieving the organization goals and objectives. It is primal concern is how the people are managed (employees) in an organization (Armstrong, 2009). The Human resource department is responsible for employee recruitment to training and their performance analysis in the organization also the Human Resource Department is concerned with the organizational relations with the regulation and government laws (Andersen, Cooper & Zhu, 2007). It is dedicated to discipline the and keep an eye but also watch over the employees by offering to the appeals of employees benefits and also focuses on strategic initiatives of the company for example activities like mergers and acquisitions (Boxall & Purcell, 2008). By offering both managerial and operative functions the Human Resource Management helps the organization have a better workflow and good performance within the company (Bhattacharya, Gibson & Doty, 2005). The contributions the Human Resource department offers the company is the most crucial but important which is employees satisfaction; from the employees recruitment since the department assess the person’s credentials to know what the applicant will bring to the company to the applicant training and development within the company, which is mostly the employee being taught what the company is all about and his/her part in the organization (Armstrong & Baron, 2004). There work is also to keep a tight leash on the employees by checking the employees performance analysis making sure the employees gives 100% effort in earning their stay in the company, also by looking out for their work and life balance in that by checking their schedules and making sure they are humane enough and under the right conditions also by looking out for the both parties of the company in that by satisfying the needs of the employers and looking out company by making them comfortable thus making the company knowledge just to remain within the employees since sustaining what you have is more important than just changing every time (Batt, 2002). Discussion Human Resource Activities are categorized either to be transformational which is mostly about the day-day activities the company makes and also the transactions but isn’t that valuable when it comes to the strategic value in the company but by just oversees keeps the organization stakeholders in the loop (Chang & Huang, 2005). Secondly there is the usual traditional activity which includes catering for the employees in from their recruitment to training followed by their performance analysis and their compensation and lastly to employee relations who has moderate strategic value to their services t the organization (Collins & Smith, 2006). Lastly there is the transformational aspect activities of the company which is mainly the creation of a long-term capability and adaptability the organization and what it is all about which includes mostly the knowledge and secrets of the company, strategic redirection and renewal of the company which has the greatest impact and highest strategic value of the department value to the organization (Robinson, Pearce & Mital, 2008). Despite all the activities being crucial to the organization well-being the activities with more contribution to the organization are the traditional and transformational activities (Ruona &Gibson, 2004). Firstly with the traditional activities of the organization this is mostly about taking care of the employees and their various roles. The activities are employee recruitment, training and development, performance analysis, compensation and lastly employee relations (Wan- Jing & Tung, 2005). From all those functions of the department they help the organization in hiring the best from the crowd of applicant through assessing their resumes and conducting interviews making sure of the applicant If he/she is worth the position and what they will bring to the organization that it doesn’t have (Whitener, 2001). After hiring the applicant they need to be trained and taught what the company is all about to its mission, vision, goals and objectives plus their purpose in the company, helping developing them harness their skills and develop them to suit their standards that when the employee can be promoted or work without the need of a supervisor (Wielemaker & Flint, 2005). After that the department does a performance analysis on their employees just to know how much the employee bring to the company and if it is enough also through this assessment they get t know which employees are to be promoted from their performance hence keeping the organization headed by the best (Andersen, Cooper & Zhu, 2007). Still the department deals with the employee’s compensations salaries and their benefits since they need to keep the employees happy if they want to receive results by managing their benefits to work schedules and making them habitable and flexible for employees plus giving the employees a good working environment will help improve the company’s results (Whitener, 2001). And by keeping the employees in good spirits also will keep the companies secrets at bay since the employees don’t see the need to resign. In addition the department helps the company by establishing employee competitiveness by arranging bonuses on the best performance and execution plus good work man hood with each other, through this helps the organization since they will work very hard for either promotions or the bonuses (Redman &Wilkinson, 2006). Secondly are the transformational activities which mostly it about record keeping, employee services and benefits administration (Batt, 2002). Through the above activities which involves managing, planning and controlling the employees and the organization. From record keeping of the day to day transactions of the organization helps itself organize itself in that the company knows the accountability and responsibility of a particular employee’s hence better organization and flow of the company (Boxall & Purcell, 2008). Benefits administration is mostly monitoring the employees’ financials from bonuses to salaries thus keeping in check the needs of the employees (Chang & Huang, 2005). In the employee services activities is keeping in check what each employee brings to the organization or should bring in that the department manages the employees every step and the organization transactions from procurement, maintenance (Armstrong & Baron, 2004). Since most of the decision making of the company has to pass through the department and they need to asses if the organization is willing or what the employee wants can be done (Robinson, Pearce & Mital, 2008). Through all this processes it helps the organization integrate good relations between the company and the employees by exercising fair and ethical treatment to all employees in taking care of disciplinary actions Edwards & Rees, 2006). Also they help the company develop and grow within their specific sector since by training their employees to be what they want and harnessing their skills to the benefit of the company. Also through performance assessment helps the organization in directing and controlling the organization since by ensuring effective results and effectiveness in the employees is a good step toward helping the company reach their objectives since they keep th employees in check by checking if the work is done through motivating employee performance through bonuses and promotion (Combs, Youngmei, Hall & Ketchen, 2006). An organization can improve their own success of the processes by enhancing the technology organization by getting applications that will give more knowledge and assess the procedure and equipment that will eases the work of the department. For example getting transaction processors which mainly calculate and review the department’s decisions and practices which will increase the efficiency in their docket and in keeping an eye on the employees also in the getting of expert computer systems that help in decision making which is mostly employing people who are deemed to have the expertise (Redman &Wilkinson, 2006). Again by improving the networking of both the HRM department and the employees to the managers of the company especially when it comes to computer networking hence faster decision making and things flow faster in the company in that the decisions can be made from the comfort of either’s desks hence fastening the processes and making the company workflow be better and accountable since they systems monitor everything from transactions, performance analysis (Marchington & Wilkinson, 2008). Also by having organizational transparency and a fair organization goes a long way in ensuring company sustainability (Guest, Michie, Conway & Sheehan, 2003). Transparency when it comes to financials especially when it comes to salary allocation and bonuses and also promotions. Since from every step there needs to be a reason behind every decision,” why did he/she get the bonus, job, or bonus?” the reasons need to be true and valid not to cause employees rivalry and resignations since the company is biased (Gelade & Ivery, 2003). Again by outsourcing services of the Human Resource Department from contracting an outside vendor like the transactional activities e.g. establishing payroll, pension which through this will help curb suspicion within the employees since by doing so their decisions are impartial to both parties and thus having a calm and working employees within the organization (Gerhart, 2005). Both the traditional activities and transformational activities are linked in that the processes revolve around the employees (Datta, Guthrie & Wright, 2005). In that the processes are composed of the employees giving the best efforts in the company and helping the organization achieve the goals and objectives. Since in the traditional activities revolves the nurturing the applicant to work for the company in a specific field and being the best at it and in the transformational activities is about organizational accountability, transparency and responsibility of the employee’s transactions and their work (Edwards & Rees, 2006). Conclusion The Human Resource Department is an important tool in an organization in that it helps sustain a balance between the employees and managers of the organization and also helps both parties have a good communication especially when it comes to decision making since by being the intermediary between the two parties it offers more insight to the matter and advising both parties on their decisions and keeping both parties in the loop of the various changes goes a long way in the organizational success. The department offers services and making it easier for both parties to work and also the workflow is better within the organization (Datta, Guthrie & Wright, 2005). Again the department is important to the organization by ensuring the employees work in a conducive environment despite working for the better of the company by helping the organization have good employees with help the organization increase the results thus achieving its goals and objectives (Combs, Youngmei, Hall & Ketchen, 2006). References Andersen, K. K., Cooper, B. K. and Zhu, C. J. (2007) ‘The effect of SHRM practices on perceived financial performance: some initial evidence from Australia’, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 168-179. Armstrong, M.A. (2009). A Handbook of Human Resources Management. (11th ed.).London: Kogan Page. Armstrong,M. & Baron,A. (2004). Managing performance:Performance Management in Action. London: CIPD. Batt, R. (2002). Managing customer services. Human resource practices, quit rates, and sales growth. Academy of Management Journal, 45, 587-597. Bhattacharya, M., Gibson, D. E., & Doty, D. H. (2005). The effects of flexibility in employee skills, employee behaviors, and human resource practices on firm performance. Journal of Management, 31, 622-640. Boxall, P.,& Purcell, J.(2008).Strategy and Human Resources Management. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Chang, W. A. and Huang, T. C. (2005) ‘Relationship between strategic human resource management and firm performance’, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 434-474. Collins, C. J., & Smith, K. G. (2006). Knowledge exchange and combination. The role of human resource practices in the performance of high-technology firms. Academy of Management Journal, 49, 544-560. Combs, J., Youngmei, L., Hall, A., & Ketchen, D. (2006). How much do high-performance work practices matter? A meta-analysis of their effects on organizational performance. Personnel Psychology, 59, 501-528. Datta, D. K., Guthrie, J. P., & Wright, P. M. (2005). Human resource management and labor productivity. Does industry matter? Academy of Management Journal, 46, 135-145. Edwards, T., & Rees, C. (2006). International Human Resource Management: Globalization, National Systems and Multinational Companies. Harlow: Prentice Hall. Gerhart, B. (2005). Human resources and business performance: Findings, unanswered questions, and an alternative approach. Management Revue, 16(2): 174-185. Gelade, G. A., & Ivery, M. (2003). The impact of human resource management and work climate on organizational performance. Personnel Psychology, 56, 383-404. Guest, D. Michie, J., Conway, N., & Sheehan, M. (2003). Human resource management and performance. British Journal of Industrial Relations. 4(2), 291-314. Marchington, M., & Wilkinson, A.(2008). Human Resource Management at Work: People Management and Development. (4th ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education. Redman, T., &Wilkinson, A. (2006). Contemporary Human Resource Management: Texts and Cases. (eds.) Harlow: Pearson Education Robinson,R.,Pearce,J.,& Mital, A.(2008). Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation and Control. New Delhi; McGraw Hill Education. Ruona, W. E. A. and Gibson, S. K. (2004) ‘The making of twenty-first century HR: an analysis of the convergence of HRM, HRD and OD’, Human Resources Management, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 49-66. Wan- Jing, C., & Tung, H. (2005). Relationship between strategic HRM and firm performance: A contingency perspective. International Journal of Manpower. 26 (5). Whitener, E. M. (2001). Do “high commitment” human resource practices affect employee commitment? A cross-level analysis using a hierarchical linear model. Journal of Management, 27, 515-535. Wielemaker, M. and Flint, D. (2005) ‘Why does HRM need to be strategic? A consideration of attempts to link human resources and strategy’, The Business Review, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 259-264. Read More