How Various Aspects of HR Management and Planning Work Together to Perform Their Primary Function - Term Paper Example

Reflective Paper of the of the Contents Introduction 3 Discussion 3 Reflective Learning 4 Conclusion 7References 9 Introduction Human resource Management and planning has seen a dramatic evolution over the past few decades. As a result of the globalization and business expansion as well as technology advances, the role of human resource has become a pivotal function among business today. HR’s role is critical because of the impact of practices, policies and employee behaviour on overall organizational performance (Gooderham, Parry & Ringdal, 2008). As a result of its increasing complexity, human resource has been broken down into various functions with differing role and action plans; hiring and selection, recruitment, training, development, compensation, performance measurement and guidelines as well as employee relations. The thesis statement of the current reflective paper is to evaluate how the various aspects of human resource management and planning work together to perform that primary function. Discussion The contemporary issues in human resource planning and development are very much different from what it used to be two or three decades back. With so many firms entering the global market, the major objective of HR is the management of cultural diversity as well as ethics of various nations where the firm is seeking business. With the advent of new technology too, new issues have arsed in the field of HR planning. For instance, information needs to be communicated within a nation or within an organisation. Apart from this, workplace diversity continues to be a major concern for HR managers. In this arena, the primary function of managers is to ensure that no discrimination is done in promoting, hiring or termination procedures and practices (Brewster, et al., 1996). However, each of these challenges are also opportunities for improving the overall monitoring of performance, safety and health issues as well as turnover management. Globalization has seen a tremendous growth with technological advances. As the cost effectiveness of business is increasing, more and more companies are going global. Thus, new roles of seeing international employees have been added to HR management. The HR managers are realizing that with different religions, races and cultures, work motivation is also changing. As a result, the overall hiring and recruitment process has seen a dramatic change. Today, hiring process does not confide to a person’s functional capabilities but also his/her capability to work in a diverse environment. With the equal Opportunity (EEO) as well as affirmative action plan, the firing and hiring policy has become more controlled as well as open. As a result, HR managers need to adopt a more generalized and un-biased approach to procedures, policies as well as expected behaviour of the workforce. By researching every arena of human resource management, an HR manager will be able to comprehend the career ambitions of the workforce as well as prepare for a prosperous and productive future. Human resource management has been given a new face and HR functions are quick in gaining recognition as they are proving to be critical for every organisation. As a result, the overall development of human resource departments has taken a priority. Apart from giving training to employees, HR managers and executives are themselves taking classes and training sessions at regular intervals. This can be attributed to the ever changing policies and regulations in the field of human resources which forced the HR department to stay focussed as well as undated. HR department is no longer limited to its core functions such as recruitment and hiring, performance management or talent acquisition. Rather, it is influencing important business functions such as strategy making, brand recognition, customer service as well as competitive advantage. Reflective Learning This part of the paper is intended to reflect my overall educational and learning experiences on human resource planning and management. I can also say the this paper has left a critical impact on the way I understand and perceive human capital as well as human resource management as a critical asset to any organisation. The expectations from the course were very clear as well as laid out strategically in the given syllabus. As future human resource managers, I have an opportunity to learn how to align business with human resource strategies. It also helped me in understanding the impact of various external and internal environmental factors and designing HR strategies in order to promote positive and healthy employee behaviours, establishes effective compensation and staffing systems (Kloppenborg & Nkomo, 2012). I learned that an effective HR management is critical not only for attracting, retaining and motivating best employees but also for understanding the employee relations as well as managing change effectively during various difficult times in the organisation. In order to add critical value and weight to the process of corporate decision making, it is crucial to leverage the HR skills learned during the course. During the course, various textbooks were recommended which i found to be very illuminating and helpful. They were very apt in explaining the critical importance as well as various practical applications of the human resource practices in this real world. Rather than dwelling on concepts and theories without having a clue of the intended application, the prescribed books explained reading goals of every chapter, best practices, techniques, strategic importance, emerging trends, various perspectives and current challenges faced by human resource managers in today’s world. The books were full of real world examples which enhanced my overall understanding as well as familiarity with the HR practices and issues in the contemporary environment. I was able to close my learning loop with the help of these illuminating study materials. The role plays by the professors and students were very informative. Most of the professors were very knowledgeable, inspiring and highly motivated. They were very receptive and whenever i approached them, they understood and explained me in detail. Every topic that was discussed during the course was very informative and enlightening. I was also able to relate them with my own work experience and it seems to mix together with the culture of my current organisation. Human resource management has been evolving over centuries and new trends have emerged which shows the strategic importance of HR for driving competitive advantage. The functions and roles of HR triad; HR Resource, Line Managers and employees is critically important for the success of any organisation. I learned the critical steps in selecting talented and right candidates for any job position. Apart from that, i was also exposed to new concepts and ideas regarding evaluation and performance management, importance of ability, merit as well as seniority during employee promotions, value of job and its analysis and diversity and talent management. The course was also helpful as it introduced me to new concepts, of which i was relatively unfamiliar. These included important labour laws under EEO, new policies in retention and talent management as well as employee motivation, moral and ethical policies complimenting with international agencies as well as new policies in HR accountability. In particular, I was fascinated by the subject of compensation and benefits. This fascination can be attributed to my previous experience as a HR executive- Payroll in Accenture. I had worked in Accenture for a year before hopping into my present organisation. Since Accenture was my first job as a HR executive, it was both fascinating and challenging. In this current competitive environment, i found out that apart from regular salary system, much of importance is given to extra benefits and employee compensation is further divided into smaller components covering all these aspects (Shaw, Gupta & Delery, 2002). Some of these aspects include life insurance, insurance against health issues and accidents, flexible leave policies, safety and health benefits as well as overall development and carrier opportunities. Since I was working with a multinational organisation, I had the opportunity to learn about the international compensation and benefits systems of various countries such as UK, US and Australia. The most interesting thing which I found out is that employees in these developed nations are ready to sacrifice their wages and salary for fringe benefits such as flexible office timings as well as flexible leave policies, childcare and day care options and flexible health insurance plans (Tregaskis & Brewster, 2006). While doing the course, I was able to comprehend my previous knowledge about compensation and benefits and it also helped in gaining much recognition during the course. Overall, the course not only enhanced my understanding and knowledge about human resource management and planning but also improved my confidence and ability to tackle important issues in an organisation. I also had got the opportunity to discuss the various work related issues I was facing in my current organisation with the professors. I was able to gain their expert advises as well as seek effective remedies to my issues. My biggest problem in my current work was managing underperforming employees. I was asked to take stringent decisions but I wanted to change their attitude without creating any pressure and fear. My professor suggested me to involve them with one to one conversation as well as make them participate in motivational programs. He also suggested me to organise training sessions on various IT and non-IT skills, which these employees were lacking (Paul & Anantharaman, 2003). I was very happy with the suggestions and I am planning to put these strategies into my action plan once I start my work. Apart from the above feature, I will also be applying my newly enhanced knowledge of various international HR policies and principles to revive the compensation and benefits systems. I feel that the Indian employees are also evolving and their needs are becoming more complex. As a result, I will first gain an insight on employee’s perception regarding revamping the employee benefits and compensation policies. Once I get a positive consent, I will be restructuring the compensation policy to suit the diverse needs of the employees in my current organisation. I am confident that the course will not only enhance my professional life but will also aid in better management of my personal life. Overall, I found the course to be very informative and instilled with critical thinking. It helped me in developing competencies required for people management in a very effective and creative manner of which I was absolutely unfamiliar. Another added benefit of the course was learning of strategy formulation for establishing workplaces that are effective, efficient as well as successfully meet organisational goals and objectives (Bresnahan, Brynjolfsson & Hitt, 2002). I believe that the course work helped me in becoming a better person. I am now better in time management as well as maintaining a balance between family and work. Previously i used to bring my work as well as related issues at home and this created issues within my family. However, after completing the course, I am better informed about the negative consequences of imbalanced between family and work and long term side effects to the HR manager as well as his or her family. As a result, I keep my office work away from home and I can feel the positive influence on my overall work performance as well as my personal life. Conclusion The overall success of any organisation is hugely dependent on its human resource quality and management of human resource. Employees are generally considered as an important part of any organisation and getting right talent is absolutely critical for any organisation. The thesis statement of the current reflective paper was to evaluate how the various aspects of human resource management and planning work together to perform that primary function. The reflective journal covered many topics such as human resource planning, compensation and benefits, safety and health policies, EEO and affirmative policies, human resource development and many more. The overall conclusion which can be drawn from this paper is that human resource management in today’s global environment is not confined to one strategy or one policy. Rather, it is spread across all departments and functions of the organisations, working in tandem with their policies and action plans. Every employee has his/her unique qualities and is the responsibility of the HR manager to fully utilize the individual and unique characteristics as well as strengths that is offered by each worker in the organisation. HR managers should also involve in future planning by identification of the current as well as future needs; train the workforce so that they are ready to face the next challenge. References Bresnahan, F. T., Brynjolfsson, E. & Hitt, L.M. (2002). Information technology, workplace organization, and the demand for skilled labor: firm-level evidence. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 117 (1), 339-376 Brewster, C., Tregaskis, O., Hegewisch, A. & Mayne, L. (1996). Comparative research in human resource management: a review and an example. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 7(3), 585-604. Gooderham, P., Parry, E. & Ringdal, K. (2008). The Impact of Bundles of Strategic Human Resource Management Practices on the Performance of European firms. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(11), 2041-2056. Kloppenborg, T. & Nkomo, S. (2012). Human resource project management. (2nd ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Paul, A. & Anantharaman, R. (2003). Impact of people management practices on organizational performance: Analysis of a causal model. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14 (7), 1246-1266. Shaw, J., Gupta, N. & Delery, J. (2002). Pay Dispersion and Workforce Performance: Moderating Effects of Incentives and Interdependence. Strategic Management Journal, 23(6), 491-512. Tregaskis, O. & Brewster, C. (2006). A Comparative Analysis of Trends in Contingent Employment Practice in Europe over a Decade. Journal of International Business Studies, 47, 111-126. Read More