Human Resource Policies and Good Employee Relationship - Coursework Example

Human Resource Policies Name: Date: Institutional Affiliation: Human Resource Policies Introduction Human Resource policies refer to the guidelines and formal rules that have been put in place by a business or an organization so as to hire, train the hired staff, assess them and reward the workforce team [Soc08]. If these policies are organized and effectively disseminated they can serve the purpose of pre-empting the misunderstandings that exist among employees and also between the employees and the employers [Civ95]. Having the Human Resource Policies written down is very crucial since it assists in its implementation in that, the written policies provide a clear picture of what the written down policies are and this also enable them to be applied fairly and consistently across the organization [Per00]. In the present day, most human resource policies regardless of whether written or verbal, are always part of the employment contract that is between the company and the employee. This therefore implies that without a clearly set out human resource policy the organization is disadvantaged. Several Studies have shown that Organizations that have ensured proper implementation of Human Resource Policies have had competitive advantage over the other organizations that have not implemented proper Human Resource Policies [DAY14]. Some of the advantages that have been attributed to effective Human Resource Policies include; Good Employee Relationship, Reduction in Litigation fees, benefit from qualified Staff and that the staff are properly evaluated and compensated. Good Employee Relationship One of the greatest benefits that is greatly attributed to effective Human Resource Policy is Good Employee Relationship in the in the workplace. Employee relationship mainly entails management of the relationship among the employees and the between the employer and the employee. It has been identified that Human Resource policies play a significant role in ensuring that there is good and smooth employee relationship in the Workplace environment [DeC05]. Further research show that happy workers tend to be more productive hence the organisation performs much better. One of the best ways for a business to stay ahead in the industry is by is to ensure that the employee needs are met so that they do not feel like leaving the business and work for the other competitors. To ensure good employee relationship an organisation should adopt human resource policy that confers high value to the employees and regards them as stakeholders of the organisation. According to [Civ95] stakeholders tend to be committed either financially or otherwise to the organisation and are also affected by the failure or success of the organisation. In organisations where there Human Resource Policies, perceive employees as more that paid workers but rather as stakeholders and with the ability to influence outcome, the employees tend to feel valued and the same is expressed in their level of productivity [Civ95]. This treatment should be passed on to each and every employee of the organisation and this will create a good employee with the management of the organisation. There are exist various elements that enhance good employee relationship in the organisation. These include, clear stated and written down human resource policies, communication and employee recognition [Gre85]. One of the most crucial elements for an effective employee relationship is communication. This involves making the employees to feel engaged in the organisation. This is achieved by informing them what is going on in the organisation and the future plans of the organisation. Litigation Fees One of the biggest nightmare for most organizations is the litigation fees. Members of the business and legal communities all agree that business and organizations should carry out certain steps, so as to reduce so as to cut off or reduce legal threats that are attributed from the discontented current or the company’s ex-employees by formulating and applying a comprehensive human resource policies [Soc08]. Whereas it is important to recognize that a company’s litigation risks cannot be entirely eliminated, they can be reduced significantly through formulation and implementation of various crucial human resource policies. In most cases, it is said prevention is better than cure. It is therefore important that the organisation put this into consideration. Research carried on about fifty companies showed that companies that had proper and effective human resource policies, had fewer or no litigation cases in the past five years compared to those companies that had not implemented effective human resource policies. Litigation are at times very harmful to the organization [Soc08]. There exists incidences where organisations have become bankrupt after paying litigation fees that are mostly due to negligence. In the present day any form of negligence from the employer, may be very costly to the organisation in one way or another. The other way in which litigation fees can be reduced is by empowering the Human Resource team with the understanding of the employment law principles. A Human Resource team that understands the employment laws and policies is likely to formulate better human resource policies that will not only favour the organisation but also favour the team of staff at the organisation [Soc08]. A good example of where effective Human Resource Polices enabled the organisation to win a case and also saved it from a lot of losses, both in terms of monetary value and in goodwill is the Beaird vs. Seagate Technology where the United States based court of Appeal dismissed a race and age discrimination claim the employees of the corporation [DAY14]. Qualified Staff One of the main advantage of formulating human resource policies is that it enables organisations recruit the best and most qualified individuals in their team of staff. So how to do human resource policy enable the organisation benefit from qualified staff. Advertisement and hiring is one of the core functions of the Human Resource department [Per00]. The human resource policies also involves what goes into the selection and recruitment process and this further involves the procedures and expectation of the company. Because of this, the human resource department will at all times only recruit individuals that meet their established criteria. This not only ends there but the same policies are implemented to the training of the staff. Studies have shown that training play a significant role in improving the productivity of employees [Bea09]. Training provides the best out of the employees both the current and newly recruited staff since it provides a platform for interaction where the old and new blood can blend and thus enhance good relationship among the employees. Employees in organisations where training is carried out from time to time have been proven to be more productive compared to those employees in institutions where there is less training [Soc08]. Another way in which human resource polices provide and sustain organisation with qualified staff is through formulation of policies that enhance team-building among employees. Team-building activities enhance unity in the organisation and also enable the organisation to be able to achieve its goals as a team [Civ95]. Thus the human resource department should always aim at formulating policies that will enable the organisation to continue benefiting from qualified personnel that enable the organisation achieve its goals with ease. Evaluation and Compensation The Human Resource use a combination of market surveys and job analyses techniques to find out the amount of compensation, an employee deserves, while at the same time ensure that the organisation remains competitive [Soc08]. The department achieves this, by formulating and implementing policies that also address, the management and evaluation the employee performance. Whereas the policies formulated do not directly state the specific amount that is to be compensated to the employee, they do imply that the employees are mainly compensated according to their efforts, skills and the scope of their responsibilities [DeC05]. This goes a long way in informing the employees, their level of compensation. Another crucial part in evaluation is that it involves monitoring the progress of the employees and ensuring that they are in line with the stated policies and the goals of the organisation. Whereas strategic vision of an organisation, can influence the formulation and evaluation of human resource policies, the vice versa can also be feasible. The human resource can help the organisation or institution monitor its own progress and the progress of the employees towards achieving the stated objectives and goals which is part of the organisation’s strategic plan [NES02]. Progress in any organisation can be monitored within a specific timeline that is formulate by the organisation. This can be quarterly, semi-annually, or even annually, depending on the organisational goals. One of the best ways in which organisation monitor their progress is through the analysis of their financial statements. The financial statements are analysed by determining the financial ratios that show the true position of the organisation [DAY14]. On the other hand the progress of the employees can be monitored through formulation of policies such as annual performance contracts where the performance of the employees are analysed to determine if they met the individual goals and objectives. Conclusion From the analysis above, it is vivid that Human Resource Policies, play a crucial role in enabling the organisations succeed in their operations. Thus it is important that the organisation set up an effective Human Resource Department that will enable it achieve its stipulated goals. Formation of a Human Resource Department can only be effective and efficient if the department formulates policies that are effective and efficient in nature. Thus it ca be concluded that the Human Resource policies do confer benefits to the organisation. References Soc08: , (Society for Human Resource Management, 2008), Civ95: , (Civil Service Branch, 1995), Per00: , (Perry-Smith & Blum, 2000), DAY14: , (DAYTON UNIVERSITY, 2014), DeC05: , (De Cieri, et al., 2005), Gre85: , (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985), Bea09: , (Beauregard & Henry, 2009), NES02: , (NESTLE LTD, 2002), Read More