Human Resource Management: issues - Essay Example

R.Preeti 12/12/2007 Human Resources Management An organisation is often recognised by the culture that is prevalent in the organisation and the mode fo working followed by the company in question. By organisational culture, we mean, the attitudes, values and ethical perception of the organisation and how it works in different situations. "Organization culture is the emergent result of the continuing negotiations about values, meanings and proprieties between the members of that organisation and with its environment".

( Organizational Culture: An Introduction, edited by Nasreen Taher, Hyderabad: ICFAI University Press, 2005, pp 82-92.)If an organisation's culture and environment is characterised by diversity, it certainly needs careful handling in order to appease employees that come from diverse groups. As a part of the Human Resources Department, I would definitely look towards striking a balance between work processes that coincide with the work methodology of every generation, since a workplace must possess coordination and cooperation above anything else.

Firstly, the Baby Boomers in the organisation are close to retirement, and yet play important roles owing to principles of seniority and experience. Therefore, their support and involvement is imperative for the organisation. The value-system these employees come from is different from the value systems of the others. It is due to this that I would like to abolish the system of being answerable to a hierarchical superior. If these Baby Boomer employees are not a part fo the top strata of employees and are required to be answerable to younger employees, it would certainly be a put off.

Next, the Generation X'ers are the more relaxed kind who look at working in teams and believe in peer-to-peer functioning. Therefore, abolishing hierarchical superiority is a boon for these people as well, since the system of working on a horizontal plane is what they believe in. Since they are the first generation not to be intimidated by women bosses, women appointments can be increased as per qualifications. The Gen X'ers can however, be quite fickle when it comes to sticking to one organisation.

Therefore, there needs to be enough incentive and challenge in their work processes. Thus, a more horizontal set-up, inclusive of teamwork and a challenging workplace needs to be created, to sustain employees belonging to this generation.The Gen Y'ers who are relatively new are becoming a prominent workforce at the workplace. These employees are fresh out of college or with little work experience. Hence, they do bow down to authority at least for the initial period till they gain some experience.

Therefore, handling them is relatively easy. Nonetheless, these Gen Y'ers do come with their own set of culture values. For instance, these are the employees who are addicted to the internet. One can find them blogging constantly or even chatting and mailing at work. This can be counter-productive. Therefore, framing an internet usage policy is a must to tackle the addiction these employees carry forward to the workplace.The latest generation to join the bandwagon, is that of college goers and interns.

These employees are students, who work as apprentices or interns, in order to gain experience and practical knowledge. This practice is a new-found one at workplaces, since colleges and universities today stress on on-the-job training for students to be well-equipped. These employees do not need special handling, since they are easily mouldable. They attempt to learn and gain work experience and therefore, their goal is to grasp knowledge at the workplace.

Therefore, constantly helping them learn and grow in every department and helping them grasp the core concepts of functioning at every department is what should be our concern.Thus, diversity at workplace can be turned into an advantage, by reaping the most benefits out of what this diversity ahs to offer. By creating employee-friendly policies and minimising areas of difference. Thus, workplaces can be made to stand at an advantageous position, due to workplace diversity, if handles with care and concern.

REFERENCES Organizational Culture: An Introduction, edited by Nasreen Taher, Hyderabad: ICFAI University Press, 2005, pp 82-92Website: http://www.abanet.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mgt08044.htmlWebsite: www.wikipedia.com