Chapter 10 - Human Resources Management
Learning Objective: To further explore HRM responsibilities
To continue with the many responsibilities of HRM, let's now discuss Employee Morale and Welfare - an important concern amongst Human Resources Departments:
Services such as advice and counseling to employees in need of support (e.g. family or financial related issues;
It boosts employees’ morale and their sense of loyalty towards the company;
It can improve productivity and lower turnover rate.
The application of work-life balance is also the focus of HRM oftentimes:
“A situation in which employees are able to give the right amount of time and effort to work and to their personal life outside work.”
The lack of WLB causes issues such as stress and poor health which is disadvantageous to both, companies and employees and so HRM should aim to leveraging WLB to increase workers' productivity.
Methods of implementing WLB:
Flexible working such as remote working;
Job Sharing which is allowing two persons to fill one full-time vacancy;
Sabbatical Periods: extended leave form work (up to 12 months) in which businesses are not required to pay the worker during but would offer the worker his/her job back when such leave is over. Some businesses even pay partially the salaries during this time.
Some factors, however, lead to the decrease of WLB such as customers expectations of availability of products and services outside regular working hours as well the increasingly high pressure on workers' due to competition.
HRM is also in charge of policies for diversity and equality:
Equality Policies are practices and processes aiming a fair organization where everyone has the same opportunities to succeed;
Diversity Policies are practices and processes aiming to create a mixed workforce by placing positive value on diversity in the workplace (e.g. gender, race, age, religion).
Businesses implementing equality and diversity treat workers fairly regarding recruitment, dismissal, promotion, pay, benefits: no discrimination based on race, sexuality, gender, age, religion, national origin.
Advantages of implementing Equality:
High employee morale;
Good reputation and consequentially increased recruitment ability);
Encourages and motivates productivity as workers are rewarded by performance only.
Advantages of implementing Diversity:
Diverse sales force may attract a diverse consumer market;
Employment of more qualified workforce;
Reduction of labour turnover;
Increase in creativity (different problem-solving approaches).
Finally, Training and Developing employees:
Training is work-related education to increase workforce skills and efficiency.
There are different types of training:
Induction Training:
Targeted to new recruits;
Introducing to people they will work with;
Explaining organizational structure;
Showing around the building;
Clarify health and safety issues;
Emergency procedures.
On-The-Job Training:
Carried out by HR managers or experienced staff;
Focus on how the job should be performed.
Off-The-Job Training:
Outside of the workplace;
Paid by the company;
Focus on acquiring new skills and knowledge not yet available within the organization.
It comes without questioning that training can be costly:
Well-trained employees may leave the business for better paid jobs (poaching) which can discourage businesses from conducting trainings;
Poaching can be avoided by the implementation of appropriate financial and non-financial incentives.
Not training employees is also costly, though:
Low productivity;
Inflexibility and lack of skills;
Accidents;
Boredom, demotivation, and no sense of achievement or self-actualization.
There is a significant link between the importance given to the training and development of employees in a business and the levels of employee satisfaction and motivation.
Training brings on multi-skills to workers which is a great benefit to businesses - specially in times of rapid economic and technological change.
Chapter 10 - Human Resources Management
Learning Objective: To further explore HRM responsibilities
To-Do-List:
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