Human Resources - how individuals are managed within an organisation

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Human Resources

Contents

                                                                                Page

Introduction                                                                2

P1                                                                                6

P2                                                                                9

P3                                                                                26

P4                                                                                27

P5                                                                                33

M4                                                                                36

M5                                                                                39

M6                                                                                40

M7                                                                                42

M8                                                                                43

Bibliography                                                                44

Human Resources

Introduction

    People are an extremely important resource for any organisation. To be a successful business you need to employ staff with the right qualifications skills and experience.

    The employees of an organisation are collectively known as its human resources, in many organisations, both public and private, the human resources department is also known as the personnel department. However, the difference in name reflects a shift in emphasis from a purely recruitment and welfare role to a greater concern about how to maximise the performance of staff. Human resource management is also an integral part of many job roles.

    There are many duties performed by a typical human resources department. These duties include drawing up and implementing equal opportunities and health and safety policies, staff consultation, negotiation, appraisal and staff development, as well as training, recruitment and selection of staff. They are the most important resource in the production of goods ands services.

    Many aspects of the employer-employee relationship are covered by legislation. However, employers are recognising increasingly that good human resource management practice, which goes beyond the letter of the law, can generate benefits for both the organisation and the individual.

The role of human resources

Human resource management involves managing a range of roles relating to people employed by a business including:

Recruitment – The personnel department must advertise accordingly and try to attract the “best” candidates for the job, and the recruit the “best” applicants. If the wrong person is recruited, and then finds the job boring or too difficult, then the business will not get the most out of its human resources. Also where employees need to be flexible and autonomous and where direct control over employees is difficult, recruitment is becoming more and more important. To make sure the “best” person is chosen, personnel departments must be clear about:

  • What the job entails
  • What qualities the job requires
  • What rewards is needed to retain and motivate employees.

There are many stages of recruiting, they are: -

  1. Analyse what the job entails and decide what sort of person is needed.
  2. Decide how the vacancy is to be advertised or announced.
  3. The selection process needs to be planned and conducted in such a way as to ensure that the “best” candidate is successful.

Training involves employees being taught new skills or improving skills they have already have.

Why might a business train its employees?

It is argued that a well-trained work force has certain benefits for a business.

  • Well-trained workers should be more productive. This will help the business to achieve its overall objectives such as increasing profits.
  • It should help to create a more flexible work force. If a business needs to increase production, workers then have to be trained in new tasks.
  • New machinery or production processes can be introduced more effectively, if the staff are trained.
  • It should lead to increased job satisfaction to employees. Well-motivated workers are more likely to be more productive.
  • It should reduce accidents and injuries if employees are trained in health and safety procedures.
  • It may improve the image of the company.
  • It can improve employee’s chances of promotion.

How does a firm know if training is required?

One method might be to use the job description to find the skills and knowledge needed to do the job. If the employee’s skills do not match up with the ones in the job description, then there is a need for re-training.

 

Employees can also be asked about areas where they are not quite as confident, and think may need a little work on. This should make them more committed to training. Training needs are found at different levels within a business.

 

Training is often divided into on-the-job-training and off-the-job-training. On-the-job-training takes place when employees are trained while they are carrying out an activity, often at their place of work. Off-the-job training takes place away from the job, at a different location. It may involve the employee being released for periods of time to attend courses at colleges or other institutions. This is by far the most popular form of training.

One vital key task of HRM is to keep up to date with employment legislation (UK and EU) and to remain alert to the implications of such legislation for the firm and the workers.

The main aim of such legislation is to ensure that employee’s rights are protected. Basic rights include:

  • Employees must receive a written statement of terms and conditions of employment within 13 weeks of starting work.
  • They must be paid the same as other people who carry out identical or similar jobs.
  • Working conditions must be safe and healthy.
  • Workers cannot be dismissed unfairly.
  • Employers must not discriminate against any member of staff.

Employees have basic rights to:

  • They are expected to comply with the terms of their contract.
  • To do jobs with care and skill, to the acceptable standard.
  • Observe health and safety regulations.
  • Not to damage the firms property.

There are many other responsibilities that then form the basis of the “contract of employment”. The contract is formed as soon as the employer offers a person a job and they accept it.

Motivation at work

For many years firms have given financial rewards in an attempt to motivate employees and improve productivity. However in the last 2 or 3 decades firms have realised that: -

  • the chance to earn more money may not be an effective motivator
  • financial incentive schemes are difficult to operate
  • individual reward schemes may no longer be effective as production has become organised into group tasks
  • other factors may be more important in motivating employees

If other factors are more important than pay in motivating workers, it is important for firms to identify them. Only then can a business make sure its work force is motivated.

Team work

The Swedish car firm Volvo is a well-known example of a company that has effectively introduced teamwork. In both its plants at Kalmar and Uddevalla, it set up production in teams of 8-10 highly skilled workers. The teams decided between themselves how the work was to be distributed and how to solve problems as they arise. It is arguable whether these practices lead to an increase in productivity, but the company firmly believes this method of organisation was better than an assembly line system a similar system is used at Honda UK but with four person teams.

If the firm is always changing due to the market, which is causing it to either, expand or de-layer. Then they will have to change the work force accordingly.

The case study that I will be looking at is a position as a secretary for Ratcliffe College.

P1- Recruitment

    One of the most important responsibilities of Human resource function is recruitment and selection. The costs of recruitment, training and retaining employees are high, but the costs of selecting the wrong people or losing key members of staff can be even higher. The processes of recruitment and selection must always relate the requirement for skilled staff to the business needs of the organisation. It is also essential that potential candidates be treated fairly.

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    When vacancies arise because existing staff move to other jobs, retire or have to leave work because of illness. Some vacancies occur because the organisation expands or is restructured. Before the organisation advertises a post, it needs to decide whether there is a real need for the position to be filled. It might consider the following alternatives:

  • Amalgamating one job with another
  • Giving existing staff overtime
  • Recruiting temporary staff
  • Increasing the use of technology or machinery

  • Once an organisation decides that a vacancy exists, the recruitment process begins.

Internal recruitment

    Internal ...

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