Human Resources Management and Employee Resourcing - Essay Example

Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to review the critical issues that may affect the core functions of Human Resources Management (HRM) that include recruiting as well as resourcing of employees in view of the issues raised in the case study with regards to the current debate on work-life balance and flexible working in United Kingdom (UK). The report will review critical issues that affect Employee Resourcing (ER) which include management of change in the environment the businesses operate, retention of skilled workers as well as staff development. This report will finally attempt to provide necessary recommendations which may affect employee resourcing issues that may help ADT Ltd establish a policy to satisfy all members of staff. The recommendations would be drawn from case studies in UK from a legal stand point with the aim of showing the effectiveness of work-life balance and flexible working for APT Ltd as a measure of motivating the employees as well as motivating them. Introduction Employees are the backbone of every organisation hence effective recruitment, improving their performance as well as putting measures that reduce staff turnover are major factors that determine success of business during the contemporary period. More often than not, employ resourcing mainly depends on the available human resources tools and their ability to cope with the environment they will be operating in. Before attempting to give a critical analysis of how ADT Ltd can establish a policy to satisfy all members of staff through striking a fine balance between flexible working and work-life balance, it is imperative to give a definition of employee resourcing for easier understanding of the issues raised in the case study. Recruitment involves searching for and obtaining qualified job candidates and it gives the organisation the opportunity to select the most appropriate persons to fill its job needs (Carrell, R. et al 1995). Effective recruitment often attracts individuals to the organisation and also increases the chances of retaining the individuals once they have been hired. Thus, recruitment efforts seek to satisfy the needs of job applicants as well as the needs of managers hence the need for careful consideration by the HRM. ER in itself is more concerned with people management of how work is done and who would do it. Key ER issues raised with regards to work-life balance and flexible working In some cases unemployment rates may be high for instance in UK but still there would be shortages of people with particular skills that are in demand and often the few with those skills often find themselves working extra ordinarily longer than expected thereby creating an imbalance between their work life and flexible working. A critical analysis of the case study shows that Sue Fox is Quality Assurance Manager, married with two children but barely has time to spend with them since the job involves a lot of travelling. She is energetic and is a goal-orientated person who of late has cherished the idea of spending more time with the children but due to fact that they are currently understaffed, it seems it may be difficult to be granted that permission. The current debate about work-life balance and flexible working has considerably gained prominence in the UK as a result of many factors. Companies are under pressure to produce goods continuously and this would require the workers to work for seven days a week in some instances and the advent of new technology has also made it possible to work for longer hours with little break. However, debate is on the issue of work-life balance which particularly affects the women workers who would need to balance their work time with the time they would also spend with their families. This has been necessitated by the need to ensure good working relations as well as fair treatment among all the members even those with special caring responsibilities such as women with young children. Under the UK government legislation, men and women with children under the age of six and parents with disabled children up to 18 can be able to request forms of flexible working from their employers (Robert Taylor nd). However, companies are not compelled by law to grant such request though they may be taken to employment tribunal to challenge the decision. Comparatively, Britain has longer working hours compared to other countries in Europe and there is growing consensus on the debate about work life balance which is believed to cause more positive developments to the welfare of the workers. Long working period is said to be a contributory factor to ill health and in some cases to disintegration of the family fabric. People facing conflict between being parents and the responsibilities at work are likely to be less productive hence the need to be more flexible in the working conditions as a way of promoting productivity and motivation among workers. In this case study Sue Fox is hard working and goal oriented and preferred to work for longer periods but has decided to have some time with family for a change. In the event that this request is turned down, the result would be that she would be demoralized and would not perform to expected standards as usual. Whilst there are statutory labor regulations in place that are meant to protect the interests of the employees with regards to safety, health, fair treatment among others, the issue of work-life balance still needs to be addressed. Research has shown that there has been growing dissatisfaction among the workers as a result of intensity of work over the past ten years which has left them with little time to attend to their family commitments. This has since led to debate about the need for organisations to have a provision which can balance work life and flexible work as a way of giving the workers an incentive. Main advantages and disadvantages of work-life balance and flexible working for APT Ltd There are various advantages that can be derived from work-life balance with flexible working. Acquiring time to spend with family is a need for employees which needs to be satisfied in order to motivate them to improve their performance. Basically, motivation is loosely defined as the incentive or motivator given to employees to improve their performance as a way of stimulating productivity and ultimately growth of the company (Carrell et al 1995). In some cases, material or financial motivators may not be a serious bone of contention but still, these employees would also have needs that ought to be satisfied such as the need to balance work life and flexible working for APT Ltd. Apart from work commitments, the workers need to realise their own goals in life such as the pursuance of personal and private business such as family matters with little hassles from the demands at work. Motivating the workers is a viable option that can promote productivity in the organisation. One main advantage is that motivated workers would have a sense of belonging to the organisation hence they would put maximum effort in their work fully knowing that their personal sentiments would be taken into consideration by the management. A disgruntled worker who is stressed with family problems but denied the chance to attend to them would be less productive at work which would be counter productive contrary to the goal of profitability which is the aim of many organisations. Therefore, striking a balance between work life and flexible work would be advantageous for APT Ltd. One disadvantage of balancing work life and flexible work though to a lesser extent would be the tendency by some unscrupulous workers to abuse the facility where they can request off days whenever they deem fit even in situations where there would be no urgent need to attend to family business. Recommendations for APT Ltd “‘Work-life balance’ is meant to articulate the desire of all individuals – not just those with families or caring responsibilities – to achieve and maintain a ‘balance’ between their paid work and their life outside work, whatever their ‘life’ involves, from childcare and housework to leisure or self-development,” (Hogarth and Bosworth, 2009). A close analysis of this definition aptly sums up the major benefits of balancing work life and flexible working as a way of ensuring productivity among the workers as well as giving them incentives to have the opportunity to attend to pertinent issues that concern their families. Against this background, it is highly recommended that APT Ltd ought to establish a policy that satisfy all the members of staff premised on the notion of balancing work life and flexible working. The legal framework in UK is designed to protect the interests of the workers. For instance Employment Relations Act, 1996 has provisions meant to promote equality and flexible labour market. Health and safety at work are also key aspects broadly enshrined in the legal framework for the operation of companies in UK. There have been a number of regulatory changes since 1997 that were influenced by the need to create a labour market with equitable, safe and healthy working conditions and these regulations originated from European Union (EU). Thus from a regulatory perspective, work- life balance encompasses the following: maternity leave, paternity leave, adoptive leave, parents and careers’ rights to request flexible working as well as time off for dependents in an emergency (Hogarth and Bosworth, 2009). On the other hand, these coupled with flexible working which refers to work patterns designed to suit the needs of the workers, are beneficial to both the employee and the employer if properly harnessed. Historically, UK had longer working hours in EU countries according to the Labour Force Survey data quoted by (Hogarth and Bosworth, 2009). A case study cited by (Hogarth and Bosworth, 2009) about the Work Life Balance Surveys conducted in 2000, 2003 and 2007 show changing trends revealing an increase in the provision of flexible working time arrangements by employers, with 84% of employers providing at least two or more flexible working time arrangements in 2007. The statistics obtained showed that employees have the opportunity to request flexible working and this has many advantages that are beneficial to both the employers as well as the employees. The facility helps in trying to maintain an environment that is characterized by workers who are motivated as a result of being given the opportunity to attend to their own personal family matters. Thus, according to recent research in the study by Hogarth and Bosworth (2009), “there is a wide body of evidence which suggests that work-life balance favors both employers and employees.” It has been noted that there has been considerable increase in the performance of business and workers on the other hand are seem to be motivated to a greater extent. Whilst all people seek employment in order to earn money for their daily upkeep, they also need fair treatment at work where their personal sentiments are given priority as a way of motivating them as well as giving them a sense of belonging that they are indispensable assets to the organisation. It is therefore, highly recommended that APT Ltd should adopt policies that are premised on the notion of work life balance. Research has also shown that work-life balance from a public policy perspective should be centered on matters that are family related rather than other aspects where individuals may wish to decide to spend their time the way they want from work. Thus, consideration has to be taken in determining the social aspects that normally affect all the workers in an organisation besides the need to have pay increases. A satisfied employee is self motivated hence productive which spells the profitability of the company. In the given case of Sue Fox, extensive travelling means that she has to move constantly between different geographical areas thus separating her from the family for a certain period of time depending on the logistics of the trip. In the long run, if there are no proper incentives, key employees like her may be reluctant to be separated especially for their families which would mean that there would be a decline in production which would defy the logic of the whole process of increasing production. Issues such as health care, educational needs for the children as well as job security ought to be precisely communicated to the workers in a bid to retain them for the benefit of the company at large. A worker with peace of mind is likely to be more productive than those stressed by family matters hence it is highly recommended that APT Ltd ought to consider the need for work-life balance and flexible working in its policies as a way of giving incentives to experienced workers like Sue Fox with the aim of retaining them. Over and above it can be noted that employee resourcing has its roots in recruitment which is defined as the process which involves searching for and obtaining qualified job candidates and it gives the organisation the opportunity to select the most appropriate persons to fill its job needs (Carrell, R. et al 1995). Thus, resourcing efforts seek to satisfy the needs of job applicants as well as the needs of managers through offering incentives that would also allow the workers to have an opportunity to spend with their families. According to researches that were conducted as illustrated above, it can be noted that work-life balance as a concept plays a vital role in bringing private and social benefits to employers, individuals, and the State especially in UK. References Carrell, R. et al (1995). Human Resources Management: Global Strategies for managing a diverse workforce. 5th Edition. New York. Prentice Hall. Kleynhans R. et al (2007), Human Resource Management: fresh perspectives. Cape Town. Prentice Hall. Legal definition of redundancy. http://www.tssa.org.uk/article-46.php3?id_article=1381 Accessed on 15 October 2009 Robert Taylor (nd). The future of work life balance. http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Images/fow_publication_2_tcm6-6060.pdf Accessed on 16 October 2009. Terence Hogarth and Derek Bosworth, Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick (January 2009). Future horizons for work-life balance. http://www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk/future-horizons-for-work-life-balance/ Accessed 16 October 2009. Read More