Human Resource Management Functions: Employee Training and Development - Essay Example

HRM Functions for Competitive Advantage Question: By considering two of the principal functions of HRM, employee Training and Development, and Managing Absence, critically discuss how these functions relate to and support the achievement of competitive advantage. For companies to compete successfully in the increasingly global environment, they have to have sustainable competitive advantage (Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2008). The achievement of competitive advantage does not mean that the company in question will always have that advantage over its rivals come what may. Some competitive advantage situations last only a few weeks and it is up to the firm’s management to find new and innovative ways which they can use to stay on top of the competition. For a company to gain competitive advantage there has to be some form of collective effort from all the stakeholders. The employees of a company are some of the most important of these stakeholders, and they can do a lot to uplift their firm’s competitive advantage (Needle 2010). One way that a company can ensure that it has competitive advantage is by making use of its existing work force to the full. However, the employees themselves need to be in a position whereby they can be as productive as possible if the company is to achieve competitive advantage. They have to be equipped with everything it takes for the company to rise above the crowd (Cartwright and Cooper 2009). Training and development for employees is one way of ensuring that they have all the skills that are needed for the success of the firm (Carroll, 2006). Managing absence is another way that a company can ensure that its workforce is in a position to contribute towards high levels of productivity and profitability (Evans, Waters and Palmer, 2002). Employee Training and Development Training and development is one of the key functions of any Human Resource Department in any organization. In Human Resource Management, training is a term used to describe the process whereby employees gain abilities that will help them achieve the organizational goals. Development on the other hand is the process by which employees gain skills over a specific period of time (Schuler and MacMillan, 1994). The end game of employee training and development is aimed at improving a company’s profitability. Well trained employees are normally motivated to be more productive. This translates to an overall in crease in the company’s output and service delivery, which in turn leads to an increase in revenues (Olian et al., 1998). When an organization is able to fulfill its objectives in terms of productivity, it can comfortably compete with its rivals without feeling disadvantaged (Lado and Wilson, 1994)This means that if a company is able to reach the highest level of productivity, it will be able to compete at the same level with other similar companies. If the company maintains its profitability through high productivity, then it can be said to have a competitive advantage over other firms. How Does Employee Training and Development Relate to and Support the Achievement of Competitive Advantage? Employee training and development has a lot to contribute towards competitive advantage for the firm. To gain competitive advantage, the employees have to be ready to give their all. They cannot give anything if they are not well equipped to perform well. Training and development ensures that employees gain the necessary skills needed to perform certain duties. With proper training and development, employees can gain a lot of skills which they can put to work within the organization. Skilled workers are crucial to the success of any company. Their skills lead to quality productivity which places the organization at a better place for competitive advantage (McNamara, 2010). Training helps in the retention employees who have a high performance record. Proper training in any organization equips the employees with well documented plans for development as well as challenging environments in the workplace (Nwanoro and Kawamoto, 2010). This helps them sharpen their professional skills which are needed for company success. Training and development helps in the retention of some of the best employees in the organization. Several companies normally spend a lot of resources in the recruitment of new employees whom they normally have a very hard time retaining. Since training helps in the improvement of certain skills, employees are normally motivated to stay in the organization longer (Sparrow, Hird, Hesketh and Cooper, 2006). By providing challenges through specific training programs, managers are able to maintain their most talented employees. Employee training and development helps individuals want to reach their highest goals and aspirations. This way, they can give their all to the organization, hence ensuring that their firm reaps maximum benefits. Training and development also enables employees to gain the technical and soft skills which will enable the company to perform better than its competitors. Assessment of skill level is a process that has to be carried out during as part of the training and development plan for employees. This means that the managers have the chance of taking care of any skill gaps that might be there within the organization. Bridging these gaps ensures that an organization is fully equipped in terms of skills at any given time. This gives the firm a competitive edge since it does not lack in any skills (Schuler and MacMillan, 1994). Employee training and development is one effective way for the employees to gain real time exposure to changes in the industry which may impact on the performance of the company in relation to the other players in the field. It also enables the company management to have insight into innovative working styles that will ensure that it stays up ahead of the competition. For instance, if there is any new technology that might of help to the organization, training and development will help the employees keep up with the new trends. They can later use the skills that they will learn to help advance the company thus, contributing to its achievement of a competitive advantage (Lado and Wilson, 1994). The process of training and development for employees gives an organization a chance to identify the development needs of each of its employees (McNamara, 2010). After the training and development process, all the needs are normally met, which leads to some sense of job satisfaction among the employees. This gives the workers the confidence they need to do their work. When this confidence is renewed regularly, the organization will have no problem sustaining its competitive advantage (Nwanoro and Kawamoto, 2010). Employee training and development also leads to more quality management since the process allows the managers to identify any faulty processes in the employees’ areas of duty. When these faults are identified, and corrected in time, the employees are able to deliver high quality services which only add to the company’s output, and ultimately, the company will be able to build a sustainable competitive advantage (McNell, 1994). When training and development is carried out in the proper manner, it results in better outcomes for the organization. When there are excellent outcomes in the firm, the employees all the employees will display a sense of pride in their work, which may be accompanied by a strong sense of collective ownership of the firm. This will lead to more productivity from the employees who will put their best efforts in making the company a success story (Carroll, 2006). Workers who are satisfied with their work will work even harder to ensure that the company’s success does not slip from its high level. In the end, the firm will gain a competitive advantage. Managing Absence Managing absence in the workplace is very important if an organization wants to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Absenteeism at the work place is almost unavoidable. However, it does not have to be accepted passively by employers. Managing it is not only helpful to the company but to the employees as well. Illegitimate absenteeism can have detrimental effects on a company. When they are not checked, the employees will miss work at will and this will affect their productivity which will in turn affect the profitability of the company (Evans, Waters and Palmer, 2002). Managing absence in the workplace is very important in ensuring that output from the employees is at the highest level possible. Managing absence is also important as it helps build the image of a company. When people realize how much the organization’s employees take their work seriously, it will gain respect even from its competitors (Hayday, Rick and Turgoose, 2004). When a firm creates a positive work environment for its workforce, there will be very few cases of absenteeism (Buschak, Craven and Ledman, 1996). How does Managing Absence Relate to and Support the Achievement of Competitive Advantage? Managing absence is important because it ensures that there is minimal absenteeism from work at any one time (Aswathappa, 2005). The process of managing absence not only ensures that employees do not miss work without any specific reason; it also motivates them to work harder for their own benefit and the benefit of their company. Managing absenteeism should involve a process whereby the company’s managers identify any factors that might contribute to high levels of absenteeism. This way, the company can rectify any unsafe practices that might be the cause of high absenteeism levels (Morris, 2002). When the employees know that their employers care for their needs, including safety needs, they will fell motivated to perform even better. This will lead to an increase in the company’s productivity, thus enhancing its competitive edge (Hayday, et Cetera, 2004). One of the best ways of managing absence is by creating flexible working conditions. In many companies, employees fail to attend to their work because they do not have a flexible work schedule. They are normally forced to skip work when they have some personal needs to attend to (Confederation of British Industry, 1994). While some of the reasons for missing work are excusable, there is a way that they can be taken care of outside office hours. This is only possible if the firm’s management puts in place some specific, but flexible working hours for all the employees. This will ensure that the employees do not feel like they have to skip work to do something else. Giving them the time they need for their personal businesses will ensure that employees are always at work when they are needed to be (Hargreaves, Morton and Taylor, 1996). Rewarding attendance is also a good way of keeping employees at work at all times. Giving rewards is one of the greatest motivators for any kind of work (Spurgeon, 2002). When the employees know that they will something for all the time they put into their jobs, they will never miss a day at work, unless circumstances demand otherwise. Rewarding attendance does not only ensure that there is minimal absence, it also motivates the workers to work harder and increase their productivity in the workplace (Cartwright and Cooper 2009). When an organization’s workers put their best efforts in their work, they are not the only ones who will gain at the end. The company will also improve in terms of productivity and service delivery; it will be able to achieve competitive advantage with its hardworking and motivated workforce (Evans, Waters and Palmer, 2002). When there are policies that spell out how absence should be managed in an organization, the employees will feel obligated to be more responsible in their duties. When signing job contracts, the employee has to agree to all the conditions that are provided for in the organization’s policies (McCulloch and Merchant, 1999). If there is no policy that governs employee absence, then it is very easy for them not to come to work whenever they feel like. This will have a negative impact on the output of the company. The situation will make it hard for the company to compete at the same level with its rivals. However, making the employees responsible through a well planned absence management policy, then it is easy to attain sustainable competitive advantage at all levels (Confederation of British Industry, 1994). Conclusion Gaining and maintaining competitive advantage is not an easy thing, yet it is important in any organization’s success. Human Resource functions are very crucial in helping an organization get a step or two ahead of other companies that offer similar products or services. The managers of a company that wants to stay on top of the competition have to be on their toes at all times to ensure that there is optimal productivity from the employees (Aswathappa, 2005). Training and development is an important tool in ensuring there is employee retention in a company. However, the training and development methods have to correlate well with the company’s mission and vision, otherwise nothing much will come out of this effort, however well intentioned it might be (Nwanoro and Kawamoto, 2010). Companies cannot afford not to spend on training and development. In any case, it is more costly for the firm not to train and develop its workforce than it is to retain employees with their old skills. Other firms are doing all they can to make their workforce better by training and development (Needle 2010). To stay ahead of the competition, the company has to find innovative ways of training and developing its workforce so that they have the best soft and technical skills that are also relevant to the success of the company. The management of absenteeism is also important in ensuring that a company achieves competitive advantage. When the attendance is well managed, there is likely to be very few cases of unwarranted absenteeism. With the right absence management plan, employees will report to work without feeling like they are being forced to do so. This will translate to a higher output from them and this will definitely put the firm in a better position than its competitors (Evans, Waters and Palmer, 2002). Employee absence management has to offer flexibility to the employees so that they too can attend to their personal needs. The employee should be made to feel that the employer cares about his or her welfare. This will definitely motivate him to work harder and make the company that he/she is part of a resounding success. When there is a form of attendance reward, the employees will not want to miss work since because they know that their efforts will be appreciated and rewarded later (Hayday, et Cetera, 2004). Any company that wants to achieve competitive advantage must do everything possible to ensure that this happens. While training and development as well as absence management sure some of the ways through which managers can improve their competitive advantage, there are many other practices that can benefit the company. Organizations should seek to improve the skills and working conditions of their employees in order to improve on productivity and service delivery. When the company is able to meet and maybe surpass its goals, gaining competitive advantage is very easy (Hargreaves, Morton and Taylor, 1996). However maintain that advantage is the hard part. The employer and his employees have to find new and innovative ways through which they can stay on top pf the competition. The development of employees is very important in the growth of any organization, and therefore all their needs have to be met for them to perform as well as they are expected to. References Aswathappa, K. 2005. Human Resource and Personnel Management. Tata McGraw-Hill, New York. Buschak, M., Craven, C and Ledman R. 1996. Managing Absenteeism for Greater Productivity. SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 61. Accessed: http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=MspWQN82yTD3tpRtjc5YVKP1vHTjTKthfY2hh4FxgXNlT2HGFnBh!-1371090394!1380883283?docId=5000371657 Cartwright, S and Cooper C. L. 2009. The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Well Being. Business and Economics. Oxford University Press, London. Carroll, T. 2006. Training and Development as a Competitive Advantage. 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